Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

My death was relatively peaceful. None of that raging against the long dark for me, no fighting the reaper. Sure, I had plenty of regrets, but doesn’t everyone? No, instead it just felt like an inevitability when I felt my heart stop that night. Not a happy inevitability, but not unexpected. Long years of unhealthy living, or was it simply the fact that heart attacks ran in my family? I would never know.

As my brain died, many thoughts of my family came up. I quickly discarded them, just as I had done for the past decade. Why should I care what they thought?

For the briefest of instances, I was actually glad that my cat had died a month ago. I knew they usually tried giving pets to the owner's family, and I wouldn't want that . Then, just like the thoughts of my family, that thought also faded until my awareness shrank to almost nothing, just a single pinprick of light.

This must have been the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ I had always heard about, though I had thought that it was usually associated with being revived, which was highly unlikely considering I lived alone-

SLAM

An intense, throbbing pain radiated from my forehead and I instinctively flinched, curling into a fetal position and cradling my head as I groaned in pain. The throbbing slowly faded and eventually, I opened my eyes.

Somehow.

My pained eyes opened, only to find myself in the woods. Once again, somehow. A quick glance around confirmed that towering peaks surrounded me on all sides except for one: forward. 

For a few moments I just sat there, lost in confused awe, because I somehow heard my heartbeat again, until my brain caught up to me and a creeping sense of discomfort settled in.

Grass itched on my cold bare skin.

As I began to look down, movement caught my eye. Perched on a fallen log was a fat, brown-gray squirrel, its cheeks bulging with a look I could only describe as a 'comically simple enthusiasm'. Nut in hand, staring at me.

But it wasn't just some regular animal.

It wasn’t some exotic species of ground squirrel or something like that.

No, that stupid little thing was a Skwovet—a Pokemon. I’d never liked the small rodent Pokemon, and seeing one in real life didn't change that. That could only mean one thing, though.

Holy fucking shit, this wasn’t Earth…

Was it Arceus? Jirachi? Or a different Pokemon demi-god that brought me here? I had always loved the games, sure, but… really?

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts—only to catch a glimpse of my hair color. Green. Green?! That sent me spiraling into confusion, which quickly turned into a full inspection of my body. 

Not that it was hard, considering I was completely naked.

Good news? I had apparently dropped at least fifteen years, judging by how springy my skin felt. That much was obvious, especially considering my small chest.

That realization hit hard . I actually broke down for a few minutes, overwhelmed by a mess of gratitude, confusion, and pure frustration at how little control I had over any of this. Yes , I had wanted this. Prayed for it. Given up on it in the face of fascist conservatives, but the want had never dissipated. Still, I had been dropped into this world without my permission!

A low growl grew in my chest before I forced myself to stop, looking around in sudden wariness. I knew that a real Poke-world wouldn't be wouldn’t be as nice as it looked in the games and anime. Fuck the Pidgeys eating Caterpies—that was the least of my worries. Now that I thought about it, plenty of Pokédex entries heavily implied, or outright stated, that these things wouldn’t just hunt prey. 

They’d hunt humans.

“H-hey-” I coughed suddenly, my body not used to my newfound vocal cords. Since when did vocal cords itch when you used them? And why the hell was my voice so much higher ? Other than the obvious? It sounded squeaky! I better not be a kid!

Oh, oh no! It’s more likely than not… Unless I’m just tiny? I’d rather be tiny than a kid, please? I am an adult!

“H-Hey Arceus, o-or I guess Jirachi? Mind giving me some answers? I-I could really use some…”

Silence.

Well, silence except for the same idiotic-looking Skwovet noisily cracking open a nut.

I pushed myself up, only to stumble as my body refused to work in the way I expected it to. My balance was off, my muscles felt shaky, and I was way too unsteady on my feet. I imagined I looked a bit like a newborn foal, legs wobbling, body moving in weird, random ways as I tried to figure out how to exist in this body.

A few hesitant steps forward. One step back as my foot met a very rude, pointy rock. I hissed in pain but kept going, slowly making my way forward—until I reached the edge of a cliff.

That’s when I finally saw where I was.

Off in the distance I saw a truly massive red-leafed tree. And I don’t mean redwood big—I mean so huge that I couldn't see the top of the monstrosity, considering it was covered in clouds ! I’d probably forgotten most of what I knew about Pokemon, and I felt quite sure that if Arceus (or whoever) had dropped me in Kanto, I’d have no clue where I was. However, a tree that big, that color , boxed in by mountains on three sides, with a wide lake almost surrounding the tree?

This was the Crown Tundra.

I was in Galar.

I was so fucked.

This was not a friendly area to be in. Even if I’d had clothes, tools, or hell, an RPG launcher, I’d still be fucked . Whether 'levels' were a thing or not, this place was dangerous . And if my memory was correct, I was about as far from civilization as you could get in Galar. It would take me days just to walk to that tree. Days with no food, water, or clothes!

I let out a groan that slowly turned into a growl of rage. Yes, I was alive again. Younger. The correct gender. In a world I had always wanted to visit. But I was also naked, alone, and my fear was growing by the second. It wasn’t just the massive, carnivorous Pokemon I vaguely remembered living here that I had to worry about. I was pretty sure even the stupid Skwovet behind me could end my life if it felt like it.

The fact that it probably wouldn’t eat me afterwards was no comfort.

I sighed again and turned to leave. I was halfway up the slopes of the western mountains on a small plateau, with the sprawling grasslands below me. What I couldn’t find, though, was any sort of trail. I glanced at the Skwovet for a moment before an idea came to mind. I approached slowly, not just to avoid scaring it, but also to hopefully not shred my feet on the rough ground.

I couldn’t remember the name of the type of stone poking through the loose dirt, but it was sharp and jagged, and despite being a little crumbly, it was easily capable of cutting my bare feet. I’d waded through a stream barefoot on a fishing trip once, and the memory made me wince as the sting of the ground reminded me. Not from cutting myself on the rocks, no, though I’d come close. I’d sliced my plantar fascia, the big tendon on the bottom of my foot, clean in two on a broken beer bottle. Stupid littering assholes…

As I drew closer the Pokemon glanced up briefly, before dismissing me with hardly a glance. I stopped about ten feet from it and coughed lightly to get its attention.

“H-Hey, uhh, do you know how to get down from here?” All I got was a blank look. Well, blanker than usual. “Uhh, like, a trail?” Another blank look, but it pointed off to the side before refocusing on the nut in its hands.

“Thanks…?” The little shit actually chittered at me and shooed me off before it turned its back to me. With a sigh I turned and began walking towards the edge of the small clearing I found myself in. A small trail led down the mountain, seemingly cut into the stone.

I had always enjoyed hiking. Getting to reconnect with nature, pit your body against the very elements themselves. Even if those elements were just sun and maybe some rain, I had climbed six thousand feet in elevation in a single day, once. I was beat , but I managed to do it. The next day, when I had descended the mountain, was simultaneously the easiest and most strenuous hike I had ever done. My muscles were on fire, but I could practically skip back down the trail the next day, gravity my friend instead of enemy.

Hiking was fun , and I greatly enjoyed it.

I did not enjoy doing it barefoot, naked, cold, and with my head on a swivel. The pace I set was excruciatingly slow, but I still managed to make it halfway down the mountain before the sun touched the edges of the peaks behind me. I needed fire, shelter, water, and food, in that order, and fast. The slight chill in the air was quickly growing worse, and I would prefer not freezing to death.

I had just begun exploring this latest plateau, hoping to find a small cave or hollow tree to make a fire in front of, when I heard a small roar of pain. I froze up momentarily before I heard another roar, this one fading into a high-pitched squeal of agony. I had barely realized I was moving before I was running, feet on fire as I stomped on rocks and sticks in my haste.

My stupid haste. Because this was stupid. I was stupid. I literally had nothing to fight with, or even just something to stop my fuckin' tits from bouncing and throwing my balance off. Glad as I was to have them, a bra was the first thing I was buying myself once I got out of here. If I got out of here. Considering my current actions?

A very big if.

I ran around a large boulder and found the source of the cries. A baby Tyrunt, not even a foot tall and looking like a brown T-Rex with an oversized head, was panting, tears streaming from its eyes as it lowly growled at its assailant, bleeding claw marks down its flank. A Sneasel, the dark purple-black furred Dark/Ice variant of the cat-weasel, was currently licking the blood from its claws as it smirked at the baby.

I knew the look on its face. Had seen it before in the eyes of bullies everywhere—whether they were high schoolers, drunks, police, or politicians. It was taking pleasure in the baby's pain. It was tormenting a baby.

I was no stranger to death in nature. A baby animal was much easier to kill than an adult, and ‘survival of the fittest’ wasn’t just some vague idea. I had seen it in action, both in person and online. Watching a leopard eat a literal newborn animal hadn’t been fun, but I would never have called the leopard evil.

Pokemon, on the other hand? I knew they were intelligent from the anime, and had seen it when the Skwovet easily understood me. They weren't animals . They were people , just a bit different. I probably wouldn't have been furious if it had just gone for the kill. Living things had to eat, after all—even other people.

And one of those ‘people’ was tormenting a baby just for the fun of it.

“Hey fuckface!” I eloquently yelled as I snatched up a fist-sized rock.

The Sneasel took one look at me, sneered, and then turned back to the Tyrunt. The thrown rock hit its head solidly, the thunk echoing for a second. I grinned at my success, but only for a few seconds. The next thing I knew I was on my back, head bouncing off the rock behind me while my left hand felt like ice . I tried to push myself up, only for raw agony to shoot through my left hand. I screamed in pain, instinctively pulling my hand to my chest. My hand, minus a pinky, that was. Hearing a dark laugh, I looked up and found the Sneasel sneering at me dismissively from a few feet away.

With my pinky hanging from its lips like the world's most morbid cigar. It’s tongue reached out to pull my pinky in, and I could hear the bones splintering as it continued to sneer at me, blood staining its teeth.

My blood.

It ate my finger.

It. Ate. ME!

I had never been a good fighter. Good fighters were in control of themselves. Every time I had been forced to fight, be they bullies in school or just asshole adults, I had fought the same: like my life depended on it. Like an animal. I had been strong, and large enough that I could actually take some abuse, but never skilled. I didn’t throw punches, I flailed. I was strong enough that it had worked for me, when I was forced to fight. I had never enjoyed it, and never trained.

Now, I was significantly smaller and lighter, and since Arceus hadn’t decided to give me muscles, also significantly weaker than I had been before.

All that is to say that when the psychopathic Pokemon turned around dismissively, all I saw was red. I still wanted to save the baby, but now? It was secondary. Still, as I rose to my feet, another rock in hand, I briefly met the Tyrunt's eyes. It seemed to nod, letting out an unfortunately adorable roar at the Sneasel before darting in. The Sneasel simply jumped backwards, but I was there now, swinging the rock around with the full force of my body. It hit the Pokemon in its head, but of course, it only seemed stunned for a brief second.

A brief second the baby Tyrunt took advantage of, as it snapped its jaws around the Sneasel’s hands. I could see blood start to flow as the inside of its mouth was cut, but I only caught a brief glimpse as I reared back, both hands wrapped around the rock, adrenaline and rage briefly overcoming the sheer agony such an action brought.

I whipped my whole body forwards, rock smashing into the top of the Sneasel’s head. It tried to rear back, but the baby snarled and dug its legs in. Once more I brought the stone down, this time hearing a crack that brought a vicious smile to my face.

Of course, that didn’t put the Pokemon down, but it did slow down. Another slam of the rock and it fell to its knees, blood trickling from its ears.

If I had been a ‘good fighter’ I might have stopped there. It was almost unconscious, helpless. I didn’t care one bit as I brought the stone down once more, causing another crack to ring out. And again. And again. By now the Tyrunt was wailing in distress, but I was still seeing red.

“You!” Smash

“Don’t!” Smash

“Eat!” Smash

“Me!” Crack

“I’ll!” Crack

“Eat!” Smush

“You!” Splatter

Finally I slowed down, looking down at the ruined remains of this fucks head. As the adrenaline dump stopped I panted in exhaustion, desperate for air. My hand began to throb again, and I snapped. I let out a growl that turned into a piercing scream as I brought the rock down into the… pile that had been a head.

I fell back on my ass, sharp rocks digging in painfully as I gasped for breath. I barely felt them over the throbbing agony in my left hand. I began to rise, only to stop at the growl I heard. I turned around, knowing what I would find. That had been way too deep to be the baby.

I turned, only to find myself staring directly into the bright white eyes of an absolutely enraged Tyrantrum. Even as I felt a chill go down my spine, I noticed just how massive this beast was. It was almost two stories tall, and I knew they were supposed to only be maybe nine feet tall. Its red scales, white ‘beard’ of feathers, and flared orange crown on its head made it unmistakable. Tyrantrum had been one of my favorite Pokemon since they were released, I mean, who doesn’t like a T-Rex, so I knew I wasn’t misremembering that badly. This was a fucking Alpha! I thought they were only in Arceus Legends? So like, ancient Sinnoh, right?

Another growl, this one more dangerous, and I snapped again. I stood up and growled right back at it, teeth bared in a snarl. Its eyes widened slightly in surprise, and before it could start to growl again I began yelling.

“Fucking really ? Are you stupid? I just saved your baby, asshole! Fuck off!” I nearly slapped it in the face before a small part of my self preservation made itself known.

I groaned in pain instead as my stump continued to throb, and I realized that I was probably suffering from blood loss, if the feeling of lightheadedness was anything to go by. I reached over and, before I could second guess myself, wrapped my thumb and pointer fingers around the torn, bleeding stump in the tightest squeeze I could manage.

The shock dropped me to my knees, but after a pained minute I was able to weakly open my eyes. I was alone with the corpse of the Sneasel now. Missing a digit. Naked. I didn’t even have string to tourniquet my stump, not that there was much of a stump left, and I knew that human hair would just cut into my flesh unless I braided it. Something I didn’t have the time, or free hand, to do. I felt tears form in my eyes, and tried to angrily wipe them away with my clenched fists.

So this was it, huh? I had no idea how long I would have to hold a stump for it to stop bleeding, but I knew it wouldn’t be fast. Release my stump and bleed out, don't release it and die of thirst or hunger. Or Pokemon.

Fuck.

I must have passed out momentarily, as the sun had descended completely on the other side of the mountains when I next opened my eyes, causing a beautiful sunset to envelope the massive valley. I could see some bird Pokemon gliding on air currents far away, well clear of the Dyna Tree, and I felt a strange sense of peace come over me. I had already died once, so at the very least, this time I get to die as a woman, and this time I didn’t have to stare at a blank ceiling. Instead I get a view that I itched to paint. Not that I could paint. Or draw. Or sketch… However, it just seemed right. This scene deserved it. It should be hanging on a wall.

I sighed and went to stand up, but stopped as the earth shook under me. I looked up in surprise, only to find the Tyrantrum on the outcrop above. It jumped down, landing in front of me and causing my entire body to bounce into the air. Instinct took over and I tried to catch myself with my hands. Of course, that was a very poor idea, and I spent another minute simply rolling on the ground in pain, fingers once again clamped around my stump. I forced my eyes open, only to find the giant Tyrantrum staring at me from only feet away, jaws slightly parted. I froze, but as the jaws began to open I couldn't help but smile in relief.

The baby Tyrunt stepped out of its parents' mouth slowly, heavily limping, but the long slashes in its flank had somehow already scabbed over. Its jaw also opened, and a bright blue fruit the size of an orange rolled out towards me. I almost expected another tiny Tyrunt to come out of the fruit, like some sort of dinosaur nesting dolls, but the amusing thought was immediately discarded as I realized what this had to be. One of the few I would recognize on sight. I looked up at the family of dinosaurs as I spoke, eyes hopeful.

“I-Is that an Oran Berry?” A nod from both of them was all I needed, and I didn’t even bother to try and use my intertwined hands. I simply bent down and bit into the giant berry. It tasted like a smooth, bland blueberry honestly, but as I let the last bite (and some dirt) slide down my throat I could feel my stump healing.

It honestly didn’t feel ‘magical’; in fact, it itched horrendously. However, I watched in grateful fascination as a thick, angry looking scab rapidly developed over the raw flesh and bone. I cautiously released my stump, and couldn't stop the heavy sigh of relief when no more blood flowed out. It still throbbed with an unholy pain that radiated out, but I wouldn't bleed out now.

“Thank you.” I looked up from my hand to find the Tyrantrum staring at me. It didn’t seem aggressive anymore, obviously, but it was still intimidating. The Alpha then opened its jaws wide, the baby quickly climbing inside. Then it stayed there, looking at me intently. Like it was waiting .

“Wait, you want me to… come with you?” The sight of a two-story T-Rex look-alike nodding with its mouth wide open, and the little Tyrunt eagerly nodding as well from inside the mouth, made me laugh. Fuck it. If it had wanted me dead it wouldn't have helped heal me. I stood up, wobbling as my lightheadedness surged. I nearly stepped inside the jaws before I remembered my words.

I had meant every one of them, even if I had been kind of out of it.

“One second, I’m going to need food.” As I snatched the Sneasel corpse up, the Alpha growled, but this one was a different growl. I could see the corners of its mouth curl up. Yeah, I think it approved.

I trusted the Tyrantrum not to eat me, for now at least, but the first step onto a giant tongue was not easy, not by any definition of the word. I froze, one bare foot planted on the huge, wet muscle, but before I could put my other foot down the head swung, making me slam into the huge tongue. I quickly grabbed onto a tooth near the front of its jaw, stopping my slide towards its throat. A glance back told me that it’s esophagus, or whatever that flap thing back there was called, was closed. Which made sense, don’t want to swallow your own child, but I was still frozen as the tiny view through the closing jaws changed.

Riding inside the mouth of a T-Rex was not fun for me, the baby, or its parent. I watched in fascinated horror as the baby's sharp claws dug into its parent's tongue, but only a small amount of blood pooled there. I barely had time to wonder at just how tough its tongue , of all things , was before I felt the world tilting, exiting the mouth and landing directly on my tailbone. The pain served to unfreeze my body, and as I tried to rub the pain away- and rub warmth into my body!- I took in my surroundings. It was the most enormous damn nest I had ever seen, covered in what looked like long, dried grasses, with a view down the slope, and surrounded by a few groups of trees.

With a small thud the Sneasel corpse landed next to me, and I looked up to find the Alpha staring at me, the baby hopping out of its mouth. I let out a smile at the sight of the infant. And it was an infant. I was pretty sure Tyrunts were two feet tall, but this little one had to have hatched only recently, barely a foot tall. I slowly reached out to pat it on the head, only for it to raise its head to meet my palm. I couldn’t help the wide smile that broke out on my face, only to see the parent staring at me. It smiled as well, before looking down at the corpse. I did too before I grimaced. Looking back at the Alpha, though, I had an idea.

I was cold, anyway. Really cold, now that it was darker and I was covered in saliva!

I moved to the center of the nest and began to remove the layers of grass until I had a wide, open area of dirt and stone. I looked up to find them both watching me in confusion. I grinned at that, looking up at the Tyrantrum with a hopeful expression.

“Could you do me a favor? I need some dead tree branches for a fire, and maybe a sharp rock. Could you help with that?” It stared at me for a full half minute, and right as I began to worry it snorted and began walking towards a stand of trees. I began to follow before I felt a light nip on my hand. The baby stared, then walked in the opposite direction, away from its parent. It then turned to see if I was following.

I shrugged and did so. It led me to the edge of the nest, and pointed at a nearby pile with its head. A pile of bones. A lot of bones, most of them more fragments than anything else. That tracks, actually, bet they like to chew on the bones, pretty sure big cats did that... Maybe one of them would be sharp? I began to look through the pile and immediately found what it must have been suggesting.

A Pawniard skull, topped with its distinctive blade. Half of the blade had broken off, but that still left me with a solid three inches of razor-sharp metal. I smiled as I plucked it out, returning to the center of the nest as night began to fall in earnest.

After a minute of pantomime I had gotten the baby to bite the skull, breaking it into fragments and letting me grab the blade itself. I then turned to the Sneasel corpse, bile rising at the back of my throat. I had killed and eaten plenty of fish back on Earth, but I had never skinned anything. I knew the basics from YouTube doom-scrolling, but that was it. Still, this wasn’t going to do itself, so with a groan I bent forward, eyes squinting in the low light as I shivered.

Thankfully, the Alpha returned at that point. Carrying a whole dead tree, of course, so I quickly stood up and moved over. Some more pantomime, and the tree had been shredded into sticks and logs. I set up a stereotypical tee-pee style fire before looking up at the Tyrantrum with hope in my eyes. I grabbed a long branch and pointed at the end.

“Could you use Fire Fang on the end here? Or another fire move?” Its eyes narrowed at me, and before I even realized what happened I felt a jarring impact, finding a flaming stick in my hands. How. The. HELL did it move so fast?! Something that size should not move that fast!

Doing my best to conceal my sudden panic I busied myself with the fire. In short order I had a nice roaring bonfire going, and I shivered in delight as I stood way too close. It wasn’t exactly cold here, at least for now, but I was naked ! Not for long, though... I turned back to the corpse and steadied myself a bit. This was going to suck.

It did suck. Badly. However, after a full hour I had finally managed to get the skin off, mostly clean of flesh, an emptied digestive tract for an eventual (and horribly disgusting) water skin, and cut several chunks of meat off. More than enough for me to eat, so after placing a forearm to the side for breakfast I tossed the rest of the carcass and offal towards the baby. Both Pokemon had been intently watching my actions, and as the baby fed on its assailant I placed the chunks of meat on sticks around the fire.

I sat close to it, trying not to shiver as I continued to scrape away the little bits of flesh from the Sneasel skin. I felt a massive presence at my shoulder, turning to find the Alpha watching me curiously. I began to explain my actions as I worked, but on hearing I was trying to get the meat off it gently plucked the skin out of my hands, laid it on the ground, and after securing a corner with its feet, began to lick it clean.

The rasping sound was one I was certain I would hear in my nightmares tonight, but soon enough I was holding a clean, if slobbery, skin. I did my best to wipe the saliva off, but at this point I couldn't bring myself to care too much. I was kind of half-covered in dried saliva anyways. It was a small skin, certainly not enough to keep me warm, but I had a better idea.

The dinos looked very curious as I wrapped the skin, fur side on my skin, around my chest. I tied the arm skins together tightly before turning it around, the knot resting against my spine. One medieval bra, or chest wrap really, acquired.

Of course, I knew I had a time limit on the skin before it stiffened and rotted. I was fairly certain that tanners in medieval times had used brains and urine to cure hides, but I wasn’t about to do that. Or have the time to let it soak. Or have a tub to collect… stuff in.

A whiff of cooking meat led me back to my food, which was just beginning to blacken on the outside. Perfect. I’d rather not get worms from this asshole. As I bit into the meat I paused momentarily. I was eating something that had been sapient! Evil, cruel, and undeserving of my pity, but a sapient being all the same. A person! Then the flavor hit my tongue, my new, almost empty stomach growled, and I had no more hesitant thoughts. Just pure, primal hunger as I tore into the flesh.

When I finally finished most of my food I looked up, only to see the Alpha viciously grinning at me. I grinned back, wiping grease from my mouth. The baby had nuzzled into my side during my feast, and I couldn’t help but coo at the sight of it. It was staring at one of the untouched chunks of meat, so I held it out towards the Pokemon. It sniffed at it for a second before a rough tongue snatched it from my hand. Its eyes lit up as it chewed, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. I sighed as I leaned back on a log.

I was alive, fed, warm as I could get, and at least temporarily protected. I was thirsty, but there would be no water for me tonight. I looked up at the sky, an expression of awe stretching across my face. I had only seen a night sky like this once, and it had been the same hike I had thought of earlier. On top of a mountain, far away from any light pollution and with clear winter night skies, I had felt the same type of stunned awe as I felt now, seeing the vast universe laid out like a tapestry before me. I didn’t recognize any constellations, but it was still breathtaking.

For several minutes I just laid back, but eventually, I groaned and rolled forward, back to the fire. The heat. I looked at the Alpha and smiled widely.

“So, thanks again. For the Berry, and your help. I’d have died without you.” It nodded its head at me, clearly aware of that fact. I grinned a little wider at that. “Real quick, I’ve been calling you ‘it’ in my head, but are you male?” A shake of her head and a low growl was my answer.

“Okay, female it is. And you, cutie? Are you a girl, too?” I asked, turning to the Tyrunt who was still nuzzled into my side. She nodded, and I smiled again. My smile grew a bit brittle, however, as I looked back at the mother.

“Do you know where I can find other humans, like me?” A nod. “Are there any close?” A snort and an amused shake of her head. Yeah, I’d probably try to stay far away from her, too, if I had the chance. She seemed nice enough now , but the way she was looking at me… Shit.

“Is it because you ate them?” A massive smile, lips peeling back to reveal her equally massive teeth. She was doing that on purpose, I just knew it.

I grinned right back at her huge face.

“Well, please don’t eat me. I’d have to do the same thing as with the Sneasel and eat you back, and that would take waaay too long.” My snark could have had better timing, but she merely huffed out a laugh.

“I don’t suppose you'd be willing to lead me to them? I’m kind of… naked and injured right now.” I held up my left hand, still covered in my blood. Shit, I was covered in a lot of blood, and only some of it was my own. I reeked of iron.

I gave a huge sigh of relief as she grumbled but nodded at me. I looked at her spot next to the fire contemplatively.

Luckily, she didn’t care when I snuggled into her chest, baby held against mine. I was cold, but the thick, somewhat soft scales on her stomach absorbed and reflected the heat of the fire, making it comfortable enough. I tried to plan my next steps from here, but before I had the chance, I finally passed out, the adrenaline, pain, and exhaustion finally catching up to me. The giant heartbeat I heard and felt against my back was a soothing lullaby as I drifted off.

Chapter Text

I woke up confused and a little cold. Why were there rocks digging through the dried grass scratching my skin? Why was I naked? Why was I outside? What was that thumping sound? What was that SMELL?!

After a panicked moment the memories of yesterday flooded back, bringing with them the pounding, throbbing agony as my heart rate increased. I stared at my hand. My left hand. My missing finger. My pinky! It ate me-!

No, nope!

Stop!

I am strong and brave when I am naked and injured in the wilderness! I am happy go fucking lucky!

I can break down when I'm safe.

I rolled away from the Tyrantrum's stomach, leaving the warm, soothing sound of her heartbeat behind. I didn't need comfort right now. I needed to move.

I was starving, but I didn't plan to eat the forearm I had saved yet. Instead I simply started cooking it after blowing some life into the embers that remained from last night. I had something to do before I ate.

I was terrified I would trip and stab myself or slice my palm open, but I needed a way to cut things safely. So while my food cooked, I carved a very basic handle for my blade with the blade, sliding the broken base into a notch I cut into the roughly carved branch. I then wrapped it tightly with a strip of Sneasel skin, pinning it with a shard of the metal I smashed in. A chunk of wood with a wedge taken out gave me a rough 'sheathe'.

The forearm finished cooking, but instead of digging in right away, I looked up at the Alpha Tyrantrum with a hopeful expression as I held the piece of charred meat. The Sneasel intestines were rolled up under my arm and already starting to stiffen, with my Pawniard blade slid into my chestwrap. Carefully slid into my chestwrap…

"Could we go get some water, please?"

My throat was so dry it hurt to talk, and I was once again startled at the sound of my voice, even in my own head, but she nodded at me before opening her mouth wide. As hesitant as I was to re-enter her mouth, I eventually caved in, stepping into the cavernous maw. I wasn't even hesitating out of fear. Her heartbeat had literally soothed me to sleep last night, and it's not like I could fight her if she actually wanted to eat me.

No, I simply didn't want to be covered in saliva again, but as I grabbed onto a tooth, I had already given up on that.

Maybe I could make a saddle if we found vines?

Or she might actually eat me if I suggested it. She had balked hard at carrying her baby in her arms, let alone me. Why not her baby, at least? It couldn't be pleasant to do it this way; I had seen her tongue bleed last night!

A brief run that involved far too many jumps and hops later, I found myself unceremoniously rolled out again, disorientated as the baby flopped out next to me with an adorable little roar. While I was grateful she was using her tongue to cover her teeth, I'd really rather just step out, though, personally.

That was just my opinion, though.

As I stretched, I found that we were already at the base of the towering, red-leaved tree. Well, at the lake that ran around its base, but still. That would have taken me days of walking, and she had run here in less than a half hour. She wasn't even panting!

I decided to ignore her insane physical abilities for the moment, drawn in as I was by the crystal clear, somehow flowing water. Must be a river under there... Dropping the forearm but still holding the Sneasel intestines from last night, I made a mad dash for the water.

A mad dash that was rather rudely interrupted by a massive foot that stomped in front of me. I looked up, only to find the mother giving me a disappointed look. Even the baby was staring at me like I was stupid. Then I looked into the water and saw movement.

There were a lot of Pokemon down there, and now I wasn't sure how this would even work. I had to assume that any Pokemon in there wanted to eat me, but thankfully, the mother Tyrantrum just stomped into the shallows, forming a small, safe area with her tail and head. I didn't hesitate to throw myself into the water alongside the baby. It tasted great and probably would have even if I wasn't dehydrated, but I wasn't just thirsty.

I kept my left hand and its throbbing stump above water, but I used my free hand to snatch up sand and scrub myself. To scrub myself raw if I had to. I was absolutely covered in dried blood, not to mention saliva, and it took me multiple long minutes just to scrape most of it off. I surfaced with a wide, happy smile, feeling at least somewhat clean for the first time since I got here.

I took the intestines, all fifteen feet of them, and slowly pulled the long, thin tube inside-out while trying to scrape them clean with some nearby reeds, before I plunged the entire thing underwater. I put a large rock on top of the pile, still in the shallows, and pulled myself from the water with a satisfied expression. The mother Tyrantrum just remained there as I grabbed the dirty, charred forearm, brushed as much of it as I could off, and viciously bit into it.

After I finished my meal (Sneasel tasted like the weirdest combination of deer and duck, I had found), I tossed the baby the bone and heard it begin to crunch behind me as I groaned in satisfaction. Food was food, and I felt much more lucid with water and nutrition in me.

I felt like the intestines weren't going to loosen up any further, so I retrieved them, tied a knot in one end, and filled half of it with water. Reaching up with the knotted end, I asked the mother to hold it for me. She did, with a very puzzled face, before I started vigorously shaking it back and forth, trying to clean the inside, which had been the outside, as much as possible.

Eventually, the water stopped running any cleaner, so I carefully filled the entire thing before tying another loose knot on the other end and wrapped it around me like the world's most morbid sash. I tried to ignore the smell, but I got the feeling I would just go nose blind to it soon enough. I had barely smelled the blood, after all, and it had covered my front. After my nose died a little, that was.

As I strode back towards the baby, I could feel the Alpha rise behind me. What would have once been terrifying was now a comforting presence, especially compared to the feeling of death suddenly radiating from the lake.

I looked at the water, scrambling backward in fear as a large shape rose from the water, hovering in the air before the strangely calm Tyrantrum. It was a ten-foot tall, jagged-looking seahorse of all things, with large brown fins, light pink underbelly, and a vibrant red crest with two green antennae-horns that looked like seaweed. A Dragalge, and judging by its size, also an Alpha. Were the two Alpha dragon types about to fight?

I stood next to the baby Tyrunt, her lack of fear somewhat calming me despite the absolute terror I felt coursing through my veins. The Dragalge began to speak, a warbling, watery, oddly high-pitched sound that set my teeth on edge. In comparison, the low growls of the Tyrantrum actually calmed me as they talked. They just… talked. For minutes they stood there, the water dragon shifting to stare at me occasionally. Finally, with a growl the Tyrantrum gestured me forward.

I didn't fucking move.

A louder growl, more insistent, and I warily trudged closer to the giant dragon-types. I froze up as the Dragalge got right in my face before a surge of irritation made me straighten my spine with a snarl. It just stood there staring me down for what felt like hours, but it was probably less than a minute. With a splash, we were suddenly alone again. I looked back at the Tyrantrum, but she just gave me a vicious grin.

I was about to ask her what the hell had just happened when another explosion of water rang out behind me. I turned, already scowling again, only to find myself face to face with a Skrelp, the tiny, unevolved form of Dragalge. Tiny wasn't accurate, however. It was only two feet tall, but considering it should have been only a foot? It was another Alpha. What the hell?

I looked around, but its parent didn't reappear. A painful bump on my arm startled me, and I found the Skrelp latched onto my left arm with its tiny little fins. I felt a small trickle of blood run down my arm where a thorny protrusion had poked me, and I paled immediately.

Skrelp were Water/Poison typed, and roughly half of them could poison opponents that simply touched them, automatically. I stared into its eyes, my own open wide. I waited in fear, but nothing happened. I let out a massive sigh of relief at the realization that this Skrelp had Poison Touch instead of Poison Point. He had to trigger it by attacking. If Abilities were a thing here… they probably were?

I looked back towards the Tyrantrum, noting the absolutely huge grin on her face. She began to chuckle at me, a rumbling sound that I felt echo in my bones. I glared at her, but she only chuckled harder, eyes squinting in amusement. The baby Tyrunt just stared at the Skrelp, her eyes wide with a child-like innocence.

"Mind explaining what the hell that was about?" The Tyrantrum just grinned back at me before nodding at the Skrelp. The little Pokemon shivered on my arm, driving its sharp little points further in, but maintained eye contact as it nodded back. I turned to stare at it as I hissed in pain.

"You're hurting me, you know?" Its red eyes got wide before it loosened its grip. I was about to demand it release my arm entirely, but before I could even suck in a breath I heard the sounds of claws scraping rocks, followed by the most terrifying growl I had yet to hear from the Alpha Tyrantrum.

I whipped my head around, only to freeze up in terror. It was a Weavile, the evolved form of Sneasel, and it was almost three feet taller than me. Four, if you count the huge crest of feathers. Another fucking Alpha. There were two normal-sized Sneasel behind it, glaring at me. They all were, actually.

No idea why they disliked me. Honest. Maybe they were jealous of my chest wrap? It was quite fashionable.

I barely had time for my internal panicked sarcasm before a large chunk of ice materialized above the Weavile's claw. It reared back, and before I had a chance to second guess myself, I threw myself backward.

I watched in horrified fascination as a blur rushed past my face before I felt myself lifted off the ground and thrown backwards from the sheer velocity of the missile. I had a split second to watch the Tyrantrum charge before I found myself slamming into the river.

I managed not to gasp as I plunged underwater, but upon opening my eyes, I did scream internally. Rising to meet me was a veritable cloud of Pokemon. I saw a school of Whiscash clash briefly with a few Basculins, the catfish overwhelming most of the barracuda lookalikes, but that wasn't my main worry. That was reserved for the group of arachnids my size that had launched themselves from the bottom, eyes intent on me.

Araquanid, the Pokemon that managed to give me spontaneous arachnophobia in an instant.

Before I could even try to swim away, a futile gesture at best, the Skrelp released my shoulder, only to slam back-first into my chest. I gasped in pain, but before I even had the chance to start choking underwater, I found myself launched backward, back into the open air.

With a thud, I landed, quickly rolling to my feet in a crouch while I felt at my rib cage where the Skrelp had impacted me. Nothing felt broken, it just hurt like a bitch. Which didn't help much as I took in the scene.

In the background, a game of cat and mouse played out at titanic proportions, the Alpha Weavile darting around so fast it was hard to track, unleashing ranged Move after ranged Move while the Tyrantrum roared in fury, lashing out with her head and tail in attempt to land a blow as a cloud of hovering, rocketing stones continually missed the Weavile by inches.

The two Sneasels were harassing the baby, and for once I was grateful that they were sadistic fucks, because she only had a few claw marks. They were having fun with her. If they had just gone for the kill, it would have been too late.

Time to make sure it wasn't too late.

The Skrelp was floating in the air near me, so I quickly pointed towards the Sneasels and yelled out an attack. I didn't know the entirety of its move pool, but it had certainly used Water Gun to launch me out of the water. I bumped him with my arm, feeling his sharp points dig in as he latched on tightly.

"Use Water Gun on the left one! Hold on!" I was sprinting forward as I said this, pulling out the Pawniard blade. It was barely longer than my fingers, but better than nothing.

I let my upper body fall forward as I ran, both to present a smaller target and to snag another rock in my left hand. It didn't hurt as badly as it had last night, but my stump still flared in agony as my grip tightened. Thankfully, adrenaline was a hell of a drug.

As I neared the Pokemon my living kelp armband released me momentarily, rocketing back with the force of the Water Gun he briefly unleashed before shooting back to my arm with a smaller one. The piercing needle of water impacted the left Sneasel and caused it to stumble slightly.

Before it could recover, I was already there, rock smashing its temple even as I drove the blade toward the back of its neck.

I was quickly reminded that Pokemon weren't animals, weren't stupid, and most importantly, weren't weak, as it barely looked back as it let out a Slash. And it was very much a capital S Slash, I noticed with detached horror, two vivid white lines of pure energy radiating from the claws that rushed towards me.

I tried to cover myself, despite knowing the futility of such a meagre defense, when I was knocked sideways away from the Slash. The Skrelp screeched in warbling pain as it took the move meant for me, but I couldn't stop to worry. I maintained my footing and, with a vicious growl, went back in for the kill.

Another Water Gun thankfully slammed into its head, stunning it long enough for me to knock it to the ground, face down. I didn't hesitate to place the knife at the base of its skull and, with a scream of mingled pain and anger, drove the rock down on top of it.

It stopped moving, but before I could even sigh in relief, I heard a piercing Screech of fury ring out, my legs locking up at the sound. I looked up just in time to see the Weavile, eyes full of berserk fury, sprinting at me right past the Tyrantrum, ice already materializing over its hand as it murderously charged me.

It's childrens killer.

With a Roar from the Tyrantrum, however, the Weavile was stunned momentarily even as it stumbled forward from the sonic impact. I caught a glimpse of wide jaws closing around its head before I snapped back to awareness. I guess Screech could also stun a human, much like Roar could apparently freeze Pokemon momentarily.

That, or she was just that stupidly powerful.

I quickly turned to my right, only to find the baby Tyrunt and Skrelp had things well in hand. In mouth, technically. The Sneasels arms were once again in the Tyrunt's jaws, Skrelp firing a non-stop barrage of Water Guns at the Sneasel as it hovered above the grass nearby. Still, my blood was flowing, and all I could see was red as I shoulder-checked the Sneasel to the ground. The baby was knocked over as well, and I let out a vicious snarl as I stomped on the top of the Tyrunt's jaws.

Now, the only reason I did such a thing was her Rock typing, knowing that it would barely faze her, which it didn't.

The Sneasel, however?

It found itself laying on its front, my blade already held to its spine as I began to raise the rock. Staring at the gushing stumps of its forearms. Even as its scream began, I was striking, putting the vile thing out of its misery before it even got the chance to suffer.

Adrenaline still dumping itself into my system as fast as possible, I stood and stared around with wide eyes, taking ragged, panting breaths. The fights were over, but once again, the baby Tyrunt was hurt, thankfully less than last night though.

In fact, now that the fighting had stopped, I could almost see her scratches scabbing over in real-time, the wounds only slowly oozing blood as the fight ended, and the Skrelp's Scratch wound was barely there in the first place! The mother was far more injured, most of her flanks covered in iced-over gouges, but honestly, she barely seemed hurt as she stomped her way toward us.

She was still absolutely enraged, but I didn't even blink as her head lunged past me to nuzzle her baby. I turned to the Skrelp, still hovering near my arm, and gestured for him to follow me. I walked up to the corpse of the Alpha Weavile- at least the body. The head was nowhere to be seen, so I could only assume she had eaten it. I rolled the corpse onto its back before taking a deep breath. I could already smell the foul innards and was not looking forward to pulling the entrails out.

I still did, though, and by the time I was working on separating the skin from the meat, I felt the earth thump under my feet and an angry growl of hot air ruffled my hair. I didn't look back, earning myself another deep growl. I sighed and looked over my shoulder. She wasn't enraged anymore, but she looked very unhappy with my actions. Why, though? I did it last night, and she even helped me- Oh.

For fucks sake!

"Do you really think I'm dumb enough to take meat from your kill without permission?" I growled out, only to receive a serious nod. The fuck?

Really?

"Really?! C'mon, look, I'm just getting the skin off. We're going to have to go up into the snow to find humans, right?"

She nodded at me, eyes never stopping their intense glare. I noticed the Skrelp had backed up, looking at her anger in slight terror, but the baby Tyrunt had actually managed to drag both Sneasel corpses over to me, which had been adorable. She had been fascinated by my actions, and wanted to help.

When she wasn't distracted, of course. She was still a baby.

The Tyrunt was standing near the pile of organs now, whining at her mother. The Tyrantrum briefly spared her a glance and a nod, then continued to glare at me as her daughter dug into the viscera. She tossed her head at the Skrelp, too, and it began to feast on the offal as well, eyes shining with delight.

"Well, I'm sure you will be fine up there in the cold, Miss Gigantic Alpha Rock Dragon, but what about your daughter, or us?" The glare lessened, and I began to explain my idea. "See, if you try to carry us in your mouth, not only are we going to get wet and colder, we're going to be cramped in there. This bitch, however, is big enough to make a pouch we can sit in, especially if I use the ribcage as a floor. That way we can stay warm and dry, and you can carry it in your jaws. Unless I could… ride you?" Before her growl could even get started, I began shaking my head.

"No, nevermind. That would be even colder, and I'd prefer not to get frostbite and lose more of my body parts, thank you very much. One pinky is enough for me."

I managed to free the entire skin, tossing it to the side as I began trying to remove the flesh from the rib cage. After a moment, I heard the same dreadful rasping sounds from last night as she licked the skin clean.

It took me another three hours to finish our transportation and butcher the other two Sneasels, after doing my best to remove the blood and viscera in the water. It was horrendous and disgusting and would for sure give me nightmares, and it looked more at home in a horror movie than in the light of day, truly.

The ribcage in the bottom gave me a stable platform to sit on, while the various arm and leg bones were strapped together as tightly as possible to make a frame inside so the bag didn't squeeze me. Finally, the legs were mostly stripped to give me lengths of leather, which closed and tightened the entire thing quite nicely. It was going to be a bit of a squeeze to enter through the neck-hole even after I opened it a bit further, but honestly?

I was so fucking done with this horror show right now I couldn't make myself care!

I stood back up and walked over to the river. The Tyrantrum was back in the water, both to make a safe area and, I had to assume, for relief. Those cuts looked vicious even after the ice had melted, but I wasn't about to tell a fucking dragon that she was hurt, so I kept my mouth shut.

I hopped in and scrubbed the blood off me, again, as I heard a much less horrifying rasp ring out behind me, the baby helping to clean the Sneasel hides. The Skrelp floated in the water next to the mother Tyrantrum, but had seemed fascinated by the concept of clothes as I worked.

Honestly, after the past two days, or full day, so was I.

As the baby brought me the cleaned hides, I did my best to rinse the blood off before I took the larger of the two and wrapped it around my waist, once again fur inside, like a sarong. I also used a strip from the Weavile to tie a very awkward knife holster onto my right bicep, glad that I no longer had a blade literally above my heart at all times.

I was technically no longer 'nude,' but the feeling of Sneasel fur against my skin was a foreign one. I didn't feel dressed; I felt like I was cosplaying a cavewoman—one with no underwear.

I looked to the side, eyeing the large red feathers I had plucked off some of the Sneasels. If I was going to cavewoman it up, I might as well look the part. This was much simpler, a simple headband to keep my eyes free of my filthy, unruly hair, with three feathers for my three kills jutting out behind my left ear.

I must have looked ridiculous, but the Pokemon? They were fascinated by my attempt at fashion. I grinned up at the Tyrantrum, an idea forming in my head.

"You like how this looks, right?" She nodded her head rapidly, eyes never leaving the feathers sticking out from my headband. I smiled at her enthusiasm. "Well, I can do the same for you with the Weaviles feathers if you want? The ones you didn't eat, that is."

An even more rapid nod gave away her intense happiness. That, and her massive tail that was beginning to throw up small waves as it wagged back and forth. I laughed at her, delighted to see this side of the giant predator.

I looked down at the grisly pile of materials I still had, mind working. I wasn't exactly sure how I would put a headband on her, as her head seemed to be streamlined, every spike, protrusion or ridge angling backwards. I looked back up at her, her tail still wagging, if less energetically. She had noticed my hesitancy.

I tried to put on a bright smile.

"It might be a little hard to make a headband with these materials, but how about a necklace? I could put the claws on it, too?" She took a moment to consider before nodding. Her tail had slowed even further, though, so I gave her a wide smile as I stared at her.

"Hey, when we get to other humans, I'll make a headband that will never fall off; how's that?" She nodded, tail picking up speed again.

I continued to speak as I got to work. The claws were going to be a problem, but I quickly figured out that using one claw to drill a hole through the other was the easiest, after I got it started with my Pawniard blade.

"You know, I'm going to miss you when we get there. You might be a giant man-eating dragon dino, but you're also the first friend I made here. Well, you and your baby. Does that make you the second friend?"

I managed to thread half of the claws onto the string, so I began to work on the feathers next. They were surprisingly (or not) tough, but with difficulty, I was able to bend enough of the fronds to tie a loop in the bottoms. I continued to speak as I worked, the babies watching me intently from barely a foot away. Actually, was the Skrelp a baby? Probably not, if it was already obviously an Alpha.

"If I had been a minute slower getting to that Sneasel last night, your baby would be dead, and then I would have been dead. If not to you, to these fucks. Or even just to a Skwovet of all things, the stupid looking little shits… What I'm saying is I wouldn't change anything that led to us meeting." I paused for a second at that.

"Okay, I'd still like my pinky back, very much so, but not if I didn't get to meet you two."

I briefly contemplated the morality of cursing in front of a baby, but considering she was a baby dragon, well, she'd probably heard worse already. I finished threading the claws on, finally looking up from my work.

The mother Tyrantrum was frowning so fiercely at me from the water that my heart actually skipped a beat. I froze up as she rose from the river, stalking towards me with her head held low to the ground. It looked like she was about to devour me, but I managed to calm myself before I gave in to the fear coursing through me, although I could feel the blood fleeing my face.

I trusted her. Right? She would have killed me long ago if she was going to, so what was wrong? I was tense as she towered over me, before her head came down to meet mine. Those jaws opened, and even as I froze in terror, I saw her tongue dart out to lick me.

It was like a steel rasp on my face, and I quickly pulled away before she could tear my skin right off. I looked at her in stunned confusion before she leaned over and licked the baby Tyrunt, then turned to stare at me pointedly. It took me a few seconds to connect the dots, but I felt my face grow hot a moment later in embarrassment as my blood returned to my face with a vengeance.

"I think I'm a little too human to be your child, though? I'm not exactly a dragon." She snorted and shook her head. Her front paws came up, pointing first at me, then at herself. Nope, nothing this time.

"I didn't understand that. I'm human, right?" She nodded, then pointed to herself and then me again. Was she saying we were the same?

"Are you saying I'm a dragon too? That we're both dragons?" She nodded, eyes bright as she stared at me. That was not what I was expecting, not by a long shot. Was it aura?

I knew aura was a thing in the Pokemon world, but I also knew that it was simultaneously incredibly rare, yet also ubiquitous. Everything had aura: the grass, the sand, humans, Pokemon. Shit, the mountains and clouds probably had aura.

It was just that most people only had a small amount, the baseline, as it were. As far as I was aware, only Riolu and Lucario could use it among Pokemon, though I was probably wrong about that. I knew, though, that there were less than a handful of fully trained 'aura guardians' in the anime and games. I think there was one in Sinnoh, maybe? This world can't be that different.

Well, I'll have time enough to look into that later. I highly doubted I would be suplexing a Pokemon or something anytime soon, although super strength would have been awesome, not just useful in my current situation. I returned my gaze to hers and, with additional context, saw how she treated me.

Like I was a member of her pack, her child. I had protected her child, fought for her life, bled for her. She was the pack leader, obviously, and had been mad when she thought I was going to eat her kill without permission. She approved of my savage fighting methods (because what other choice did I really have when it was human versus Pokemon?). She healed me, sheltered me, and let me sleep against her. To her, I was now a small, weak Tyrunt. Probably.

It warmed my heart, but at the same time brought up a huge problem. I tried to get my thoughts in order before I spoke next, the children watching from nearby with wide eyes.

"Well… Thank you so much." I got up and threw myself onto the side of her face in a hug, grasping her crown as I looked directly into one of her eyes, feet dangling.

"That means a lot to me; you have no idea, really. I would love to stay with you, but you do realize I have to live among humans, right? I can't just stay out here with you; I'll die. Even if it's not a Pokemon, I'll get an infection and die eventually, not to mention the dirty, untreated water I've been drinking. I'm on a time limit as it is."

I glanced at my left hand, only my pointer and middle fingers actually gripping the crown above her eyes. The agony had become so ever-present at this point that it barely impaired me. It was still there, but as long as I didn't acknowledge it I could function almost normally. Something similar had happened with a broken arm back on Earth, actually.

"I'm really surprised I don't have an infection from my stump yet, but hopefully that holds true long enough to get to civilization."

I looked back at her bright silver irises. Her pupils and sclera were both pitch black, but I could easily see the affection shining in that single giant, bright orb. Her eye was almost the size of my face, it would be hard to miss it, really.

"You'd have to come with me into human lands, you know that, right?" I felt her nod, and I smiled weakly before I took a deep, steadying breath. This was going to be the big issue.

"You would have to be registered as my Pokemon, you know?" Another nod. "That means going into a Pokeball. You might have to stay there most of the time we're in a city too, since you're so huge."

Unafraid of my self-appointed mother or not, I did not enjoy the thunderous growl she unleashed. I spoke up quickly, trying to get ahead of the tantrum before the Despot Pokemon got too worked up.

"There's no other way! You've eaten humans! If you don't accept being my Pokemon, they might just try to kill you! I was going to have you drop me off near the town up there, but if you're coming with me, there is no other way. None!" I leaned in just a bit closer to her eye, softening my voice.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that I think you are my subordinate." Her eye narrowed at me as I hung there, face to eyeball. "Exactly, but here's the thing. If we do this, and you come with me, you would have to behave; that means no eating other trainers' Pokemon, no killing other trainers' Pokemon, no eating humans, and certainly no tantrums around other people. Because if you do?" I waited for a moment, looking into her eye as I hung from the side of her face.

Her stare was piercing.

"I would be the one blamed. The one punished. They would take you all away from me, and I don't think anyone wants that." She was still glaring at me as she lowered her head, and I released her when my feet touched the ground. She turned back towards the water with a huff, and I called out at her back.

"I would have to do that with your baby, too! And the Skrelp!" I turned to give the sea dragon a mock-angry face. "Right, you little surprise? I assume you want to come along?" It nodded eagerly, and I felt my heart begin to melt at the sight. Skrelps weren't a stereotypically cute or beautiful Pokemon, but the way it clapped its fins together was absolutely precious!

"Okay! That means I'm your caretaker now, so first things first. Are you a boy?" He nodded, and I smiled at him. I crouched down, putting my head level with his. I really wondered how he was just floating, but from what I had seen before, it was slow, and he couldn't go higher than eye level.

"Well, you heard our little conversation. Are you okay with being my Pokemon? Going into a Pokeball?" I turned to the Tyrunt baby, who was staring at me in clear anticipation.

"I would ask you, but that's your mom's decision to make, sweetie, not mine." She stomped her feet a few times before running towards her mother, tiny little roars already ringing out.

I turned back to the Skrelp. The little guy's eyes were wide as he nodded, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight. I carefully patted him on the head, noticing just how many small spikes he had on his forehead. Something too 'small' and insignificant to add to the official artwork; they were only a few millimeters long, and I could touch him safely, but I could only imagine the pain I would be in if he were to use his ability to poison on attacking with a Headbutt.

He pushed into my hand, but thankfully, not very hard. As I stood to walk towards the tyrant family, he swiftly reached out for my arm, and I jerked my arm back before holding my hands up.

"Hold on, hold on! You're kinda pokey, buddy, you made me bleed earlier." He looked alarmed briefly before I shook my head. "No, no, you're fine! You didn't mean to, right?" He shook his head rapidly, the fin on the back of his head flapping back and forth. I smiled at the sight.

"Then don't worry about it! At all. Understood?" He nodded again, and I continued. "Do you want to ride on my arm that badly?" Another rapid nod. "Well, I'm not sure exactly how-" I paused for a second.

I was an idiot. I mean, I already knew that, but it bore repeating. I looked over the rest of my materials, mainly the unused Sneasel skin, trying to figure out how this was going to work.

Two short minutes later, I had the world's worst looking… mantle? Half cloak? I literally just tied the Sneasel arms together around my neck, then the legs to my left upper arm, letting the rest dangle down. The Skrelp drifted closer and carefully clasped onto my bicep with his fins. He smiled happily and made the first sound I had heard from him that wasn't a screech of pain, a quiet, but high pitched, moist squelchy squeak. It was absolutely adorable, and I brought my head down to touch our foreheads together with a wide smile.

"Well then, I guess you can stay there. You're… not actually that light, even with your cool floating stuff, but screw it. I'm right handed anyways, so I'll live." I looked back towards the water. The tyrant family was still arguing, but I ignored them for a moment. I looked back at the Skrelp, smiling softly.

"Will you miss them?" He nodded, but then looked me straight in the eyes before touching his forehead to my arm, his fins tightening momentarily. My smile grew wider at that.

"One day, we'll return and show them how much you've grown. You'll be a huge Dragalge by then, you know?" He appeared to perk up at that, and I gave him one last glance before looking around. There were no trees around here, but if I could find enough bushes and shrubs, I could cook some food. We had been here much longer than I had anticipated.

I mean, I had just wanted a drink. Then, a giant sea dragon comes out of nowhere to drop their son off in my arms, without my consent, I might add. Not that I disliked the Skrelp, but still, I enjoyed my agency. When we got attacked by that psychopath's family, I nearly died… at least twice that I could tell.

I had to kill again. That part, I was conflicted on.

I would kill to eat and survive, no problem. I had fished my entire previous life, so this was just hunting. Right? Except I knew that Pokemon were sapient! I hadn't seen any normal animals, not even fish, so that was out. There actually were insects, and luckily so far I hadn't been bitten yet. But Pokemon? Even an evil one, like those Sneasel? I didn't exactly have much choice, but still…

My feelings on the matter were complicated, but the fact that they attacked the second time, and that they were Sneasels kind of made me not give a shit. They were Egg thieves! Eggs that, once again, were going to be sapients. So while it made me slightly uncomfortable, no, I was overall fine with eating these Sneasels.

But could I eat a Miltank? Tauros? Pidgey? Even a Skwovet? I disliked the fat squirrel Pokemon on an instinctive level, but I wouldn't have even been rude to one. They couldn't help the fact that their stupid little faces were like nails on a chalkboard to me for whatever reason. They were still people.

You weren't supposed to eat people.

I shook my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts, looking at the large bundle of grass and sticks I had managed to gather. It should be enough to quickly cook a meal, at least. As I trudged back to the still arguing family, I shaded my eyes and looked up at the sun briefly. About noon, and with those mountains, we probably only had a few more hours of full, direct sunlight. Not that we were far from anything, not with an Alpha Tyrantrum's legs.

I got my cuts of meat prepared beforehand, knowing my fuel was limited, but I hesitated to interrupt the arguing dinosaurs just to ask for a light. I glanced at the Skrelp, but I knew their entire line would never learn fire moves. Right? Well, this wasn't a game, it was real life, so maybe? I looked at him inquisitively.

"I don't suppose you can make fire, can you?" He shook his head. "Can you use, uhh… Dragon Breath?" Another shake of his head, and he seemed to droop a bit.

"Dude, it's okay. You're a water and poison type. I didn't think you would, but I had to check. Actually, want to show me what you can do?" His whole face lit up as he practically launched off of my arm. Well, he actually did launch himself with his tail, actually. He stared in front of us before I gave him a nod.

He seemed to hack up a glob of bright purple, viscous liquid that he launched a few feet in front of us. When it impacted the grass, it melted right through it, then through an inch of the dirt before stopping, leaving a smoldering mess that reeked. Not like garbage would, but a sharp, chemically smell.

I took a few steps back, suddenly very conscious of my bare feet. I had decided against sack shoes, considering I was going to be riding in the morbid-mobile, but I very much wanted something between my feet and the ground now.

Still, I gave a wide smile as I turned to him, reaching out to pat him on the head.

"That was Acid, right?" He nodded, then darted forward head-first briefly. "Tackle, I assume?" He nodded enthusiastically before whipping his tail back and forth.

"Tail Whip, nice. You can probably poison your opponent with that, considering your spikes, too!" He did a little flip, and I barked out a laugh. Then he seemed to split, becoming two Skrelp before a thick cloud of smoke appeared—two feet from me. I coughed, running to get clear. He came floating out of the smog with an even wider smile. That little prankster!

"Oh, you think you're funny, do you?" He gave me a solemn, sober nod before doing another flip. Great, he can do sarcasm.

"Either way, good job! Double Team and Smokescreen are great escape moves, and using both? You're going to be a real bastard to fight once we get some training in."

I would have continued, but apparently, the tantrums had played out by now, and I felt the earth shake as the Tyrantrum soon towered over me. She was still growling, but it was a low growl, not a dangerous one. She looked me in the eyes for a full minute, and I did my best not to blink. She eventually gave a small nod before her head surged down, igniting the small fire I had prepared.

As I rushed to get my food cooking, I noticed the Skrelp and Tyrunt were happily chatting, the little water dragon still doing flips as he squelched out what we had been doing to the wide-eyed baby Tyrunt. As I sat back, enjoying the warmth of the fire, I met the Alpha's eyes. She was still pissed, but her eyes were kind as she watched me work.

Looks like I'm halfway to my carry limit already. Assuming I even wanted to be a traine- I abruptly barked out a laugh, waving away the curious look the Alpha gave me.

Dropped into the world of Pokemon, and in the right body? Fuckin try to stop me from being a Trainer!

Honestly, though, I didn't want to go on a Journey in Galar. The region had just never clicked with me. I liked Galar, but I would never love it. Call it nostalgia goggles. I mean, they had Alcremie! Hopefully, I could get to Kanto and Johto, but I'd take Sinnoh or Hoenn just as quickly, too.

Alola would be interesting. And beautiful.

Well, that also depended on the state of the various Teams. I had no idea where I was in the timeline, or if the timeline I was thinking of was even remotely accurate. I did not want to be in Hoenn when the rival Teams decided it was Calamity Season.

I had no intention whatsoever of trying to play the hero, a feeling only reinforced by the ever-present agony in my left hand and the sight of the infant, but if I could get a hold of Interpol, I could hopefully stop a few things before they even happened. Unless mind-reading breaks a person so, you know, I'd play it by ear.

It was as good a plan as any.

I bet Cerulean City was beautiful this time of year, which I assumed to be late spring, but hell if I knew.

Chapter Text

I was still somewhat uncomfortable eating the Sneasels, but not enough to go hungry. Honestly, I was beginning to develop a real appreciation for the taste of the Egg thieves. They were greasy like a duck, but at the same time, their cooked flesh almost resembled deer in texture, and if I ignored the source, it would have made a truly delicious roast or maybe marinated, grilled, and sliced thinly over rice…

I finished my plain, seasoning-deprived meat with a sigh of satisfaction. I still had an entire Sneasel corpse for us to eat tonight, and I grinned at the Alpha as I used a Sneasel claw to pick at my teeth. The meat broke into fibers way too easily, and I would have loved some floss instead—or just toothpaste and a toothbrush. My teeth were fuzzy!

Oh Arceus, please give me a shower! My hair was stiff and unruly, greasy and dirty in a way that I had never experienced before, even after multiple days of hiking and camping, and I didn't even want to think about the rest of my body.

Well, I might as well get on with it. I stood from the smoldering embers of my fire, idly asking the Skrelp to hit it with a Water Gun as I picked up the Sneasel corpse. I felt his Water Gun push me sideways slightly, him still being on my arm, but thankfully it was more of a Water Trickle than the torrent that had saved me yesterday. I tossed the Sneasel corpse into the skin of its parent (and wasn't that a morbid thought) before turning to the Tyrantrum.

"So, want your necklace?" I held up the savage necklace, three claws on either side of two large, vibrant red Weavile feathers. Her eyes perked up, and she crouched down so I could tie it around her neck. The necklace came to rest right on the 'cape' of white fur that extended past her shoulders. It looked even more savage on its killer, and I let a vicious smile come to my face.

"Look's nice! I'll still get it made into a headband later if you want, but that looks badass!" The two children both nodded their heads wildly, the baby Tyrunt babbling out a stream of words I really wished I could understand. The Tyrantrum looked so smug as she postured I couldn't help but giggle. As she looked over to me, I came to a realization.

"You know, if most Tyrantrums are like you… you might be the very first Tyrantrum in the history of the world to wear an accessory!" Her eyes grew wide, and I smiled. I didn't see the intrigued look in them as I turned to the two children, who were both looking at me expectantly.

"Yes, I'll make you two something as well. You both helped take down a Sneasel and fought together. I think I can let go of some feathers for ya. That will have to be later, though; I'd rather get there before we lose too much light. Although, your mom is real fast, so who knows." I heard a low growl of warning, but I ignored it as I turned back to her.

"Ready to get going? If we can get to the foot of the mountains by nightfall, I can set up a nice bonfire for the night. Then we can run up the mountain as fast as possible before we all freeze to death the next morning. Sound good?"

She nodded and I bent to the baby, lifting her into the morbid-mobile with slight difficulty. She wasn't full grown or an Alpha, yet, but she was still as heavy as the Skrelp, without the ability to somehow float and negate some of her weight. I placed the Skrelp inside after, ignoring his pout as I detached him from my arm, and looked up at the adult hopefully.

"If you grab the loop and lift it up a bit, I'll climb in." She carefully bent down and I gently hooked the tied arms of the Sneasel in between her massive teeth before she turned to stare at me.

I quickly climbed up using her jaw as a handhold, dropping inside feet first. The moist feeling of ribs scaped bare by a titanic tongue on my bare feet was horrid, but I was quickly becoming desensitized to the horror show my life had become.

As I landed, the Alpha lifted her head and immediately began bounding towards the mountain range, which was far off in the distance. I got a brief glimpse of the scenery blurring past us before inertia and gravity slammed me backward, thankfully avoiding the baby Pokemon.

After a few minutes of terror that my bindings would come undone, I relaxed a little bit, slowly adjusting to the slight bouncing we were experiencing. Now that she had gotten into a rhythm, it was actually quite peaceful. That lasted all of a minute before she leapt over something, tossing the group of us around like bowling pins. At that point, I gave up any hope for comfort and simply gripped the ribcage flooring tightly, hoping for the best. Praying that I wouldn't be too bruised tonight.

A doomed prayer.

Roughly a half hour into our run, I heard a loud, oddly echoing roar ring out from above us briefly before I felt the Alpha slowing. Thankfully she did it gradually, because I had no desire for inertia to fuck me over any more than it already had today. The Weavile skin was lowered to the ground, but not released, and I slowly peeked out. I stiffened in fear momentarily, but I was quickly learning to trust the Tyrantrum mother as far as other Pokemon went.

A giant blue three-headed dragon stood before us, its six pitch-black wings idly flapping as it stared at the Alpha. They began to converse, and I couldn't help but admire it. A Hydreigon. An Alpha Hydreigon, if its size was any indication. It was easily close to a dozen feet tall, after all. It began to talk with her, a chorus of growls and hisses ringing out.

What the hell was this all about? Did the Tyrantrum know every dragon Alpha here?

Wait, that was stupid. Of course she did, and she probably ruled them with an iron jaw, too, same as that Dragale… No, don't tell me…

The Hydreigon stepped forward, its main head and two arm-heads alike darting forward to sniff me as they stared at me. Long, snakelike tongues darted forth, tasting the air briefly before the entire creature froze. With a sudden downward swing of its wings, the Hydreigon was gone.

Okay, good. I don't need any more Pokemon yet, and a Deino was one of the last Pokemon I wanted. Not because I didn't want a Deino; they were easily a top-ten species for me. The little dark dragons were like adorable blind puppies. No, it was because of the biting.

The Hydreigon line was completely blind until their final form, and relied on smell for much of its senses. And taste. Deino's were known to bite their trainers extensively until they got used to them, and I was already down a finger. I'd rather not lose a hand, or chunks of myself.

So why were we still here?

I looked up to ask the Tyrantrum, but a growing speck on the horizon solidified my fears. The Alpha Hydreigon returned, and this time, it didn't even stop. It just took a long, low approach and dropped a Pokemon from its mouth before flying away.

The Deino, because of course it had to be a Deino, rolled a solid ten feet before it stopped. I was worried for about half a second before it bounced up, tail wagging and happily panting as it looked around. Its hearing was exceptional despite its blindness, so in quick order there was a clumsy dragon-puppy sniffing at the opening.

I was about to protest, but before I even had the opportunity, the dragon was jumping, and I barely got my head out of the opening before it slammed in, getting stuck head-first as I backed up as far as possible from the sharp jaws. Which wasn't far enough; this wasn't a huge bag of horrors.

With an earnest wiggle it fell inside, and before I could even yell in surprise the corpse had lifted again, inertia once again proving itself my bane. All of us slammed backwards, the Deino landing feet-first on my chest. With a gasp I tried to push it away with my trapped arms, trying to keep an eye on the wildly swinging head. It turned towards me, and my blood froze as its head stretched towards mine.

I watched in absolute horror as its open jaws neared my face, but just before it bit down, it paused. If it had eyes, I'd say they would have opened wide in shock, because a second later, its jaws were pulled backward, mouth slamming closed as it whined at me. It was an inquisitive whine with no aggression, but it threw me for a loop.

That's not supposed to happen with Deino's.

I shouldn't have a face right now!

I should have just died, arms pinned to my sides by inertia and a baby Tyrunt as my face was bitten off!

I didn't have much time to contemplate that horrific thought, as I suddenly heard what I could only describe as pleading hisses. I risked a peek out of the sides, seeing a large black gecko my size bounding along on all fours, looking up at the Tyrantrum as she ignored her.

Good!

I didn't need another Pokemon to take care of! What the hell was with these Poke-parents trying to give their fucking babies to me? I would like to choose my team, please! Was it because I had the biggest, deadliest adoptive parent in Galar, who was obviously leaving with a human?

Probably. In fact, I got it… Still!

The gecko stopped, and for one glorious moment I thought we were free. Then she screeched in the most heart-rending way I had ever heard in either life. Tears instantly sprang to my eyes at the despair in her voice, and I couldn't even understand her.

The Tyrantrum, however, could.

Inertia threw me sideways as we made a u-turn, and with a long-suffering growl from the Tyrantrum, she slowed down to let the exhausted Salazzle take the lead. I let myself slide back down in the bag, landing on top of the Deino. It pulled its head away from me in what I could only call 'confused, wary playfulness', but I still didn't have the bandwidth to process that.

Run to the base of the mountains. Set up camp. Simple. It was a two step process, and now I've got another Pokemon to take care of, soon to be two.

When the pouch was lowered again I had basically given up. Choose your own team? Capture a powerful opponent, rescue an injured Pokemon that chooses to come along, or befriend them, convince them to come along on my new journey with hope and friendship in my eyes? Nope! I'm given Pokemon by their parents! I liked Salazzles, but I hope she wasn't trying to pawn a male Salandit on me. Poor little guys were basically her slaves, though, so I highly doubted it.

I poked my head out when we stopped. The area was rocky, with small drifts of what looked like artificially created sand, probably created by the Salazzle's reverse harem for her comfort. It was clearly not the ideal environment for desert dwellers. Well, arid dwellers, I think?

They seemed successful out here, though.

Her harem was huge, almost twenty pitch-black Salandits staring at the panting female with worry in their eyes as they hung from boulders and surrounded her, worry in their eyes, but I only had eyes for one. It was tiny, less than half the size of any Salandit here at barely a foot long, and it didn't look newborn with the scuffs that covered its scales.

It looked like a runt, and I could tell it was barely tolerated by the rest of them. The color was probably the reason.

Its head was pitch black like the others', with the same orange marking on its back that led down its tail, but the similarities ended there. Its body was pure white instead of pitch black. It was separate from the others but didn't even glance at us as it watched its mother with wet eyes.

It was a shiny Pokemon—a Pokemon with an alternative color scheme.

Now I could tell why she was so desperate. I had poured thousands of hours into the video games, and I think I had a grand total of three shinies over the years. That little Salandit was a massive target, double if it was female, and with my luck? It had to be female.

I didn't even protest as I saw the shiny and adult converse. At this point I was just done with the whole thing. No agency in coming here, no agency in my Pokemon. I never got to choose! I wasn't minding the results themselves, however.

I was grateful to be here, to be in the correct body, so far I liked my new Pokemon, and if this Deino wasn't going to bite me for some reason, I would love to take it along for the journey. That had been my only gripe with the species, now that I was here in my own vulnerable flesh and blood. I would not be eaten by my own Pokemon.

Salazzles were cool too, but that's doubling up on poison… Although with Corrosion, the Salandit line could poison even steel and poison types… I already had two of the same species… I sighed as I idly intercepted the Deino's head as it found the Sneasel's corpse, grabbing the spike of hair on its head.

"Yo, don't eat that. That's for all of us later." Its head jerked as it heard my voice for the first time, then whined a little before ending its attempt to eat our only rations. I released its head and poked my head outside, only to get a face full of gecko as the Salandit jumped in.

Once again, and hopefully for the last time today, inertia became the enemy.

Thankfully, there were no more stops after that. However, the following two hours was one of the most miserable of either life. I was practically sitting on the large Deino to start with, who I was sure was an Alpha, but it was hard to get a real sense of scale squished together inside a Weavile skin.

The baby Tyrunt sat between my legs on the Deino's back, but the poor Skrelp had to make do with holding onto one of the bone frames. The little Salandit did the same, giving everyone wary glances in her spot on the fur as far away from the Deino's mouth as possible.

It wasn't even the smell that was so bad. I had long gone nose blind to all but the foulest of odors, and I had done my best to clean the meat, blood, and viscera from the various skins and bones. No, quite soon after we left the area around the giant tree, the elevation began to rise. Not as much as the mountain would where the snow began, but enough that there was now a persistent, random bouncing.

I couldn't even brace myself for it properly, and aside from the Skrelp and Salandit we soon got unfortunately used to slamming into each other. I had taken to bear hugging the Deino just so it wouldn't smash into me as we bounced around, with the baby Tyrunt actually hanging onto the support bones with her jaw as she tried not to kick out with her sharp, oversized claws.

To say I was banged up when the bag was finally dropped from the Tyrantrums mouth would be an understatement. Although my whole body felt bruised, I had surprisingly few visible bruises, but the ones I did were spectacular. My lower back had a strip of raised, parallel bruises from coming down at just the wrong angle on the rib cage floor, before I had tried to wedge myself in.

It hadn't done much, in the end.

A vibrant yellow discoloration marked my hip, and though I couldn't see it I knew I had a large bruise on my forehead. After getting smacked by a Deino the size of a large dog, and then thrown around with it for an hour or more, I was lucky those were the only visible bruises. The rest of my body still throbbed, but it could have been much worse.

I desperately tore my way out of the bag of horrors, emerging onto the edge of a stunningly beautiful clearing in the forest, absolutely packed with flowers of all colors. I could see a huge mountain range ahead of us over the trees, and I may have whimpered a bit at the thought of tomorrow's ride, even as I stood stunned by the beauty of the scenery in the afternoon twilight, skin rising into goosebumps as the chill air hit me.

Just a little whimper.

The Alpha stomped off, but before I could even ask where she was going I stumbled in place, the Skrelp slamming into my thankfully covered arm and shoulder. I looked back at the skin, watching it tip over as the Deino began to wiggle its way out, the Salandit already running towards me, fearful eyes glancing back at the skin.

I didn't let myself react as it climbed up to my shoulder, and it thankfully managed to drape itself over my shoulder without digging its claws in. They had been smaller than I had anticipated, but the rest of its paws had felt like a geckos, obviously, with ridged pads for traction. It was a weird sensation, but oddly similar to the leaf-tailed gecko an old friend of mine had owned.

As the Deino freed itself and charged, I braced myself with wide feet. Its head darted in, but thankfully the mouth was closed. I still stumbled a bit as it slammed into me, stumpy tail wagging so hard its butt shook back and forth. I laughed as I fell backwards, letting it put its front legs on my thighs as its head came up to mine.

It's mouth broke open just enough for its tongue to stick out, and before I could jerk back it had licked my entire face, my hair rising with the saliva. I tried not to gag as I frantically wiped the saliva off of my face. I had just gotten myself, if not clean, at least saliva free!

I pushed it off of me and stood up, taking a moment to wipe my face off. The Sneasel fur was ridiculously soft, but poor at cleaning Deino slobber, unfortunately. I opened my eyes and glared at it, but of course it didn't know that. It was blind, and still just as excited, like it was a dog waiting for permission to play. I sighed before I spoke.

"Deino, please dont lick my face. Please." It wilted immediately, but I spoke up quickly. "You can lick my hands or something if you have to, but just not the face." It perked back up at that.

"Okay, first things first. Are you a boy?" He nodded vigorously, and I turned to the Salandit staring at me with wide eyes on my shoulder. "And you're a girl, right?" She nodded, so I addressed them both as the baby Tyrunt and Skrelp both watched on.

"So for you, little man, I'm assuming your parents wanted you to go with me and get strong, right?" He happily nodded and I turned to the little gecko.

"And yours wanted you to be safe, and not to draw them too much attention, right?" She looked ashamed as she nodded, but I quickly shook my head.

"Don't be ashamed, or blame them. Your mom did the best thing she possibly could have for you when she somehow kept up with a running Alpha Tyrantrum and convinced her to come back with her. You saw how exhausted she was when we got there! She did that for you." She nodded at me, but still looked downcast. Well, time heals and all that. It just happened.

The Deino didn't seem to mind being fucking airdropped to us, so I wasn't worried about him. He looked to just be a happy little guy. Big guy. Hopefully I was a much stronger trainer before he Evolved, because Zweilous was not going to be a fun stage for anyone, especially him.

There was a crash as a whole dead tree was dropped nearby, the Tyrantrum staring at me. I started to ask her to break it up, but she began to shred the tree and I shrugged. The sun was almost behind the mountains, so I might as well get dinner started.

I soon had a roaring bonfire at the edge of the meadow, chunks of meat roasting while the younger Pokemon each ate their share as I tried to become one with the flames in the cold air. I had an idea what was going on with the Deino's reaction earlier, and I was grateful for it after seeing his maw in action. His jaws bit straight through the Sneasels torso, and he was soon whining at my feet for more.

I was about to apologise, but never got the chance as the Tyrantrum stood and turned to stare at me. It took me a second, but I got it eventually.

"Going to hunt? I'll keep an eye on them. Good luck!" She smiled at me with all of her teeth before turning and beginning to charge up the mountain, far, far faster than we had moved today. I stood there, mouth wide for a few moments before I turned back to the group of Pokemon.

"Well, what say we figure out some more of your Move pools? How about we start with y-"

""May I join you at your fire, human?""

My blood ran cold at the voice inside my head, and a sudden surge of nausea made me almost vomit immediately. That voice was wrong in so many ways. Human words, from a completely inhuman mind. The touch on my mind was like a spike of ice down my spine. I tried not to tremble as I turned.

I failed.

Standing before me was a towering creature made of a swirl of white, blue, and pink hair, a smooth form that slowly lowered itself to head height. My heart skipped a beat when I met this thing's eyes, soullessly bright pupils staring at me from between pitch black irises that shone with a reflective sheen, like an oil slick made of dying fireflies.

Bright pink eyebrows rose on its pale white face as its mouth opened in what would have been a gentle smile if not for the edge to it. Space seemed to warp around me as she spoke again.

""It is considered quite rude among most to keep someone awaiting a reply."" There was less nausea, but the sense of wrongness grew greater. This thing shouldn't be! I began to growl before the Skrelp squeezed my arm. I stopped and took a deep breath. When I looked back up I had a wide smile on my face as I gestured towards the fire. I did my very best to be eloquent and clear in my words.

Very clear.

"You may join us for a time and warm yourself, but our guardian may return soon. She is rather protective of us, just to give proper caution to a fellow stranger."

Please work! Holy fuck thats a Hatterene, an Alpha Hatterene. The Silent Pokemon, wood witch, and a Fairy. Is that why she's freaking me out so bad? That dragon aura theory I had? Fuck I hope that the rules for fae from my world work here. Be polite. Hospitable. Don't lie. Don't say thank you or say that you owe them anything. Treat them like a bomb. A very probably malicious bomb.

"Would you care for a bit of Sneasel? This is all that I have to share, unfortunately, but I do so freely, with no expectation of payment." I held out a skewer, hand shaking. Not badly, but it was still noticeable. There was no hiding my emotions, unfortunately. Their whole Evolutionary line felt emotions.

She reached out to grasp the skewer with a dark, gnarled claw from inside her cloak of hair.

""Your hospitality does your species credit. Few humans know the old ways, the true ways. Then again, you're not most humans, are you?""

She plucked the chunk of meat off and tossed it into her still smiling mouth, her words continuing even as she slowly chewed on the meat. Smiling.

""A human that travels with tyrants, one who smells of blood both won and lost. A human that I would swear was a dragon, had I not eyes."" Her face drew uncomfortably close and I did my best not to piss myself. I succeeded, but her next words made it very hard.

""A human who truly believes that they are from a different world, one with fae so similar to me and mine.""

Oh fuck! Fuck! Their psychic fairies! She can read my mind! Get the fuck out! Courtesy doesn't extend to the privacy of my own mind, you bitch!

Her grin grew wide, but the surroundings warped as she did something, the air seeming to gain a pink tinge even as my gaze was locked to hers. I couldn't turn away if I wanted to, and I very much wanted to. I was quickly growing angrier, too, which was a bad idea but fuck this bitch, my mind is mine!

""To be of my kind is to know emotions. To know the mind, in all its glorious forms. I could no more not listen to your unshielded thoughts than I could let a slight against me go unavenged."" She glanced behind me momentarily. ""You have the progeny of the Three Terrors, and the Tyrant of Land has taken you in as her own. What is it you plan to do with your newfound power?""

Terrors? Do? I was going to- I was going to go tell a big ol' Tyrantrum a Hatterene was picking on me!

""It is no fun if you do that, child. It is also useless. You didn't know? She is the Terror of Land, the Queen of the Lowlands. The Terror of Water rules over his domain in peace alongside both her and the Terror of the Sky. They are the greatest powers in the Lowlands, and as they are peaceful towards each other, each with their separate territories, that is unlikely to change. Or, it was."" Her gaze was too bright as it pierced me.

""To think a human managed to convince the Tyrant to go into one of those abominable spheres."" She began to cackle, a sound like nails on a chalkboard mixed with breaking glass. I tried to keep my mind clear, but it was impossible. She looked back at me with interest. I didn't like the look in her eyes. She looked hungry.

""I do not eat humans, child. I rarely even kill them. Why do that and end the fun prematurely?… Oh, yes those are some delightful ideas you're giving me from these 'horror movies' from your world… quite inventive, actually! I will have to try that one… No, you haven't figured out my methods yet. I am quite inventive. Oh, is that a 'kitten'? A valiant attempt to redirect your thoughts, but futile. Now, let's see, what to do…"" She cackled again before suddenly rising to her full height.

Her claw came out of her hair just in time to catch the small form that popped into existence before her. For a moment the entire clearing was quiet other than the crackle of logs in the bonfire, before the little creature began absolutely wailing in distress, a haunting sound that made my heart ache in sympathy.

It was the first form of a Hatterene, a Hatenna, and the little nightcap-looking Pokemon supposedly got tired and overwhelmed from any strong emotions, good or bad. I didn't have to look behind me to know my team was experiencing more than a little bit of terror, not to mention I was seriously worried I would have a heart attack at any moment.

The poor thing was overwhelmed as it wailed in the creature's claws. I hesitated to call it a mother, because it looked like the poor thing had been traumatised before she was teleported here. Considering her previous words, I had the horrible thought that-

""Yes, she's quite the disappointment for one of my progeny. The rest have adjusted to the entertainment, but this one is weak.""

She tossed the poor thing onto the ground between us, her wails growing harrowing as she sobbed on the ground. I looked on in horror, frozen in pure terror. As much as I wanted to comfort the Pokemon, it was my presence, mine and my teams, that was causing her distress! Not that I could move!

""I was going to cull her soon, but this is more entertaining. I wont see the end of her story this way, but now she must choose. Will she follow you along your path, walk alongside the children of terror? She would be in agony, should she refuse to grow into herself. She wants nothing less. Or, attempt to flee my woods, now that she is this far. Agony, or death?"" Her smile grew wider, a small, delicate tongue coming out to lick her lips.

Her actual claw reached out, dangerously close to my eye, before it came to rest on my jaw, the tip digging in slightly. I desperately tried not to whimper, but the growl that came out wasn't fit to be called one. I whined as she slowly dragged her claw closer to my eye, over my cheekbone, only to stop just on my eyelid. I could feel the claw almost poking through, pressing on my eyeball. She licked the blood from her claw before smiling at me as I tried to scream.

I failed.

""Isn't that a fun choice? You humans like to change your answer after a time, but there's no going back on your word. Not in my woods. Goodbye, enigma from another world."" She took a single flowing 'step' backwards.

""I grant you and your 'team' safe passage through my woods, human, but once you leave them all accords and pacts between us are void.""

She began to glide away before pausing, turning back to me with a delighted smile.

It was the most horrific thing I had ever seen.

""Pray that we do not meet again, for my curiosity has been slaked."" She spared one more sneer for her daughter before she simply wasn't there anymore.

There was no flash of light, no displacement of air. One second she was there, the next she was gone, taking her oppressive atmosphere with her. I fell forward onto my hands and knees, gasping for breath. Holy shit that was too much! I was not sleeping tonight, that's for fucking sure. My limbs felt like lengths of rope, with no strength in them whatsoever, and my heart still felt like it would soon burst.

The little Hatenna's wails decreased dramatically, but she continued to sob into the dirt as I looked at the rest of my team. Everyone looked the same, scared shitless and disturbed. Holy shit, that was a fae! No no no NOPE! Why me? Why? I looked down at the sobbing creature in front of me and my heart broke.

I was extrapolating, but this poor little girl probably watched her monster of a mother… torture who knows how many people. The only one who didn't 'adjust to the entertainment'. The thought turned my stomach as I crouched down next to the traumatised Pokemon. My touch was featherlight as I reached out to stroke her head. Her hat. The top of her? It wasn't a hat, but damn if it didn't look like one.

She shuddered under my hand for a second before turning over to look at me. I guessed, I didn't see any eyes behind her curly hair, but I smiled weakly as I spoke, voice breaking. I was trying not to cry, but it was hard. She was so sad it hurt my soul, and I still felt like I was about to die in the next moment as the fey came back to finish us off.

Not that she could.

"H-hey there, little one. You're safe with us. I-I'm sorry we're causing you so much pain, but once I get out of here I'll find you some h-help, okay? It's going to be okay now, I promise you. We won't hurt you." There had to be eyes under there, as tears began to flow again before she hopped up and threw herself into my lap, quietly sobbing into my stomach as I stroked her.

The rest of my team had come over and began to huddle around me, Skrelp in his spot, Salandit on my other shoulder. The baby Tyrunt came to my side, while Deino remained standing in front of me, head scanning around in wariness. We just sat there waiting, hoping, and I couldn't help but start to cry a little bit as the fear began to run its course. A lot, actually…

I didn't just almost die. I just almost had a much, much worse fate. What the fuck was wrong with that thing? It was so wrong on an instinctive level! Dragon and Fairy crap aside, that had been evil!

My brain and emotions felt like they had been scraped raw from the experience, so when the Alpha returned a half hour later I barely reacted. She dropped what looked like a Copperajah of all things in front of us, the steel-type elephant missing its head. Judging by the way the neck looked, she had ripped its head off. And probably eaten it, knowing her.

What was it with her and eating heads?

Her daughter immediately began to roar, and I let the Pokemon talk it out among themselves as I continued to stroke the still-crying Hatenna gently. The Alpha Tyrantrum's growls grew in volume the longer she listened, and I let her. I was pissed too. That monster deserved death, but I was grateful when she didn't try to run off and fight. Instead she shoved her head into my face, trying to look into my eyes.

I couldn't meet her eye as I continued to stroke the traumatized child in my lap. Not for a long time.

Eventually, finally, I looked up, meeting the concern-filled eye directly in front of me. My voice was quiet and calm, but it carried finality. Let the wood witch hear it if she's around. She had promised me safe passage, and I knew that she couldn't break her word. They were the last words I spoke that night, before we settled in with the Tyrantrum in a pile of bodies close to the roaring bonfire.

I spoke them and meant them.

"I'm going to make sure that thing dies. I swear it, and if it's listening? Try and break your word, monster. I dare you."

If I couldn't get someone to do it for me, I'd come back and do it myself if I had to once I was stronger.

Chapter Text

Cole, Crown Tundra Preserve employee

—

I scanned the wide, sloping field in front of me with a lazy eye, seeing only the usual. Snow, trees, snow, and more trees. The occasional shifting drift of snow really shook things up, thankfully. Can't have it too monotonous up here.

It was always rough getting the South Gate shift. Almost nothing ever happened, other than the total tally of missing trainers increasing as suicidal idiots fresh off the Circuit flooded in. It was still three weeks until the next Circuit started, and the last wave had already been eaten by now, so the posting was just boring.

Not to mention depressing.

I just couldn't understand why so many bright young trainers decided to test themselves in one of the deadliest places in the known world. Why risk your life for nothing? Statistically, unless you were a Champion or Elite Four level trainer, maybe Gym Leader ranked, you only had a 7% chance of making it out alive if you entered the Lowlands of the Crown Tundra Preserve.

We made sure to drive this point home, requiring trainers to take a week-long course and sign a variety of waivers before they were permitted entry. Thankfully there was an age limit, but it was only eighteen! That is a stupid kid, still!

Stick to the northern mountains! There's still a lot of dangerous Pokemon, of course, but that gave trainers a massive 76% chance of making it back! Yes, you missed out on the vast majority of the Preserve, but you wouldn't run into one of the Terrors and be eaten!

Those Alphas were bad news, and had probably caused the majority of losses, the Water Lord far less than most. Very few were dumb enough to try and go near that damn tree, even for the caliber of idiot we received. The Winged Terror was next on the list, but he preferred to eat the trainers' Pokemon instead.

Usually.

The Tyrant Queen, however…

She scared people. She scared people high up, and I had been told to issue a settlement-wide alert if she was ever sighted beyond the border wall that divided the Preserve. Even if she was just passing by, and I'd had to do that exact thing a few times.

She liked to come up here to hunt Mamoswine and Aurorus, but every time was still a tense affair as the entirety of Freezington got ready to defend against her, or to evacuate. She had never actually attacked, none of the Terror's had, but the possibility was a constant fear in residents minds. It would never happen, of course.

Right?

Her last confirmed kill count was forty three, forty three human deaths actually witnessed and catalogued. Grieving trainers tearfully explaining why they're alone now, traumatized Pokemon that required not only a mind reader to translate, to explain why their partner was gone, but also therapists. One caught on surveillance video when they were just barely in sight of the gates. It had been fast, at least.

The Tyrant Queen never played with her food.

Forty three people we know for a fact she devoured. Her estimated kill count was over a hundred, however. She was the most aggressive Alpha in the Preserve, and the entirety of the lands beyond the large walls I stood on were her domain.

I frowned a bit as another gust of icy wind hit my face, glancing at my partner Lucario. He was meditating next to my station, ignoring the cold as snow settled on him. He took any chance he could to do so, the harsher the environment the better, and he looked like a particularly bad snowman as he sat there.

He was going to smell like a wet Yamper tonight, I just knew it.

One of his eyes opened to glare at me before he closed it, my thought apparently loud enough to feel. I barked out a laugh as I tightened my jacket. A cold front had moved in last night along with some rapidly-falling snow, making it one of the more miserable shifts I had endured this month. At least it wasn't a blizzard. Those were nasty up here.

Lucario suddenly jumped to his feet, looking at me in sheer terror. His eyes were panicked, his body rigid with fear. He was actually shaking a bit!

"Two Alphas! They're coming in fast!"

I was sounding the alarm before he finished, pulling binoculars from my waist before I looked up. I didn't need them, however.

She was already clearing the treeline as the low, piercing sirens began to screech.

The Tyrant Queen.

The gigantic Pokemon began to rapidly slow her loping gait, and within moments had come to a slow halt in front of the gate. I noticed a large, battered-looking Weavile corpse, or maybe just the skin, dangling from her mouth and felt dread. Did the little shits actually eat her Eggs? Is she demanding something? Does she want revenge on us for something?

Wait, were those knots?!

Before my mind could come up with more crazy theories, something even crazier happened.

A human popped her head out of the gaping hole where the head should have been, eyes scanning around. I looked around for the second Alpha, but saw nothing. I turned back to Lucario, only to freeze. His eyes were wide as he stared, not at the giant man-eating Alpha, but at the girl poking her head out of the corpse.

She couldn't have been more than fifteen at the most under all that blood and dirt, but my partner's expression was one of fear instead of concern. I turned my attention downwards just as the insane vision in front of me began to speak.

"Hello! I would l-love to explain all of this, but I would r-really enjoy not getting f-frostbite even more! Is there a place w-we could all g-go to talk, please?"

She seemed to barely be able to stop herself from chattering her teeth, and as I looked closer I thought I could see honest to Arceus pelts wrapped around her in the shadowed interior of the… skin. Just what the fuck was going on? I turned to my frozen partner.

"Is that real? Or are we under an illusion attack or something?" I asked him seriously.

What. The. Fuck!

"They are… They are both real. That little girl feels exactly like the Tyrant. It is like seeing two things at once, mirrors of each other different in only the slightest of ways. My sight sees a young girl, scared and cold, but my aura sight sees the Tyrant Queen. There is almost no difference in their auras whatsoever. It is… impossible, but neither sight lies..." His eyes were wide in disbelief. I cleared my throat.

I guess this was real, then? Somehow? Still… I raised my voice to call down to the insane girl.

"There is no way that the Tyrant Queen can be allowed inside these walls! She couldn't even get in! Leave her here and you can come inside!"

Instead of accepting my generous terms, she frowned. Her eyes were a shade of light purple, but they seemed to glow a shade deeper as she spoke. Excuse me?

What the fuck!

"So I've got six Pokemon w-with me, including her, and we're just freezing to d-death out here while we t-talk, so how about this?" Her frown, along with the glowing eyes, dropped as she gave me a wide smile, and it looked excited and feral all at the same time.

"Can you lend me a Pokeball? If I catch her, s-she can fit through the checkpoint! I'll pay you b-back soon, p-promise!" She was insane! I was about to watch a child die! The Tyrant would never submit to a Pokeball, or even the mere suggestion!

Yet somehow, against all odds, all the beast did was give a huge, long-suffering sigh before nodding, sending the girl's head bobbing back and forth, her wild green hair swaying. Were those Sneasel skins and feathers she was wearing? Was that a fucking necklace on the Tyrant Queen!?

How the hell had she convinced the Tyrant to go into a Pokeball?! Multiple Champions had tried before, though never together. Each attempt had ended in failure, ball after ball broken instantly. A Champion's team could put her down, easily. Not even she could fight that.

She was smart, however, and even the Tyrant Queen knew when to run. She also knew when to call in reinforcements, and the day after the last attempt she had led every Tyrantrum in the preserve past the gates in a blatant show of force.

Attempts had stopped after that.

She was… It was hard to really rank them, but in her 'natural' habitat here she was one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the world. Her total numbers of kills was meagre in comparison to other Alpha dragons that flew around the world itself, however, not to mention the aquatic species that preyed on ships, simply because even with my earlier griping in mind, not a lot of people were brave or stupid enough to go down there to die.

I fumbled at my waist as my mouth gaped open in disbelief at the entire situation right now. I always kept a few spares on me, and I pulled a Great Ball out, enlarging it as my heart pounded. I tossed it down to the wild young girl with disbelief in my eyes, glancing down to make sure the security cameras were capturing this.

They were.

The morbid pouch was lowered to the ground, the Tyrant growling as she raised back to her full height, the giant Pokemon rotating her apparently stiff neck as a series of loud cracks rang out from it. She wasn't looking in my direction when she did, but I felt myself freeze as her snout rose higher, and thus closer, during the action. The girl crawled out of the morbid pouch and I had to do a double take.

She looked like some sort of cavewoman, with a sort of skirt and chestwrap made from entire Sneasel skins, a hairband with three Sneasel feathers in it keeping her wild, filthy green hair back, and another Sneasel skin tied to her neck and arm like a half cloak.

What the fuck…

She looked like she came straight out of a bad movie, but as she shivered and beckoned the giant head down in the falling snow I felt my heart begin to race even faster. I should be trying to stop this like a rational adult.

But how?

The girl was clearly insane! She was speaking softly, but the Tyrantrum began to growl, a low sound that grew louder and louder as her head ducked down to the child, and then I heard the unthinkable.

Arceus, our Creator above, please hear my humble prayer. Please let the camera's audio pick this up, too. Nobody will ever believe me if not.

"It's like when I rode in y-your mouth those times! That is just a faster, more convenient way of moving s-someone, right?! It's the same thing, just w-with a lot less slobber! We've t-talked about this and you agreed, come on now!" I felt my jaw open as she jumped onto the giant head, hands grasping the crown.

You were never supposed to touch a Tyrantrum's crown, not even the few trainers of those caught or revived! They were too wild of a species to ever be fully trusted, and the common wisdom was to only have a Tyrantrum if it was hatched from a rare Egg, or if it was the weakest member of your party. Not an easy prospect for most trainers, as they usually had more than a full team by the time they were that strong.

Instead of tearing her apart like she should have, the dragon merely glared at her. I couldn't hear the following words from the girl, but after a single devastating stomp that lifted the girl into the air the Tyrant Queen nodded. The insane girl then kissed her on the snout before letting herself fall back to the ground.

Smiling widely, she held the Pokeball out to the giant and tapped her on the nose. With a tremendous red flash, one that lasted far longer than any I had ever seen before, the Pokeball shut. It shook a few times, then clicked in the girl's hand. Wait, was she missing a finger?

This little girl just caught the Tyrant Queen!

What was happening?!

"Who are you?" I called out, voice disbelieving.

She stared back up at me, a wild smile still plastered across her bloody, dirty face, unruly green hair sticking every which way, Sneasel feathers swaying. She looked like she had just won the lottery as she answered.

"I'm Erin!"

Maybe she had.

—

Erin

—

The next couple hours were excruciating. I had watched all of my Pokemon be quickly examined by a Nurse Joy, other than my new self-adopted mother of course, but now we sat in a small room off to the side in the local Pokemon Center seemingly designed for small meetings like this.

It had tickled me pink seeing the iconic building, and I had been pleasantly surprised to see it was huge, serving as a lodge for trainer's as well. They had hot water, showers, free food, hot water, rooms and some clothes for me. And showers. With hot water.

I'd had none of that yet.

Especially not a shower.

I was lucky to get drinking water.

The room was quickly becoming rancid as the furs continued the gradual and inevitable process of decomposing in the highly overheated room I had required and demanded, and my Pokemon were growing more and more irritable as this dragged on. The Tyrantrum's Pokeball, my first Pokeball, was on the table in between us. She had refused to be separated from me, and was apparently perfectly capable of sensing the outside world to ensure she wouldn't be.

I held the poor Hatenna as I talked, her sobs having reduced to mild sniffles that never stopped by this point. Deino had come over and licked her a few times, resulting in a very adorable giggle before the crying started once again. It hurt my heart. I wanted to get her a Pokeball, hopeful that it would at least be quiet in there, but had been refused more unauthorized catching. Technically I had 'poached' the Alpha, in their eyes.

To say I was pissed was an understatement. I kinda got it, but the traumatized child crying in my lap kinda set my teeth on edge, too!

The Pokemon Ranger across from me put down the PokeNav he had just answered, giving me a strange look. He stared at my Pokemon for a long minute before turning back to me, expression confused. Not to mention a little relieved.

"Well kid, I'm not sure what a Zacian is, but you got what you wanted. Expect to see the agent in a few days. Until then you've been given a discretionary budget of a hundred thousand, which should last you a month and let you get some, uhh, clothes." His eyes traced the stinking skins tied to my body with clear sympathy before meeting my eyes again.

"If they're not happy with you in the end, expect to pay that back. Any questions?" I sighed in relief before I looked up at him with a hopeful, slightly pleading expression.

I did not beg.

"Is there a room that would fit this little lady here?" I tapped the Pokeball, getting a few shakes from it. His face made several interesting expressions at that, but I kept my smile on as he thought. He actually nodded, and I almost squealed in joy.

"There's two rooms that would fit her, but I'm reminding you again, if she-" I cut him off with a snarl, practically growling at him. Again.

"For the fiftieth time, she won't! She's my Pokemon, my new mom, and the last thing she wants is for us to be separated over something stupid like that!" His mouth dropped open at that, and he sputtered for a second before he abruptly stood up, face red.

"Nurse Joy will be able to help you with anything you need, so I would go talk to her first if I were you. Take a shower, get some real clothes on, and get a good night's rest." He glanced down at me and got a glint in his eyes briefly.

"Actually, for today… There's a good tanner here in town that usually works with the Piloswine and Mamoswine we sometimes cull, so if you want to keep those pelts, I'll wait downstairs for you to shower and change." His face grew queasy. "They're holding that… thing you made at the gate, as well."

My eyes went wide at that, but I didn't have to debate for long. Sneasels were soft, and they were already dead. I nodded eagerly, smile wide and just a tad vicious. I was tempted to turn the one who ate my finger into something stupid just out of spite. A diaper for the baby? Nah, that was stupid…

"That would be great! I'm ready for a shower first, though, that's for damn sure!" He winced at my language, but I was already out the door, practically sprinting towards the front desk. There stood the healer from my childhood years in all her pink glory.

Large pink hair forming loops on either side of her head, a pink nurse uniform, and a beautiful, gentle face with a wide smile that looked a little forced as she took in my appearance. I couldn't blame her. Especially not when her nose wrinkled up.

"So sorry about the smell, can I actually do something about that? I heard there's a few ultra large rooms or something? That have showers? And maybe some real clothes? And soap? And a toothbrush?" I said, my voice almost begging by the end. I was almost hopping in place as I waited to shower.

I'd do something with the skins, but it wouldn't be wearing them like this. I felt rancid and disgusting, and I had to admire Ranger Bird's fortitude to stay in that room with me. My nose was like half dead at this point, and even I was feeling sick near the end. And now.

I was finally warm, though…

Her eyes shone with sympathy as she passed me a room key, pointing down the hallway.

"First door on the left, dear, and I'll have someone bring you some clothing while you shower. There won't be any problems with that, will there?" She said, eyeing the ball I held in my left hand as I shook my head. Her eyes sprang open in shock before she came running around the counter, hands rushing for my hand.

The Tyrant Queen's Pokeball shook (and how awesome was that nickname?), but I tightened my grip and it stopped. I slipped her ball into my right hand as I let the Nurse fuss over me. I knew what she had seen.

"Why is this the first time I'm hearing of such a horrible injury young lady!?" Her pink eyes drilled into me, and I felt inexplicable guilt well up in me before I frowned slightly. Was that some Nurse Joy voodoo, or just the look of disappointment? Because it was fierce.

"I've been in an interrogation room for the past couple hours thawing out." She shook her head at my attempt at sarcasm.

"Why didn't you tell Bird? Judging from his expression right now, you didn't say anything! This has to hurt terribly!" She looked horrified, and kept glancing behind her towards the healing wing.

Nope, shower! Now!

I shrugged at them both, though Bird did look horrendously guilty now. Oops? Sorry? I'd feel like shit too, in his situation… I just didn't care right now!

"It's really not a big deal. I was going to tell you after I got a shower and clothes, honest." I held up the Pokeball. "She got me an Oran Berry and it scabbed over, and I just… got used to the pain, made myself ignore it. I didn't have another choice, Nurse Joy. It'll be fine for another hour." Her face fell at that and she reluctantly stepped out of my way.

I gave her a small, kind smile before I dashed down the hall with a yelp of glee, my Pokemon following close behind me. Those not hanging off of me, that was. Skrelp and Salandit had been giving some good stink eyes to Ranger Bird the entire time, the poor guy. He was just doing his job, and I had barely answered any of his questions after 'poaching'.

He wouldn't have believed me anyways.

The room was huge, easily twenty feet tall or more and almost half the size of a basketball court, with plain beige walls. Next to the door was a bed, a large tv, a couch, and a walled off area that had to be the glorious shower, the rest of the room being completely plain and empty. I unleashed my adoptive mother, watching as the flash of red grew larger and larger. She fit, easily too, although she couldn't really move more than spinning in a circle. Her expression was one of surprise as she took in her surroundings, and I gave her a quick smile.

"Listen, I'm going to shower. Someone will bring me new clothes, so when they do be nice, okay? Let them drop stuff off in the bathroom, too, okay?" She glared at me before nodding, but I could see the smile on her face at my excitement. I ignored it in favor of stripping myself of the skins. They were beginning to get a little stiff, and I left the rancid pile next to the door before sprinting towards my salvation.

An hour later, two bars of soap, two hand towels reduced to rags, and an entire bottle of cheap shampooconditioner, I was feeling refreshed, my skin scrubbed almost raw. And pruney. I looked like a bright red raisin and I felt amazing as I finally stepped out of the steaming shower.

As I began to brush my teeth with some freshly-delivered supplies I paused, taking in my appearance in the foggy mirror. I found that I looked to be around late thirteen, maybe early fourteen, and I looked a little like the twin sister I never had, just short! I was like, five-two! That was bullshit! I better grow!

It was honestly a bit eerie, but I'd take that. I was glad I hadn't gotten any younger, however. I would not be a nice ten year old. I probably wasn't a very nice adult at this point, either. Or kid, as it seemed… Damnit…

I had already known my hair was green, but now I saw that my eyes were a light purple color. They honestly looked kind of badass, and as I grinned at the thought I noticed that my canines were larger than before. Not inhuman fangs, thankfully, but bordering very close on it. There was a kid in high school with canines like this, I vaguely remembered. Always had corny jokes when it was noticed and brought up. Maybe I should try and keep a few of those handy…

Do they have vampires here?

Even as I looked at my new face in fascination I could see the hard, dangerous cast to it, however. The thin, angry scar on my face certainly didn't help.

Fuck it. That hard look was just the price I had paid to survive.

Plus… I thought I looked kind of badass, even if I was a badass kid. The realization made me squirm in utter embarrassment, but it was true nonetheless.

I stepped out of the bathroom, finding a set of underwear, including a blessedly well-fitting bra, a thick pair of blue sweatpants, black long sleeve shirt, and a black hoodie with a Pokeball logo across the middle. Thick wool socks (are those Dubwool fibers?) and a cheap pair of white sneakers completed the outfit. I eagerly put on my first clothes in this world, and I almost cried from the familiar feeling.

No more fur on bare skin for me! No more rancid smell! No more chafing as the knots dug into my skin!

I walked over and sat on the couch, having to push Deino out of the way. He snorted and rolled over, fast asleep already. I idly scratched his belly as I grabbed the remote, leaning back. Just for a moment. The second the TV turned on all of my Pokemon, including the poor little Hatenna, snapped their heads towards it.

There was an odd ad playing, with what appeared to be an Espurr staring blankly at the camera before the program came back. It was a Pokemon match, and I saw a large Feraligatr facing off against a Garchomp on the plain earth field, the earth dragon unintimidated by the huge blue crocodile as they clashed in an explosion of water vapor and torn earth.

I saw my team's faces light up in fascination, but my new adopted mother had the best reaction. Her eyes lit up as though there was actually fire behind them as she watched the packed stadium, her pupils contracting to fierce pinpricks as she stared. There had to be a few thousand people there, and the banner underneath said that this was a small local off-Circuit tournament in Motostoke. When I told her that her eyes flashed with interest. After a moment I turned towards her, wondering how she would react to this.

Would she let me out of her sight?

"You can stay here and watch this if you want? That goes for all of you, I know we're all tired. It's also too cold outside for most of you." My younger Pokemon all occupied the couch as I stood up, but the Alpha had a conflicted look on her face. I reached up and patted her knee and she dropped her head to meet mine. I stroked the side of her face as I spoke.

"I will be fine, this is a safe city and I'll have a Pokemon Ranger with me. I bet you know those guys aren't weak. Neither am I, right?" She grunted before reluctantly laying down and I sighed in relief. She was a comforting presence to me at this point, but not to anyone else, and I didn't want to give this tanner a heart attack before he got my work done.

"They might try and come in to help heal you, so be good if they're brave enough." I kissed her on the nose, eliciting a surprised snort, before I tossed my Sneasel skins onto a towel and tied it into a bundle.

Nurse Joy had helpfully supplied me with a sweatband, so I still had my Sneasel feathers behind my left ear for fashion. I was quickly growing to love my morbid war trophies, and I thought their color contrasted nicely with my new hair and eye colors.

When I opened the door I heard the last snippets of a conversation.

"-and I swear on my life she just booped her on the snout and bam! Not to mention Lucario couldn't believe what he was seeing!" As I locked my door and stepped out the man went silent, eyes wide as he stared at me.

Oh! I gave him a wide smile.

"Hey Cole! I hope you're not in too much trouble for letting her in?" The Rangers had NOT been happy to find the Tyrant Queen inside the settlement, to say the least. He smiled at me, but it was a weak, shaky thing.

"I'll be fine, but they aren't happy with me, no. I hope I never meet her again, no offense, but I'm glad to see you're not too banged up under all that blood and dirt." He turned and walked away as I turned to Bird.

He gestured to the counter, and Nurse Joy met me with a warm smile and some objects. I smiled in genuine happiness as I grasped the dark purple PokeNav, followed by my temporary trainer card. It had a big red Warning stamped on it, which I felt was kind of rude, but oh well.

I smiled at Nurse joy as I stuck them in my pockets.

"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy! Clothes are so good! Showers, soap, PokeNav, technology, civilization, woo!" I felt slightly manic as my mood soared and she giggled at my reaction. It was finally sinking in that I was out of there. Clothed. Warm.

Mostly intact.

PokeNav's were already at the level of basic smartphones in this world, and with a shiny new bank account I could go out and buy some real clothes! Although, I'd probably want to do that wherever I'm going instead of this tiny settlement. First things first, though.

"By the way, all my Pokemon are watching TV, so I'd stay out if I were you. I locked the door, but if you want to try and heal her I would love you for it. She won't attack you, I promise. She's too damn stubborn to admit she might not be at a hundred percent, though." I watched as both of their eyes got wide before walking towards the door outside. Bird scrambled to catch up with me, eyes darting toward my room door in concern.

When I stepped outside I took a moment to appreciate the view. The settlement up here was tiny, hardly more than five buildings, but each one was built like a fortress, each a large, self-contained area. Large steel doors, high walls, and small windows all spoke to defensive measures, but I caught a whiff of our eventual destination along the massive wall that quarantined off the Lowlands and began to walk towards it.

There was no mistaking the smell of raw leather, not after my little adventure.

Bird caught up to me halfway there, still throwing glances back at the Pokemon Center. I reached out and nudged him in the side with my elbow, looking up at him. I wasn't exactly tall anymore, and Bird was a very large man, so hopefully my neck could handle the strain.

"She's fine, you know? I mean, she didn't eat whoever dropped off my clothes and toothbrush, right? That's a good start."

He laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh. His voice was harsh as he spoke. The harshest he had spoken to me yet, in fact. He probably thought I would be more cooperative without my adoptive mother hovering over me, that I would be intimidated by the large man.

He was very much mistaken.

"That poor Nurse Assistant came out of your room traumatized and covered in saliva." My eyes widened briefly before he sighed. "Your Deino is a very restrained and happy example of his species, but from what I understand she wasn't in danger. Maybe traumatized by that monster watching her every move, though."

I felt my temper flare and I spun, using my left hand to forcefully drive my right elbow into his kidneys. I hope I hit his kidneys. I certainly hit something delicate as he gasped and bent over, only to find my snarling face directly in front of his.

"Thats my adopted mother you fuck! She's not a monster! I've seen a real monster! You sit up here in civilization and judge her? You dare?" He tried to pull away, his eyes wide, but I grabbed his collar to pull his face back in.

"You don't get to judge her for her actions before today! I don't care how many people she ate! She saved me! Comforted me!"

Bright, soulless eyes staring into my mind next to a bonfire-

"She never tortured them for fun, toyed with them like a cat with a mouse, took pleasure in their pain! She just ate them! So did all the Terrors! That isn't a monster, that's life!" I released his coat and turned away, now stomping through the snow in my cheap sneakers, towards the smell in the air.

He slowly caught back up to me, but I noticed he positioned himself slightly behind and to the side of me this time. He was wary now.

Good.

After a few awkward moments he coughed into his hand, turning to look at me with an awkward expression on his face.

"I'm… Sorry? For insulting her?" I scoffed at the weak attempt. After almost a minute of silent walking he spoke up again.

"What's a cat? Like a Meowth?"

Silence.

"...Terrors?"

I was silent.

"You… saw a real monster?"

I scowled at him and picked up my pace. Nope, Interpol was coming, you can get answers then. Insulting her right to my fuckin' face, the absolute audacity…

The tanners shop was a small affair, but the smell was almost overpowering, even from the front gate. I went to open the gate to the large fenced yard filled with tubs of foul-smelling chemicals, but Bird grabbed my shoulder first, releasing me like I was a hot pan when I glared at his hand.

He reached out and rang some sort of intercom before stepping back, hand covering his nose. I couldn't blame him for that, but at this point I was so desensitized to the smell of rotten flesh that nothing really got to me anymore. The intercom crackled to life, and Bird leaned forward to speak into it.

"Hey Larry, it's Bird! Got a special rush order for you out here!" There was a reply, and the speaker was obviously busted based on the distorted warbles we heard, but it sounded like a positive reply at least?

A few minutes later an older man came walking out. My eyebrows rose at the sight of him. It was a very bold fashion choice, wearing an Ursaring onesie, but as he got close I saw that it wasn't a onesie, it was just the entire damn skin of a Ursaring trimmed into pants and a jacket, with the empty head thrown over his his skull like a hood.

That's one way to advertise your skills, I guess.

Probably super warm up here in the snow, too.

The man barely spared me a glance as he walked up to Bird, hands stuffed into his armpits. He didn't extend a hand to shake, either, just glared up at Bird. Bird coughed lightly, glancing at me before he began to speak.

"So, Larry, I've got a bit of a rush job for you. Do you think you can cure these in two days?" He gestured for me to unwrap my package and I did, not even blinking as the smell fully escaped the cheap towel.

Larry looked at the Sneasel skins for a few moments, before looking up at Bird with a single nod. I frowned a bit at that. He was ignoring me. I wasn't a fan of being ignored, so I took a step forward.

"My name's Erin. Larry, right?" I stuck my hand out and held it there as he stared at my hand in apparent surprise. I wiggled my fingers back and forth before his hand slowly rose to give me a hesitant handshake. I smiled viciously as I pulled him in.

"Thanks for taking care of these for me, but could you add one more skin? It's huge though, an Alpha Weavile. Well, most of it. It's still at the southern gate." I asked nonchalantly, savoring the expression of surprise on his face as his grip tightened. He looked to Bird for confirmation before receiving a nod. I smiled at the silent man.

"You can keep the ribcage if you want, however. It was a pretty shitty floor, to be honest." His mouth fell open and he finally spoke, his voice sounding raspy with age and apparent disuse.

"Floor…? Bird, who the hell is this?" I cut Bird off before he could speak, smile still wide. And pointed. I had pretty sharp canines now, so most of my smiles were pointed anyway.

"I just told you, the name's Erin! I hope your as good as Bird claims, because other than the Alpha Weavile I killed all these fucks, and I'd rather keep the memories, if you know what I mean." Both of their eyes turned towards me in shock. Oh yeah, I hadn't told Bird that I was the one to kill the Sneasels.

Larry led us to his workshop and pointed at a table before quickly scurrying off. I dropped my bundle there, and as we waited I pulled the Sneasels skins out, looking at their condition. Bird was eyeing me warily until he saw my first kill. The dirty, headless skin of the first Sneasel almost shone in the artificial lighting, and I carefully traced where its head would have been.

I spoke softly into the silence.

"This was the first person here that ever tried to kill me. It ate my pinky right in front of me with a smile. I beat its head into pulp with a rock with the baby's help for the offense. It tasted pretty good, honestly." Bird inhaled sharply as I continued to move down to the others.

"These assholes came with the Alpha for revenge, but jokes on them. I had Skrelp at that point, and I almost died… at least twice that I can count, but we got them. Knife to the spine for both. Got lucky with a Pawniard skull at the Alpha's nest... Me and Skrelp killed this one together, and this one…" My grin grew vicious as I traced the outline where the last Sneasels forearms would be.

"This little shit got tag-teamed by me, the Skrelp, and the baby Tyrunt. She managed to snag its hands like she did for that first fight, and I stomped on her jaws to amputate those dangerous little claws." Bird had taken a step back at this point, but I continued.

"The Alpha Weavile almost got me, but my Alpha ended up biting her head off." I grinned at the memory. "She thought I was stealing her kill at first when I began skinning it. She was pissed!"

A whine behind my back made me spin. Larry stood there, somehow already carrying the Weavile contraption as he stared at me with wide eyes. He dropped the horrific 'handbag' as his voice trembled.

"Bird, what Alpha is she talking about?" Oh goodie, he heard all that. Bird froze, probably not wanting to start a panic, but I had no such reservations.

I loved her already, and she was awesome. People should know, right?

"Oh, my adoptive mother? She's great, really. Gave me rides in her mouth before I made that horror show right there, and she even healed me with an Oran berry after I lost the finger." I raised my left hand and wiggled my fingers, watching Larry's eyes widen even further as he saw my still-unbandaged stump.

"I think you people call her the Tyrant Queen?"

—

A half hour later, after we finally managed to calm Larry down, I found myself walking back to the Pokemon center with a bit of a skip in my step. Two days and I should have some beautiful, soft skins to work with. Bird had informed me there was a small department store in the settlement, but I wasn't going to buy good clothes up here in a resort town. Preserve, whatever. I might not be thrifty, but I wasn't going to clothe myself in the equivalent of a gift shop.

We were almost back when I felt a surge of irritation, and I felt more than heard the low growl from my room, still standing a hundred feet from the entrance. I was sprinting before I even had the chance to think.

Someone was fucking with the Alpha. With my Pokemon! My adopted mother!

I burst through the automatic doors, knocking one right off its hinges as it failed to open fast enough. As I charged towards my door my growl only grew louder. The tall, dark-skinned man standing in my open door barely had time to react as I shoulder checked him, sending him sprawling as I slammed into the doorway. A quick look inside showed me every Pokemon, including the little Hatenna on top of the baby's head, crouched warily behind the Alpha Tyrantrum.

She looked pissed.

So was I.

"Whoa, calm down, girl! You're a bit young for me! I know I have a lot of fans, but now isn't the best ti-"

The stupid man cut off as I kicked him in his side, and his eyes widened when he saw me raise both of my hands above my head, clasping them together tightly. I was just beginning to bring them down when I felt myself rudely lifted off the ground by my armpits. Bird had caught up, and he was pale-faced as he stopped me from further assaulting the man below me.

I growled in irritation, but released my hands and took a deep breath.

"Bird, I get what your doing, and I'm sorry, but if you dont let me go right fucking now, you're going to die." He dropped me like I was a hot pan and I stood in my doorway, momentarily staring down at the Magikarp-brained fool in front of me.

"You are a fool, an idiot, and a flat-out bad trainer if you thought walking into a Tyrantrum's den was a good idea without permission! An Alpha Tyrantrum! An Alpha Tyrantrum with a baby! You should apologise to your dragons the next time you let them out, you no-brain selfie addict!" I roared at the (admittedly very handsome) idiot staring at me from the floor.

Raihan, the strongest Gym Leader in Galar, Dragon Master, and social-media legend, finally noticed my sweatband with the Sneasel feathers and went pale from his spot on the floor as I slammed the door closed.

Chapter Text

Erin

—

It had taken me more than a few minutes to calm down my huge adopted mother, and only prolonged contact did any good. After a few minutes of irritation I pushed the couch out of the way, convinced her to curl up there, and I quickly threw the mattress over. It was soon followed by the cushions from the couch and all the sheets and blankets, and as I settled in to watch TV with the comforter wrapped around me the rest of my team came over.

Their panic had quickly gone away once I had shown up, and they were all relatively carefree now as they continued to watch more Pokemon matches. Well, Deino listened, at least. All except for my poor little nightcap, that was. She had stopped crying entirely, but she still shook every so often as I held her. I stroked her head as gently as I could while the rest of my team snapped, growled, and hissed to each other, their eyes glued to the TV.

I was sooo glad Pokemon didn't just say their species name all the time, preferring to growl or make, you know, normal noises for their species! Or their equivalent, I guess. I don't know if I could have taken my new mother seriously if she went 'Ty-Tyran! Ty- Trum!'... Like, at all! They still could, from what I had seen, but it took real effort to make it sound clear. I mean, pretty sure they did that because it was a kids cartoon, hard to remember every Pokemon when you're six, but still. Actually, how would something like a Metang work? Just dings and pings? Dial up noises? Still…

So glad!

The thudding heartbeat behind me was a bit distracting, but at the same time it was peaceful and soothing just like it had been the past two nights, and without meaning to I had drifted off. I would deal with Raihan later.

Of course, later came not much later, as I was awoken from my slumber by a light growl vibrating my body momentarily before my overprotective Pokemon stopped. I looked up, only to see Nurse Joy standing there, wariness in her every movement, but a soft look on her face as she looked at me.

Me and the cuddle pile.

She held up her PokeNav for a second while raising an eyebrow, and I nodded, softly as possible not to wake the Salandit on my head. Her front paws were stuck to my forehead, and I dearly wanted a picture of this moment.

A few seconds later a flash rang out, and I started wiggling my body, trying to get out of my Pokemon cocoon. A few scrambled moments later I was free, Salandit still stuck my head, tail wrapped around my throat as I walked over. Somehow, she was still sleeping. I gave a soothing nod to my Tyrantrum, and she put her head back down with a huff.

We quickly exited the room, and the second I closed the door I was turning to her in excitement. She handed me the PokeNav and I let out an embarrassingly loud aww as I saw the picture.

My adoptive mother was curled almost in half, her giant head and eyes staring at the camera. In the curve of her body I leaned up against a cushion I had laid on her chest, the baby Tyrantrum's head laid across my lap. The Deinos laid right next to it from the opposite direction, while the Skrelp was in his favorite spot on my left arm. The poor little Hatenna looked calm for once as it slept on top of the baby's snout, and the Salandit was of course draped on top of my head, her tail curled around my neck.

It was the most adorable thing I had ever seen, even the slight glare from the Tyrantrum at the camera.

"Thank you so much, oh my g-Arceus that is the cutest picture ever! Look at her little glare too! She's going to love this picture, too! Can you send these to me?" I looked back up at her, and my face grew hot as I saw the expression of vast amusement on her face as she began typing on her PokeNav. Her eyebrow raised at me as she worked.

"I've very rarely seen a team as close as yours, you know? The young Pokemon adore you, and the Tyrant Queen practically treats you like her child." My face was burning now. I coughed and fiddled with my PokeNav as I mumbled.

"She does think I'm her kid…" Apparently I didn't mumble quietly enough, because she began to giggle, the giggles turning into full-body laughs as I started pushing her forward. She just got louder as we left my door behind. She was still giggling as I stopped pushing. Stopped and glared at the fool before me.

Gym Leader Raihan, Dragon Master, selfie addict, social media legend and second strongest trainer in Galar himself. He stood talking with Bird and Cole, the poor Preserve employee looking extremely nervous next to the famous Gym Leader.

I didn't care, however, as I stomped my way over. Raihans eyes met mine and for a split second I thought I saw fear, but even as he opened his mouth in an easy smile I was there, pointing at his face as I began.

"Is the title of Dragon Master just something you tacked on? Was there a certification, or a qualification of some type? Because if there was, they need to be investigated! What the fuck were you doing trying to go into my room like that? My locked room!? You have one chance to not ruin whatever respect I might have held for you, so I'd think very hard before you answer!" My eyes were wide, and I was practically snarling by this point. "If you had been the cause of me losing her, you'd have been grateful to be dead, I swear it by Arceus himself!"

To his credit Raihan looked ashamed as he ducked his head down, but Bird was giving me a very unimpressed look. Poor Cole looked like he was going to pass out, though. I spared a second to glare at Bird before sliding over to Cole. I let my anger drop for the moment, reaching out to pat the supremely nervous man on the shoulder.

"Cole, buddy, lighten up. Wanna see something cute?" I pulled my PokeNav back out, and the way his jaw dropped was more than a little satisfying. I wasn't hearing an aww yet though…

"T-that's- you- you were sleeping with them!?" I grinned a bit wider at that, zooming in on my lap with the Pokemon there.

"Just a little nap to calm everyone down after someone disturbed them." Raihands shoulders hunched a bit more at that as I continued. "Look at them, though! They're adorable!" I dragged the view over to my huge dragon moms glaring face. "Look at her little glare! She's going to love it when I show her this photo!" He tried to pull away from me, but I simply tightened my grip on his shoulder.

"They're cute. Right?" He gave me a bewildered nod so I let him go. Poor guy was so freaked out by Raihan he couldn't even appreciate my Pokemon's cuteness!

I snorted in the privacy of my own mind at my snark. It wasn't nice to pick on him. At all, actually… Kind of mean…

It was funny, though.

Raihan finally turned to me, a serious expression on his face. He gave me a short bow, barely more than a head nod, before he looked into my eyes as he spoke slowly.

"I apologise for any distress I may have caused you or your team, and you are correct. I was… hasty, when I arrived. I saw the video of you catching the Tyrant Queen with a Great Ball of all things, so I rushed here as fast as I could. I'm also helping Interpol now by remaining here for your own protection, as well as the towns. When I arrived I felt her presence, and might have opened the door a bit too hastily. I assure you, however, that it was unlocked." Wow, I didn't know he could talk all formally like that. Did I seriously forget to lock the door? I guess I could see that happening, but still, he-

"Excuse me, what video of me?!" Cole froze, and my glare shifted to him. "Was there security footage at the gate?" He nodded, almost whimpering as I drew closer. I felt Raihan move behind me, while Bird actually reached for a Pokeball on his belt, but I ignored both of them.

"Did you post it?" Another nod, and I had a very hard time not grabbing him.

The sound that came out of my chest, however, was more than enough for him to start backing away, hands raised in a pleading gesture. I didn't follow him, but I did continue to glare as I let myself be pulled to a couch. I slammed down on it, glaring at the floor for a moment before I looked up at Ryhan.

"How bad is it?"

I really didn't like the look in his eyes as he sighed. His Rotom phone flew out, and I spared the case and the Rotom itself a brief glance before focusing on the screen. It looked like some sort of Poke-twitter, if slightly outdated looking.

"#BarbarianGirl tames the #TyrantQueen!"

"World first as human rides in Tyrantrum mouth and lives!"

"Young girl survives The Crown Tundsa's Lowlands, interest soars as area considered 'easier' now."

"Top ten easiest ways to die, and why this video is number 1."

"#TyrantTamer visits local tanners!"

"What was up with that #CorpseBag?"

"Freezingpoint residents warned to exercise caution as the Tyrant Queen stays at local Pokemon Center, locals reportedly terrified."

I looked up at his face in horror as the feed moved on. There were pictures of me almost everywhere I had gone. There was even a shot of me slamming into the automatic door, but luckily they hadn't caught me on camera assaulting a Gym Leader. My eyes narrowed as I turned to glare at Cole, who was intently studying the top of his shoes. Raihan spoke up before my glare could worsen.

"Yes, Cole here decided to bypass a few regulations when he released the video, which of course started trending almost immediately. Leon almost came, but we couldn't be sure he'd actually make it here in time, or ever, so they sent me to check out the situation. Both for the town's safety and yours, but I see that's not necessary." He sat back on a chair as I stood and started pacing.

"You've been blowing up the whole PokeNet, girl! I'd bet that in a week the whole world will have seen that video!" He was back to his usual self, it seemed. "I mean, the Tyrant Queen? Imagine that selfie!"

I glared at Cole as I paced, thoughts racing. Thanks to him, the entire world would soon know my face, and sooner or later my team would be revealed. I had multiple Alphas of rare species and a shiny. I already knew I would have a huge target on my back, but I was hoping for the reveal to come after I had finally gotten out of Galar, not the moment I got to civilization!

I was pretty ambiguous about the comments on my first appearance, however. I mean, I did look like a wild barbarian girl. Riding in the skinned remains of an animal. With a protective Alpha Tyrantrum looming over me. I mean, I was filthy, but I had looked kind of badass, too.

Fuck it. Can't take it back. I stomped over to Cole, who finally looked up in fear.

"I assume you're here to ask forgiveness on behalf of your company?" He nodded rapidly before speaking.

"They are prepared to offer you a million dollars to let the issue slide, and enforce whatever punishment you want on me. I am sorry. It's just… Nobody would have ever believed me…" His voice trailed off and he returned to examining his shoes. I sighed as I backed up.

"Two million, but I don't want you fired. Let them decide your punishment. If I'm being honest, I might have done the same thing in your situation. I'm not paying you back for the Great Ball, though."

I really would have, too. My new life was insane, and probably looked even more insane from the outside. I also knew that the million dollars was far less than I assumed, if 100k would supposedly only support me for a month, and considering how much meat my team could eat I would take all I could get.

He looked up in gratitude before he began to thank me. I dodged his attempts at a handshake with a murderous scowl and he scurried out of the Center.

I dropped onto the couch next to Raihan, looking over at his feed. A flash, and the Rotom phone had taken a selfie, Raihans stupid grin taking up half the screen while I glared with my arms crossed in the other.

"There we go! Do you mind if I post this? My fans know I'm here, and they're going crazy for an update!" His eyes were so hopeful. So full of joy.

I glared at the phone, meeting the eyes of the ghostly Rotom on the screen. It froze as my glare intensified.

"Delete. That. Now." I watched the picture shred itself, to Raihans dismay.

"I wouldn't have posted it if you said no!" I turned my glare to him before a devious idea came to mind. My grin became wide and genuine, but for some reason he seemed suddenly paler.

"How about we get you a better selfie, then?" His eye twitched for a second before he took a deep breath. When he looked back to me he was calm, like the fear had never been there.

I had seen it, though.

"Lead the way, Tamer of the Tyrant!" I reached out to stop him with wide eyes.

"Do not say that in there. I didn't tame her, and she'll get all pissy for hours if you say I did." He frowned at me.

"Then how the hell did you get her to come along? She seems to care for you, but enough to go into a Pokeball?" He was incredulous, and I couldn't blame him. My face began to warm as my embarrassment grew.

"She… adopted me, after I saved her baby. In her mind we are the same, if different species." He seemed stunned before he spoke slowly.

"I understand that you're waiting on Interpol for some reason, but… just one question?" I nodded at him. One, if I could.

"Why do you feel like a dragon? Like her?" His eyes were full of wonder and hope.

I shook my head at him, genuinely sorry I couldn't talk about that yet. That tied into my probable aura, how I got here, too much.

"Sorry, Interpol. Maybe they'll let you join in on the link? I would actually like your opinion on the whole… ordeal." Idiot he may appear to be, he was probably the best expert on dragons I'd find in Galar.

Thankfully it seemed that safely viewing someone's mind was possible, I had asked. It was just highly illegal to do it without a warrant for all but the worst of terrorist groups and other criminals, practically a war crime, but there were those who wished to have their memory read to solve a legal issue. It was considered a war crime because if you weren't actually willing, it just might destroy your mind. The agent I requested would have an experienced psychic capable of the feat when he finally got here, so I wasn't too worried.

His eyes lit up at the invitation and he nodded before starting towards my door again.

"That would be great! Now, let's go get the world's most impressive selfie!"

He was smart enough not to touch my door, this time at least, so I opened the door wide before striding inside. My team was apparently mostly awake now, and aside from the Tyrantrum and the somehow still-sleeping Salandit on my head they all rushed to greet me. Maybe Salandit hung off their mothers a lot? Like opossums?

I braced myself for the Deino's blind charge, catching his head before the baby Tyrunt joined him, looking up to roar joyfully at me while pointing wildly at the TV. My Skrelp buddy took the chance to slam into my arm, of course, while my little Hatenna remained curled up on the Alphas head, still sleeping.

There was a Pokemon Contest going on, a man in formal wear doing some sort of routine with an Altaria under bright lights. The flying cloud dragon's wings were emitting a spray of ice that it formed into small, controlled twisters that the man appeared to be juggling.

The light show was dazzling, and as I turned back to the baby I noticed the Tyrantrum of all Pokemon watching intently. The thought of her in a contest brought a huge smile to my face, but I got the feeling she may also just want to eat the Altaria.

"Hey, so remember that idiot from earlier?" She lightly nodded at me, eyes never leaving the screen.

"Well, I already kicked his ass and showed him who's boss, so he's cool now? Is it okay if he comes inside?" She grinned as I mentioned kicking his ass, and nodded while shifting her head toward the doorway.

"Come on in Raihan!" I called as I dropped back onto the couch I had turned the Alpha Tyrantrum into.

He poked his head inside with a great deal more caution this time, and when he saw the cuddle pile he froze for a second. I patted the mattress next to me and his smile slowly grew as he walked over, carefully eyeing the Alpha the entire while. When he got close enough to sit the Tyrantrum peeled her lips back in what was definitely not a smile, smirking at him as he jerked. He finally leaned backwards onto her chest carefully before he relaxed.

"Well, wow, this is an experience right here!" I couldn't help but giggle at that.

It was something else, being almost literally surrounded by an apex predator like her, hearing and feeling her huge heart beating. His Rotom phone froze when it came out of his jacket, but the poor thing got over its fear soon with a flurry of photos. I tried to smile. I think.

"So, can I post one of these?" He said, looking through his phone with glee. I had to hand it to his Rotom, it took great photos. Some of them even made me look normal as I struggled not to bare my teeth.

"Yeah, go ahead I guess. Not like I'm going to stay anonymous… What's my most trending nickname yet, by the way?" My morbid curiosity was rewarded, unfortunately.

Damnit, me.

"It's either the Savage Trainer or Barbarian Girl, right now. Want me to tag you as one?" I grimaced at that. That's bad and worse. Fuck it.

"I guess I'm the Savage Trainer now. Joy."

He just laughed as he posted the picture, and I settled back to watch the Contests with my team. Skrelp and the baby Tyrantrum seemed interested, and also the Tyrantrum, but the Deino had already laid back down on me. He couldn't see the show, and unlike a Pokemon tournament there wasn't any fighting yet to listen to.

I still had a few days for Interpol to get off their asses, so I grabbed my PokeNav after a moment's thought. I found the local equivalent of a food delivery service and smiled evilly as I met Raihans eyes.

"I'm going to order as much food as I possibly and legally can that isn't charred Sneasel, you in?" The Dragon Gym Leader looked back at me with an equally savage grin.

"Mind if I bring my team out for that?"

—

The next two days went by quickly, and me and my team rarely left the comfort of that giant room, and never the Center. The locals were far too scared for me to let anyone out, and none of my team enjoyed the cold. So instead of training or something, I did something much more important.

I spent the time getting to know my suddenly-acquired team, now that I wasn't about to die at any moment.

My poor little Hatenna slowly got used to the constant assault of feelings surrounding her, but while I was worried and wanted to help her somehow, Nurse Joy had stopped me. She had already checked with my Hatenna during her checkup, her distress obvious to anyone, not just Nurse Joy's. The little thing wanted to stay with me, to Journey with me. She would have to get used to it eventually, and with her already getting better by the day, we decided to stick it out.

She was a trooper though, and in the few calm moments she managed she seemed to be in awe of her surroundings. Her face shone with joy, even as her eyes crinkled in pain. The rest of my team babied her despite her psychic and future fairy typing and their natures, probably because they had seen the monster she escaped from, been terrorized by it as well.

No more thing and it's… entertainment, just kind people, fun times in the future, and a new, lovingly loud family. My team may be rambunctious, but none of us were evil like that. I would have warned the authorities about her, but for the moment all movement into the Lowlands was restricted.

The Preserve had no idea how the balance of power would shift with my new mom gone, and there were already fears of Stampedes up the mountain as the Tyrantrum population fought to develop a new pack structure. My big ol' dragon mom had ruled the entire area south of here like the Tyrant Queen she was, and hadn't permitted a pack larger than hunting or mating pairs to form unless she had led it.

Interpol and Bird would know about that monster soon enough, anyways.

My Deino was the easiest to understand. He was a big puppy with me and those that I designated friends and family, who never bit but loved to lick, but anyone else was in bodily danger if he wasn't restrained. He never charged anyone, though. Rather, he guarded me instead.

He was a little dumb at the moment, unfortunately, but I knew that when he was a Hydreigon he would be much smarter. My big happy attack puppy. I wasn't looking forward to his Zweilous phase, however.

My Salandit was depressed. There was no other way to put it. She was a runt, had been bullied her entire life because of her white coloration, and had known she was endangering her mothers entire line by being there. Nobody let her forget it either, from what she managed to pantomime to me.

She was slowly getting better, but I knew from firsthand experience that depression isn't just fixed overnight. She did seem genuinely happy to come along on a journey, however, and was looking forward to it. Hopefully I could help her self esteem issues, but I wasn't going to push her.

I would help her as much as I could, however.

My Skrelp armband was almost always with me, although he occasionally hung out on Deino or the Tyrantrum. He was easygoing for the most part, seemingly just along for the ride, but a bit of a prankster. His favorite prank, unfortunately, was a tiny stream of water straight into my ear when I was intent on the TV or distracted by something. I had taken to bouncing the side of my head off his head each time, just to knock the water out if nothing else. The small spikes there couldn't poke through my hair, and he would never poison me. The rest of the team wasn't exempt either, except for my new mom, of course.

Me and the baby Tyrunt? I think she actually thought I was her big sister, as she once asked me to show her a cool Move. I had grabbed my knife in confusion, which I still had, but she shook her head. She had darted forward in a weak Tackle and had looked up at me, waiting for me to pull out a Pokemon Move.

She was also excited to go on a Journey and grow strong, but had started to throw a tantrum when I told her she would have to grow up a bit more before she could fight. A stern 'Stop' had ended that, but I had remained firm in the face of her following tear-filled wails.

I couldn't get the image of her torn flank out of my mind, her tear-filled eyes, or the sight of blood trickling from her mouth as the Sneasel tried and failed to escape. Her mother agreed with me, so she really didn't have a choice in the matter.

Finally, my new adopted mother. The Tyrant Queen, Terror of the Land, an Alpha Tyrantrum that stood almost as tall as a two story house. She was overprotective, but I began to see more of her personality after a while. She was regal and vicious, yes, but she was also playful.

Viciously playful.

I found the one reason she would pick me up in her arms. It was to restrain me, allowing her daughter easy access to cuddle with me as I had tried to escape the sleeping pile one night, desperate to use the bathroom. She had been awake, too, smiling the entire time as I thrashed in her arms, whispering to her frantically, pleadingly. She had laughed while I scrambled my way to the bathroom in a panic, the cheeky bitch.

I loved her so much already.

Surprisingly, I might be doing some Pokemon Contests, as the Tyrunt, Skrelp, Hatenna, and the Tyrantrum showed interest. I had grilled her about that, and she had managed to pantomime that she wanted to look as regal as possible, and fighting elegantly was a nice handicap.

Personally I would adore seeing that, but I got the feeling most Contests wouldn't.

They all wanted to get stronger, however. Once we had landed wherever we ended up, and I had bought plenty of supplies, we would probably go train far off-Route until the Circuit started. Since that was off the table for now we just enjoyed the luxuries of delivery food and TV in a warm room.

Nurse Joy also managed to make me sit still long enough to get a full checkup and some shots. My stump had finally been bandaged, basically my entire body sprayed with some sort of healing mist that would speed up the healing process, and the giant network of light scratches and bruises all over me from my encounters and rides were given some light treatment.

The scar from the Hatterene was treated, but it would never disappear. I was disfigured. Not horribly, and it kinda looked badass if I was being honest, but I had a permanent mark from that bitch now. If the Rangers didn't put her down, I would. I had sworn it. Declared it to my entire team while still in her domain. I would need to be stronger when I did it, but I would put that thing down if she wasn't dead by the time I had gained that strength.

Raihan was a constant presence, though he rarely had the time to just hang out like he clearly wanted to. The only time he wasn't in the room was when we slept, but we only managed to hang out and not just idly talk a few times. He had actually made a tiny office in the corner of my room and was working most of the time, which really threw me for a loop, while his team told mine stories about Tournaments and Gym battles.

They were actually worrying me a bit, with how they were working up my new mom. She was way too strong to fight in our actual circuit battles, at least until the last badge, but maybe I would ask the Gym Leaders if she could fight their personal teams?

She'd like that.

It was a productive time for me and my team, and when Interpol arrived we would be ready to go. I hadn't expected the interest in Contests, but we would play that by ear.

—

Two days later I received my furs, and I had laid them on the unused couch for now. I would get something made from them, but not yet. Whichever region I ended up going to, I would be making an immediate stop somewhere to get them turned into something to wear. They were just too nice, too comfortable, too… sentimental? For now, though, I eagerly tried to put the room in something resembling order.

Interpol was here.

My adoptive mother refused to be excluded from the memory dive, and I didn't have the heart, or courage, to press the issue. She despised mind reading after hearing of our encounter with that thing, and refused to let me do it alone.

I was grateful, but that meant the meeting would happen in here, so I had quickly borrowed a table and chairs from an understanding Nurse Joy. She had finally managed to convince my overbearing protector to get healed, even if she refused to leave the room, and actually had a glowingly positive review when she was done. My mother had been the ideal patient.

I could see it, actually.

It would be a truly cruel Pokemon who could hurt an earnest Nurse Joy trying to heal them, and while my new mother was a Tyrant, and a confirmed maneater, she was also a Queen. True Queen's knew how to repay the kindness they were shown.

"Okay, remember gang, just relax, okay? This guy isn't going to hurt us. He's one of the most trustworthy people I know of in this world, and I requested he come. Be nice." They responded with a chorus of calls, the Tyrantrum simply nodding as she did her damn stare.

I should really get them some names soon. Maybe after this.

A knock on my door brought my train of thought up short, and I hurried to the door. Bird was there as a local Ranger representative, Raihan as a friend and regional representative, while Nurse Joy had volunteered for this as my personal Welfare Advocate. She would stop this if I got too 'distressed'. I didn't look full grown, I looked like a kid, so they were covering their bases just in case, plus she looked worried.

Not that they would ever be able to figure out my exact age somehow. Nobody could.

I only had eyes for the trenchcoat-wearing man who had knocked, however. He looked like he hadn't slept or shaved for days, messy brown hair spilling from his head, and I could smell the scent of tobacco in the air as he put a hand forward, not even flinching at the sight of the giant Tyrantrum behind me.

I respected that.

"Miss Erin? Agent Looker of Interpol. I believe you requested me specifically, yes?" I shook his hand eagerly, almost pulling him inside as I stepped out of the doorway.

"Yes, it's good to see you! Come on in everyone, nobody bites. Well, watch for Deino, but he's usually just fine!" I practically skipped over to the table, almost bouncing in my seat as the others gave me confused looks.

I was so tired of being the only one who knew about the impending threats of the various teams. Or Rose, at the very least. I hadn't wanted to use my probably-tracked and monitored PokeNav to look up basic world information, so I had no idea where we were in this timeline, but it didn't look good for Galar if Leon was already the Champion.

Looker pulled out a chipped and faded Pokeball, releasing the Alakazam I knew he had. Its eyes widened as it saw me, and I winked at it. I thought about Giratina's Origin Forme, and the faint sense of his mind disappeared in an instant. Looker sat down with a frown as he glanced at his partner, but turned back to me with a neutral expression.

"Before we perform this, I would like to hear, in your own words, what we are going to see. It can help with the shock of viewing another person's memories, so the more detailed the better. I would rather sit here for an hour than be in a mind read when it snaps. Again." He had a notepad and pen out already, looking at me intently.

Hoo boy, here we go. The Tyrantrum, my new mom, was staring at me. I was unsure how much the younger members of my team would understand, but we would see.

"Well, we can talk about the past couple days, but once we begin, I want you to look through my memories from before that for a term, actually." I stared into Looker's eyes.

"Pokemon. You will find a series of games, cartoons, and movies, not to mention the rest of the franchise. What you won't find is any Pokemon in real life. It was a different world." His eyes widened in disbelief, with an almost pitying expression on his face. I understood that reaction, honestly. He thought I was insane.

"I was a big fan of the games, and watched some of the cartoons when I was younger, but they were fiction. A few days ago I was laying in my bed, about to replay Pokemon Shield, the game set here in Galar, when I had a heart attack." I paused for a moment, taking in the wide looks on everyone present. Except for Looker, he just looked intrigued. My Pokemon were all frozen as they stared at me.

"I died, and woke up on the western slopes of the Lowlands, as far away from civilization as you can get in Galar." I saw them all gaping at me now, though Nurse Joy seemed to be concerned for me rather than flabbergasted, but it was my new mother who reacted the strongest.

The entire room vibrated as she snarled, and I quickly rushed to her face, trying to forcefully close her mouth.

"Hey, I'm alive now! Look! It's okay!" I hugged her face, her glare lessening as she settled back down. The humans had all frozen in fear, but as I turned back around I noticed the look in their eyes. They all thought I was about to die, about to be eaten. I grinned at them, taking my seat again.

Time to blow some minds.

"So, I woke up there. My guess? Maybe Arceus sent me here for some reason, Jirachii granted me a wish, or some other Legendary or Mythical did it. Maybe Xerneas, because I was brought back to life, maybe Yveltal because I died, hell, maybe it was Zygarde as Order?" Looker was making a strangled sound. His Alakazam was trying not to look at me, eyes covered.

Poor guy.

"Hoopa might be able to but almost certainly wouldn't have, but I think Dialga would only be able to do it if our planets were in the same universe. Which they might be for all I know, but I get the feeling they're different. Maybe parallel, or my universe is just one of Arceus'. Maybe the guy who invented the Pokemon franchise just tapped into the Creator Pokemon somehow. Maybe Arceus is the totality of all our universes, and he's just a speck in a greater multiverse. Maybe there's a Multiverse Pokemon out there?" His Alakazam whined as I had the meta-reality encompassing thought. Also as I envisioned it in my mind.

A universe in a speck of dust…

I smiled at the pale faces around the table. Looker would probably do the memory scan now, safety be damned, but I wasn't done. This was my chance to tell my team as well. Our time from my perspective. I'd already gotten this far.

"When I woke up here I was naked and alone. I tried to get down the side of the mountains, but on a plateau I heard a little roar, then a squeal of pain." I looked at the baby as I spoke.

"Something about the sound made me start running, and I found that cutie over there being tortured by a Sneasel. And because I was an idiot, I lost a finger." They all stared at my finally-wrapped stump as I spoke.

"If I had been smarter, I wouldn't have tried to throw the rock. It just pissed the thing off, and before I knew it I was on the ground, down a pinky. Then it ate it in front of me while smirking at me, the sadistic fuck." Poor Nurse Joy. She looked so distraught right now, staring at me with wet eyes and a horrified, sad expression.

"So when it went back to attacking the baby, I picked up another rock. Me and her kind of met eyes, and I went in. I slammed its head with just my right arm and it stumbled. My little girl over there snatched its arms up. That way that fucker couldn't disembowl me. I was so pissed I actually managed to use both hands to grab that rock, and then I beat its head. Over and over until it dropped, then over and over and over… until it didn't have a head anymore." I refused to look up any longer, my forehead resting on the edge of the table as I spoke.

"This big lady behind me came along, and when she growled at me I kind of… snapped? I guess? I snarled in her face and told her to fuck off." I heard a gasp from Joy, but a hearty laugh from Raihan at the admission.

"She took her baby and left, and I thought I was going to die. I accepted it, too. I mean, I'd already died once, you know? I think I passed out for a few minutes, but eventually she brought me back an Oran Berry. Then she made me get in her mouth to travel." Joy kept gasping, but Raihan actually whistled at that, even though I was sure all of them had seen my videoed admission.

"She refuses to carry anyone in her arms, not even her kid, so I did. Spent the night with them, skinned my first Sneasel and ate my first sapient being. Sneasels taste pretty good, if you're wondering. They would make an excellent roast with some potatoes and carrots. She agreed to take me to humans, so the next morning I went to get water." I was going faster now, desperate to just be done.

"Skrelps parent decided that I was taking his kid, so he just dropped him off. Right after that, the Alpha Weavile attacked, with two more Sneasels. It threw a giant ice spike at my face. I managed to throw myself backwards, but the velocity of it picked me up and dumped me in that damn lake next to the Dyna Tree." I heard more gasps and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Bunch of Araquanids lunged at me, but my little kelp buddy over there had thankfully latched onto my arm. I was actually trying to get him to let go before they attacked, and I was lucky he didn't, because he slammed into my ribs and shot us out with a Water Gun." I looked back up.

Looker was disbelieving, but calm as he took notes. Raihan was hanging on my every word like it was a fucking campfire story, while Nurse Joy looked like she wanted to hug me. Bird just looked stunned, alternating glances between me and the Tyrantrum as his mouth hung slightly open.

"I had my Pawniard blade, so I grabbed another rock and ran at one of the two Sneasels that were once again tormenting my little girl over there. Skrelp took a Scratch for me, and helped me knock one down. Smashed the blade through its spine, which made the Alpha Weavile go berserk. She Screeched and charged me, but MY Alpha Roared at her before she could get me, and bit her head off." My grin grew even more savage as I spoke next.

"Tyrunt had managed to bite this Sneasel's hands, too, so I stomped on her jaws. She was fine, it wasn't. I put it out of its misery, and then… well, got to work. Made that horrible contraption to ride in and we set out."

"The Terror of the Sky literally air-dropped his kid off on me to get stronger, then my special little Salandit's mother cared about her enough to keep up with a charging Tyrantrum and convince them to take her along." I looked at my depressed Salandit with a soft look, her eyes a little wet as I spoke.

I turned to the humans, taking in their eyes as I spoke.

"Are you aware you have a monster living in the woods down there?" I didn't let them speak as I lifted a hand. "I'm done talking. But if you're going backwards, be ready. That thing will die. I'll do it myself if I have to." I turned to the Alakazam, who was staring at me with wide eyes. "Let's get this over with."

Looker cleared his throat with a disturbed expression.

"Thank you for the details, Erin, that will… help. As an Interpol agent I authorize my Pokemon to perform a mind reading, which will be shared with all present adult parties." Looker said, glancing at my younger Pokemon. Yeah, they don't need to watch me die. I looked at the Tyrantrum with a plea in my eyes, but she shook her head. She was watching.

""This will be easier if you direct your thoughts to when you entered the Pokemon Center for the first time. You will feel my mind envelop yours, you will panic, and you will struggle. You will feel overwhelming terror. Do not worry, this is natural. It will pass soon if you do not fight it. After you calm down, we will begin. Do you consent to this memory scan of your free and willing volition?"" The Alakazam sounded like an exhausted old man, and as I agreed I felt his amusement at my thought.

Then the terror began. I was right back in front of the Hatterene, paralyzed in front of an unfeeling monst- Nope! Nope. Calm down. He's a friendly old man, who now looks terrified. Oh he saw her, huh? Sorry.

A few moments later I was calm, and before I could even brace myself we were beginning. I watched my past couple days play out in reverse, but I felt the emotions as it happened. My intense relief at seeing another human, the blind terror of the charge up the mountain as I felt my extremities grow colder the entire time, desperately huddling with my Pokemon in a raw skin.

The Hatterene, and I felt the mental connection almost snap as the mental space rang. The terror as her claw slowly dragged closer and closer to my eye, splitting flesh as it did, the feeling of her claw about to poke through my eyelid. The impotent fury drowned in mind-numbing horror at what had been done to that poor child. The terrified determination I had felt, dealing with an inhuman force beyond my reckoning. The horror I felt riding in the pouch, the agony that I had gotten so used to from not just my finger, but my bruised and battered body.

The bloodthirst as I quickly dispatched the Sneasels, the absolute, sheer pant-shitting terror I felt as I watched those giant spiders leap for me, and the shock of nearly dying to a chunk of ice moving faster than the speed of sound.

The hopeful feeling as we first started out, the warm comfort of my new mothers heartbeat, the horrible feeling of wrongness as I ate a sapient. The disgusting feeling of being carried on a Tyrantrum's tongue. The horrendous itch of my stump scabbing over. The taste of the Oran berry, so bland and covered in the Tyrunts saliva.

Then came what I had really dreaded.

The complete acceptance of a second death as I watched the valley sunset, agony laced so strongly through the memory that it vibrated with it. The complete lack of fear due to my overwhelming rage as I screamed in a giant red T-Rex's face.

The vicious satisfaction as I reduced the Sneasels head to paste, the terror of charging the Pokemon, and finally-

The very moment I felt my horror transform into rage, and decide to end a sapient life for the first time.

The absolutely unfiltered terror and pain as I watched a sneering maw grind my pinky down, blood staining its teeth as agony shot up my arm.

The first ice-cold shock of agony, before it throbbed with my pulse.

The dread I felt as I realized where I was in this new world.

Waking up on a plateau, and my joyous confirmation of my gender.

Then a pinprick of light, and I was staring at my blank white ceiling, peaceful and calm as I accepted my death.

Then I was actively dying, hearing the dreadful absence of a beat I had always heard, so scared, so regretful even as I hoped for something, anything, even as I knew it was hopeless and began to relax, at peace for once.

The mental connection almost shattered, but I could feel the poor exhausted Alakazam brace himself, before my knowledge of Pokemon began to flow. I had never been the most invested in the anime, so much of what I knew was from the games. The games, and the admittedly endless wiki dives I had done while doom scrolling later in life.

I may have played the games a lot, but I think I might have spent almost as much time just… looking up stupid trivia. I hadn't watched the series for long, or many of the movies, but I had seen enough, read enough summaries. It was fun to find something I had somehow missed in a game as simple as Pokemon, like Bea!

WHY!?

Why did I have to buy Shield!? Allister was a cool little ghostly kid, don't get me wrong, but I missed out on a female martial artist who spars with her Pokemon?! What!? Arceus!? Why did you do such a thing!?

Why didn't I look it up!?

Still, by the time we got back to me unwrapping a GameBoy Color with Pokemon Red, so overwhelmingly excited to play with the Pikachu like I saw on TV, I could feel him about to snap.

In an instant the mental connection was gone, and I reached out to steady the poor Alakazam as he stumbled. A glance around showed that nobody looked good, even the Tyrantrum frowning in pain. Nurse Joy was silently weeping, while Bird and Raihan just stared at their hands on the table. Looker, however?

Looker looked pissed.

He jumped to his feet and rushed towards the door, throwing out an arm to stop his partner from following.

"I need to make a few calls, stay here. All of you. What we've learned here tonight is now top secret, understood? I will bring the full weight of my organization down on anyone who shares this." He got nods from the others before he looked at me. I looked back at him in confusion.

"I literally waited to tell you, I'm not going to blab!" He shook his head.

"No, I was just thinking. You can't stay here, and I know you don't want to. Think about where you would like to start your journey, because you can't be in Galar much longer." He left, and I walked over to try and soothe the poor nurse. Before I made it there, I was interrupted.

"Your new mother would like to tell you something." The Alakazam was looking at me, eyes still a bit wild.

I looked at the psychic Pokemon and he continued.

"This is as close as I can parse it: You are a problem child, but you should be proud. You handled the forest bitch without anyone getting hurt. You protected the pack. You are vicious in battle, and you will lead us to greater hunts in the future." He trailed off for a second before he grinned. "And hurry with the glory headbands."

I laughed as I nodded at her over his head, before finishing my step towards Nurse Joy. I put a hand on her shoulder and tried to soothe her.

"Hey, it's over, you don't have to cry, I'm sure Looker is going to deal with… it…" I said, trailing off awkwardly.

She had seen my visions and predictions of the Darkest Day, and the thought of an insane, Dynamaxed, Alpha Hydreigon was enough to make me pale. She shook her head, trying to wipe her eyes as she spoke.

"I'm not crying about that! You! What you went through was horrible! You almost died! A few times! You accepted it! You did die!" My new mom began to growl and I quickly spoke up.

"Yeah, but I got better! Look at me! I'm perfectly fine with what happened before and after I died, as long as it means I'm alive and with my team, Nurse Joy! I'm fine. Promise. Cheer up." I looked up at Bird, his face still pale.

"See why you wouldn't believe me?" He dully nodded, still staring at his hands. He looked up at me for a second, his eyes haunted.

"We will… We'll do something about that fairy. Interpol may want to help, even..." I gave him a single, tight nod before his eyes dropped back down.

I reached over and poked Raihan, causing him to jump a bit. I met his eyes with a wide smile.

"Think we can have that brainstorm about what's going on with my aura? You already know my theory, now." His eyes got a bit clearer and some color came back to his face, but he was obviously distracted.

"Your theory was mostly correct, in my opinion." He nodded at me. "However, your new body probably didn't start with dragon-typed aura, it most likely started with a large amount of pure, untyped aura. When a specialist grows close enough to their type, many will gain some of their traits as their aura dyes itself. A skilled water specialist can breathe underwater, for example."

"Yours was untyped, but my guess is that when you snarled at an enraged Tyrantrum, which we need to talk about by the way-!" He gave me a mock glare before continuing.

"When you snarled at her your aura began to dye itself draconic in response as you mirrored her aura, and when you slept with her and her child that first time, your heartbeats most likely synchronized a few times during the night. By the morning you had fully reflected her aura, and likely the Tyrunts as well. To most Pokemon, you are an Alpha Tyrantrum in human form." He gave me a weak smile.

"Congratulations, by at least one metric you're considered a Dragon Master."

This wasn't really news, but rather confirmation. What was fascinating was how Pokemon viewed me. I guess it was a good thing I didn't get to choose my team, kind of? I was probably going to send most weak Pokemon running unless I could suppress it. But I'd have the exact same aura from a Pokeball too, I suspected, so… fuck it.

"Well, that's cool. Do you think I could get super strength?" He laughed at me, shaking his head. Damn.

"Probably not, but I'm not an aura guardian. Not even you will find one of those to train you, or even at all. They're all dead. If you ever do, somehow, come pay me a visit. That would make some sick selfies, you picking up a car." All dead? I mean, I think there had only been a handful, so that makes sense… screw it, I guess, no super strength for me…

I chuckled at him as he gave me a serious look.

"You should be aware of a few things, Erin. Your aura isn't just good for working with Pokemon. I don't think you've even noticed it, but it affects how you interact with people. I've seen what you were like, and trauma aside, you're too aggressive sometimes, now." He paused as I listened, already knowing what he was going to say.

"You act more like a dragon than a Dragon Master, honestly. The Savage Trainer might be all too accurate, if you don't keep an eye on yourself. You could become cruel all too easily, without even noticing it in your fun." I winced as he said that.

I had already felt that a bit with Larry and Cole. At the time, I hadn't known what he had done, but I had picked on him anyway. Larry had just been quiet and ignored me, not exactly a horrible offense. That wasn't me, but it had been so amusing.

Wildly amusing.

"You also stalk like a Tyrantrum when you get mad, and your eyes glow, too." What.

"My eyes glow?" I don't know if that was excitement or horror in my voice, honestly.

He gave me an easy nod, pulling up a picture on his phone. Me, stalking towards Cole, my eyes lightly glowing a deep, royal purple. I looked… savage. Kind of badass, but I looked like I was about to hurt him. I didn't look like a kind person by any means. I may not have been a great person, but I hadn't been a mean person before…

Well, shit.

Raihan watched my face fall with a sad smile, before he coughed into his hand. I looked at him questioningly and he spoke slowly, hesitatingly.

"You seemed to really dislike me in that… game… but not now?" I gave him an honest smile, one with as little edge as I could as I responded. He was a good guy, and I was proud to call him my first human friend here.

"The game just turned you up to 11. If you had only acted like the Raihan from the games we wouldn't be friends. Trust me." I reached out and gave him a one-armed hug, which he returned. "Thankfully, everyone seems to be more than just a stupid video game character. Even if you're still a little bit dumb sometimes."

He laughed just as the door opened, Looker rushing to the table as the door slammed shut. He was still on the phone as he towered over me.

"Where would you like to go? We can get you citizenship in Indigo, Hoenn, or Sinnoh, but you need to be gone, and soon." He dug into his pockets, coming back with six beautiful black Pokeballs, each with a vibrant red ring around the top.

"Here, I figured you'd prefer Luxury Balls with how you dote on them, and that little Hatenna certainly deserves it. Get them captured and be ready to go in twenty minutes." He didn't even look as he grabbed his Alakazam's shoulder, disappearing in a flash of light. I stared at the others in the room.

Time to leave Galar, I guess.

Chapter Text

Erin

—

The process of catching my team was a bit of a mad rush, but that wasn't a surprise to me. They had all wanted one, especially my poor little Hatenna, who had slammed into the Pokeball before I could even offer it. Everyone wanted a Pokeball like the Tyrantrum, though.

After I broke her Pokeball I re-caught her, enjoying the look on Raihan's face as she easily went in, not even shaking the ball this time. The rest were smiling as they entered the Pokeballs, eager to be gone, as well as officially on my team, and I suddenly realized I had no way to store these, even shrunk. I wasn't trusting my Pokemon to a damn hoodie pocket.

Luckily, Raihan was a nice guy with surprising foresight, and presented me with a bandolier strap for gear, one that had six prominent clips proudly displayed in the middle. He had meant to actually wrap the present before giving it to me, but Looker was moving too fast.

I actually hugged him in relief as I clutched the Pokeballs tightly, before realizing that I could feel which Pokemon was inside. According to Raihan, the Pokeball established a psychic connection between the holder and the Pokemon, and everyone knew what was in a Pokeball by touch.

Huh. You learn something new every day. Neat…

Kinda weird, honestly, but I guess it made sense? How else would this insanity even work? Maybe I could still get some stickers or something, personalize them? The Tyrantrum would probably want a trophy on hers, though…

As I got my outfit and team arranged, the furs tied up in a neat bundle, Looker popped back in, looking impatient.

"Let's go, kid. Where's it going to be?" I almost got irritated, but this man was dealing with a lot right now, and the look on his face made me think better. Even if I wasn't a kid… mentally. Instead I adopted a hopeful expression.

"Do… Do you think I could go to Pallet Town? And meet Professor Oak? I know he met Celebi, so something like my situation…"

My face was burning with embarrassment as I squeaked that out, but I really wanted to meet Professor Oak, okay? Maybe redo the hundreds of journeys I've taken, this time for real. Maybe I would go through the regions in order of release? He was the starting point, in my mind.

Looker actually smiled at that, his exhaustion falling away for a second as he spoke.

"I'll bet, you burned out that cartridge of 'Pokemon Red'!" His face fell again as the mirth left him. "I think I can arrange that. I don't know him personally, but the Professor has dealt with some… interesting things before, as you know. He can handle it."

I couldn't help the little squeal of joy I let out. I felt some of the Pokeballs rattle as my Pokemon celebrated my happiness.

He reached out a hand and I turned back to the others. We'd already said our goodbyes and exchanged contact information, so I just waved at them as I grabbed Looker's hand. In a blink we were standing on a small, private airstrip in a valley who knows where. A tiny plane sat there, and two large figures stood off to the side.

Two huge Dragonite's, both obviously Alphas, stood off to the side cuddling together, and even as I began to coo at the sight I stumbled for a second as a massive red light sprang up before me. Contrary to my expectations, she didn't come out roaring in fury. Instead she took a few steps forward and stared for a few seconds, then nodded and returned herself. The Dragonite's looked completely unbothered by the whole thing, other than their return nod, so I guess it was some sort of respect ritual or something?

Looker blew out a huge breath, glaring at the Pokeball.

"If you do that on the plane everyone will die, Tyrant, so don't. You should be there in around two hours, Erin. You're either going to love the experience and want to go again as soon as possible, or refuse to step on that tiny plane ever again even to save your life. There is no in between, but it is fast and discreet." His lips quirked into a smug grin as he stared at me in anticipation.

I bared my teeth at him.

"Apparently I'm a dragon, Looker. I'll be fine."

—

I was not fine.

It was the worst experience I had ever had. Not scariest, I trusted the Dragonite's, and they had given me confused nods of respect earlier. No, it was just horrible, my chest slightly compressed from the intense speed. Even with the nonstop Protection that covered us all, the g-forces that still managed to get through were unrelenting, and it felt like two hours of pure torture.

We didn't even land! Instead we slowed to a stop in the middle of the ocean, and after a few minutes a person popped into existence, rapidly falling ahead of us for a few seconds before there was suddenly a man in the seat next to me. He grabbed my arm and I was instantly in a forest.

Still sitting, in mid-air.

I fell with a curse, and after a moment picked myself up. I looked up at the man, but his face was blank as he handed me a Pokenav. It was… mine? I looked back at him in confusion.

"The trackers and bugs, software and hardware alike, were all removed before you entered the plane. Keep this safe, and Oak can help you with a Trainer card. You're off Route One. If you go that way, you'll be there in minutes." He pointed for a second before bowing briefly.

"Have a good time in Kanto, Miss Erin."

With a snap of displaced air he was gone, still bowing, and I realized he must have been a psychic. I hadn't seen any Pokemon. An actual psychic human!

I don't suppose I could learn that? Probably not…

I took a deep breath before starting to walk. As I did I talked to my team softly, admiring the sights as I looked around. It reminded me of forests back home, beams of light striking my face through the canopy, but cleaner somehow, almost manicured. Probably because it was so close to town. I didn't see any Pokemon though, for some reason.

"Here we are, gang. You'll need to stay in your Pokeballs for a little while longer, but we're almost there. Professor Oak should have plenty of room to let you out in his pastures, and I could use a day of actual relaxation, not forced relaxation in a room while we wait." The Pokeballs rattled slightly as I continued my trek. The woods soon ended, and I found a path leading into town directly in front of me.

Pallet Town was quaint. That was the perfect word for it, it was a quaint little seaside town, and the only building of any true size was obviously the Oak Ranch, on the outskirts of town near the ocean. I smiled as I picked up my pace, starting to pass small houses as I did so. It was such a calm atmosphere, and I was just too damn happy. I was in Pallet Town!

A stray Rattata took one glance at me and screamed, dropped the sandwich crust it had been eating, and using what looked like Quick Attack, darted away in a purple blur. I kept smiling, but it was a little brittle now. I loved cute Pokemon, and Rattata, despite being a rat, were adorable. I wouldn't catch one, but I'd have loved to pet one.

Now I'd probably give one a heart attack.

I got a lot of looks as I walked through town, and I bet I cut quite the figure. Sweatpants, hoodie with my hood pulled up, a bandoleer full of Luxury Balls, and cheap sneakers.

A bundle of cured skins wrapped in a stolen bedsheet on my back.

I picked up my pace until I was almost jogging, desperate to get to a safe area, an anonymous area. The whole world had probably at least heard of the 'Savage Trainer', but hopefully not many would recognise me. Although, green hair seemed to be in short supply, and I had only seen one other person with green hair by the time I reached the lab.

Joy. I should have expected something like that. I loved the color, but dammit…

I was met at the Lab's front door by a middle aged brunette woman with a large, warm, calm smile, and before she even spoke I knew who she was. Delia Ketchum, the mother of Ash Ketchum, apparently worked as a lab assistant for Professor Oak in this world. Wasn't she supposed to run a restaurant?

"The Professor is waiting for you, dear. If you would please follow me?" I gave her the kindest, warmest smile I was capable of, but I swore she flinched a little. She was a gentle person, after all.

I wasn't, unfortunately. Not anymore.

"Thank you! Lead the way, please." I winced at her reaction and she seemed to notice, looking guilty for a moment before she turned around and beckoned me forward.

I found myself relaxing in her calming presence either way as we walked through the lab. I saw many hallways and rooms off to the sides that looked fascinating, but we continued to walk straight down a long, central hallway. After emerging through a large pair of double doors into bright sunshine again, I found a slightly flustered childhood icon of mine standing in the large, empty field we found ourselves in, various paths leading off from it.

The feeling of butterflies in my stomach couldn't be denied when I first saw him. This was Professor Oak! The Pokemon Professor! Inventor of the PokeDex! You spent so little time actually talking to him, sure, but he was the one that sent me off on my first adventure ever!

He was bent over some sort of control panel along the wall, muttering to himself as he frantically shuffled icons on the screen.

"No no no, if I move his Tauros they'll throw a fit for a month straight… don't know how wide the fear range is… no, she has the same aura! How can I stop…"

I crept closer and peered over his shoulder. It looked like a map of his Ranch, with groups of Pokemon icons spread out. Delia cleared her throat politely, and I leaned back before he spun around.

His face was frazzled, but his steely black eyes lit up in excitement the moment he laid eyes on me. He had brown hair, a lab coat, and a piercing stare that seemed to stab at me. It felt like staring at my mom.

I grinned at him, at the pressure. He shoved his hand out and I gave him a firm handshake.

Totally firm, no I didn't just limp-wrist Professor Oak, nope!

Damnit, me.

"Erin, good to meet you! Quite the flight, I imagine?" He asked, giving Delia a look. She said her goodbyes and walked back inside with an easy smile, leaving us standing there alone. He turned to me with a wide, eager grin and pulled a card from his lab coat.

As he handed it to me I examined my new Trainers Card. According to this, I was officially fourteen, which I would have loved to read eighteen at least. My hometown was listed as Pallet Town, and that made me smile, but as I continued to read I frowned.

I had no restrictions on how dangerous a Pokemon I could capture with a Level 9 clearance, and I was authorized to do emergency mass captures of endangered species, should I run into a 'significant incident'. I was also allowed to break my carry limit, but only for baby Pokemon hatched from Eggs.

I felt like that last one was a fairly common allowance.

Species restrictions had been a fascinating part of trivia about this new world I found myself in, and it made sense that the ability to handle a Rattata didn't really correlate to the ability to handle a Gyarados, which were apparently only Class 8's. Everstones were mandatory for a childs Pokemon as well, and the punishments were harsh if an accidental Evolution was deliberately hidden. A Rattata might hurt a child in a playful accident, but a Raticate might kill the child.

I had more or less expected all that, but the royal purple Dragon Master mark was slightly unexpected. I looked up at Oak and pointed to the mark with a raised eyebrow as he chuckled.

"That's from me and Raihan. If what he's seen and told me is true, you have every right to it. Nurse Joy's may ask for your help when you check into Pokemon Centers during your journey. You may also be called in to help subdue any out of control dragons, or consulted as a Dragon Master in general for your advice. If it's genuinely something you can't help with, that's fine, but I get the feeling you won't have any issues."

I looked at him curiously and he looked deep into my eyes before he spoke next. I couldn't help the chill that went down my spine as his eyes met mine again, the pressure so vast this time.

This man had been a Champion once. He had stepped down voluntarily. He could be Champion again if he had the desire. I remained steady, but I knew if he kept this up I would whine.

Then it stopped in an instant. He grinned at me.

"You feel like my Charizard. Looker debriefed me, but I wouldn't have put that on there if I didn't trust in your abilities. You passed my test without even knowing you were taking it, so you got the card with the mark. Plus, if both you and your Pokemon can't resolve it, that's a good indication to bring in Claire or Lance. Or both."

I looked down at the card as I pondered that. I thought Raihan had been joking earlier! I couldn't help the swelling of pride, but did I really deserve to feel that way? I hadn't done anything to get my aura, just died. I had even been too enraged to feel fear when I told a T-Rex to fuck off. I hadn't… worked for it.

It was making me more aggressive, and worse, I liked the feeling of power it gave me. I didn't want to enjoy some poor Pokemons fear. I felt like a fraud. Still, my eyes finally picked out the last thing on the card.

My new name.

Erin Phoebus.

I couldn't wait for tonight. There would be a good moment. No more 'the Tyrantrum' nonsense in my head. Time for names.

As I put the card away I sighed, exhausted from my intense morning already. His eyes got serious as he looked at me, a concerned tone in his voice.

"Are you alright? We have a room for you here at the lab if you need to lay down." He looked worried but I waved him off.

"No, I'm fine, really. I'm sorry this was all so sudden, but-" He cut me off with a barked laugh and a calm expression.

"From what I've heard, you know I'm no stranger to strange things happening suddenly. Go ahead and release your team if you want to, by the way. I've cleared this area."

He said it so calmly I couldn't help but be impressed. He was the first person not to question my new mothers restraint, and I was grateful for that as I turned and began to release them.

My young Pokemon bounced out in a wave, but the massive red light show that took place overshadowed them. She didn't roar when she came out, thankfully, but she certainly made some noise when she shook herself out like a dog. That had been her longest time in a Pokeball so far, and it appeared that even a Luxury Ball was too tight for her over extended periods. I had hoped that Luxury involved head room.

I laughed at the sight, turning to see Professor Oak calmly staring at her, already beginning to excitedly write down notes.

"She's extraordinary! I've never had the chance to study an Alpha Tyrantrum before, nobody has, and even comparing her to the regular members of her species would be doing her a great disservice." She practically purred at the praise, giving him a wide, toothy grin.

"Her increased musculature looks to have actually made her more agile in close combat as well, judging from the sheer speed of that shake. However, her top overland speed probably-"

"No! Nope! Stop!" I jumped onto her head, grabbing her crown to hold on just as she began to rise. "We can do that later! Show him how wrong he is later, we're just talking right now!" I hopped back down, watching in amusement as Professor Oak coughed, turning away from me in slight embarrassment.

"She's almost too fast to see when she wants to be, Professor. If it's something a land-based predator does, she does it insanely well. Just start from that assumption and you'll be just fine." He looked mildly concerned so I grinned.

"She won't eat you. She'll just prove you wrong, and you probably don't want her to sprint across your entire Ranch in twenty seconds to prove a point." He laughed as I turned to the rest of my team.

"We're here gang! Don't run off just yet, the nice Professor was just figuring out where you can hang out tonight." Almost in unison their heads tilted before they mobbed me.

You know what, I should have seen that coming.

"I don't suppose you have a room big enough for all of us?" The Tyrantrum nodded along with the rest of them, and he sighed.

"No, but it's only one night, correct? I had the impression you were going to head out tomorrow and train until the conference, from what Looker told me." I nodded as I played with Deino, tossing a slobbery chew toy for him that had been laying on the ground. It was kind of hard for him to, you know, see it, but he heard it hit the ground.

"Yeah, that was the plan, but if I can't sleep with her that's going to have to change. She apparently won't let me sleep alone, Professor. It's one less night in a bedroom. I'll live." I shrugged. Camping was much different than being naked in the wilderness. I liked camping.

"I've got two weeks, so I can pack a ton, then head somewhere after I check with the local Rangers. Find someplace where she can hunt and not decimate a population, and where we won't set off a group of Gyarados or Golem or something."

Interpol had kept me busy during the flight, reciting a long list of rules and regulations I had to follow for the rest of my life, basically. For instance, if I ever released her in a city in a non life-threatening situation, I would be heavily fined simply for the disruption she would cause.

They even had the audacity to quiz me on it while my chest compressed itself! Repeatedly! Those people were insane!

And kinda cool, honestly…

The Professor cleared his throat, sounding almost embarrassed.

"Well, I actually have a suggestion for you, and a request." He looked at me seriously, so I stopped playing with my Pokemon and met his eyes.

"You don't know much about this world, or this region and its culture, despite what you may think you know." True, I hadn't expected Delia to be here, for instance. Plus, they were games and cartoons, not the actual reality I lived in now. Things were harsher.

Unfortunately.

"I also have a trainer I'm sponsoring this year with a… problem case, who could use a traveling partner… if she can travel." He hesitated and I gestured for him to continue.

"She won a random egg in an Egg Draw a year ago, and when an Axew hatched… well, she got attached and managed to keep it, illegally I might add." I winced. I had spent a long time talking with Raihan about dragons, when he had the time, and everything I just heard was bad.

"She spoiled it, and while it obeyed her as an Axew, it Evolved. For the past two months she's had to either keep it in its Pokeball, or have stronger Pokemon control it physically when she interacted with it. When it wasn't being fed, at least." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"And you want me to…?" He smiled and pulled out an Ultra Ball.

"Mind if I release him? I think you'll figure out what to do the second he comes out." I nodded slowly as I glared at him suspiciously. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were weighing me intently as he released it.

In a flash the little Pokemon stood before me, and the instant he saw me he charged.

After the revelations about my dragon dyed aura, I had thought long and hard about what it was I did to dragons. I think it was partly primal shock, that seeing a human try to intimidate them threw them for a loop. The greater part, however, was my aura. My anger brought out the draconic energy, somehow, and they would freeze in fear. They thought I was a pissed off Alpha Tyrantrum, but they saw a human.

I was still wary of leaning into my anger, but when I saw an angry dragon charging me, none of that mattered as my pride roared. I barely had conscious thought as I began to move.

He would respect me.

When I snarled and stomped forward to meet him, I wasn't surprised when his eyes widened and he tried to backpedal, but I was already moving. I walked right up to him before shoving him back by the snout, watching as he stared up at me in fear and shock.

"Don't come out of your Pokeball like that! Come out calmly! And you buck up to me like that again I'll slap you silly! Show some respect! Understood!?"

I couldn't deny the little (maybe more than little) rush I felt as I cowed a literal dragon with my aura and voice, and in that moment I decided that it was okay that I didn't have super strength. This was much cooler, worries about my psyche somewhat aside.

Also why I hadn't decided to do that, just… done it!

He nodded, bowing down until its head was on the ground. I gestured for him to stand, and though he did, he tried to slink away immediately. I snapped my fingers, pointing at the ground in front of me with a frown.

He reluctantly strode forward while my team watched on in amusement. The look on the Fraxure's face when he finally saw the Tyrantrum was glorious, and he glanced between us in confusion before shivering.

I looked back at Professor Oak, only to see him smiling while recording the scene. I couldn't help the vicious grin I had when I spoke into the recording.

"He's not that bad, though?" He laughed and stopped the recording, before pointing to the sullen Pokemon with a serious expression on his face.

"That's the most subdued he's been in almost two months, Erin. There's a reason this is a request, because if she can't control him, he will have to be rehabilitated or released. Her first circuit starts in two weeks and he is her only Pokemon. She's a bright young girl, and gifted with Pokemon, but you understand why this happened." I nodded.

"Yeah, she should never have been given an Axew egg. A happy species that you can baby, absolutely, but not a dragon. Unless he's tamed, all he'll be is blind anger now that he's grown more powerful. Well, powerful in his mind. He could even kill her." Oaks' eyes grew concerned as he nodded. I sighed.

"I'd have to meet her, let her meet my team first. See if she passes out, at the very least. If not-"

The Lab door opened and out burst a young girl, maybe thirteen or so, with a red skirt, blue sleeveless shirt, and white hat covering an absolute mess of brown hair. The shock on her face as she stared at the scene would have been comical, except… Well, I knew who that was. The hat was iconic.

It was still amusing though, watching her face rise and rise to meet the Tyrantrum's stare as she grew paler by the second. She stood stiff as a statue, and she didn't appear to be breathing, either.

"Ah, Leaf! We were just talking about you! Join us! Erin here was introducing me to her team, and I just had to show her your Fraxure!"

The Professor was a brilliant man, but a horrible liar. Leaf jumped a bit at the sound of his voice and her eyes met mine with panic dancing within, but with a growl the Fraxure had charged. Once again, I didn't think as I lunged, snagging him firmly by the top of his head as he tried to charge past me.

I crouched and shifted, redirecting his inertia as I tossed him onto his back. He looked up in sudden terror as I growled directly in his face, the words just coming to me. I didn't yell or raise my voice as I spoke through gritted teeth.

I didn't need to.

"Did I say you could move? I don't think I did, you spoiled little brat. You've never fought a serious battle in your life, you have won no glory, yet you act like you are powerful." He squirmed under my glare.

"You are nothing, and if I see you try and attack your own trainer one more time I swear to Arceus I will unleash a beatdown on you that you will never live down. Dragons everywhere will point to you as an example of weakness and cowardice. Do you understand me?" He rapidly nodded, so I sighed and patted his head. He looked up at me in shock.

"Don't worry, we'll turn you into a real dragon, not the imitation you are now." He growled, hesitant and low, but his eyes burned as he glared at me.

Good.

I rose from my crouch, only to see a beaming Oak recording again. I scowled at him in mock irritation, then turned to Leaf. The female protagonist of the FireRed and LeafGreen games. I was suddenly very worried about my journey. Wasn't Team Rocket already beaten by this point?

Wasn't the horror supposed to already be over?

"What the- How- He- What did you just do? How did you just do that?" Her voice was high with shock, and I grinned at her. She had better get used to this, if he kept being a brat.

"I just re-established my dominance. He's a little shit, but from what I understand, he has been spoiled his entire life." Her face lit up with shame, and I hurried to continue.

"So I think the Professors' right. I can help you with this. I guarantee he'll be a real dragon by the time the Conference rolls around." The Fraxure looked up at me from the ground, a squint in his eyes as he contemplated my words, looking behind me to find my entire team staring him down. Glaring at the fool who attacked me, defied me. Twice!

I swear he almost passed out.

"Wait, really?" Her face lit up, and I nodded, already planning. This was Leaf, fuck! Game, not cartoon, but still! Fuck! What does it mean for the evil teams? About the safety of the world?

What does it mean for the victims?

First things first, though. I walked up to the Tyrantrum, hopping up to drag her face down to my level. I heard Leaf let out an eep, but I pretended I hadn't heard. I looked directly into one of my new mothers eyes, watching that beautiful bright iris contract as her pupil expanded to a warm void.

"You heard the Professor. Can she come with us? You'd have to treat her like me." I was prepared for the thunderous snarl, but poor Leaf fell over as her legs gave out. Even Professor Oak looked mildly put out, but he continued to record gleefully. I glared at his camera briefly before I focused on her again.

"Not like your daughter, treat her like a member of the pack, you silly lady!" The growl stopped immediately, and she gave me an easy nod with a raised eyebrow.

I snorted at that, giving her face a light slap of affection as I turned around. It hurt my hand, and she hadn't even felt it. Damn Rock typing… She turned to stare at Leaf, and I rushed to pull the girl to her feet.

Leaf looked like she was about to melt, but I could use some directions.

"Let's go shopping now, and we can leave this afternoon. I need everything, and I mean that. This will be a while. Can I leave them here, Professor?" He nodded at me, but my little Skrelp and Hatenna came scurrying up to me as I turned to leave.

I watched as Oak recalled the rebellious dragon, grunting as my Skrelp latched on. I bent down to pick up my little Calm Pokemon, luxuriating in the feel of cuddling her. She was my most adorable Pokemon, tied with the Tyrunt, and it made me so content just to hug her and hear her cute little sounds of happiness.

She seemed calm enough now. Maybe the time in the Luxury Ball had been a nice break? She had gotten quite used to me and my team, at the very least. Or was desensitized the correct term?

Leaf stood there, still a bit stunned as I walked off, and after glancing back at the Tyrantrum staring her down, ran after me with a yelp.

—

At least two hours. Plenty of time.

Former Champion Samuel Oak looked up at the only Alpha Tyrantrum in the known world and smiled. It was the smile of a man who knew, and had once held, great power. It was a smile that promised destruction, and in vast quantities.

"Oh, you're going to love some of these tests, I'll bet! One test is how many five-foot thick sheets of stone you can blast through with a single Hyper Beam. I've read up on some of your reports, and I'm well aware you can use it."

The following smile chilled even Oak's blood, but in that moment, he made a friend.

—

There was only a single clothing shop in this sleepy little town, and it was a barren wasteland when it came to actual fashion. However, a couple of nice pairs of dark purple jeans and a variety of short sleeves later I was ready. I would get some actual nice clothes in Viridian, and I could run there during training if I really wanted to. These would work for camping off-route. Leaf grabbed… another set of her iconic outfit, minus the shoes and hat… What the hell, Leaf? Diversify!

When the cashier checked us out I paid for both of us, but as I was turning to leave the cashier called out. I cursed as I heard his words.

"Wait! Are you the Savage Trainer?" I started power-walking out of the shop, ignoring his apologies as I darted out of the store. Leaf caught up to me halfway down the street, and seeing a PokeMart in the distance I kept going. She was looking at me curiously, but I didn't slow.

"Wait, so you're famous? Because of your Pokemon?" I couldn't help but whine a little as she pulled her phone out. A few moments later she was looking at me in shock, and happened to notice my wrapped stump at the same time. Her mouth dropped open, but before she could speak I cut her off.

"It's fine, it's okay to talk about it, but can we wait till I'm not in town? I just want to buy supplies and get going, not get harassed by people. We need two weeks of food and camping gear. I need a lot of stuff. Okay?" She nodded at me, then went back to scrolling on her PokeNav. Though, I did see her take occasional peeks at my stump.

"If you want to be anonymous, I'd take those Sneasel feathers out." She made a good point. They were quite distinctive.

I refused, though. I'd grown quite attached to my trophies, and I adored the way the color contrasted with my new hair and eyes.

Two hours later I sighed in satisfaction as we finished dragging all of our purchases back. While I had bought everything necessary for camping, and some general utilities, I had also bought a few fantastical things. Their selection was quite bad, considering there were less than five hundred people in the entire town, but there was a Ride Basket that I could ride around in instead of a Weavile skin, along with the Pokeball-like contraption that it shrank into.

I had bought and used camping showers in the past. They usually involve using the sun to warm the water before it trickles out in what might be called a stream, if you're being generous. They had been highly inefficient. Therefore, finding one with a free-standing stall that had an attachment for water Pokemon to fill and fire Pokemon to heat and pressurize, I nearly wept. It was all mine! Even if it took up three large Storage Balls!

I also grabbed more than a few refrigerated Storage Balls, giving me the equivalent of a mini freezer in the small, expensive Storage Ball Backpack I had purchased. They were already full of vegetables and drinks, along with a small selection of Berries.

Meat would be easy enough to find. I had resigned myself to eating Pokemon, as the rest of the world seemed to think nothing of it. Fried Pidove sandwiches had been my favorite food to get delivered in Galar, for instance. It had been like Earth's best fried chicken sandwich, but so much more it was impossible to accurately begin to describe… Although the bread and breading could have used more seasoning, the meat was just so good I hadn't cared in the slightest.

I had eaten a lot of them. So had my team.

I wasn't afraid of living rough, and the huge tarp I bought would be all I needed for shelter from the elements, but for ground comfort I had grabbed a number of tarps, cushions, blankets, and a cheap futon that all went into another series of Storage Balls.

Leaf wanted a tent, but when I told her she would be sleeping alone if she did she rethought that quickly enough. By the time we got back to the Lab, she was jittery, obviously nervous about the expedition we were about to take. I wasn't willing to wait another day, though, and Leaf had her parents' permission already.

Apparently.

Almost like that sneaky Professor knew I wouldn't be able to abandon her after I met her, before he even met me, and that's why she came bursting through the doors in a rush…

She would get used to the outdoors, however. It wouldn't give her the option.

After packing my Ride Basket I turned to address my Pokemon. My Tyrantrum was oddly happy and tired looking, and scuffed, but I chose to ignore the wide smile on Professor Oak's face. Considering I hadn't heard my adopted mother, he must have teleported her far away to do some tests. I was kind of jealous, in all honesty, but I would do the same tomorrow.

"Okay gang, it's time! Back to the Pokeballs for now, and then we'll be camping and training!" They all chorused cheerfully before returning themselves, all except for my biggest Pokemon. I climbed into the basket and looked at Leaf. Her face was pale, and her hand shook as she inched towards the basket. The basket, and the lower jaw of the Tyrantrum looming overhead. I gave her a soft look and tried to whisper only to her.

"Don't show fear. Demand respect, instead. Get mad that you're angry, it might help."

Her hand still trembled, but she eventually pulled herself inside. In an instant the basket was lifted into the air, Leaf yelping in surprise as she flew in head first. I knew she'd do that shit. She did it every time everyone was just barely inside whatever contraption she was carrying, or just her mouth. I stuck my head out and looked at my Pokenav for a moment before I pointed at a distant mountain in unrestrained glee.

Sometimes, this new life was just fun!

"We march to war, Tyrant Queen! Let us make haste! The thunder of combat echoes from the future! To glory! To battle! Forwards!"

The basket vibrated with the force of her huff at my theatrics, but she started slowly trotting around the edge of the town from the back of Oak's ranch, gradually increasing her speed. As soon as we were a decent distance from the town she suddenly dug her heels in like I knew she would, and I gripped the convenient handholds tightly, grinning.

Leaf screamed most of the run, but in a proper Ride Basket I was actually enjoying myself. I couldn't enjoy the speed of the Dragonite plane, but the loping gait of my mother was actually calming after I braced myself against the swinging interia.

Especially compared to that nightmare charge up the mountain, limbs growing colder despite the Pokemon huddled around me as we bounced.

It took us a while, but we eventually reached the wooded entrance of a deep valley filled with vegetation, and as Leaf crawled from the opening and began to dry heave I slowly stretched in satisfaction.

"Oh wow, that was so much nicer than the last time! Thanks for the lift!"

My huge Pokemon mom just nodded at me, taking deep breaths but otherwise unwinded after running for an hour straight after her fun with Professor Oak. I reached out and pulled Leafs hair back as she started vomiting, rubbing her back in sympathy.

"The first times' the worst, sorry. You'll get used to it." She hurled again, and I sighed as I helped her stand up afterwards.

I looked around in admiration. Huge valley walls rose up before us, the gap large enough to fit five of my mother (I totally didn't giggle in my head when I thought that. Nope), while behind us a forest teemed with Pokemon.

Well, kind of teemed. Most Pokemon had very reasonably tried to get as far away as possible from the giant Tyrantrum stomping through their forest. She had knocked down surprisingly few trees, but then again, she hadn't only hunted in the grasslands back in the Preserve. She had dominated everything that wasn't iced over, including the forests, and had still hunted the snow as well!

I spotted a good spot to set up camp and began to walk over as Leaf continued to dry heave behind me. A flash of red light and I was being mobbed by the rest of my team momentarily, before Deino and Tyrunt made a mad dash for the woods.

I let out a sharp whistle as they neared the treeline and watched in satisfaction as the two most energetic members of my team skidded to a halt. I had a very unamused look on my face as I crossed my arms, and I knew my new mother was glaring from above my head as well. Only Tyrunt saw it, but still.

"Where do you think you're going? And all by yourselves?" They slunk back and I crouched down, rubbing their heads. "You're both smarter than that. We haven't secured the area yet, you were going to leave us behind, and most importantly? I hadn't given you permission to run amok." I smiled as I patted their heads, standing up.

"Don't act so sad, tomorrow the training starts. You won't have time to be sad, you'll be too busy being exhausted." They didn't seem as excited as they had last night, that's for sure.

In short order, and with the help of the Tyrantrum and my Salandit up in the trees, I had gotten a huge tarp stretched out over a raised mound, high enough for water to run away from it rained, and large enough to cover the huge Alpha from any rain, and I quickly set up a basic bit of bedding with the tarps and cheap futon. The lack of walls was slightly irritating, but there was no tent big enough for sale in Pallet Town to contain her bulk, and if I tried to sleep without her she would probably destroy the tent in frustration.

My first big order would be a huge tent.

Poor Leaf was going to have to adjust very quickly, because even after I had explained all of this, she didn't want to sleep in a tent by herself off-route. It was still less scary to sleep with a Tyrant than that.

I could understand that. Well, not me, I was going to scare the shit out of most things, but I understood her fear.

As I finished setting up my bedding I pulled the bundle of skins out to place as accents, and I had to smile as I looked at the Sneasel skins. Cured and clean there was no smell, just the sinfully-soft feeling of fur like velvet, and the memories put a vicious grin on my face. The Weavile skin was cured as well, but I knew better than to try and use it for anything without permission. Maybe I could get it turned into some sort of hat, or cape for her? She already had a 'cape' of feathers, though…

My thoughts were interrupted by a presence over my shoulder, and I saw Leaf staring at the skins with wide brown eyes. I leaned back onto my bedding as I looked at her lazily. I almost wanted to take a nap after that hellish flight, but no, not yet… I heard a slight gasp from her.

"I-Is that the… thing you rode in?" The expression of horror on her face was too much, and I couldn't help but laugh. The rest of my team let out some noises too, my little Salandit looking murderously at the skin. She had not enjoyed the ride, less so than even me, if that was possible.

"That it is, yes. Stupid bitch almost killed me twice over, so I didn't feel bad about using her inverted skin like a huge handbag." Her eyes were wide as I stood up, looking around. I frowned for a second before I turned to her, pointedly looking at the Pokeball on her belt.

"Go ahead and let him out. Let's see if he's learned anything so far." She looked uncertain and scared as she reached for the ball, so before she could touch it I grabbed her arm, stopping her. She looked at me in confusion as I released my grip.

"You're scared." The blunt statement made her cheeks color, and I continued. "That's okay, you can't stop the fear response. It's how you react to it that makes the difference. Him being spoiled aside, your Pokemon has no respect for you. Like an untrained, aggressive do- er, Pokemon, you can't barter with him. You can't plead with him. You have to establish dominance, and he has to respect you. If you don't, eventually he'll either run off, or kill you and then run off." Her eyes were wide as I finished, and I gestured to the Pokeball.

My voice was gentler as I spoke next. I didn't want her to give up, but she had to know the dangers. Raihan had been very insistent that I learn how other trainers tamed dragons, and I wouldn't let the few lessons he had managed to give me go to waste. Not everyone could scare Pokemon shitless, after all.

"Only let him out if you're willing to act like a dragon tamer. I'm not expecting instant success, and me and my team will stop him from attacking you, but if you're flinching away from him, refusing to meet his eyes with the same fierceness he displays, it will never work." She looked pale, but with a deep breath nodded and released him.

Before the light had even faded he was once again charging Leaf, but considering the Alpha was behind her, glaring at him? He came up quite short, but even as he skidded to a halt I was there, knocking him to the ground. He glared up at me, but only for a second before he realized who I was. I gave him an evil smile. My voice was sweet, but my words were anything but.

"Hey there buuddy! You broke the rules again! What did I say about charging as soon as you're released?" He squirmed uncomfortably as I continued.

"How about attacking your trainer? You do remember what I said I would do, right?" His eyes grew fearful, and I snatched his tail as he began to run, struggling as I lifted him into the air. He was a heavy little shit, that was for sure. I was also… kind of… not strong… Weak? Me? Nooo…

That didn't stop me from whipping him over my shoulder into the ground with a small thud, but as he lay there stunned by my sheer audacity I grinned behind me at the rest of my team.

Deino and Tyrunt were both glaring at the Fraxure, or at least Tyrunt was, her jaws snapping in anger. Deino had his head cocked this way with a snarl, however. Skrelp looked mightily irritated from my arm, and little Salandit looked at the Fraxure with obvious disgust, recognising a bully on sight.

My delicate little Hatenna, however, was already bouncing up to the Alpha's head. She had to run up her entire body length to do it, but my heart melted a little bit as I saw her settle onto my new mothers snout, the Tyrantrum actually smiling briefly.

I eyed my pissed off Pokemon, and my grin grew a bit sharper.

"Who wants to show him how a real dragon acts?"

Chapter Text

Leaf

—

I had stayed up late the night before studying for my upcoming Journey, so I hadn't gotten much sleep. Well, I was reviewing, technically. Reviewing my plans for becoming a Champion. My plans for my future. Trying to figure out if I could have fixed it all.

They weren't recent plans either. When I was one month away from being ten years old and the Pokemon League raised the legal Trainer age to thirteen, I was crushed. I was forced to watch the latest batch of trainers, all of my peers, just… leave me, the youngest, behind. It didn't matter that the next year they had added a three-month extension to stop something like that from happening again! I was stuck!

The knowledge that Ash Ketchum of all people got to be a trainer and not me had made my blood boil. Not that I'd had a problem with the older boy, he was a friend and wasn't too annoying, but it was the principle of the matter!

I would be the first to admit that he'd had a way with Pokemon during our shared Pokemon Care classes, but in everything else he was a hopeless mess!

Yet, by the time I was allowed to be a trainer, he would already be a strong, established Elite Trainer at the very minimum. I'd had no doubt he would bumble his way to success somehow, and I had been proven right as I watched him compete over the years.

Top 16 in his first tournament ever in Indigo, top 8 at the Silver Conference. He even came top 8 in the Ever Grande Conference! He obviously had skill, and even though he hadn't become a Champion yet, he obviously would one year.

All while poor little Leaf got left behind, the only one in the social group barely younger than ten years old that fateful year.

I had begun my plans the night I heard the news. I'd done extra chores for money, I'd done odd jobs for the neighbors, I'd even helped the local Rangers out with simple things like picking up litter and trimming bushes, all for money.

While my slightly-older peers traveled and battled, having the time of their lives while growing stronger, I did menial jobs for money. I followed their exploits, slowly growing slightly bitter and jealous. It wasn't their fault. I tried not to, and I still cheered for them, but it was hard.

Eventually, after two years, I had enough to participate in the Egg Draw. Four times a year Goldenrod City would host breeders from across Indigo, and if you were able to buy one of the exorbitantly expensive tickets before they sold out, you were guaranteed a Pokemon Egg. It was still a money making event, so there was an element of luck to what you received. Half of the Eggs were Pidgey's.

The other half were species rated at least Class 4. Mom had technically registered for me against her better judgement, and I had gotten lucky. I hadn't been able to find out what the Egg was online, so I had done the best I could with general care. I carried it everywhere, talked to it as often as I could. I had cared for it more than myself, and my mom had to almost pry it from my hands to get me to shower at one point.

It was my future. Every hope I had for an eventual resurgence, to finally be a Pokemon trainer. I would raise this Pokemon so well, so cared for, that we would be inseparable. We would be best friends. I had already watched Ash's battles in the Indigo Conference, and I had truly admired the bonds he seemed to share with his Pokemon. Well, most of them…

That Charizard was… something.

So when my little Axew broke from his shell, I couldn't have been happier. He was cheerful and obedient for the first year. He would follow me around like an adorable puppy, and he quickly learned how to beg for food from me. He slept with me at night. He loved me, and I loved him. He was my best friend.

Then he Evolved for some reason.

For a week, everything was fine. He was a bit more reserved, and fidgety at home, but eventually something changed.

Something woke me up one night with him standing over my head, growling. I screamed and rolled over, which was the only thing that had saved me when he lunged, jaws wide. When my mom rushed in I had already recalled him in a panic. My mom had been terrified as she asked me what happened.

I lied.

I told her that he'd had a nightmare. That I had woken up before it happened, and been safe. I never told her my Pokemon tried to kill me.

I never told her my best friend tried to kill me.

Professor Oak was contacted, and after a short discussion had called me to his office. I felt so small standing there, Pokeball tightly clasped in both hands, as he gently asked me what had happened the previous night. I couldn't lie to Professor Oak, now could I?

He had given me what felt like endless lectures on my recklessness, my flagrant breaking of the rules, and my laziness most of all. I'd had an entire year to get my Class Restriction increased. If you were able to pass the tests and a practical, you were allowed, even encouraged to raise your Restriction before you actually received a Trainers License.

Doing so would have given me the knowledge of how badly I was failing my Pokemon. My dragon type had never been in a fight before he Evolved. He should have had an Everstone in the first place, and that was always tricky with dragons. As Professor Oak had put it, I had 'set him up for a lifetime of disappointment and failure as his natural instincts clash with his lack of experience. Dragons require drive and conflict. Without it, they are forever stunted."

So, I had failed us both.

Professor Oak hired me on as a Junior Assistant, but despite his best efforts I wasn't able to reconnect with my Pokemon. He despised me. He knew he had been denied something he required, and that as I was now I wouldn't make him strong, but I had made him weak.

The only time I was even able to interact with him was when one of Professor Oak's Pokemon held him back by force. Even his old Charizard, still absolutely petrifying despite her advanced age, couldn't make the dragon calm down in my presence. He was out of control, he hated me, and it was my fault.

It was all my fault.

So that morning, two weeks before the start of what should be my first circuit, I wasn't excited. I laid in bed, dreading the next day. I was off from work at the Lab today, and could at least temporarily pretend that my future wasn't about to fall apart. I didn't have to see the constant reminder of my failure as I worked around the Lab.

The Pokeball that never opened.

My fault.

I grumbled as my mom called me downstairs, but I took the time to dress for the day before I trudged down the stairs. I sat down and dug into the plate of pancakes in front of me. My favorite breakfast, and usually enough to cheer me up. It didn't work.

We'd had pancakes for the past week, ever since school ended.

I was almost lucky that I had been left virtually the only child around my age, because that meant I didn't have to acknowledge the lack of my old Pokeball. It was just me and the younger generation of brats, none of whom I had really interacted with. I mean, most were half my age.

So as I ate my favorite breakfast, prepared with love and care by my worried, loving mother, I tried to ignore how it tasted like ashes in my mouth. I was just managing to finish choking them down when my PokeNav rang. I didn't exactly know a lot of people, so I wasn't surprised when Professor Oak's face popped up. He looked frazzled, and his eyes were a mixture of tired and worried as he looked at the screen.

"Leaf, good! I'm sending you on an urgent training exercise! I need you to pack right now and come to the lab! Grab your kit and meet me at the Ranch!" He didn't even let me respond before hanging up, and as I looked up in confusion I saw my mother.

She had a warm smile on her face and a hopeful, relieved look in her eyes as she beamed at me.

"He called to clear it with me earlier, dear. He thinks this might work. Well, he said it would work, but not to tell you that." She came over and bent down to give me a hug as I sat there, stunned.

"He's been worried about you too, you know. He sounded hopeful this time." She kissed me on my cheek before straightening. She then gave me a playful scowl and pointed towards my room.

"Now, you heard the Professor, young lady! Move it!"

I was following the order before I even knew, giving her a fierce hug before running out of the house. I lived about as far as you could get from the Lab, but I could run there in around ten minutes. Pallet Town was small.

What had happened? What kind of training exercise would help me gain the respect of an unruly dragon that not even Professor Oak's Pokemon could cow?

I passed Ms. Ketchum as I sprinted down the long central hallway of the Lab, sparing her a bright smile as she looked on in amusement. Ash's mom was awesome, no doubt about it. She was infinitely kind and patient, although that might be a requirement with a kid like Ash, and was adored by the entire community here.

The warm thoughts of Delia Ketchum evaporated from my mind the second I burst outside.

Death.

Death stood before me, and it was hungry. My gaze was transfixed by two piercingly bright irises surrounding obsidian pupils that narrowed as our eyes met. I would have whimpered, screamed, something, but I was too frozen to do that. Too still.

I was dead. I was dead! I was-

"Ah, Leaf! We were just talking about you! Join us! Erin here was introducing me to her team, and I just had to show her your Fraxure!" Professor Oak's voice snapped me to attention.

I gasped as I felt my lungs begin to burn. I hadn't been breathing.

I blinked and the vision of death was still there, but it wasn't alone now. In front of the titanic Tyrantrum stood a menagerie of aggressive looking Pokemon.

A Deino sniffed in my direction, it's maw chomping as it sniffed. It stood there, scuffing its feet on the ground as though it wanted to charge, but it remained in place. A baby Tyrunt stood next to it, far too close to those dangerous jaws, but it was staring at me and chomping, too. It was not comforting coming from a baby, as her jaws looked like they could amputate my parts.

A small, white Salandit stood on the Deinos waving head of all places, its eyes glaring at me with distrust. A shiny Pokemon, of a mostly-male race. Odds were it was female, though. I would have boggled at the audacity of letting it be seen, well aware of the sad reality that were Pokemon thieves, but Giratina's Messenger looming above the small gecko made that a moot point.

There was a tiny, adorable looking pink Pokemon on the Tyrantrums snout, now that I looked closer. It looked like a living nightcap, but while I didn't know the species, I did know it was absolutely adorable. And cute.

Oh Arceus it was so cute.

I vaguely thought about pulling my PokeNav out to scan all these rare and unknown Pokemon, but I valued my life.

There was one more Pokemon, a large brown seaweed-dragon. A Skrelp, and it was latched onto its trainer. I looked u-

Wait. It was way too big. Easily double the size it should have been. I knew that species.

I glanced around and noticed that the Deino was also much larger than their normal size. They were both Alphas. Three Alphas, a shiny, a baby dinosaur, and an exotic probable-fairy. What kind of person had a team like that?

Their trainer was intense. There was no other word for it. She was dressed plainly, cheap sneakers, sweatpants, and a hoodie. It didn't exactly scream 'dragon tamer'. The bandolier with six Luxury Balls on it might have, but it was the girl herself that made the word intense leap out at me so strongly.

She wasn't just standing there casually with her team. I had seen Champion Lance pose with his team, and while they looked as close as could be, this was different. The girl stood at the behemoth's side as naturally as if she were family, and most of her team seemed to look at the girl the same way.

She looked to be a year or so older than me, but a few inches shorter, barely over five feet tall, with shoulder length green hair held back by a cheap sweatband. There were three large red feathers sticking through it near her ear, and the vibrant red contrasted nicely with her light purple eyes. A scar ran up her cheek straight to her eye and I froze up a second time, overwhelmed with terror for a split second as I watched her pupils contract as our eyes met.

Death. Sudden and brutal dea-

She lunged for me and I prepared for the other side.

Well, that's what it looked like to my terrified mind. In reality she was lunging at a shape that was blurring towards me, and I watched in horrified disbelief as my Pokemon, who had tried to kill me again, was snatched like a disobedient child.

A Rank 6 Pokemon. She snatched him by the head, dropped to a knee in a practiced-looking move, and used her left hand to redirect the Pokemons inertia as he flipped onto his back.

Then, defying all known safety rules Professor Oak had set out for me, she slammed her hands on either side of his head, heedless of the literal blades next to her vulnerable wrists, before she brought her head down, her nose touching his snout as she snarled. I couldn't help but take a step back from the rage I felt from this… human? Right? Her voice wasn't loud.

It didn't need to be.

"Did I say you could move? I don't think I did, you spoiled little brat. You've never fought a serious battle in your life, you have won no glory, yet you act like you are powerful." It was my fault, not his. All mine.

"You are nothing, and if I see you try and attack your own trainer one more time I swear to Arceus I will unleash a beatdown on you that you will never live down. Dragons everywhere will point to you as an example of weakness and cowardice. Do you understand me?"

She looked like she would follow through on her threat right now, and my disbelief grew as I saw my Fraxure practically quaking as he tried to shrink downwards into the ground.

"Don't worry, we'll turn you into a real dragon, not the imitation you are now."

I felt like absolute trash as she said that. I doubted Professor Oak had told her more than the basics, yet she already knew. He was a fake. It was my fault. He gave her a hesitant growl, but he was cowed.

She had just dominated a dragon Professor Oak's Pokemon hadn't been able to rehabilitate, with her bare hands! She turned to look at me, and as those piercing, hunting eyes met mine I found myself starting to babble. I didn't notice the look of recognition on her face in my fear.

"What the- How- He- What did you just do? How did you just do that?"

I was very eloquent when rattled. She grinned down at him as she spoke. It wasn't a nice grin.

"I just re-established my dominance. He's a little shit, but from what I understand, he has been spoiled his entire life."

I felt any spirit I may have had left shatter when she spoke. My failure boiled down to a single sentence. This… Dragon Master? She walked in and identified the problem immediately, and she did it with her team just watching from the sidelines.

They still were, every single one glaring at my Pokemon as he shifted under their glares. He looked scared. I had never seen the look before.

Because I had failed him.

My fault.

"So, I think the Professors' right. I can help you with this. I guarantee he'll be a real dragon by the time the conference rolls around." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Wait, really?" My face lit up with the sheer joy I felt in that moment. I was still a failure, but was there a chance? She was sure? I could… fix my mistake?

I didn't get a chance to ask any further questions as she turned and hopped onto the Tyrantrums face! I gasped, but she just cheerfully spoke to the titan.

"You heard the Professor. Can she come with us? You'd have to treat her like me." The thunderous snarl that came from the giant was too much for me, and I felt my legs give way, falling back with a small yelp. That girl was about to die!

"Not like your daughter, treat her like a member of the pack, you silly lady!" She stopped growling immediately, and I gaped up at the insane girl as she slapped the giant death monster on the face, which didn't seem to have any effect. Obviously. The giant then turned to stare at me intently, and I felt my knees shake as I felt the weight of its focus.

The wild, intimidating looking girl turned and walked up to me, and I couldn't make my mouth work. She grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet with surprising enthusiasm before starting to walk off.

She scowled briefly at the Professor, and I saw to my embarrassment that he had been gleefully recording the entire exchange. Was she good enough to research? What?

"Let's go shopping now, and we can leave this afternoon. I need everything, and I mean that. This will be a while. Can I leave them here, Professor?" He nodded and recalled my Pokemon, and I stood there stunned for a moment, staring back at the giant predator that still hadn't turned away from me.

With a massive effort I was able to break the stare, and I yelped as I saw her back starting to recede. She moved fast!

—

The Savage Trainer.

I was going to be getting help from 'The Savage Trainer'.

She somehow survived naked in one of the most dangerous natural preserves in the world. Naked, of course, except for the rotting skins of Sneasels. Lets not forget the giant bag made of what the PokeNet was sure was an Alpha Weavile that she had ridden in! Then, she says she's ridden in its mouth multiple times! Who is this girl? She's insane!

She had caught a confirmed man-eater, and seemed to adore the giant beast. I had trouble not hyperventilating when I learned that I had stood in front of the Tyrant Queen of Galar, once I looked her up at least, yet Professor Oak had cheerfully taken charge of her.

He had looked positively giddy, in fact…

Who was this girl, really?

Could she really help me?

My failure?

My fault.

She seemed dismissive of our little clothing store, but blitzed through the PokeMart like a storm. I had very nearly lost my breakfast when she casually mentioned that she wouldn't be sleeping in a tent, rather, she would use her giant dragon mom as shelter. She only bought a giant tarp to keep the rain off, and a variety of ground coverage. Everything else needed for camping, however, it seemed she bought multiple of them.

By the time we were back at the lab I was exhausted just by her presence. Even when she was meticulously comparing dried goods and vegetables she seemed to radiate… not violence. It was the potential for violence right beneath the surface, and what was really scary was how she didn't seem to know about it. She tried some lighthearted conversation with me, but every time she opened her mouth, I just felt… intimidated.

I screamed the whole way to our training grounds. Erin, of course, was gleefully laughing as she stuck her head out of the basket, seemingly perfectly at ease with the way we bounced around. I had handholds, too, but somehow she was negating the bouncing, giddy like she was on a rollercoaster. I wished dearly I could replicate her performance, but I couldn't.

It was all I could do not to vomit as I bounced.

That's why when we finally got there, instead of helping to set up camp I could only groan, nausea in no way purged just like my stomach. I eventually managed to stand, only to watch the Deino and Tyrunt begin to run off. I opened my mouth, but it snapped shut as I heard a sharp whistle from behind me and they skidded to halts, turning guiltily. Then a voice rang out.

"Where do you think you're going? And all by yourselves?" The two Pokemon looked ashamed as they trudged back, but their trainer merely crouched down and rubbed their heads.

"You're both smarter than that. We haven't secured the area yet, you were going to leave us behind, and most importantly? I hadn't given you permission to run amok." They trudged over to the bundle of bedding sullenly, looking remorseful.

Could I have done that? Commanded them so effortlessly? So authoritatively?

Soon the tarp was hung over the ground cover, and I watched with fascination as she brought out a bundle of skins. The same skins I had seen her wearing in that video, looking for all the world like a barbarian from some distant past, face covered in blood and dirt. I couldn't help but let out a gasp as a large, silky-smooth looking fur was laid out.

"I-Is that the… thing you rode in?" The horrible contraption straight out of nightmares looked beautiful now, and I gulped as I thought about fighting an Alpha Weavile in the wilds, far from civilization.

"That it is, yes. Stupid bitch almost killed me twice over, so I didn't feel bad about using her inverted skin like a huge handbag." My eyes were wide as she turned to look at me, gesturing to the ball on my belt.

"Go ahead and let him out. Let's see if he's learned anything so far." I nodded, reaching for the ball with a shaking hand, but her hand shot out to grab my arm. I looked at her in confusion, and a little fear. Her eyes were hard as she looked at me.

"You're scared." The blunt statement made my shame flare up, and I tried to concentrate as she continued. "That's okay, you can't stop the fear response." A bit of hope bubbled up at her assurance.

"It's how you react to it that makes the difference. Him being spoiled aside, your Pokemon has no respect for you. Like an untrained dog, you can't barter with him. You can't plead with him. You have to establish dominance, and he has to respect you. If you don't, eventually he'll either run off, or kill you and then run off." I shook as she said that. I knew he would try, because he already had!

When she spoke next her voice was still like steel, but it was softer, comforting yet demanding. She couldn't do everything. I had to participate.

"Only let him out if you're willing to act like a dragon tamer. I'm not expecting instant success, and me and my team will stop him from attacking you, but if you're flinching away from him, refusing to meet his eyes with the same fierceness he displays, it will never work." I paled, and briefly gave Arceus a prayer before I released him, my hand mostly steady.

He charged me as soon as he had materialized, eyes narrowed in hate, but a glance behind me at the Alpha Tyrantrum brought him up short. A second later Erin was there, knocking him to the ground with a swift shove to his head.

He stared up at her in rage for a split second before his face transformed into the largest gasp of horror I had ever seen anywhere near his face. It only got worse as she began to talk, her voice as sweet as Combee honey. The grin on her face was feral and hungry, and I swore her eyes were glowing as she snarled in his face.

"Hey there buuddy! You broke the rules again! What did I say about charging as soon as you're released?" He squirmed uncomfortably as she continued. "How about attacking your trainer? You do remember what I said I would do, right?"

He tried to run, but she snatched his tail up. With a twist and a ducking maneuver she had him rolling onto her back, heedless of the literal blades yet again, as she whipped him over her shoulder, bouncing him off the ground with a small thud. He lay there, as stunned as I felt, as she turned that same wild grin towards her snarling team.

Well, the little pink Pokemon hopped onto the Tyrantrum, but the rest of her team looked pissed, glaring at my Pokemon. I could practically hear knuckles cracking, my Pokemon looking at the group with an expression of terror.

The Savage Trainer, my new teacher and PokeNet sensation, turned her gaze to her team with an evil grin.

"Who wants to show him how a real dragon acts?"

She was absolutely insane, and she was my only hope.

—

Later that night we sat close to a campfire on a cheap futon, large cushions rested against The Tyrant Queen as we leaned back, enjoying the warmth and comfort. I was still as nervous as I felt I could possibly be leaning up against the behemoth, but I was getting used to the sheer terror quickly.

It was very hard to be tense when an Alpha Deino desperately wanted to lick you. My terror of the Pokemon had quickly evaporated, as he acted more like a Snubull than a dragon. I was aware of their species evolution cycle, however, and I would be sad to see the big puppy disappear. Not that I thought Erin couldn't handle it.

My out of control Pokemon was restrained underneath the Alphas jaws, and he looked perpetually terrified under there. I wasn't about to tell Erin her business, but despite myself I felt kind of bad for him.

He had been knocked around by Erin's Pokemon, primarily the Deino and Skrelp, for almost an hour, even the little pink Pokemon joining in with a desperate-sounding wail that made my rebellious Pokemon absolutely howl in pain, to the cheers of the rest of her team.

Literally.

They had looked so proud as they paused the beatdown to cheer the tiny Pokemon on. She had immediately run back to the Tyrantrums head in adorable embarrassment, and even as I worried for my Pokemon's health I couldn't help but smile at the tiny thing.

The rest of her team were cuddled up to Erin now, and I saw the Salandit was already sleeping, hands stuck to her forehead. It was actually adorable, and I felt a little bit more of the tension leave my body as we sat in comfortable silence.

I enjoyed it all too briefly.

"So, when was the first time he tried to kill you?"

Her voice didn't even change as she asked me. It was a casual observation, and I saw her eyes were actually closed as she stroked the baby Tyrunt's head. Its eyes were closed as well, but a pleased rumble emitted from it.

"...A week after he Evolved." She nodded, eyes still closed.

"More, describe it. What happened? What did you do that set him off?" Her question stunned me. Set him off? My voice was unsteady as I spoke.

"Nothing? He tried to kill me in my sleep and I got lucky." Her eyes shot open as she began to bare her teeth, but it was the absolutely titanic snarl from behind me that stole the show.

I could feel my brain, my bones, the air in my lungs vibrate, and I turned my head to see the Tyrantrum begin to grind her jaw downward. A pitiful squeal came from my Pokemon's mouth, and before I could stop myself I was rushing to him, trying to push the giant head off him.

A second later I found myself grabbed by the shoulders, and then I was flying backwards onto the futon, rolling onto my back to find Erin standing over me, her face murderous. Her eyes glowed a dark purple, and I might have felt my heart stop for a second as she towered over me. She practically spat her next words, the piercing glare leaving me unable to move.

"You fool! Do that again and I'll-! You absolute-!" Her hands formed fists as she bent forward and roared at the ground in a frustrated shriek, stomping her foot. Her eyes came up to meet mine, and I almost pissed myself at the pure rage dancing there.

"She eats you, I! Lose! All! Of! Them! You- You idiot!" She turned away and I could finally breathe. She spoke over her shoulder, quieter and softer now.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Leaf… I get it. But that was stupid! Now sit back and be quiet. This isn't your problem anymore. It's ours." The Tyrantrum growled in agreement, bringing her jaw down a bit. My furious Fraxure squealed in pain.

My baby Axew.

I wanted to help him, but how? Should I, even?

My fault.

I didn't have the guts to speak out, and I felt myself praying this was going to go well. That she could help me, not remove the issue. I was the issue, not him!

My fault!

She crouched on the ground near him, the rest of her Pokemon gathering to glare at his trapped form. Even the little pink Pokemon was glaring from the Tyrunts head. Erin looked at him for a long minute, then stared at the Alpha. There seemed to be some sort of silent communication going on, as with a sigh she stood, dusting her hands off. She began to work her shoulder, rolling her neck.

No…

"You are a stain on dragons." My Pokemon snarled as he tried to get his blades into the Tyrantrum, working himself into a frenzy, but he couldn't even scratch her. Erin strode back to her pack for a moment, and when she returned, she had the Sneasel skins.

She dumped them in a pile next to the thrashing Pokemon and crouched again. She then searched through and picked out a skin, proudly displaying it to the bundle of restrained anger. Her voice was light as she spoke heavy words.

"This was the first person I ever killed." My Fraxure's struggling stopped, and he looked at her in confusion. She smiled at him. It almost looked warm.

"You're sapient, aren't you? That means you're a person in my eyes. This asshole, though?" She snarled and I watched my Pokemon's face drain a bit. Mine did as well as I finally got an answer to a question I hadn't dared ask.

"It ate my pinky with sadistic glee, sneering at me the entire time. Then it turned around to keep torturing my little girl back there." The Tyrunt growled, her paws digging into the dirt like she wanted to charge. Erin's face was serious as she stared at the trapped Pokemon.

"I bashed its head in with a rock. Over and over and over again, until there wasn't a head left." She brought her face close to his motionless one.

"I won my honor. I did the right thing for my pack, even if I didn't know they were yet. I fought for someone else's sake. There is honor in that. There is also honor in fighting to gain strength for strength's sake."

"You don't. You have no honor, because all you crave is violence and death." Her hand snatched the other two and threw them down. These were whole, mostly, and I watched in fascination as she pulled out a crude knife.

It was a Pawniards blade, broken halfway, stuck into a crude handle, and wrapped with what looked to be raw sneasel skin, blood staining the crudely whittled wood. She drove the blade into the ground right next to his face, and he looked on in terror as she spoke.

"These attacked with an Alpha Weavile, out for revenge. I killed this one after beating it down to the ground with Skrelps help. He saved me from a nasty Scratch, the absolute treasure that he is. One stab to the spine and it died." My Pokemon trembled as he looked at her eyes.

"The next one lost its hands to my feet meeting my baby's jaws, and I killed it the exact same way." She grabbed the skins and dumped them back on the bedding. Most of her Pokemon broke off to form a circle with the Tyrantrum, and as she flexed her hand on the knife I paled.

"None of these Pokemon were weaker than me. I am a weak human, with slower reflexes and weaker senses. You could Scratch me and cripple me. You should be able to put up a fight, but you won't. You don't know what it's like to fight for your life. You don't know what it's like to fight for someone else's life. You don't know what it's like to stare death in the face." Her smile was as sad as it was vicious.

"You soon will, though."

"So here's the deal. Fight me. Don't use any Moves, but feel free to go for the kill with brute force if you want. Use a Move and you won't live long enough to regret it. If you manage to defeat me, you can run free. I will take you somewhere and release you after I check with the Rangers. If you lose? You put your little temper tantrum behind you and act like a damned dragon, not a mindless beast." She snarled the next words out as the Tyrantrum nodded along.

"The only reason me and my mother haven't killed you is the obvious love that your trainer holds for you. The only reason, and I want you to consider that as we fight. You only have the opportunity to live the violent life you seek if you play by my rules now, because you're out of chances. You were out of chances the second you tried to sneak attack your sleeping trainer!"

She practically screamed the last part out, and the Tyrantrum began to growl in agreement before she lifted her head, releasing the enraged Pokemon.

Erin looked back at me and her face fell a bit. She gave me a weak smile before she turned to my Pokemon, knife held loosely in her right hand as she held a thick chunk of firewood in her left. Her body seemed to fall as she pulled her hands to her sides, and she stalked towards the Pokemon, a glare on her face. He froze up, but after a moment he roared, charging her. When he was close enough his blades surged forwards, towards her ankles.

Instead of dodging, she kicked him in his forehead. It was a short, weak kick, but he was three feet tall, and it slowed him down long enough for her to lash out, slamming the chunk of wood lengthwise onto one of his blades, fouling it up. She growled as she rushed forwards, her knee coming up under his chin as he rocketed backwards.

A dark aura surged along his jaws for a moment, but before I could even yell in terror she had lashed out with the blade. His eyes widened at the point coming for his eye before he aborted the attack, twisting his head around. He was off balance now, though, and she reacted with a roar, using both hands to drive her elbow into his stomach as she slid onto a knee.

"I'll let that one slide since you never finished it!"

He tried to roll to his feet but she was there, a new branch in her hand as she mounted him. She began to pound on him, and I gasped in relief as I saw her lashing out with the handle of the blade, not the blade itself.

He thrashed in frustration for a moment before screaming in anger, and with a roar he lashed out, catching her in the side with a foot. She was tossed off of him, rolling a few feet before she jumped to her feet, already crouched to meet his next charge.

The entire clearing grew quiet as he met her, but the expected gush of blood did not happen. Instead she had stopped the unblocked blade with her blade and a hand on his forehead, and even as he looked at her in utter shock that she hadn't flinched, she dropped her blade and grabbed his head with both hands.

Then she began to slam his head into the dirt.

He struggled in the beginning, but he slowly lost strength, and by the end I was terrified she would actually kill him. With one final slam she picked him up, examining him. His face was a mess of blood and bruises, and I felt my heart break a little bit more as his head rolled with unconsciousness.

My fault.

She stared at him for a few more seconds, arms beginning to shake, before she snorted and tossed him at the Tyrantrum. The giant Pokemon rolled him back underneath her chin and settled back down.

Erin stomped back over to my side, tossing herself onto her apparent mother as she let out a huge sigh, reclining on the cushion there. Her hands danced across her ribs, pushing and prodding gently. She turned to stare at me, and there was sadness in her eyes as she looked at me.

And pity.

"You know he despises you, right?"

That one question broke me.

All the doubts, the regrets, the broken hopes. It was like they all hit me at the same time, and I began to sob uncontrollably. I glimpsed her face starting to pale, her eyes going wide in shock before the tears came. A torrent of tears, and I couldn't even form words. I just sobbed as Erin panicked.

I heard growling a moment before the Deino was there, frantically licking my hands. I felt a titanic weight on my head and managed to open my eyes to catch sight of the giant Tyrantrum. She looked slightly sad as she huffed in my face, blowing my hair and hat back, before her head swung back around to trap my Pokemon once again.

My fault.

I felt myself cocooned in blankets soon enough, shoved into the Tyrantrums chest by a whining Deino and a concerned-looking Tyrunt. I didn't even have the energy to speak as I lay there, my broken, unconscious Pokemon restrained.

He despised me.

I didn't blame him.

It was all my fault.

My fault.

Chapter Text

Leaf

—

It wasn't easy pulling myself out of slumber the next morning.

Erin's Pokemon had restrained me with affection last night, her Deino especially frantic to calm me. The big happy guy was adorably sweet, and the tiny pink Pokemon had tried to wipe my tears away as well, murmuring at me. I had ignored them both, sobbing as the gigantic heartbeat from behind me had soothed me to sleep.

I had failed.

I had a chance, but I failed.

It hadn't worked. It was all my fault.

He despised me.

My fault.

Erin tried to shake me awake, but I refused to come out of my cocoon of blankets as I began to sniffle. I heard and felt a huge sigh before my backrest shifted, strong claws pulling me from my hidden retreat of blankets as I began to cry again.

That lasted for only a few seconds before a truly massive set of lips plucked up the back of my jacket, swiftly raising me into the air. I watched the ground get further and further away as my hands went up, meeting the slobbery lips of the massive Alpha currently manhandling me. I pulled my hands back in disgust, too shocked to continue crying, but she was already dropping me.

I looked up from the pile of blankets and took in the scene. Erin was cooking what looked to be huge chunks of meat over a series of coals. Where had that come from? What had it come from? I hadn't realized it, but she had bought a large metal spit in town, and even now she was idly turning the meat with one hand, the other furiously typing on her Pokenav. She didn't glance up at me, but her voice was soft as she spoke.

"Morning, Leaf. There's a portion of Pidgeotto salad in my pack I saved for you if you're hungry. We just got back from a little hunting trip, but I didn't want to wake you up earlier. You looked like you could use the rest." My brain wasn't working fully yet, so it took me a moment to realize what she said

"I'm… actually pretty hungry, yeah. You said Pid-" I gasped and looked at her in horror. Pidgeotto? Like the Pokemon?

Somehow I just knew that it wasn't one of the farm-raised Pidgeottos. Not that Pidgey farms let them Evolve on purpose, so Pidgeottos were priced quite highly. No, I got the feeling this Pidgeotto'd been wild, and way too smart to eat comfortably. My eyes drifted over and I noticed a pile of feathers at the edge of the clearing.

Definitely wild.

She noticed my gaze and actually grimaced a bit, looking back to her phone with a frown as she spoke.

"I get it. Trust me, I of all people understand. However… This is life, and apparently people eat people all the time here. Not like back-" She caught herself and stuttered briefly.

"I-It's the circle of life, Leaf. Is it better to eat an almost mindless, farmed sapient? The very idea turns my stomach far worse than eating a wild Pokemon. Dumbing down people for food. I don't think any less of my Pokemon for eating a Pidgeotto, so why should I care about doing the same? Am I inherently more moral, more noble than my Pokemon? Are my human morals superior to their Pokemon morals?" She pulled her eyes from her phone and met mine briefly.

"Am I better than my family?"

She turned back to her phone, frantically tapping out messages, and she looked frustrated as she turned the spit.

Her entire team except for the little pink Pokemon were staring at the meat spinning over the flames, even the Tyrantrum. She had been drooling when she so rudely awoke me! No wonder my hair- I gagged a little as I felt my jacket. Eeeuugh.

That was nauseating.

I peeled my jacket off in disgust, thankful that the slight chill we had experienced last night was fading. My eyes caught the sight of an unconscious body and I froze.

My fault.

He looked pitiful, face bloodied and bruised, limbs limp as his mouth hung open. He was breathing easily, I saw, but that was the only thing that looked remotely okay about him. My heart broke just a little more at the sight, and I couldn't face him. I looked away in shame.

My fault.

My stomach growled loudly enough that everyone turned to stare at me in amusement, and I felt my face turning hot as I stumbled over to Erin's pack. I had eaten plenty of the Pidgey line, just never a wild one. It was just one Pokemon, right?

It tasted far better than any I'd had before, however. Clearly diet had a great deal to do with its taste, because I quickly devoured the salad and its accompanying huge Pidgeotto breast with enthusiasm. She'd bought a bottle of vinaigrette to go with the simple salad of mixed greens, and I groaned happily as I finished my meal. I looked up to see my Pokemon beginning to stir.

Nobody glanced at him as his eyes opened, and it took him a few seconds to get his bearings. A low growl began to escape him before he froze. He sat up slowly and looked around.

They all ignored him entirely, and his eyes drifted over to me. Our eyes met.

Hate.

He despised me.

My fault.

He gave a hiss of pain and turned away, nose drawn by the scent of roasting meat. They all continued to ignore him. He seemed to be too scared, too uncertain to move closer, so he warily crouched there, staring at the Pokemon and human studiously ignoring his existence.

Finally, with great reluctance, Erin called over her Deino. It took an amusingly long time, but soon the blind Pokemon was enthusiastically spinning the spit, and after a few more seconds Erin had gotten him to slow down, stopping the wild spray of hot grease. She smiled fondly at him before her eyes came to rest on my Pokemon, a flat look coming to her face. She walked over to him, the rest of her Pokemon watching her intently.

Erin settled into a crouch near my broken Fraxure, my baby Axew, my best friend. Then she broke him further.

"You are no dragon." There was a calm finality in her words that froze his sneer before it ever got started. She wasn't making an accusation, She was stating a fact.

"You are no dragon, because you have no honor and no pride. You hold nothing sacred, not even yourself. You act like a coward, attacking your trainer while she slept! That is unforgivable for any dragon. That is cowardice!"

She took a deep breath, and she started to break my heart, too.

"I'm not here to make you Leaf's Pokemon, to get you to follow her commands, to respect her. After the stunts she's pulled, I don't blame you for your dissatisfaction with her." I felt so small as I hunched my shoulders, and the tiny pink Pokemon hopped over to my lap with a giggling sound, nuzzling into me.

"I'm here to turn you into a real dragon. Look at my mother. Would you dare call her a false dragon?" He shook his head violently, hunching over as he did. The Tyrantrum continued to simply glare at him.

"Exactly, yet what is her opinion on the matter, hmm? There was a right way and a wrong way to do things, and you chose the wrong way." She sighed, her voice so sad.

"Do you know why Pokemon Evolve? Because they're ready for the next stage of their life. They Evolve under high stress situations like battle, breaking a personal record, achieving their goals during training, saving a life. They break through their own limitations. Some Evolve through the bonds they share with their family, friends, and trainers. Some never Evolve, through choice or species." Her eyes were hard as she stared my baby down.

"No dragon should ever Evolve without first touching their limit. You've never even touched the starting line, yet you Evolved. I was curious about it, so I asked a friend of mine. He's damn good with dragons, and he had some knowledge to drop on me. What would drive an inexperienced baby dragon to force an Evolution, hmm?" He was practically quaking on the ground now as my mind rang with questions. Where was she going with this?

"The only reason, he said, was from pure spite." I felt my eyes begin to water as she spoke those words.

"You were stifled. Unable to live as a dragon, and treated like a house Pokemon. You have every right to be mad, and I am as well. Leaf failed you. She let you down, and she can never take back what she's done, whether she did it through ignorance or malice."

My fault.

Her voice grew fiercer as she continued to speak.

"However, you failed as well. Tell me, were you unable to communicate with her at all? Did you express your desire to battle, after which she refused you? If so, I promise you right now you will never have to see her again in your life, and not because I will kill you."

She was frowning as she spoke, but her eyes were impassive, like she was looking at nothing. Like he wasn't even worthy of acknowledging.

"Think carefully before you answer me. I can tell when you lie, and if I don't catch it, I guarantee my mother will." She took a breath before continuing.

"There are few types more opposed than dragons and fairies. However, do you know what we have in common? We despise liars. Tell me the truth. Think long and hard before you answer, because a lie might be the last mistake you make. Now..." She looked into his eyes, speaking softly now.

"Did you try to battle? Did you try to tell her something was wrong? Did you put in any effort?"

My Pokemon sat there, sullen as he stared at the ground between his legs. Nobody said a thing, Erin sitting on the ground in front of him as she waited for him to think. He looked mildly frantic as he did.

Had he? Had he ever tried to battle? Asked me, begged, pleaded, even looked interested?

No, no he hadn't.

I had still failed him, and my eyes were wet as he finally gave her a hesitant shake of his head. She reached out and gave him a light pat on the head.

"That is your fault." My fault. "You could have spoken up at any time, but I can guess why you didn't. You were a baby Pokemon living a luxurious life. You were pampered. You were coddled. You didn't even know what was wrong until you had Evolved, just that something was. Am I correct?" He nodded sadly, and she continued.

"You were wronged, and if you never forgive Leaf, I won't blame you." My fault. "But before you decide that, answer me this. Did you ever love her?" My chest felt tight as he glared at me, head unmoving.

"I'm not here to make you like her, much less love her. I'm here to turn you into a dragon. You don't owe her enough to be her Pokemon against your wishes, but I won't allow you to lie to yourself either. Look me in the eyes and tell me you've never felt affection for her. I don't know the entire story, but I can guess." She pointed behind herself at me. The failure.

My fault.

"She adores you. You were her whole world, and she worked herself to the bone for years to even have the opportunity to meet you. I know for a fact she has never hit you, or demeaned you purposefully. She failed you, but she didn't sabotage you. Look me in the eyes and tell me that girl doesn't care for you even after you tried to murder her!" Her eyes grew wild for a second before she took a deep breath.

"So I ask you, false dragon, have you ever felt that love back?"

The words hung in the air, and my vision grew watery as he continued to glare at me. My best friend. My baby. My future. My responsibility.

My fault.

The rest of the Pokemon glared at him unrelentingly except for Deino. He was listening intently, probably, but his tail never stopped wagging as he continued to turn the spit full of meat over the embers.

Finally my Pokemon nodded. It was the smallest of nods, but it was there. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing even as Erin nodded at him.

"That's what I figured. Now, do you hold any gratitude for her? Has she tried her best with you? Yes, she failed, but so did you. Her actions. Her love. Are you grateful for them?" Another slow nod and I started sobbing into my hands.

"Now tell me truthfully. Do you think your trainer hates you? Does Leaf see you as nothing more than a tool, an easy ride to power? Does she see a vicious attack dragon to unleash on her enemies? Take a good look before you answer me." I couldn't see through my flowing tears, but after a moment she began to speak again.

"Good. You can at least recognize that. Now, here's the real question. Do you feel bad for what you've done, what you tried to do?"

The question hung in the air for so long I had almost cleared my eyes before Erin spoke again.

"Then this right here is the turning point in your life. You have three choices."

"You can be a coward, just as you have been. You can play tricks like a fairy and deceive yourself, but that is not a dragon. If you were a pure dark type I would praise your sneaky, violent ways, for that is their nature, but you aren't. You're supposed to be a dragon, so which kind are you?"

"An honorable dragon repays the kindness they receive. An honorable dragon may still fight for pride, kill and eat an entire family of Pokemon, eat a human, but they have honor. They do not pick on the weak, their prey. They consume them like the apex predators they are. They do not cause pain and terror for the fun of it. They repay the kindness they receive, always. They challenge themselves to be better, every day. They have honor."

"A dishonorable dragon knows only pride and strength, and one of those will always fail. They are still dragons, though, and strive to challenge themselves. They leap from high cliffs, swim up waterfalls, clash with the greatest forces they can find, all in a drive to improve themselves, to hone their skills and their own self worth. They care only for themselves, but they still have their pride. They are dragons."

Her voice was brittle like shards of glass as she continued.

"I am not here to make you an honorable dragon, or a dishonorable dragon. I'm merely here to turn you into a dragon, period." She paused, voice growing lighter momentarily.

"I would suggest being an honorable dragon, however."

I managed to clear my eyes enough to take the scene in, and I saw my baby glaring at the ground. He looked even worse than when he woke up, breathing ragged like he would pass out at any moment.

"So I ask you, false dragon, are you a coward?" He sullenly shook his head, and I saw Erin smile slightly.

"Are you a dishonorable dragon?" Silence, and it dragged on for minutes. He sat there, eyes closed as he seemed to shake with anger. Eventually he shook his head, a tiny quiver of movement I almost missed.

"Does that mean that you are, or will strive to be, an honorable dragon?" His eyes rose to meet mine, and while the rage was still there it had died down somewhat. Eventually he looked away, nodding at Erin. She beamed a smile at him, and I swore she had to stop herself from patting him on the head. Her voice was still serious as she spoke, however.

"Do you think it's possible to forgive her? To work with her? I'm not saying immediately, or even ever. Take your time with your answer, but don't lie to me. I'm not demanding a yes. I'm demanding the truth." She smiled at him, and my heart broke to see the anger in his eyes.

"Remember how she cared for you. Still cares for you, you dingus. I know you saw her charge my mom's jaws to try and save your ungrateful ass. So answer me truthfully."

"Is it possible to forgive her? Would you even want to?"

His eyes met mine again and I had to blink tears away rapidly to maintain eye contact. His red eyes bore into me with the same hate I had gotten so dreadfully used to, but as the seconds turned to long minutes he refused to blink, and eventually they softened. It was still a glare, but it was the kindest face I had seen on him in over two months.

He slowly nodded, his eyes never leaving mine as he did. I heard flesh slap scales, but I was already sobbing into my hands again. I heard Erin stand before she spoke again.

"I won't force you to do anything, but I think both of you could use a hug. It's your call, little dragon, but any injury you deliberately cause, you'll receive back triple." I laughed as I sobbed into my hands. Right, like he'll give me a h-hug of all-

I felt myself pulled into a light embrace, and I didn't hesitate to throw my arms around him, pulling him in for a crushing hug. I nicked my forearm on his blades, but I didn't let that stop me as I sobbed into his chest. He growled, but held himself stiff as I frantically apologised to him. He didn't hug me back after that initial grasp, standing there like a stiff, angry statue, but I didn't care.

He was my Pokemon. My best friend. My baby.

My fault.

But maybe not forever.

I continued to sniffle, and with an actual growl he pulled himself from my arms. I let him go as I collapsed back to the ground, emotionally exhausted. Somehow, she had broken through to him.

Nothing was fixed, but now there was a chance to have my best friend back. My baby.

My fault.

I was so emotionally drained I barely heard the sound of a Pokenav ringing before Erin picked it up. No video, so it must have been international. Someone in Galar? Where had she come from before Galar, by the way?

"You're where!?... How!?... WHY!?" Her eyes were wide in anger, and for some reason she began to scan the skies as she spoke into the phone. The serious atmosphere that Erin seemed to have worn like a jacket disappeared like a drop of water in a hot pan.

"You call that a vacation? Yes, I understand it's your time off, but-... Don't you put that evil on me, my dude! I warned you, and I bet Look-" Her mouth snapped shut as she turned to look at me. She exchanged a long look with the Tyrantrum before she began to stomp away.

"Listen you stupid playboy, if you- You are a playboy! ... So? Public perception is ke- I just chose one of the existing ones! You know I…" Her voice got quieter as she disappeared from sight.

I glanced up and shared a look with the Tyrantrum, who looked highly amused, before turning to my Pokemon. He refused to look at anyone, but continued to stare at the meat. I itched to heal him, but if Erin hadn't decided it was necessary yet, I would leave him be. I had screwed up enough as it was.

My fault. Still.

I was rudely pushed to my feet by the Tyrantrum, who stared at me before looking at the massive spit covered in meat. I looked up at her in confusion.

"Is it… done?" She nodded, and I gave her a curious look. "So… What? I can't lift that, I have no idea how she got it on there in the first place. She's tiny."

She snorted, sending my hair flying, before she strode over, the ground quaking at each step. She pointed to a flat log with Erin's Pawniard blade stuck in it. The surface looked mirror smooth, so clean was the cut through the log, and I looked up at her in shock.

"You want me to…" I looked at the Pokemon, all but the little pink one staring at me intently. Even mine, and even though there was mostly irritation in that gaze, it was so much better than hate. I looked up at her, still hesitating.

"That's Erin's blade. I don't think she'd like me using it-" I cut off as her head pushed me forward, stumbling as I flailed my arms to maintain my balance. She gave me an insistent look, so I stopped hesitating and strode over. She followed me and lifted the giant skewer in her arms, showing no reaction as the hot metal dug into her paws.

I doubted she even felt it, anyway.

I grabbed Erins blade, examining it in fascination as I did. The edge was beyond razor sharp, the metal shining as if it was oiled. It clashed harshly with the blocky, rough handle, and I realized she had probably held the blade with her bare hands to craft this. A shard of metal had been used to pin the end of raw sneasel skin that wrapped around the handle, and the blade felt rock-solid despite its shoddy appearance. I vaguely remembered that rawhide shrunk as it dried, and I held the proof in my hand. The wood was completely stained with blood, however, and I desperately wanted to ask who's it was.

Instead I gestured the Tyrantrum over and began to slice large chunks of steaming meat from the spit onto the log. I had a large pile of meat by the time half had been sliced, and the Tyrantrum abruptly pulled the rest away, placing it back over the embers. I looked around, only to find a series of eyes staring at me in hunger. Well, the Deino was sniffing in this direction, but the rest looked ready to charge.

I gulped a little bit, but with a low growl from the Tyrantrum I began tossing chunks of meat to Erins team. They snatched the meat out of the air with care, but fell on the food with savage glee once they acquired it. I had to smother a laugh at the looks on their faces as they chewed the roasted meat, and my heart grew warm as my Fraxure snatched his portions out of the air.

I had just finished tossing the last chunk of meat out when I heard a large vibrating sound from the air. Everyone froze momentarily, but with a huff the Tyrantrum sat back down.

A moment later a large green Pokemon dropped out of the sky, its wings the source of the vibrating sound. Huge eyes stared at us from behind transparent red… goggles? Despite the Alpha behind me I froze as its inhuman eyes met mine before I sprinted into the pile of blankets. It thumped as it landed, and a tiny whine began to escape my throat before it nodded at the Tyrantrum, who idly returned the gesture.

Erin was charging us now, Pokenav held tightly in her hand as she glared at the new Pokemon. Well, not the Pokemon, as I saw her glare shift to follow the dark-skinned man who leapt from its back.

He had a wide smile on his face, bright teal eyes shining with happiness from under a strange orange headpiece as he strode towards the Tyrantrum. He wore a thick jacket with small shorts, and if not for how handsome he was, he would have looked extremely goofy. Goofier. The smile grew wider as he reached out, and upon receiving a nod from the Tyrantrum, began to stroke her snout.

I gaped at him in shock as he began to speak. I thought I recognized him from somewhere.

"Hey there, big mama! Still a maneater?" Her lips peeled back in a snarling grin and he laughed before he bent to meet the Tyrunt's charge.

"And you, the vicious little princess! Have you had fun so far?" She began to babble up at him with her tiny little roars. The rest of Erins team had begun to wander over as well, the little pink Pokemon launching herself into his chest.

He caught her with a laugh and a soft look in his eyes as he gently hugged her.

"And you, sweet little Hatenna? Have you been happy?" The little Pokemon, a Hatenna apparently, began to rapidly nod into his chest, still letting out adorable little murmurs. He looked relieved, and I was about to speak. Ask him why she wouldn't be happy, who he was, what he was doing here, but Erin beat me to the punch.

She slid to a stop in front of him, scowling at him with those spooky eyes of hers lightly glowing.

"You're here already? What the hell Rai-" Her eyes finally saw the little Hatenna and her voice dropped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking back at him.

"Why are you here?" He looked a little hurt as he answered.

"I had some time off, so I was going to hang out with a friend…" She chuckled, but it was a dark sound.

"Really? I believe you, but why would you be all the way in Kanto? What if something happens in Galar and you're here?" He looked ashamed as he mumbled his answer.

"Rose kind of… forced me to vacation, and I wanted to be… far away, for awhile. Leon suggested I come check on you. Maybe help you train?" He paled as Erin snatched his collar, pulling his face close to hers.

"Raihan, tell me something. Why did Rose force you to take a vacation, huh? I thought you had no problem with him. Right?"

I expected him to get more scared, more intimidated. I wasn't the only one who found Erin to be intense and intimidating.

Right?

Instead, he brushed her hand aside and frowned down at her. His voice was harsh as he spoke.

"Still a dragon, I see." Her face flushed in embarrassment and he continued. "I'm a grown-ass adult Erin, you don't get to tell me where I can and can't go. Rose?" His lips pulled back in a snarl. "Rose knew I knew something the moment he saw me." Erin groaned, burying her face in her hands as he continued.

"I don't think he knows, but he suspects something, and he wanted me gone, Erin. I chose to take a vacation of my own volition, rather than fighting the man on the matter. Because let's be honest, if I had rejected the offer of a free vacation, would that have been believable? Or completely out of character? All while Nessa and Melony take theirs? I'm well aware of my reputation."

"As a playboy…" She mumbled, but I could hear the grin in her voice. He flushed and dropped his serious expression.

"For the last time, girl, I'm not a playboy! Playboys go out of their way to find women, I just have a lot of fans!"

She snorted, looking up at him with clearer eyes.

"That's what every playboy says, playboy." Her eyes drifted to the large green dragon, the Flygon, as she spoke. "Go ahead and come out if you want, buds."

I only had a second to parse what she said before there was a series of red flashes from this Raihan- where had I heard that name before?- as his team leapt out, and I shrunk deeper into the blankets in shock despite myself.

A small tortoise popped out first, lava glowing from openings on its shell as a cloud of smoke poured from its nostrils. It was tiny, but it radiated danger in an almost visible wave. A Torkoal, and my eyes grew wide as a human-sized, bright red turtle materialized next to it, standing on its back two feet. I could feel the intense heat radiating from both of the Pokemon, and the Turtonator gave Erin a light nod as it came out.

A large, amorphous mass of red light solidified into another human-sized, slug-like creature that dripped with mucus. Its brilliant green eyes opened and stared around, and my eyes were dragged from the Goodra as what looked like a living chunk of steel beam formed, fierce yellow eyes scanning the scene before they landed on Erin and jerked. I didn't recognize the Pokemon, but it was easily the scariest one yet.

She smiled as they came out, and her team seemed to know them as well, as they all rushed at different Pokemon. I saw Raihan crouch in front of my sullen dragon, noticing the look of shock on his face as he stared at Erin. She met his eyes with an unflinching gaze, and he looked back down in disbelief.

"This is the fraud you told me about?" My dragon growled but didn't dare rise to the bait as Erin nodded. His eyes were wide as he slowly nodded at her, giving her an odd look the whole time.

"Looks like you got the worst out of the way, I guess. Where's his trainer?"

Erin pointed to me, and he jumped a bit as he saw me hiding in the bundle of blankets, my eyes still wide. Erin grinned at me.

"She's hiding from you already! Good job, you need to watch out for this guy! He's a bad influence." She easily dodged the elbow that came her way with a laugh.

Raihan walked over and held out a hand to me. I stared at it for a long second, and just as his face grew uncomfortable I grasped it. He yanked me up and I found myself standing before him. All of a sudden the look in his eyes wasn't kind anymore. It was fierce and vicious as he leaned in and spoke, and though his voice was even I could feel the steel in it.

"So, you're the novice?" He didn't even let me answer as his hand rose, cutting me off. "Actually, sorry, let's start over. I'm Raihan, Gym leader of Hammerlocke, second strongest Trainer in the entirety of Galar, and a Dragon Master. Now." He leaned in, eyes still firm.

"Are you a Dragon Tamer?"

My eyes were wide as he spoke, and now I remembered him. The top expert on dragons for an entire region, strong enough to be a Champion almost anywhere else if not for his rivalry with the Galarian Champion!

"I-I am?" My voice was weak, and he sighed and shook his head before stepping back. His eyes were sad as he looked at me. Sad and disappointed.

"It's no wonder he wanted to kill you. You've got no spine, girl." I shrank in on myself a bit before I felt his hand squeeze my shoulder. Looking up, there was an easy smile on his face now, and his eyes were confident.

"Don't worry! Erin will handle your little troublemaker back there for us. I won't lie, she's probably better at that than I am. Let me tell you something about Erin, though. She's the best I've ever seen working with dragons. You won't be able to do what she does, and I would worry for your sanity if you tried." Erin laughed at that, even the Tyrantrum growling with a smile.

"Me, however? I had to claw my way to where I am now step by agonizing step. Flygon used to despise me way back when he was a Trapinch, and I hatched him from an Egg!" The green Pokemon looked up from the meat the Tyrantrum had doled out with an easy nod before going back to his feast.

"So believe me when I tell you this: I'll do my best to turn you into a Dragon Tamer while Erin teaches your Pokemon what it means to be a dragon. In two weeks, I guarantee you will walk out of this forest with a working relationship with your Pokemon." My face lit up hope as he continued.

"He may not like you by then, or work with you flawlessly. In fact I highly doubt it, but that's the first step. That's the most help we can give you, but it will be more than enough."

They were all looking at me, even my Pokemon, so I did my best to straighten my spine as I responded. If I didn't do my best here, it really would be my fault.

"Then… I will be a Dragon Tamer." He smiled and held out his hand, and we shook on it.

"By the way, you know my name. What's yours?"

I had no idea why his face went pale when I answered him.

Chapter Text

Erin

—

"Listen, dude, I didn't plan this! I was talking to Professor Oak and not five minutes later she came bursting through the doors! I'd already put the little shit in his place once, I couldn't just say 'Sorry Professor, but remember that stuff Looker mentioned? She's tied in and I don't want to be involved!' I mean… I can't just leave her alone, now that I've actually met her. She would die. This… place is a lot more brutal than I thought it would be."

Raihan just continued to frown as we strode down a small road on the outskirts of Viridian City, following Raihan's Rotom phone as it led us to the best furrier in town. The only furrier in town, apparently. His reviews were almost perfect, however, so while I left my Pokemon to train under the supervision of a Champion-level team I had finally decided to get my skins worked on.

My giant dragon mother had actually changed her mind on the headband, preferring her necklace, so the rest of the Weavile skin was apparently mine to play with other than a nice, neat cord. I was conflicted about that, however. I had killed each Sneasel, even if I didn't do it alone. I hadn't so much as scratched the Weavile, and it felt wrong to use it for something personal. I would hold onto it for now, and possibly get her a cloak.

The sudden image of her wearing the Weavile skin like a royal mantle, crown polished and bedazzled with gems, holding a giant sceptre and standing on a huge Contest stage made me smile, and I decided right then and there that I would make it happen.

Somehow.

"Erin, I'm not saying dump the kid off in the woods and never look back. I'm saying look at who the Gym Leader is here, tell me things are cool, and you're going to do what?"

I scowled at him.

"I thought they were defeated! They were the first!" He shook his head as he tried to keep up with my pace.

"Erin, those were games. Team Rocket was 'destroyed'. We tried not to look at your… past… all that much, but I have a hard time believing that organized crime was a thing of the past or easy to deal with permanently."

He was right, but it didn't stop me from scowling harder.

"I don't care. It was my plan in the first place, before I even knew, so if I skip him it will look odd later on when people retrace my path." He let out a loud groan of disappointment.

"Erin, you can't just challenge Giovanni! He doesn't even take people with less than six badges!" His eyes were mildly frantic now, and I felt my smile grow.

"Dude, I'm going to challenge every Gym Leader's personal team with her, do you really think I should skip him? He'll accept a challenge like this." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Erin, why am I in Kanto?"

My smile was smug.

"Because you have no poker face." His glare was withering.

"And you do?" Well shit, he had me there. I wouldn't be able to keep my scowl off my face if I fought him.

"I can pretend to be mute." He continued to glare at me.

"I can act like an asshole the entire time and he won't notice?" His glare intensified.

"I can… leave Leaf behind for a day, contact Looker and have him watch Giovanni and Viridian City, while I do something reckless out of a sense of personal justice and anger inflated by my aura and a giant dragon in my back pocket?"

He actually laughed, but then looked intrigued.

"That may not be the worst idea if Looker is already investigating. If! Such a huge IF! If he mobilizes a cell to capture your team, they would be easy pickings. Your team hasn't been seen yet, or at least not reported online, so he would be the only source of information." I scowled at the thought of being bait, but I wasn't truly scared of Team Rocket. Not the goons, at least.

"What about Leaf, though? After, I mean. He won't come himself, you know." He didn't have to say what he meant. I knew. I didn't know, though. Looker would know. Right?

I didn't really want to fight a human for more than a few reasons, however, and the thought brought a new topic to my mind. I slowed my pace to a light stroll, Raihan matching my pace as he looked on in understanding. Guess it was all over my face, huh?

Might as well get it over with.

"I'm scared of myself, Raihan." My voice was soft and weak and I hated it. The worst part was I couldn't tell if I hated the weakness because I was admittedly a somewhat prideful person, or if it was my draconic aura bullshit influencing me!

"I threw down with a Rank 6 dragon multiple times out of almost pure instinct! I would feel proud of myself if it had been my conscious decision, because it was honestly badass, but I can't tell if it truly was my decision, I just… acted! I don't see another method working that didn't involve putting him down, so I'm glad in one respect, my choice or not. I don't regret the results." I looked at my feet as we walked.

"I… I just feel… weak. Just the thought of being weak enrages me, but it's that very reaction that scares me. Am I even my own person anymore, or am I some sort of messed up dragon-human with an aura of doom?" He tried to speak but I talked over him.

"Small Pokemon run from me in absolute terror, Raihan! Have you noticed we haven't seen any Rattata, or Pidgey, or anything?" He started to scan around with surprised eyes, and I kept going. This one hurt to admit.

"Dude, I tossed Leaf like a rag when she rushed my moms face." His head snapped around and my face grew hot.

"It was onto the futon, she was fine. That was it. But… I was so mad, Raihan. I've been mad before. I've wanted to hurt people before. Even though I didn't want to hurt her, I've never been that mad, and it wasn't natural. It was anger and fear that I would lose it all in an instinctive snap that I know wouldn't have come, but I couldn't stop myself. It scared me, Raihan. I screamed in anger like an animal."

I stopped, looking at my feet in shame as I saw what I spoke next.

"I beat that poor Pokemon unconscious in the most humiliating way I safely could. I destroyed his spirit. It had to be done, because he was turning into a monster fast, but that doesnt mean I like it. And when I say 'it had to be done', what I mean is my instincts were screaming at me to do it."

"Hell, even the beliefs of dragons I described just felt right, and my mom even agreed with me! For all of it! The Tyrant Queen! That terrifies me. Because it may mean my beliefs, my morals themselves were changed by this shit. Am I even my own person anymore? Am I even human?"

I held up my hand to stop him from interrupting me. I wanted this all out. Who else could I tell, really? Who else could I confide in? Nurse Joy would break. Well, she wouldn't, but I didn't want to put this on her. Raihan could help.

Hopefully.

"I've seen plenty of bullies and suffered from them before, Raihan. I've never been one, but I feel more and more like one as I do this. Even without Leaf's Fraxure. I scared Larry and Cole for no reason other than my own amusement. I enjoy a good prank, a good joke, but those punchlines were just intimidation. Cole deserved it, but I didn't know that at the time. Just… more and more like a monster."

I looked at his serious teal eyes. My voice was small. Hoarse.

Weak.

"What if I snap on Leaf? She doesn't deserve that. On some random idiot that tries to push my buttons? Then I'll probably instantly lose my Pokemon." The prospect terrified me more than anything in the world. They were my new family in this world. My everything.

I snarled the next words

"What if someone tries to steal my family and I violently murder them?"

Finally I stopped. Poor Raihan looked overwhelmed and concerned, and that only made my worry grow. The Dragon Master had been thrown for a loop.

"Sorry I just… had to get that out." He shook his head in an absent dismissal while frowning, deep in thought as he walked, eyes dark.

He stayed outside the shop while I went inside, and a long hour later my hands were empty as I exited the store. I would pick my new gear up at the beginning of the circuit, and I couldn't wait. The look on Raihan's face when I exited the shop, however, made me squirm.

"We need to talk."

What a lovely sentence…

—

We sat on Mount Moon on a plateau near the peak, staring at the vast mountain ranges to the north. It was a majestic sight, endless curtains of peaks and valleys spreading into the distance as far as the eye could see, and I was grateful Raihan wanted to visit the mountain on his 'vacation'.

Raihan's Flygon was so stupid fast that the trip only took an hour, and thankfully Raihan had spare goggles. Flying was insanely fun, and I couldn't wait for my little Deino to fully evolve. His middle evolution would be hell for everyone, but well worth it in the end, however he turned out.

Flying was awesome when your chest wasn't being compressed.

After a few minutes of admiring the view he spoke. His voice was calm and composed, so very much unlike how I felt.

"You don't need to worry about your new nature, Erin." I scoffed at him and he shook his head.

"Don't mistake me, you need to remain calm at all times with people, and some meditation wouldn't hurt, but what you have isn't some monstrous curse. It is a gift, and I would take it off your hands if I could. Do you think I don't have issues with my dragons, Erin? They are dragons!" He gestured behind us at Flygon.

"By their very nature they don't like taking orders from anyone, not even the one who raised them from an Egg! That's not to say they're wild, or that they can't be serious, but they take every chance when not training or fighting to mess with me. They don't challenge me very often, but every now and then they will. Not to the death or anything, but my authority."

I raised an eyebrow at that. That wasn't what I had seen with him and his team, the opposite, actually. He nodded at my look in confirmation.

"You've never seen it, because they've always been around you or the Tyrantrum, Erin. They look at you like wise, strong, unpredictable bombs. And I'm telling you that is amazing!" I was shaking my head, though.

"I don't want to terrify my Pokemon! They're my family! I'm not trying to traumatize my Pokemon if I accidentally step on Deino or glare too hard in their general direction!"

He just kept smiling.

"Erin, I don't think you could make them afraid of you. I know they adore you, but more than that, they obey you implicitly. Your Deino has never bitten anyone you're friendly with! That's almost unheard of in the species! They look at you like the Alpha, you know that already. That is a boon." He frowned.

"I… don't know what to do about your cute Pokemon problems, unfortunately. Do you want more?"

I shook my head immediately. I had no intention of expanding my team any time soon. I didn't even have a badge and I had a full team!

"No, but I had this…sort of… vague hope that I could walk through the woods like… like some stupid Disney princess and make friends with every Pokemon I saw…" My cheeks were on fire as I mumbled that admission and he snorted a little.

I was kind enough not to elbow him.

This time.

"Now the only Pokemon that might come close to me are going to be challenging me. I'm okay with that, too, and I shouldn't be. That's embracing danger for no reason other than my satisfaction. I'll self-destruct one day."

He shoved my shoulder playfully and I glared at his wide smile.

"You do know most people fight with their Pokemon, right?" I started sputtering at that, my mouth rapidly opening and closing momentarily before I managed to shove him back.

"Y-You know what I meant!" He just kept laughing as the sun rose further into the sky. It was almost time to get back, this was just a diversion. Nothing bad would happen while we were gone, but I had said I was going to do some training.

"Listen Erin, just… relax and try to accept your new, uhh, disposition. Don't let it control you, obviously, but… this is you, now. You can't lose your aura. If you do? Report it, because that would be a first in history. So accept your aura. If you let this fester in your mind, your Pokemon will pick up on it and stress out, so accept what you can't change about your new self, and move on from there."

Bastard, that was playing dirty.

"Fine, I'll…try… I'm not looking forward to beating that dragon's ass again, though. I've kind of set a precedent with him that I would kick his ass." He laughed.

"Don't change your approach with him now, no, but I would recommend letting your Pokemon do the fighting for your next case. That dragon is Leaf's Pokemon, so eventually she'll have to do it, and she better not try and pull your stunts, you hear me?" I idly waved him off.

He trailed off and I went back to gazing through the mountain air. I thought I saw large blobs moving far off on the peaks, and wondered idly if Avalugg were spread worldwide. It would make sense…

"Hey Erin, I think some cute Pokemon might still want to say hi." He didn't sound very happy, though.

My head snapped around and I saw a pink blob jump momentarily before it continued to creep closer. It was basically just a round, pink bundle of fluff, with a large mouth and small eyes taking up most of its face. Two tiny legs enabled it to hop around, and the large brown ears and swirl of hair on its head were unnecessary for me to identify this Pokemon. One of my favorites since my first team ever, a Clefairy.

Unbidden, a growl grew in my chest as I saw the Fairy type, but to my surprise it didn't run as its eyes widened in instinctive terror momentarily. I quickly closed my eyes, thinking calm thoughts. Salandit on Deino's head, little Hatenna blasting the brat to the cheers of her new family, her protectors.

I opened my eyes, only to find her staring at me with a starry look in her eyes, and I somehow knew that wasn't a surprise to her. I smiled at her, maybe a bit tighter than I meant to. Just a bit.

"You've been listening to us, huh?" She nodded rapidly, beady little eyes never leaving mine.

They should have been cute eyes. They looked cute. They also looked like an eldritch horror was staring out at me from the shine in her eyes. It was creeping me out, but I pushed the feeling down as I continued to smile.

After the Hatterene? I could deal.

"Well, I would have liked to pet you, you adorable thing, but I guess I can't if this is going to happen." I was crestfallen despite the dragon bullshit, because other than the eyes she was adorable, but she shook her head at me.

"You didn't come to let me pet you? Did you want something?" She pointed to me, then mimed punching, then pointed to the Flygon standing to the side, watching us intently.

"Oh, the dragon I fought? Yeah? What about him?" She pointed to herself then punched a few more times, and I couldn't help but snort out a laugh. So did Raihan.

"Wait, you want to beat him up, too?" Her head started bobbing back and forth, and the image of her body-slamming Leafs rebellious Pokemon made me grin widely.

"Well, I'm not looking for any more Pokemon, sorry." She shook her head, then punched a few more times.

"You don't want to be a trainer's Pokemon?" No, no she did not. At all.

"You want to fight dragons?" A shake of the head. "The one I beat up?"

She nodded so hard she almost toppled over, but even though the thought made me darkly chuckle I held up at hand.

"You'd have to be Leaf's Pokemon, the dragon's owner." She frowned at me, arms crossed.

"I won't make you choose now, you'd have to meet her first of course, but I'm not going to let a wild Fairy run around a camp full of dragons. If you don't want to be her Pokemon, I promise I'll bring you back tomorrow unharmed, dragon's honor."

"You may also only come with me if your family or tribe knows and freely accepts that you're coming with me. I won't lead a tribe of angry fairies down on my camp either. Do you agree to those terms?"

She stood there thinking for a full minute before she looked at me with a serious expression, wiggled her hand back and forth, then held up a finger before bounding off.

Guess she needed to ask.

I turned back to Raihan, who was shaking his head with laughter. Even his Flygon seemed amused. I couldn't blame them.

If this worked out, Leaf would have a solid Pokemon to back her up, not just a rebellious dragon. The thought of a fairy in close proximity made my skin crawl, but I knew that one day my cute, scared little Hatenna would be a Hatterene, and I would not feel disgust for my own Pokemon, my own family. I refused to let that happen, so exposure therapy would work just fine for me.

I would get used to it.

That's what I told myself, anyway.

I had an idea, too. A devious idea, one that I hadn't been confident in getting off the ground for a long time, probably until I had a Hatterene. It wasn't a revolutionary trick, and plenty of teams utilised it at higher levels. It wouldn't be some devastating secret weapon, but it was one I had craved, and there was a TM shop in Viridian. They might have it, if the creepy horror show didn't already know it.

After all, what was more iconic for training than higher Gravity?

I let out an evil cackle as we waited for the little Fairy to return, getting worried looks from Raihan and his dragon.

—

Leaf

—

"Nice job! That one came out a lot faster!"

The snarl I received in return made me close my mouth with a snap of teeth, and I quickly began to turn around.

My fault.

A deep yet short growl from behind me made my spine stiffen, and I turned my gaze back to my Pokemon as he continued trying to unleash a perfect Dragon Claw onto the series of boulders the Tyrantrum had casually summoned with Ancient Power.

A huff from behind me made me smile even as my hair blew around my face.

I really couldn't believe what had happened to my life in the past day. I stood there with my Pokemon, my baby, as he unleashed Moves that weren't directed at me! I had a renowned maneater standing over my shoulder, and she was coaching me out of goodwill!

Well, that, or she had 'probably gotten tired of my ineffective commands and weak spine and decided to do something about it, because I was shaming her as a member of her 'pack'', as Erin informed me.

That seemed much more likely.

I was grateful for her assistance either way, but he was making no progress, and deliberately ignored any advice I gave. If I somehow managed to tell him the perfect way to master a Move, he would never do it. He was sabotaging himself out of spite.

He barely tolerated me, and I couldn't believe the amount of progress we had already made.

Erin's Pokemon, on the other hand, looked like they were going to war in comparison.

Skrelp hung from the back of Deinos neck as the happy little guy snarled out Bite after Bite into the air, charging through a boulder obstacle course as he went, bouncing off more than he avoided.

Erin wanted him to develop some form of crude echolocation, and he was supposedly trying to use the sounds of his footsteps and Bites to map out where the boulders were, all the while exhausting his internal stores of Dark energy. When he could Bite no more he switched to trying to break boulders with small Dragon Breaths until he could no longer, then began to Bite again when he was drained of draconic energy.

It looked like he was just bouncing his forehead off boulders to me, so we would see how it went.

Skrelp was trying to get the most pressure possible out of his Water Gun, and Erin had set him the task of continuously using up his stores of water before trying to manipulate the water he had released. So far his Water Guns had grown slightly thinner and more powerful, but he'd had no progress in aquakinesis.

Salandit and Hatenna were having a very low-stakes match as they sent out weak moves at each other. Salandit was working on Fake Out, but was having trouble with it. She'd apparently never had the chance to fight before, just to be fought. Her Embers were more consistent, but nobody wanted to test out Poison Moves while Erin wasn't here, so she refined her Scratch when she ran out of Fire energy, instead.

The adorable little Hatenna would let out a few wailing Disarming Voices on the dodging Salandit, before her poor mobility inevitably led to a Scratch or Ember landing. Then they would huddle close together while she used Life Dew, repeating the Move until they felt better, and then made trips together to the others to heal them up as well.

Salandit actually used her tail to lead the little pink Pokemon forward by the… hair? Either way, it was ridiculously cute, and I snapped a few pictures for Erin when I saw them walking around. She had already shown me her mothers 'adorable little glare', so this would be much appreciated.

Tyrunt, on the other hand, was being watched closely by her mother. She was allowed to attempt a few Tackles and pitiful Rock Throws, but both attempts were the efforts of a baby. A determined baby, but she wasnt fully grown yet.

She also had a temper, and would throw tantrums each time her mother made her stop. They were surprisingly contained and restrained, but I couldn't say it didn't startle me a bit when they first started. She had been so calm with Erin.

I wasn't worried, however. She still terrified me on an instinctive level, but I didn't think the Tyrantrum was going to eat me anymore. She also wouldn't let me get hurt like that by her own daughter. She just didn't care about the tantrums as long as they were contained, so without Erin to calm her down the Tyrunt acted much wilder.

Then she would nudge me for head pats with a smile. It was a bit exhausting, honestly.

Raihan's team stood off to the side, having already imparted their wisdom to the young Pokemon. They called out instructions to them every now and then, but they seemed more focused on munching on the crispy Pidgeot the Goodra had brought down with an overpowered Thunder. The herbivorous dragon looked on in amusement, snacking on some of Erin's fruits the Tyrantrum had allowed it to take.

I stood there amongst it all trying to project strength and confidence, and as I began to sweat under the sun I thought about our temporary companion.

I had known Erin knew the Gym Leader, and there were more than a few selfies of them and her team out there. They were practically the only way to find out about her online, actually. She had come out of the Crown Tundra in skins, having 'tamed' the Tyrant Queen (even in my own mind I wouldn't make the mistake of saying that in seriousness again, not after the first and only time), of course they would send Raihan. He was a Dragon Master, and the top authority on the type in his home region.

And he was going to help me become a true Dragon Tamer while he was here.

The sudden reversal in my fortunes was more than welcome after the past two months of pain. Actually, it was welcome after almost three years of pain.

I thought back to the look of sad disappointment he had given me as I failed a test without even knowing I was taking one. A simple question and I had quaked. Erin had done it to me, too.

"Are you a Dragon Tamer?" Disappointment.

"You know he despises you, right?" Pity.

I knew what they were doing. I wasn't stupid. I had seen them both just… flip a switch, and stop being happy, nice people and become hard, brutally honest people in an instant. I thought that they were trying to show me what I had to be. Neither had told me what or how to change, not yet at least. Raihan had just gotten here, at the very least.

They just acted and expected me to follow.

Was it because they were Dragon Masters, or was it because they were natural leaders? Raihan obviously was, it was part of his official title, even, and Erin didn't seem like the kind of person to be led by anyone but her giant Tyrant of a mother, and I wouldn't blame her for that one.

They seemed like good friends, from the selfies and the easy way they interacted. They seemed to respect each other enough to argue and forgive immediately at least, not that I'd had any clue what they were talking about earlier.

Or why they looked at me strangely sometimes.

I mean, why had Raihan looked scared when he heard my name? I didn't have the faintest idea what it meant, but one thing was sure. Erin did. She seemed too… knowing, around me. Professor Oak had trusted her with me, however, and I wouldn't say anything yet, but something was going on.

I wasn't stupid.

My thoughts were cut off by the brief sound of wings before Flygon slammed into the ground with a Protect, moving so fast there was a sonic boom as he impacted. The impact site was far from any Pokemon or the tarp, so I wasn't worried, just slightly stunned.

To my absolute delight I was presented with the sight of Erin wrapped around Flygons neck and torso with all her limbs, face pale as a laughing Raihan took selfies. I began walking over with the rest of the Pokemon, mine included, as Raihan tried and failed to release Erin's grip from the poor Pokemon's neck. It was looking increasingly more uncomfortable as Erin's strength seemed to grow greater over time.

"I-I… A-am… A G-GROUND t-ty-type d-dragon! T-that wasn't v-very f-f-funny!" The dragon began to keen lightly in amusement and Raihan doubled over in laughter as the dragon's mirth became choked.

I began to giggle, then laugh, and finally I was laughing so hard it hurt, and I wasn't alone. The entire group of Pokemon was laughing at Erin, while my Pokemon looked on in vicious delight.

I couldn't help myself.

"What happened, Raihan? I thought Erin was a badass?" He began to laugh so hard he started coughing, causing Erin's piercing gaze to slowly slide over to me. Her face was still pale, eyes still wide and panicked.

"Y-Your next w-when we go for c-clothes, k-kid." I paled a little bit myself as Raihan regained control of his breathing long enough to talk.

"She- Ha! She said 'I've been in the world's fastest airplane, this will be nothing!' when I said we needed to hurry back. My buddy here took that as a personal challenge!" He bent over and continued to laugh as Erin's arms grew ever tighter around Flygon's neck.

World's fastest airplane?

"I-I w-w-was i-inside something! N-Not just- Just there!" Her face was regaining a bit of color now, but her arms didn't loosen immediately.

"I-I... I also didn't w-want to lose our passenger, y-you devious dragon. I n-noticed your plan." The Flygon perked up in amusement even as Erin's arms squeezed tightly one last time. When she leaned back a pink blob fell out from her chest, only to be caught by Raihan. As he placed it on the ground the pink creature began to shake itself out wildly, glaring at Erin.

The small pink Pokemon was unmistakable. I had always thought they were super adorable, and would have loved to have a Clefairy on my team, but I knew that was a horrible idea with a dragon type. Much less a dragon that actively despised its trainer.

My fault.

The dragons, which were the majority of species here, all growled at her in anger, all except the Tyrantrum. The little Hatenna, however, jumped into my arms, face buried in my stomach as she shivered. I looked at her in confusion for a moment, slowly stroking her head as I watched the Clefairy give the Tyrantrum a fearful, surprised look.

It barely glanced at the smaller dragons, and that only made them madder as they stomped in place. They didn't charge, however, not even mine. He clearly wanted to, but he kept throwing looks at the Deino and Tyrunt stomping in place and restrained himself. I hoped that was a sign of good things to come, but I didn't want to get my hopes up.

I'd had enough of that.

Erin finally let go of the poor flying dragon, and she touched her forehead to the ground for a long moment before she looked up, eyes flashing as they hunted for the Fairy. Her eyes locked onto her and she whistled to get her attention.

"Not a word, fae. You know the rules." The Clefairy jerked from her fearful stare and looked at Erin with wide eyes.

"I said my mom was an Alpha. I didn't say what species."

Her grin was wide and feral, and I felt bad for the poor fairy. Her grin faded and she peered over at me, her face falling as she saw the Hatenna, and she nudged Raihan. He followed her gaze and almost rushed over to me, gently pulling the terrified Hatenna from my confused arms.

"It's okay, little girl. You're fine. You're safe. It's okay. Listen to my voice, you know me. It's me, Raihan. I have that annoying ghost phone and all the dragons. I slipped you an extra Poffin a few times while we watched Contests."

She continued to shiver in his arms as he stepped far away from the Clefairy, and my confused gaze met Erin's. She was staring me down like she would hunt me, and I didn't feel any better about that mental comparison as she stalked forwards. She stopped directly in front of me, and her voice was stern as she searched my eyes for something.

Probably weakness.

"Leaf, what do you know about fairies?" Oh no!

"W-Well, I know they have a type advantage against dragons?" I had really let my studying habits go, I realized, as she gave me a disapproving glare.

I should brush up on some things.

"Listen to me, Leaf. This Clefairy might want to travel with you. You have to convince her, but I think it would be an amazing opportunity for you." My lungs felt heavy.

"She's interested in your situation, and possibly helping you. Well, really, I think she just wants to fight the brat for her own amusement, but I made it clear that she would only be allowed to be here if she was your Pokemon." The Clefairy nodded at me from behind her, and my mind raced.

I thought that you shouldn't mix the types? Dragons and Fairies were supposed to be like oil and water! Now I have a Dragon Master suggesting it? Raihan wasn't opposed either, it seemed!

Erin caught my eye as I looked over her shoulder.

"Now listen, Leaf. If you want to talk to her, I am mediating this discussion. No arguments. I am technically your temporary guardian right now since you have no trainers license, according to Oak. I called to confirm it, actually." That was a strange restriction, but not as strange as her calling Professor Oak just Oak!

"I will not repeat this, so listen to me closely. The Fae are not something to mess with. They are dangerous, and that's not just my… type specialty talking. Don't thank her. Don't give her anything. Never promise her anything. Be polite and never apologise. I swear to Arceus if you screw up, I'm calling this off. I won't blame you for it at all, the fae are tricky, but you only get one chance at this."

"You can get to know her once she's psychically bound to you through a Pokeball, but until then you treat her like a live wire, Leaf. Do you understand me? Her species are generally playful and kind, tricksters at the worst, so I'm not truly worried. However, this is the same level of danger as a dragon, just in a very, very cute package." She smiled briefly before her serious look was back.

"Do you understand?" I stared at the tiny pink Pokemon, who looked upset, hands on her hips. Erin glanced back and smiled viciously.

"Yes, I know what you are, fae. I told you that. I will happily let you spend the night in a Pokeball and take you back home tomorrow, breaking the ball, but you will not run wild in my camp."

The wild Pokemon crossed its tiny arms and glared at her, but Erin just snarled at her before turning back to me.

I nodded at her. I hoped it might have been a firm nod, but I was barely calm as we all retreated to the campsite, Raihan as far away from the adorable Pokemon as possible still. The little Hatenna was watching the proceedings now, or I thought she was? It was hard to tell with the hair.

As I settled back on the pile of blankets the Clefairy hopped over to sit across from me. She looked inquisitive as she stared between me, Erin, and finally Riahan before her confused face turned my way once more. I could figure that out easily enough.

They're incredible.

I obviously wasn't, even at first glance.

Erin cleared her throat and sat down hard in between us, off to the side. She glared at the fairy, and it glared right back at her in a brazen display that set her younger Pokemon to growling. She raised a hand and they grew quiet, Deino soon quieting as well after Salandit slapped his head.

"This will be a verbal exchange between two equals, mediated by a third party. Do you, Leaf, and you, Clefairy, both agree to hold no grudges that may be produced from this conversation? To speak only the truth as you know it? And finally, do you both agree that there will be nothing exchanged during this discussion other than words, including debts or promises, until I call the discussion to an end?"

I boggled at her odd words, but the Clefairies face was practically thunderous as it glared at her. It gave her a tight nod, and Erin's shoulders actually seemed to relax as she turned to me. I also gave a confused nod before she spoke one more time.

"To review, she wants to join you and get strong while kicking your dragon's ass. She thinks it will be funny, and the strength she'll gain is just a bonus. You need more than one unruly Pokemon, but he would eat a Pidgey or some standard, common beginner Pokemon alive." I saw my Pokemon nod from the corner of my eye and I couldn't help but smile a bit at that.

He would, even as an Axew.

I turned to look at the Pokemon and chose my words carefully. Erin was deadly serious, so I thought long and hard as it stared back at me, adorable tiny little black eyes looking at me curiously. I tried to make my voice as steady as Erin's or Raihan's when they flipped that switch, but I don't think I got it quite right.

"I guess I don't have to tell you my situation, then. I'm a failure."

I saw Erin and Raihan both wince sadly at that, but I ignored them. The fairy was looking at me, expression intrigued. If she liked brutal honesty, well, I might as well go for it.

"I failed my Pokemon, and I failed myself. The only reason you're even interested in joining me is for a funny punching bag."

She eagerly nodded her head with a smile, eliciting a growl from behind me. I looked at her with what I hoped was steel in my eyes. Bronze, at least?

"Well, that won't be the case forever, you know. Raihan and Erin are teaching me to be better. What happens when me and my dragon turn the tables on you and start winning? Will you leave the team? Because I don't need another failed relationship with a Pokemon, thanks." I thought there might be respect in her eyes as she thought. She shook her head eventually.

"You won't leave the team over something like that?" She nodded.

"Do you have any intentions of deceiving me in the future?"

She shook her head, then drew a line on the ground before stepping over it, then looked back at me and nodded while wiggling her little arm. I sat there confused, but Erin spoke up.

"You have no intention of that at the moment, but if Leaf crosses a line, you might?" The Clefairy beamed and nodded at Erin.

I was more than a little nervous about that, and the insinuations, but Erin spoke before I could, voice light.

"That's more than fair. I wouldn't expect you to agree to something so open ended. So long as you let her know well before she crosses that line." An easy nod from the pink ball of fluff. "Good, then."

I spoke up again.

"Would you actually put in the effort as a proper teammate?" She nodded again, slower this time, and I could see Erin beaming at me for the question. Was this another test?

Was I going to pass this one?

"Do you want to follow my lead, help me with my goals?" She thought for a moment and frowned, before pointing at Erin and then me before walking in place.

"Are we traveling together?" She nodded, and I looked at Erin questioningly. At my raised eyebrow her expression finally loosened. She was frowning murderously at the fairy, but gave me a warm smile as her frown mostly disappeared.

"Yes, we are. Will you continue to travel with her when me and Leaf eventually stop traveling together, until you both agree to peacefully part?"

A more hesitant nod, but I stretched my hand out before she had finished the motion.

"I guess this doesn't technically count because of Erin being weird, but it's good to work with you." I gave the girl a mock glare as I shook the Clefairies hand, and she grinned at me before speaking.

"I declare this discussion between equals over. Catch her, Leaf."

I panicked as I realized I didn't actually own any spare Pokeballs, certain that I could never handle one Pokemon, much less two, but Erin tossed me an Ultra Ball without a word. I looked at her, the small pink Pokemon, and the ball meant for Class 8 and 9 Pokemon in confusion.

Clefairy were Class 3.

She gave me an unamused glare and hurried me along, so I turned and, with an elated smile, poked the Clefairy on the forehead. The ball rocked a few times, but with a click it stilled. I had done it.

I caught my second Pokemon!

I caught a Clefairy!

I gave Erin an odd look as she practically collapsed next to me, relief on her face. I turned to Raihan in confusion, but he also looked relieved. My tension grew as I kept glancing between the two, before my curiosity got the better of me.

"Why are you two so relieved? She's just a Clefairy, right?"

Erin's eyes popped open, and all of her young Pokemon shuddered as she spoke.

"Because fairies are one of the most dangerous types in the world for a damn good reason, Leaf." Her eyes bore into mine.

"They will save your life one minute and torment you the next. They are capricious and inconsistent. They are tricksters. That one seems fine, though, and I've done more than a little research on caught fairies."

"The psychic connection makes it impossible for them to use their powers on you without your consent, but be careful what you agree to with her. If you can extract some absolute promises to behave and such it would help a lot. Be very specific when you do, though, but not too restrictive, or she'll just leave." Her eyes got a bit soft as my mind raced. Was she that dangerous?

"She might not be that dangerous." Oh, good.

"She might become your closest ally. She might take a liking to you and spend her entire life devoted to your wellbeing, or she might just be along for the ride for a Circuit. She may grow to despise you, and desire to end your life in horrendous ways. If you're lucky." I shivered at her voice. That was experience talking. What the hell happened to her?

"She's a fairy, and right now she's harmless." She gave me a serious look.

"I know you want to baby your Pokemon, and if you're careful she might love it. Treat her right, treat her cautiously, and you'll be fine. But trust us when I say you don't want a dangerous fae anywhere near you."

Her whole team and Raihan all nodded, slobber flying out of Deinos mouth that barely missed Raihan as he dodged.

"You can release her now. I'm wary of wild fae, but I'm not scared of her. She knows just how bad an idea messing with me would be now. It was you I was worried about, but now, she's your Pokemon. Good job, Leaf."

She leaned in and gave me a one-armed hug before she plopped back on the blankets with an exhausted sigh, gently plucking the Hatenna from Raihan as she did.

I grinned in pride as I looked at my new Pokeball. With a flash she was there, staring up at me with a complicated expression on her face. She squirmed as I picked her up and began to hug her, and she was so soft I gasped in delight. My smile was wide and my whole body felt light as she squirmed around in my arms to glare up at me, arms crossed.

"Welcome to the team, Clefairy!"

Her scowl was adorable!

Chapter Text

Leaf

—

That night Erin's giant predator of a mother carried a Tauros of all things back to camp, so we had a succulent dinner of huge ribs while the group of dragons devoured the rest. Deino had taken to the job of dedicated spit-turner with great enthusiasm, and it took the Pokemon hours to slowly cook and devour the rest of the large bovine.

The Tyrantrum was oddly free with letting Raihan's dragons eat their fill before slowly munching on the rest, and when I asked, Erin grinned and told me she was probably already mostly full. Through some pantomime Erin managed to figure out that it had been an Arbok, which was delicious, and a Pinsir, which was foul, but that food was food and it was enjoyable to chew, at least.

I tried not to think about that as I devoured the ribs Erin had cooked. I had never had the expensive, hard to acquire dish before. Tauros were practically impossible to domesticate, as the herds inevitably rebelled every month or so, causing Stampedes that broke through steel walls. Miltank were much easier to domesticate, and supplied most commercial quantities of red meat.

These tasted nothing like the tough, bland Miltank ribs I had eaten once before at a nice restaurant in Viridian City.

Erin had placed a large, roughly cut wooden tray of pre-sliced ribs (why?) between us as we sat on logs the Tyrantrum had dragged over. The outside was almost charred, with the spices she had thoroughly, agonizingly tested and applied to it burned into an almost overwhelming flavor, but the moist, tender, savory meat of the ribs themselves balanced it so well that I had moaned when I took my first bite.

Raihan'd had a similar reaction, and between us we slowly devoured rib after rib, and I only took a rib after the other two had. I didn't even realize I was doing it until my fourth rib, but they hadn't noticed either, probably because Raihan waited for Erin to eat first. Like it was just natural, and it didn't even look like they were aware of the interplay as we ate the huge ribs. They just ate. Like it was natural. It was pretty funny, actually.

My newest Pokemon (I still couldn't believe that! Erin brought back a Clefairy! And I convinced her to join me!) wasn't making friends fast, that was for sure. She seemed to enjoy the glares of the dragons as she bounced around the camp, munching on some vegetables that Erin had reluctantly parted with. Erin had threatened, and probably extracted promises from her, immediately after I caught the fairy, or so I assumed. Even though she stared at my baby with undisguised glee dancing in those tiny eyes, hands clenched, she never approached him. Not even as he glared at her, but the smirking stare she never seemed to lose around him drove him insane.

He didn't dare do anything with Erin and the Tyrantrum there, however.

The weirdest thing about dinner was the argument between Raihan and Erin, however.

It wasn't really an argument, exactly, but as we sat and talked they seemed to have what I could only describe as an 'enjoyable disagreement'. Erin was defending her low opinion of Raihan's homeland, and while she seemed genuinely apologetic, she was unwilling to change her stance on the matter.

Raihan seemed irritated and defiant, obviously, but oddly understanding as he argued back. Their words weren't harsh, but they were almost touching each other as they postured at each other.

That's what they were doing.

Posturing.

"Your low- Your weak Pokemon are all boring! Your gimmick sucks! Let's just make them biiiiig! Ooohh! You have living cream! Your Meowth variant makes me sad for their species! You have Skwovets! Enough said!"

Raihan was undeterred by her words, however.

"How can you love cute pokemon and hate Skwovets!? Look, let me find a picture, look at those stupid little eyes-!"

"No, put it away! I'm warning you, Raihan, don't show me one of those horrid things! You know how disappointed I was when they were the first- when I saw them everywhere!"

It was like they were…

Nah, that was stupid.

Right?

I want to ask.

I really shouldn't, though.

It was a bad idea.

I knew that like I knew the sun would eventually rise.

It was a certainty. A bad idea.

A very bad idea.

The worst idea I'd had in a long time.

Also funny.

I couldn't help myself.

"So, are you two dating?"

It was like I stopped time itself. Everyone froze, and Erin's horrified, disgusted looking face was only matched by the one on Raihan's as they stared at me, stunned for a moment, before their horrified faces turned towards each other. They then looked down.

Erin was almost sitting in his lap, his jacket bunched in one hand as she held up a fist above his face. Raihan's hand was clamped to the top of her head, pushing her away, taking selfies with the phone in his other hand.

His Rotom ghost had refused to take pictures of the pissed off Dragon Master and vacated the phone, so Raihan was stuck trying to do it manually. Despite the apparent anger on display, they had been smiling before I spoke, even as they bickered.

Instead of blushing like I thought she would, Erin's face grew slightly green as her eyes closed for a long second before weakly opening.

"Oh my go- Arceus, that was a vile thought, Leaf. Age aside, Raihan?!" She gagged a little at the end. Her tone was scathing as she glared at me queasily, mouth quirked like she tasted something sour.

I looked at her in confusion as Raihan nodded along with her.

"Leaf, girl, that was cruel. Once again, age aside, I mean, Erin?! Her?!" His nose was scrunched up like he had smelled a Muk, and I couldn't help but sputter a bit. She was nodding along with him, too!

"T-That's a bit harsh, wow. I thought you guys liked each other." I mean, I had figured they weren't because of the age difference, but I had meant to embarrass them, not… this! They looked disgusted!

Their scathing glares were identical, and then it all made sense. My eyes grew wide, my mouth forming a large 'O'' as I gasped in sudden realization.

"Oh, it's because you're the same person!"

Erin's eyes began to glow, and I didn't struggle as the Tyrantrum snatched me up, away from the murderous glare on her daughter's red face.

Raihan just began to laugh uproariously. It wasn't that funny, right? If they weren't dating, they were the best of friends, then.

"Leaf! Leaf, if you come down now, I won't be mad."

She wasn't lying.

I knew better, however. I had hung on her every word up till now, this strange, savage trainer I had found myself about to journey with. I had gotten a feel for Erin.

Erin tried to never lie. She wasn't bound to not lie like fairies apparently were, but she did her best. She only said she wouldn't be mad.

She could easily be furious, however. That was a loophole, and it was so obvious I knew she was actually upset.

I'd have believed her if she said I would be safe.

I giggled from my high position. The jacket bunched under my arms wasn't comfortable, but I was smug as I laughed down at my teachers.

"You can't touch me! You are the same! Your mom knows it too!"

Said mother nodded, sending me bouncing uncomfortably. I could feel her grin, and I continued, giggling as my arms went wide.

"You can't touch me, Erin, literally! You know I'm right! Bow before my wisdom!"

My smile was wide as I gleefully looked down at my vicious mentor/minder, and she playfully glared at me in response to my theatrics, but only for a second.

Then the biggest, darkest, wickedest smile I had ever seen spread across her face, eyes absolutely shining with delight as they noticed something behind me, while Raihan looked up from his laughing with a terrified face.

Erin looked like all of her birthdays had come early.

At once.

I had fucked up.

I knew I had really fucked up when I felt myself flying through the air, and as I spun in mid-air I watched the suddenly cavernous jaws rush up to meet me. I barely had time to notice that she was covering her teeth with her tongue and lips before I was snatched out of the air with surprising delicacy. I found myself inside her mouth and oh my Arceus I'M DEAD!

The tongue tossed me around the horrid, nightmarishly dark, wet place I found myself, until I was facing forward. As my heart tried its best to explode, I felt a deep, repeating wet clack from behind me. It was rapid and I hesitated to call the physical vibrations in my body amused, but it was!

She was chuckling at me!

Her jaws opened a tiny bit, then her lips peeled back. Through her teeth I could see Erin on her knees, laughing so hard she sounded like she was rapidly hiccuping. She held her stomach and wheezed as she begged for the pain to stop!

Her smile threatened to split her lips at the edges, though. Her entire mouth was wide open in a gaping smile, like she couldn't believe her luck, and her eyes actually shone with a light, calming purple light. I had never seen that before, but I instantly knew it was her absolute delight at the situation.

At her good fortune to be in a position to watch.

My position was pretty shitty right about now, though.

The entire camp was laughing, dragon and not, my new Clefairy looking like her birthday had come early as she held her stomach in pain. Even though Raihan looked mildly concerned at first, he began to laugh as well after I used a huge tooth to pull myself to the front of the gigantic mouth- oh Arceus I'm in her MOUTH- and he saw that I was okay.

Not that I was OKAY!

"W-w-what the hell, why? I t-thought you liked me?!" I wasn't whining, I swear!

I thought she saw me as a pack member or something, right?

The gigantic mouth nodded, my vision tilting, then she began chuckling again. The sound was overwhelming in her jaws, and I desperately hoped that she wouldn't accidentally swallow! Oh Arceus hear my prayer I beg you!

Raihan stopped laughing long enough to speak, while Erin's Pokemon looked at her in concern, circling around her as she lay on the ground.

She was turning blue as she desperately gasped for air.

"She does like you, Leaf, she even protected you from her enraged daughter! Haha-!"

Raihan almost choked himself as he violently straightened and cleared his throat in an attempt to straighten up. His eyes and cheeks bulged as he tried to hold back a laugh, hand to his mouth. He failed, laughed once, and then he folded. He bent over, holding his knees as he tried to breathe and talk at the same time, which was really hard.

Especially because he never stopped laughing while he spoke. His voice came out warbly and bouncy, and my face paled as he continued.

I felt cold.

"She respected the gall it took to do that to Erin and me, to our faces, but you're in timeout now, girl! You got too prideful! You told her daughter to bow down to you!"

He began howling with laughter, head thrown back as he collapsed onto the grass. He kept going, too, with the most shiteating grin I had ever seen on anyone! Ever!

Even in fiction!

"The way you flipped! I would have paid for that selfie, and I've never paid for one before!"

It didn't stop him from taking a lot of selfies with my trapped face anyways, almost unable to hold the phone as he convulsed. Luckily for him his Rotom phone wasn't scared of me.

I wasn't Erin.

He would have plenty of pictures to choose from. Like everyone else, including me to my infinite surprise, the ghostly phone had relaxed around the surprisingly courteous and considerate giant maneater after they had talked, and had thus had no problems rapidly phasing through her teeth to use its front and back cameras to create the most humiliating, hilarious picture collage I had ever seen. I would have been grateful when he posted it and tagged me!

If it hadn't been ME in the collage, that was! I regretted agreeing to let him post anything as I first realized I stood in front of a Dragon Tamer Gym Leader. I had felt so much awe, then.

Then.

He continued to laugh the entire time, while off to the side, Erin's little Hatenna was hopping up and down on her chest as she fought for oxygen.

The sheer joy on her face threatened to split it in half as she smiled, and she looked so content. She finally managed to speak, barely above a whisper, but I heard it as the Tyrantrum finally stopped chuckling.

"That was so good… I could die happy now, that was just beautiful."

I glared at the older girl from behind the gigantic teeth, and as I lay there on the wet, hot tongue of a gargantuan predator, restrained as my death sat feet behind me, covered in thick saliva, the odor of rotting meat enveloping me from all sides, I promised myself something.

I would never do that again.

I knew that I might find the entire thing amusing tomorrow. It was not tomorrow, outside of her mouth and safe. It was not tomorrow, after a shower and a good night's sleep that hopefully wouldn't be plagued by nightmares of falling into huge jaws!

I knew that was a doomed hope.

My anger and frustration at my situation boiled over and I began to whine and thrash on her giant tongue, legs flailing.

I knew she wouldn't eat me.

That didn't mean I couldn't make the situation worse, however.

Arceus as my witness, I swore I heard her go 'heh' before her lips turned away from her devious daughter, the view changing to show the valley we had yet to explore.

"Oh you should not have fought your punishment, girl! You're a member of the pack now, and you just defied her judgement!"

I couldn't see his face, but I knew Raihan was smiling. Erin was gasping again, and her menagerie was howling along with her, my Clefairy's cheerful cries sharp in the air as she cackled maniacally.

At least she was having fun with her new trainer?

I heard my baby's sinister laugh as well, and I was almost amused, until I felt her tongue shift me until I was held, gently but firmly, in place. A tiny, yet intense Protect sprung up around my skin, and I did my best not to soil myself as I watched her grin from the inside.

"Please make it fast, mom. We'll need to go get her cleaned up after! The camp shower won't cut it!" Erin managed to choke that out before she started bellowing with laughter again.

The sounds of laughter grew fainter behind us as she strode forward. She wasn't even going fast, but her sheer size meant a lot of ground was covered with each stride. I gulped as I stared forward through the teeth. She leaned forward, then began to scuff her feet on the ground at the valley entrance.

I tried to stop the high-pitched whimper that formed, but I failed miserably.

"Listen, Erin said fast, right? So please make it short but fast? Please? I'll be good? I swear? Please?"

My momentary hope as she actually took the time to think about it was dashed to pieces when she shook her head. The view changed as the giant Tyrantrum hopped around a few times, adjusting how she held my body with her giant tongue.

It was disgusting, but I would later admit that the run was surprisingly secure and safe.

It was horrific. Diabolical. Sadistic. Nightmare-inducing, and overall just not a nice thing to do to me or anyone, but it was safe.

I didn't know that I was completely safe in the moment, not as my view rapidly changed, the Tyrantrum moving so fast that the surroundings almost seemed to blur. The high-pitched whistling sound her peeled lips made, and the vibrating lips, must have amused her terribly, because she didn't stop even after she found a nice little lake and took a brief swim, despite her Rock typing. Well, we sunk, and she just kept running.

She didn't stop after she found a Golem and used it as a massive golf ball with her oversized tail.

She didn't even stop after the canyon turned into a river, no, she jumped from wall to wall as she ascended, her giant claws tearing into the stone, and then she kept going when she reached the plateau. She eventually went all the way back to the beginning, and she must have forgotten about me, or really liked the entire course.

That would explain why she kept doing it.

Eventually Erin showed up and actually pleaded with her to stop, and I found that I had been right. The titanic predator had forgotten about me as she had fun, but the same instincts that told her to pick her baby up in her mouth ensured I had been safe. After all, you can't have a species eat its young too often, especially predator species.

I didn't feel safe until I was pulled from the gigantic maw, though, and soon Erin's stupid smiling face filled my vision.

I stared at her blankly.

She was holding Skrelp, and I looked at him in horrid frozen fascination and hope as he inhaled.

"Let's get the worst off. Close your mouth and eyes, might want to hold your nose-"

She cut off as a blast of weak, continuous water hit my entire body almost at once, and I briefly marveled at Skrelp's control before I began to scrub off the saliva. It required five more blasts before we moved to strategic bombardment, and by the end poor Skrelp looked like he was going to turn to dust.

Since there was a stream nearby, he soon hopped into the barrel Erin had purchased for him. She couldn't store it full of water, but since she could just barely fit it into a standard Storage Ball, she told me she planned to fill it up for him as often as possible.

Her love for her Pokemon was an inspiration to me, truly, but I was feeling very uncharitable about one of them as I stood there in silence.

I was very disorientated, and after Erin stared at me with concern she laughed. My eyes blinked slowly as I looked at her, and she shook her head.

"Nothing. It's already dark, but do you want to get some ice cream?"

I just stared at her blankly.

"You look like you could use some, and it's minutes by Flygon. A Flygon who pranked me, and who would love to do something nice to get back in my good graces."

The dragon looked over and nodded rapidly, even though she wasn't looking at him.

"You really look like you could use a Pokemon Center shower and some ice cream, before we bring some back for everyone." Her Hatenna, Deino, and Tyrunt giggled and roared out cheers at her words, but the rest of her team only looked mildly interested.

Raihan nodded from his spot on the blanket pile. He had returned from Viridian city with his own futon and five blankets, and had delightedly announced his intent to 'sleep with an infamous maneater', which had amused the Tyrantrum to no end. And Erin, though she told him to cut it out with the jokes about her mother.

I had blushed when I finally got it.

"I'll keep an eye on things here. Bring me back some chocolate, please."

She looked at him as I slowly took in my condition. I expected the way I looked, but the ripe smell of rotting meat clung to me now, and I gagged a little as my eyes and thoughts grew clearer.

And slightly panicked.

"Just basic chocolate for the man who practically defines 'excessive'?" He laughed at her.

"And Stantler Tracks is any better? You sound like a basic bitch." She began to giggle as I finally looked away from a vague spot in space. Our eyes met and I practically begged as I spoke the next words.

"Shower? Please?"

She ushered me towards the Pokemon, catching a Pokeball Raihan threw at her.

"Let's get you clean, Leaf. I'll grab you a change of clothes, just dont… dont go near our stuff right now, please."

Flygon eyed me warily as I drew closer, and I gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry…" He laughed briefly, a high pitched keen, then shook his head, shrugging. As I climbed on, Erin met us with a bundle, hopping up behind me with a sheet as a divider between us, her hand lashing out and snagging Flygon's neck as she landed.

Her voice was sweet, affectionate.

"Now, this bad boy right here can do one to fucking infinity in sixty seconds flat, but tonight he's going to take it niiiice and easy, right?" Flygon nodded, but we could both see the huge smile on his face.

She still screamed as the devious dragon launched us into the air, a Protect steadying us before we slowly flew away.

—

Erin

—

I stood in a fresh set of clothes, hair still damp. I had reasonably pointed out that I would take a two minute shower since I was still relatively clean, especially by my recent outdoorsy-leaning standards. Leaf, however?

She was going to be in there for a while, the poor thing.

I chuckled to myself again as I left the tiny, free Pokemon Center room, the image of Leaf flipping through the air above my mothers giant open maw all I needed to feel a warm glow inside. I left Flygon behind to watch her, and he was content to recline on the single tiny bed and flip through the channels. He was simultaneously the fastest and laziest dragon I had yet to meet, and he was a devious prankster who used his fear of me to fuel his little schemes.

I loved the asshole so much already.

I took an idle, wandering route as I walked. I had been told what to do by Raihan earlier with a frown from the man. I had no destination, and I began to feel very stupid as I very nearly made a circle, until I heard a cough from behind me, that was. Then I smiled, turning.

Looker was there, his tired-looking Alakazam glaring at me as he reached out. I didn't fight them as our surroundings changed, and I found myself in a richly decorated, windowless room with what looked like antique cabinets to the sides.

A table and two chairs sat there, and had I been a criminal I would be shitting my pants at the sheer speed with which I had been abducted. I could have stopped it, but only because Looker warned me. A smart decision.

I would not react well to being teleported suddenly.

"Hey there, Looker. Long time no-" He cut me off as he sat down, his chair tilting back as he stretched out in exhaustion.

"Stop giving me more work, Erin!" I suddenly felt a bit bad, but I was far more concerned. The bags under his eyes had bags, and I seriously wondered if he had even slept since the mind meld. That worried me. A lot, actually.

""He hasn't, and your concern is appreciated. He will be fine. You could stop adding petty feuds to his workload, however."" I glared at the psychic.

"This isn't a petty feud, and you know it. Mewtwo already happened, right?"

The flinch at the name was my answer. It wasn't easy to find any news on the evil teams online due to government Porygons and Porygon 2's, so I hadn't actually known.

"Then let's not give him the chance to try again with something else! What if he pulls the 'Crown of Control Giratina' out of his ass somehow! For all I know it might exist! They kept doing stupid wacky shit as it went along!" Looker was shaking his head.

"We have our suspicions, but even with your knowledge, we haven't been able to pin him down on anything. Despise the man or not, he isn't stupid. How will putting a target on your back with a one versus six stompdown help? How will your petty little feud actually help? Describe your plan."

My voice was calm as I spoke. I didn't know exactly, but I knew I was right.

Right?

"After I destroy his pride, he'll want me dead. He'll want my mother captured, too. For all I know he has another Master Ball stashed away, and that's the only thing that would work. I'd have to be dead first, though. He won't come himself, but he'll know at least some of my mothers strengths."

"He'll send an Executive after me if he has one available, and at least one powerful Ice type, more likely a lot of them. He'll have me watched after she trashes his team, and when I go out without my bandoleer, holding her Pokeball to 'hunt', he won't be able to resist."

"Raihan is willing to help if I can get you to agree, if he can remain anonymous. He's already thinking about his 'disguise', which worries me quite a bit." He was bad enough when he dressed himself normally! Those shorts were a crime when combined with that jacket! It was actually not a bad jacket, I kind of liked it, it was those damn shorts!

"If the only one who knows about her is Giovanni and his Gym and I get attacked, that's a very easy connection to make. You go from there with your investigation."

He practically growled his next words at me.

"And Leaf? The protagonist that you're apparently going to travel with?" I glared at his tone.

"I was ambushed by the poor girl, Looker! After I had already put the brat in his place once! I'm not stupid, I'm leaving her behind at the Center with the rest of my team. I will be the only one in danger, and I'll be perfectly fine."

He slammed his hands on the table before pointing at my left hand. At my stump.

"This isn't a game Erin! This isn't virtual reality Pokemon: Erin Edition! I see your perspective, I really do. You would actually be doing me a favor, and helping put Giovanni away. I won't deny that, and that's the only reason we're meeting. We're meeting in person because I owe you. Because I am grateful. We're meeting in person so I can make sure you're not doing some stupid dragon aura bullshit and rushing into danger you're in no way prepared for."

My eyes narrowed at him and he glared back.

"Your help would be invaluable in drawing out a response from the man, but this isn't a game. This is real life, and real people with real lives will lose those lives if you do this. Even if we were trying to be nice to Team Rocket, which we aren't, it would be impossible to non-lethally take down the kind of firepower they would bring to bear against the Tyrant Queen. People will die. Are you ready to be the one to end their lives?"

I frowned at the desk as he continued.

"Let me make my thoughts on this matter crystal clear, Erin. I think you have some sort of savior complex that you keep ignoring and denying."

I looked up with an angry face, but he was impassive as he stared me down.

"I can't deny that your entrance to this world was strange, but you are not our savior, Erin. You aren't Arceus's Champion, because he apparently already has one that walks the world!"

His face grew pale for a second, and I had to imagine that an entire division of Interpol was closely watching Ash Ketchum at this very moment. That poor kid kept getting thrown into wacky shit.

"In my honest opinion, you were given a gift when you were sent here, Erin. Don't squander it on vigilante heroism that will get you killed. What happens after we take down that strike team? The gears will be turning, yes, but that doesn't mean you would be safe from retribution! You seem hell-bent on not valuing your second life, so what about Leaf's only life?"

I winced at the thought I had hoped to avoid, that I had hoped he would solve, and he continued ruthlessly, eyes digging into me like knives.

"From what Raihan has told me, you're her Pokemon's last hope, and the girl seems to look up to you for some reason. That says concerning things about her psyche, and I would like all of you to get some therapy at some point, but that's besides the point right now."

His glare hurt as I shrunk into my chair, feeling small.

"Your motives are wrong, Erin. You aren't a dragon, you're a human. A vulnerable, squishy human who wants to act like she's an invincible video game hero, and you are not."

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as he relaxed. Honestly, he looked better now, even after yelling at me. Probably the first time he's sat down in a while.

Or vented at someone who deserved it.

I wasn't looking better, though. I felt small and weak as I listened to him tear into me.

I felt like a kid.

"You haven't convinced me. You could be invaluable as bait, but I won't allow you to go play hero, Erin. Leaf is a child."

He was right, and that stung. I was letting my excitement at battling, my desire for my own personal justice overshadow my caution, and I was endangering not just myself, but the rest of my team as well. Not to mention Leaf.

She was a child.

Still, I couldn't just do nothing. Right?

The seconds passed, and eventually Looker's eyes opened and he looked at me, speaking gently.

"Are you done, Erin?"

I was silent for a long moment and then began to speak, my voice weak and rough.

"I can't look away, Looker. I can see them now. The cages. Desperate, panicked eyes that look for a trainer, for a partner, a friend that's not there. That they will never see again. Eyes full of terror for the whips and electricity and starvation they know come next, because this was the nightmare they had always dreaded. That they had only ever seen reported on the nightly news, as their favorite person stroked them gently in the warmth and comfort of their home."

"I close my eyes and I see that. I see my baby girl behind bars, my sweet little Hatenna crying again, and I can't just ignore it. These aren't sprites in a game, empty-looking cages that had dialogue windows instead of showing you the horror of what that would actually look like in reality."

My voice was wet and thick, but I refused to cry as I continued. He was finally giving me a serious look.

"This isn't a game, Looker, you're right. This is real life, and those are real lives. Every day we wait, it continues and gets worse, and I'm barely holding myself back to the beginning of the circuit as it is, now that I know it's still ongoing."

"I'm constantly trying not to think about the Rattata torn from his child owner's arms being electrocuted when it won't attack an innocent target. About the wild Pokemon rounded up, separated from their family, their world, and introduced to structured pain. This isn't the happy-go-lucky world I had hoped for, Looker. I thought they were all gone, because now it was just Rose and that insane endless hole SCP shit in Paldea, as far as I knew. I thought… I don't know. Not this."

I growled as I spoke the next words, and I'd be willing to bet that my eyes were doing that glowing shit.

"I don't want to be a hero. Let Ash deal with the Legendaries and shit. I just want to right a wrong that's in front of me. If I didn't have the mother that I did, I wouldn't have even brought this up. I'm not suicidal."

"I bought her Protection, and she's already almost mastered it! We can almost break the sound barrier and I don't feel a thing when she cuts a hard left! She's huge, fast, and fiercely protective of me. All I have to do is be a target, and defend myself for a bit while you move in. Unless you don't trust your agents?" He glared at me and I continued.

"As for Leaf, like I said, I'll leave her behind. Tell her my moms hungry so we're going to hunt. A couple hours to hunt isn't crazy. She'll never even know. After they fail, they won't try again, especially if you're confident about Giovanni's downfall."

He sighed, stretching his empty hands out in an open gesture.

"Erin, I don't have a plan for Giovanni yet. The plan would be to find an opening once you rattle him, which we might be able to do, but I can't have agents watch you the entire time you're in Kanto, let alone Leaf."

He shook his head slowly, eyes firm.

"No. You're not putting her in that kind of danger without her knowledge, and I know you won't tell her at all considering she is a thirteen year old girl. I don't care if she's the protagonist, Erin. As we've established, this isn't a game. Her life isn't a game, nor its continuance assured."

"You can't have it both ways. Your newfound responsibilities to Leaf, or your desire for your own personal justice. Choose."

He leaned across the table, and he seemed just as intimidating as my new mother was at that moment. His eyes were hard.

"Separate from her and I'll let you go on your own little crusade. I'll get you a Mr Mime bodyguard, even, their Barriers are the best in the world."

I frowned at the thought of the creepy Pokemon. Almost as bad as Jynx or Hypno.

"I'll get your team the best training, and I'll point you at criminals like one of those 'nukes' you tried so hard not to think about. I'll even get your mother a set of armor like you thought about in amusement, too, and I'll turn her into the deadliest Alpha in history before I send you barreling towards the remnants of the evil teams." He was serious. He would actually do that.

"You can go fight for truth and justice and the infinite fucking power of friendship, but you won't drag anyone else into it." He observed me in the silence that followed, calmly watching me.

I hated how he was right. My plans were reckless and foolish, and dragging Leaf into it wouldn't be fair. Not that I had planned to, or known I would be traveling with her in the first place when I had the Tyrant Queen Boss Battle idea, but it would have happened.

"I would say I got a good read on you, Erin. Dragon nonsense or not, you're a caring person, and I know you're not going to abandon that poor girl the second she's begun to feel hope again. You're not going to abandon her to a newly caught fairy and her vicious dragon that's apparently already tried to kill her."

"You're going to get yourself killed and leave her all alone with her failures again if you don't listen to me, and can you, now that you've met her? Can you do that to her?"

I really wished he would stop. He'd made his point.

"I think, Erin, that you've suddenly found yourself powerful, and you're not used to it. You want to use it, and I have no doubt that any poachers you encounter will regret their last moments. If you get proof, I won't even care when your new mother devours them. It saves a lot of cleanup later." Okay, didn't expect that…

"That's very different from dragging a child into danger, painting a target on her back, and then abandoning her out of fear for her own safety, all in an attempt to right the wrongs of the world single handedly."

His voice got softer.

"I think you're desperate to prove to yourself that you're a good person in this new life, and you're not thinking about the wellbeing of anyone in that quest, not yourself, not Leaf, not your new family, nor your friends."

I'd never heard his voice as soft as it was now. He'd never needed to use it with me before.

Because I was weak.

"You are a good person, Erin, and I'd be happy to call you a friend once I get a chance to breathe. You did the best thing you could possibly think of by contacting me, and I know that for a fact. I've seen your mind as it grappled with this world."

His Alakazam was giving me a pitying look that I knew he knew I hated. He didn't stop.

"You admittedly had some ulterior motives, like the documentation and protection, but what shone through most in your mind was the fear for others. I saw the Darkest Day in your mind. I felt your dread at what it would be like for real, and your only concern wasn't vengeance on Rose or Oleana for their plans, it was the people that would be hurt. You were even concerned for Eternatus, and the terrifying thought that Rose would somehow succeed and trap the poor thing as a power source for generations."

He sighed deeply, the bags under his eyes making him look so old. He was like, forty or something, not sixty! Alakazam smirked at him briefly.

"Go back to your young dragon protegee, have some ice cream, and calm down. If I have anything I think you can help with, I'll let you know. I know you want to help. I know you want to do good."

"I know you also don't want to leave that girl alone to wither and die, so be the responsible adult."

I managed to meet his eyes, slight amusement peeking through the intense shame I felt burning with.

"I'm technically fourteen?" He snorted.

"You know damn well you're not a child, no matter what your Trainer Card says." He smirked at me.

"Then can I get a drink? I need one."

He laughed at me, but I kept my flat face trained onto him. My flat, youthful face. His face fell as he stared at me.

"You're serious."

"Please tell him, Alakazam. All I see is eyes. I have two options in mind right now, but since I am a responsible adult, you know which one I would prefer. This is a nice looking room. I bet there's some here."

Looker glared at me for several long seconds as Alakazam communicated with him. I glared harder and he sighed, sharing a long look with his partner.

He walked to a cabinet and opened it, and after a few clinks came back with two glasses half-full of a dark, rich-looking amber liquid. He slid it over to me, glancing at his Pokemon. Alakazam was frowning at him for some reason, though.

He met my eyes with a serious look, then Alakazam's, then mine again.

"This didn't happen. We finished talking and I took you back to the Pokemon Center. Nothing else."

I smiled as I grabbed the glass, bringing the glass to my nose. I'd never had an appreciation for dark liquors, but the heady aroma that wafted off the stormy liquid told me that I'd never had this dark liquor before.

"You could have made me eighteen if you'd wanted, you know? Even if I look super young. I knew a girl like that in high school. She looked like a freshman when she graduated! It would have been fine, even with my voice!" He snorted as he collapsed into his chair again, smelling the liquor with a smile.

"The drinking age in Indigo is twenty one anyways." I groaned before speaking again.

"While we're on the subject, why am I fourteen? We both know I look late thirteen at the very youngest! Couldn't you have made me fifteen at least? Hell, my new birthday was when I got here!"

He smiled at me, the smile of a hunter who always found his prey. He was an Interpol agent, and he was a good one. He leaned across the table, an evil smile on his face.

"This way I get an extra four years of viewing your full records and active profile, since I'm your legal representative in this world. I might not be your willing guardian, but this way I can keep an eye on you. As a minor, it's much easier to keep track of the stupidity I knew you would pull."

Smart, smug bastard. Youth was great. Being a kid wasn't, even if I didn't act like a kid.

I acted like an irresponsible adult in a kid's body, instead. Apparently...

"You did good this time, Erin. You talked to people before you acted and you listened."

I struggled with how good it felt to hear that from someone I respected.

"I'm just worried about what happens the next time you want to play the hero and don't. You're remarkably mature sometimes, but you sure act your age."

That hurt to hear. It sounded true.

"I honestly thought the first I heard about you would be in the form of a report of wanton destruction in the countryside as you recklessly tested your newfound mother's power, so I'm still pleasantly surprised."

I have been busy, excuse me! I'm going to generate that report! Tomorrow, probably!

He stretched his arm out, and we lightly tapped our glasses together before I took a sip.

The way the almost sweet liquid coated my tongue, slickly thick somehow, made me hum in delight. I opened my mouth slightly, getting a rush of cool air that transformed the flavorful liquid into something so delicious I almost couldn't believe the taste. It was like nothing I had ever had before, by a long shot, and I licked my lips as I stared at the glass in pleased shock.

Looker laughed as he took a calm sip of his own.

"You must like it! Wintown Shuckle Brandy, all the way from Fiore, made with a trade secret combination of Berries by a friendly colony of Shuckles. Supplies are highly limited, since the Shuckle only make so much every year. Unlike most Shuckle Farms, Wintown Shuckle Brewery only has verbal agreements with their Shuckles, so they're all wild. Their yields are always varied, so each bottle is worth… a lot. It is precious."

His voice was warm as he spoke, eyes closed as he savored the smell of his drink, and I smiled at the sight.

Looker looked like shit, and it looked like he was also enjoying this section of time that 'wasn't happening.' I was glad at least something good had come out of my… childishness, and Alakazam gave me a thankful look as the thought came and went.

"This is the best liquor I've ever had, Looker. I need more already." I was being honest, too. It was magical. He chuckled at me, taking another long sip.

"Then I would advise you to cool that head of yours if you want to live long enough to enjoy more expensive alcohol. Don't expect this to happen again, by the way. Alakazam told me you had no thoughts of overdoing it or making it a habit, so I allowed it this once because he can tell just how rattled you really are underneath that mask you try to wear."

I ducked my head in shame and he continued.

"I wasn't joking earlier, Erin. You need therapy. So does Leaf. Your Hatenna needs therapy, along with your other young Pokémon to varying degrees after your encounter. I know that the thought crossed your mind more than a few times on your trek to civilization. You also knew not to go to a random therapist, but I've been so busy I forgot about you most of the time, in all honesty. I'm sorry."

I waved him off even as I stared into the rich, delicious drink.

He was so busy it would probably boggle my mind. I was one unimportant person, not an emergency. Just a used up source of information. A spent cartridge.

And my stupidity had dragged him here, distracting him from something that might be important.

Because I thought I could matter.

"So here's an additional rule, Erin. I will find you a discreet therapist, one who's been read in. It may take awhile, and they aren't in large supply, but once I find one you will see them as often as they deem necessary. Leaf needs it just as much as you, if not more from what Raihan tells me, and your Hatenna deserves it."

I fiercely nodded as he said that last part, eyes still dark. He sighed heavily.

"I admire your drive, Erin. I don't think anyone in that memory link doesn't. Drive can only get you so far, though. You're stumbling forward, going faster and faster, and all you feel is the speed, the fun, the power."

I admired the feel of the liquor as it coated my mouth and listened, hating the still-growing feeling of shame.

"You need to slow down before you finally trip, because the longer it takes, the worse it's going to hurt when you finally do, and you'll drag down your new family and Leaf when you do."

I took another small sip, luxuriating in the expensive taste of artificial scarcity. Not much left, now.

"I already know you're not going to abandon the kid, so stop acting like one. Think, Erin." He finished his drink, staring at the glass as he rolled it between his palms.

"You can call me or Joyce anytime you need to talk, even if I'll rarely be able to pick up, but if I find you drinking again before you hit the correct age I'll call Joyce and tell her. I've already talked to her and Raihan and Bird about therapy as well, so she'll also be one of the first to know when you miss an appointment."

I flinched as he said that. Nurse Joy, Joyce, texted me frequently, constantly worried for my health. I was mildly regretful she had been required to sit in on the memory link just because of my youthful new body. Aside from the trauma the poor woman undoubtedly experienced thanks to it, she had become far too motherly.

Aunt-ly? She was far too smart of a woman to try and push into a motherly role with my current mother looming there, but she honestly tired me out with her well-intentioned concern.

Yes, for the fifth time, I bought enough vegetables. She literally felt my cravings for them during my carnivorous trek, why would I skimp out with all the 'don't sue us' money I had?!

"You can't threaten me with the Nurse, Looker. I'm not a kid."

I finished my glass and slowly, carefully placed it on the table. It was a nicely cut glass, and I didn't want to pay for it if I broke the expensive thing. I wasn't already feeling buzzed in my smaller, frailer, tolerance-lacking, weak body.

Not at all.

He gave me a firm, direct look.

"Then stop acting like a child, Erin. You can't fix the world."

"You're not a hero."

"This isn't a game, either."

—

Leaf

—

When I finally stumbled out of the shower I felt raw, but I no longer felt like a Growlithes chew toy either, so I was satisfied. I got changed into a fresh set of clothes and stepped into the small room, only to find Flygon watching a Pokemon Contest. He turned the TV off as soon as I came out, but I caught it.

He stared at me.

I stared back.

"Where's Erin?" He pointed out the door, still watching me with those huge eyes as he rose from the bed, holding his Pokeball.

"Well, let's go?" He stared at me for another second before pointing at the TV, then to me, then he held a finger to his mouth.

I smiled at him. Sweetly.

"I have no reason to say anything, do I?"

He sighed in relief, before freezing at my touch on his shoulder. I tried to smile like Erin did as he looked into my eyes.

"Let's keep it that way, shall we?"

Erin would have been proud at the way he rapidly nodded. I didn't assault him like a madwoman, I blackmailed him, but I had just cowed a Champion level dragon, however briefly. I didn't care about his secret, Contests were cool, but the rush of getting one over on such a powerful Pokemon was intoxicating.

My smile was wide as he glared at me suspiciously.

Erin wasn't downstairs in the lobby when we got there, and a quick look around showed her to be nowhere to be found. We went outside, but she wasn't waiting for us out there either, so I pulled my PokeNav out and called her. I wanted my ice cream. Badly. I deserved it after that.

As I waited for her to pick up I heard a ringtone and I turned around, not quite believing my ears. We were just in there!

Erin walked out of the Center, hand already lifting her PokeNav. She frowned as she glanced at us, putting it away even as she breezed past the two of us.

"Come along, children! Places to be, and all that…" She wasn't stomping, but she looked upset as she gained distance. Me and Flygon exchanged looks before we hurried after her.

I had watched this insane person intently the past couple of days, and I knew something was wrong just by the way she walked. She was stiff, controlled. She wasn't stalking around like a damn Tyrantrum like she normally did, even if she vehemently denied the fact. She looked like she was trying to run from something.

The thought gave me pause, because that was something I would do. Not the 'Tyrant Tamer', the Savage Trainer. Not the insane girl who beat a Rank 6 Pokemon into unconsciousness with pure strategy and raw brutality. Not my savage new mentor.

She was silent as we caught up, and I felt so conflicted as she refused to make eye contact. She just walked, staring straight ahead, neck stiff. Her head never turned, not an inch, not a twitch.

Like she was walking away from something important, and trying not to look back.

She remained silent as we ordered some cones, and while she insisted on paying, the ice cream began melting on her cone, uneaten. She just stared at it as we sat on a bench in a dimly-lit park nearby.

Even Flygon was disconcerted, his eyes never leaving her even as he devoured his meat flavored ice cream. Because of course that was a thing for Pokemon in an actual city. Erin had perked up momentarily at the discovery, but only for that brief second.

"Do you want to… talk?"

My voice was hesitant, and I wondered what help I could even offer this person. Nothing. The answer was nothing. I was a pity case. She and Raihan didn't have to say it for me to know it.

I still wanted to try.

I don't think she even heard me, and she didn't answer, the question hanging in the cool night air. It was early spring, and every night was warmer than the previous one, now. The air was already thick with pollen, but the nights were still thankfully cool.

I felt colder than that would account for as I watched as the ice cream finally melted enough to overflow, Erin's hand becoming a sticky mess as she sat like a statue.

When she finally spoke her voice was slow and almost seemed slurred, but that had to be my imagination. Right?

"I just want to be a good person. I just want to do the right thing. But the right thing isn't the right kind of right, right now!"

She sadly giggled a little before she walked to a trashcan and dumped the melted mess out. She devoured the bottom of the cone and then tossed the rest into the trash. She quickly rinsed her hand off in a nearby drinking fountain before sauntering back.

When she plopped onto the bench next to me, her face was blank as she spoke. Her voice wasn't even a whisper, and even a foot from her I almost didn't hear it. I doubted she meant for anyone to.

"Agony or death, huh, you bitch?"

She growled, screaming through closed lips. The sound was primal. It sounded like a weak, wounded Pokemon. Her eyes weren't calm when she looked up, but they weren't wild like they had been a moment ago.

"I'm a responsible adult. We've established that already."

Excuse me, I hadn't agreed to that! For many reasons, the primary one being that she was a kid, too! She was fourteen! Let's not get started on the 'responsible' part!

"I'm a responsible adult, so I'll do one right thing. One thing right… And I'll abandon the others. It's the adult thing to do, eyes or no eyes…"

What the hell was that supposed to even mean?

She sighed and looked up, staring at the half-moon out tonight. She turned to stare at me, and I couldn't read the look in her eyes as she stared at me with those piercing light purple eyes. They didn't glow with a sinister light this time, but they did shine with unshed tears. Her voice was thick.

"I'll do the right thing, because no choice is right. There are only choices, and consequences you have to deal with."

She turned to stare at the ground as she struggled to speak.

"I'm not strong. I'm not skilled. I'm not smart. I got lucky, and I'm terrified I'll figure it out eventually. Realize just how much I've failed. I'll forget something fundamental, finally reach the limits of my bullshitting, my family will pay the price, and it will be all my fault."

My fault.

I reached out and touched her shoulder hesitantly. I wanted to comfort her immediately, as the look in her eyes hurt just to see, but Raihan had already passed on a few tips on how to interact with dragons.

I figured treating Erin like an unstable dragon wouldn't bother her, and I did not want my arm ripped off (or punched, she was actually kind of weak even for her size, to her visible irritation).

She didn't lash out at me as I slowly reached around her other shoulder, pulling her into a light hug. She didn't reciprocate, remaining stiff as she stared blankly ahead, but she didn't pull away either.

"I'm nothing special."

She was trembling.

"I can't fix all the wrongs in the world. I'm just one person with a giant dragon."

"I'm no hero." There was venom in her voice as she spat the word before her head dropped.

"I'm just a trainer on her first journey, unimportant and weak."

Chapter Text

Leaf

—

"Leaf, do you have any idea what's wrong with Erin? Flygon didn't blast off again, did he? He came in really slow, actually. I wouldn't mind a landing like that every now and then."

I looked at Raihan in desperate confusion as Erin half-way hung from me. She had not enjoyed the flight back. She was unsteady, and while her eyes were dry, she looked like she was crying, her face scrunched up, eyes deep pits. Her arms were wrapped around herself and she refused to meet anyone's eyes as she slipped away from me.

"No, she was fine when we got there…" I glanced at her in wariness but she didn't appear to hear me as she began to slowly walk off towards the woods.

"We got ice cream, but she was like this after I got done with my shower. It got worse over time, but she just… stopped, during the flight."

His eyes narrowed at Erin before he rose from the bedding, walking over to stop her with a hand on her arm, an intense look on his face.

Raihan peered closer at her, and when his face got close to hers he softly grabbed the back of her head, gently drawing her closer to him. His head drew close to her head, eyes steely yet also so gentle.

As their faces neared his expression grew worried and he held her closer before he sniffed. After a moment he began to glower at her, a huge scowl on his face.

He looked behind him at the Tyrantrum with said furious scowl and she also looked highly displeased. The Tyrantrum roughly nodded at him, so with a low growl Raihan grabbed Erin.

He didn't grab her arm. He didn't grab her hand, or her shoulder as he began to drag her away from the camp. He didn't grab her clothes, her bandoleer, or her belt...

Instead, he grabbed her face. He threw his huge hand over the top of her head, palm latched onto her face as he began to slowly walk, fingers digging into her skull. He dragged her behind him as she stumbled forward, bent almost in half as his arm pulled, still attached to her face.

Her Pokemon didn't seem surprised, to my surprise, and just watched the scene in silence.

The Salandit was nodding in approval!

"I'll kiilll yoo Raihan, let meh go! I will not beh treated like a schiild!"

Her tone was murderous as she screeched into his huge hand. She tried to flail at him, but fierce, savage Dragon Master or not, he was huge compared to her, and far stronger.

He just kept marching her by her face, dragging her behind him slowly as he completely ignored her flailing arms and legs. His grip was like steel.

"Be thankful it's me doing this and not your mother, Erin! If you'd prefer I can let her give you the Leaf Special!"

I resent that, Raihan, you ass!

He bellowed it so loudly that I was certain no Pokemon in a ten mile radius was asleep right now, and with a massive, aggressive snarl he dragged her off into the woods.

I heard them continue their fight for a bit, but not much of it.

"I am- am a drragonnn!" She roared, anger dripping from her voice like acid.

I would freely admit she didn't whine it out, and it actually was intimidating, to me at least, but the response made me smile.

Raihan barked out a single laugh before he growled at her.

"You don't say? Girl, I am a Dragon Master, so calm your crazy ass down before I put you in your place! Don't think that because you've won once means you will again!"

She snarled into his palm as they went around a large stand of trees, and soon their voices were just blurs in the distance. I could almost, barely hear them, though. The stream was over there, so they must be talking next to it.

And I couldn't hear them.

They hadn't said 'Hey Leaf, don't listen in.'

They hadn't even noticed me.

Could anyone blame me for being curious? Erin and Raihan acted like the best of friends, but had only known each other less than a week.

Why was Erin drunk, because I had the horrible feeling that's what I had seen.

And smelled.

Why was she so sad? What had happened to my new mentor?

Why had she looked at me like that?

I wish I could describe the look, but it was blank! It was so blank that it scared me, truly scared me. Like she was seeing me, but at the same time she was seeing something horrific and ignoring it, and the only reason I didn't speak up was because she was obviously scared for me, not of me.

Why did they both look at me like that, sometimes?

I looked around and found a panorama of Pokemon idly training, resting, and in Hatenna's case, catching a fun ride on the baby Tyrunt as she charged around the clearing. They weren't really looking at me, but I knew they wouldn't allow me to follow Erin or Raihan, especially not her mother.

Her mom aside, her Pokemon looked at her like she caused the sun to rise, and it hurt me to see what I could have had. If I hadn't been a failure. If this wasn't all my fault.

My fault.

My newest Pokemon came up to me and stared into my face, Clefairy beaming. Her smile was too knowing as she glanced towards the woods, then back to the camp full of Pokemon that would restrain me if I made a move for the distant argument I could almost hear. She grinned and cocked her head at me, then the forest behind me.

Really? Am I just too hopeful?

Could she help me? Would she help me? They know something about me! They're keeping me in the dark about something!

Erin wasn't as smart as she thought she was, and she babbled. Not that I would ever tell her that. She was great about not talking about the weirdest things, and she thought she was smooth when she tried to redirect me. She thought she was smart. Thought. I hadn't known her long at all, but I knew that.

Raihan was smart, though.

"Can you distract them?" She nodded and I grew elated.

"Would you do that for me for a fair price?"

She held her hand to her ear, pointed at me, then pointed to herself and then deliberately spoke her name with a singsong tone, Cleee-Faaii-Ryyyy. She then stared up at me with those adorably beady little eyes absolutely glowing. The light in her eyes seemed to shift… twice? Was that a flicker in the shine in her eyes?!

What the fuck was that!?

"You'll help me if I tell you what I hear?"

I smiled at her, still mostly okay. Mostly. I had known something like this would happen eventually within five minutes of getting her, thanks to Erin ranting. Don't freeze in front of a fae. Keep going. Don't show the horror you feel when you finally see it.

I had finally seen it.

She was so wrong.

But she was so adorable.

She nodded rapidly, smiling wide. The Tyrantrum was giving us a direct glare, and met my eyes, so I lowered my voice as I continued.

"I can't promise you that! I don't know what I'll hear! I'll tell you what I believe she won't actually kill me for or break our traveling plans if she finds out, good enough?" Erin's warnings screamed in my mind, even as I used her teachings against her.

Clefairy, my cute, pink, absolutely adorable fae thought about it for a long moment, eyes closed tightly, before her little eyes latched onto mine and she lightly nodded at me.

She wasn't nearly as happy as she had been before, and from what Erin said that was a good thing, but suddenly she was smiling. She pointed towards the sounds of Erin and Raihan's voices, then slowly lowered an arm in that direction. With a huge grin she winked at me before rapidly bouncing over to the meat spit.

It stood unused at the moment, though it was holding a roasted Tauros leg safely off the ground. The instant my little fairy touched it the entire camp growled and snapped, even little Hatenna looking vicariously offended as she glared.

She loathed my new fairy already.

Clefairy gave a wide, innocent grin before her hand slowly rose and shoved it over. It toppled to the ground with a clang, and I could almost see the tiny cloud of dust that covered the meat. Not that they would have cared about dirt on their food, but it was the infuriating culprit, the deliberate nature of the act, that made the offense so great.

The come at me gesture was entirely unnecessary, as the entire camp began to chase her, Hatenna riding Tyrunt while Salandit and Skrelp rode Deino, Salandit standing on his head and already beginning to conjure globes of flame. Raihans dragons leapt forward, too, and even though they weren't going all out they were fast.

All but the Tyrantrum, who's eyes nonetheless continued to unerringly follow my newest Pokemon as she began to sprint towards the training grounds nearby, occasionally front flipping so she could continue to give them hand gestures while upside down.

It looked like the move Follow Me, and I grew excited as I watched her utilize the move effortlessly, over and over again while running from Champion level Pokemon, even if they were going easy. She was so powerful!

The Move looked a lot more like middle fingers now, though.

I didn't breathe as I crawled away, too scared to even watch behind me as I did, and I finally took a deep breath as I entered the trees. Raihan's raised voice was easy to follow, but I didn't hear Erin at all. As I drew closer, crawling like Erin's Salandit, I finally began to make out words.

"-Looker thinking?! What were you thinking? You are a minor, Erin! You are fourteen!"

She was obstinate, though, and mad. She also sounded sad, however, and it was odd to hear from the Dragon Master, even after the park.

"Now! Now I'm a minor, and whose fault is that? Not mine! I'm an adult, you don't get to tell me I'm that- that I'm a minor!" She stumbled her words out, and as I crept closer I couldn't help but notice the slurring. It was slurring!

"Erin, Looker fucked with your age, yes! What does it matter if you're fourteen or eighteen? Drinking age is twenty one here!"

Holy shit I knew it, she was drunk! Also, what the hell? Her age was screwed with? Why?

"You know I'm not a kid… I'm the furthest thing from a kid, yet I get stuck at fourteen again when Looker could have made me eighteen. All so he can keep an eye on me for longer as my legal representative. I don't want to be fourteen again!" Whaaat?

"Do you want to be twenty one and drink again, Erin?" His tone was scathing, and she mumbled her response.

"Well, nooo…" I heard her sniffle. "I just don't wanna be a kid again, Raihan. It's… so embarrassing."

She sounded sullen, and with one final, careful movement my body slowly slipped around a tree and I saw them.

Erin was sprawled on the grass next to the tiny river we had set up camp near, Raihan glaring down at her as he stood. His voice was so disappointed as he spoke.

"Your actions don't exactly scream adult right now, Erin. You were smart enough to talk to people and not run off, so good job! You did the bare minimum to be an adult, but then you just kept backtracking!"

He clapped his hands sarcastically, glaring down at her as he scowled.

She growled as she rolled upright, snarling at him. It wasn't a good snarl. It was… loose?

"I didn't think that roughly, oh, I don't know, three shots would get me blitzed! You know I had a huge tolerance! I'm not stupid, I know my body now, so don't give me that! Go get me three shots of vodka and I'll tell you what clean water tastes like!" She snarled at him then leaned back on her elbows, looking slightly queasy.

"Jes-Arceus, why? I'm so glad I ate all those ribs- ugh."

She gagged a bit before taking a huge breath, eyes closed, holding it for so long I began to think the girl might have literally killed herself out of sheer pride, refusing to vomit or something. Her eyes popped open, and with a slow exhale she began breathing normally again. She looked fine now. Not sober, not by any means, but not blitzed, as she put it.

She looked like she knew what to do when way too drunk. At fourteen!

How?!

Shit, was my new mentor an alcoholic?

Raihan looked sympathetic as he stared down at her. His anger had evaporated for now, but I now knew his anger was a close friend to him, and would come back any time he called. It wasn't allowed to stay, but it was welcome to visit. He had demonstrated that very clearly.

His voice was slightly amused despite the disapproval radiating from him.

"That was after years, and you were also much bigger, Erin, but I will give you that one. Looker knew this would happen, and he wanted to punish you. Probably for successfully guilting him into serving alcohol to a technical minor. And as a bonus, the lesson it will inevitably end up teaching you." He sighed briefly, holding the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Wintown Shuckle Brandy is extremely potent, not to mention ruinously expensive. I've had it, it's amazingly delicious. A half cup is also the equivalent of two full glasses of normal liquor. It tastes like the best fruit juice in the world, but it's like a… very strong moonshine, it just doesn't hurt like that vile stuff."

He shuddered, his entire face contracted, arms pulling in as he lightly shuddered like he had just tasted literal waste.

What was moonshine? It sounded like a Pokemon Move, but you drank it?

Erin chuckled darkly as she flopped backwards onto the grass, her arms splayed out.

"Blame Looker, then, plus holy shit he matched me! Maybe he wanted an excuse to finally sleep, now that I think about it? Or blame Alakazam. Poor guy knew I needed it just from the eyes, but Looker poured it. I wanted a nice buzz, not this! Consider that before you judge my… shlosh-ed-ness." She giggled after that, and she seemed actually happy for a brief moment at the word.

Okay, just what the fuck, an Alakazam, now? That was a hard species to evolve, and most commercial Teleportation services used Kadabra's, or preferably Porygon's when it was local, since they didn't mind mindless work like that. Alakazams hated working for non-psychics, too!

"Erin, still, you can't just… Aagh!" He broke off, running a hand through his hair. He pulled that ridiculous orange hat-thing off and threw it at her face.

She groaned for a second before falling quiet.

"Raihan, what do I doo?" He shook his head. He looked sad as he answered her.

"You do the same thing you were planning when you got to Oak's lab. Go on a journey. Win badges, have fun, and dominate the next Conference with disturbing ease, even without your mom's help."

Her voice was shaky as she responded.

"And when I know there's terrible things happening to Pokemon and humans right now? When I know who's behind it? In that city right there! Just because the authorities can't do anything? When I can't do anything about it unless I abandon that poor girl?" Her voice broke into something resembling a scream as she said that, panic in her voice.

Terrified panic.

My heart froze. There was no doubt in my mind she was talking about me. The poor girl.

My fault.

"Raihan, you've seen me. I know what it's like to be abandoned. I could never do that. Leaf is a scared child who needs help right now. I couldn't abandon her, especially not now that I've met her, and beat her dragons ass! I could never abandon her the second I gave her anything resembling hope, and I know that!"

She was angry as she spoke, the slur almost fading, the venom in her voice palpable.

"Why couldn't I just be an asshole? Leave her with you for a week and hope for the best? Why do I have to be a good person? Because I'm tired of it, if this is the choice I have to make, and it hasn't even been a week! Death or agony? Do I rush to an early grave like Looker offered, dragging my family along for the ride? Do I act like the main character? Or do I turn a blind eye to the atrocities I know are still! Fucking! Happening!? I have to! This was supposed to be a fun life! A gift! Not- Not this!" She looked up, eyes blazing dark purple.

"If I find a Team Rocket base, it's gone, Raihan. My mother will eat them all alive, every single one that doesn't surrender. I don't care if they're in Team Rocket to support their old, frail, sickly parents who are shining examples of humanity's best traits. I do not care. There is no parallel that is exact, but it is the sickest combination of slavery, trafficking, and abuse that I can think of! Pokemon are sapient!"

"I tried not to think about it, as in, I tried not to during the thing, but you might have caught a word that I don't even want to say. They are far from being the same thing. However, feel the hate that I hold for that word. That everyone where I'm from held."

"When people made video games and needed human enemies with guns that you were supposed to feel good about killing, they were the first solution, because it is good to eliminate evil. It was moral to put them down. They were synonymous with evil."

"Team Rocket aren't those people, but they evoke the same feeling of disgust, of hate in me. They deserve the same amount of sympathy shown, which is none. I won't feel bad about what I know I will do, not to those who perpetrate and perform those acts knowingly on innocent beings."

"They are Team Rocket, and I will not take a single step out of my way to find them, but when they encounter me they are food!"

She was snarling so hard that I saw drool fall off her teeth as she seethed!

What the fuck Erin?!

Also, what the fuck? For so many things. Where was Erin from? Who were those people she kept referring to, and let's not forget something!

She's going to feed live people to her mother!? W-What?! What! Even Team Rocket! That had to be a war crime! Right? Even if they're terrorists? They're still humans, right?

Right?

She was grinning as she spoke. It was a sad grin. A desperate grin, like she didn't want to have the thought but couldn't stop herself. Her eyes shone like my little monster's in the dim moonlight.

"We had these things called the Geneva Conventions, but there was never a need to add 'death by nom nom'!"

She giggled, just once, and the sound made my stomach churn. She shook her head and looked down. She spoke exceedingly slowly, making each word count as Raihan quietly watched, worry in his eyes as he frowned at her.

"It will be quick, which they don't deserve, but their ends will not be easy, Raihan. Fuck Team Rocket. Fuck slavers, abusers, and those that support them knowingly. She won't eat anyone that surrenders, but if they fight back I'm not going to stop my mother from taking offense like I could. I will not order it, but I won't flinch away from it."

"I will give them every chance to live, but I will put them down if they don't take those chances."

She sighed heavily before continuing, voice somewhat lighter.

"I was required to purchase a Rotom phone to record evidence before my mother eats the evidence, though. Which I had to pay for, before Looker even let me out of his spooky-nice hidden spy room." She grumbled a bit before continuing.

"So now I'm almost broke, by the way. I've got, like, ten thousand left. Those phones are expensive, and I had to get the top of the line, obviously. That's without the Rotom they're obviously supplying me. Obviously." Her voice was scathing as she sneered.

Raihan whistled at that, looking at her in surprise.

"Damn girl, you had like two mil from the Preserve, right?" she nodded.

Two million dollars, excuse me, say that again? My baby's ticket was a million and it took me years!

"Yeah, Cole royally fucked me over and now the only benefit I got out of that was just negated entirely. Don't get me wrong, Rotom phones are cool, and it'll probably have like, every gadget they can in one phone, but still! My money! Once again, that wasn't my choice!"

She shook her head, hair flying. Her Sneasel feathers bobbed as she did, swaying but stiff, so unlike their appearance would suggest.

"Either way, what I'm saying is if I'm going to go by the Savage Trainer, I might as well show the evil teams what that means when it's not a game, one on one or two on two, one at a time. Taking turns. Not attacking the trainer. Let's make them experience a cheater! I'll grind for experience with them and then turn them into dinosaur food when they expect a ten year old with happy, nice Pokemon and the power of friendship and kindness!"

She was snarling almost as wide as she had smiled watching me marinate in her mothers mouth. It was an angry, hungry snarl.

"Raihan, I'm going to annihilate any threat in our path, and my biggest issue is how to do that without Leaf knowing." She sighed heavily.

"Looker understands that, too."

Her voice was downtrodden as she continued, her shoulders falling.

"How many will I stumble upon, though? Why not go after their boss? Why not piss off that psychopath? It would work for sure! I know that! You know that! Looker knows that! Why not use my own worthless life as bait for Giovanni?!"

I barely had time to think about those revelations before Raihan had charged Erin with an angry, exasperated groan.

He knocked her flailing arms and legs out of the way as he snatched her up, lifting her over his head as he turned towards the small river.

"Raihan, don't you dare-!" The huge splash in the dark, sparkling in the moonlight, was glorious.

When she sputtered to the surface he reached in to pull her out. She grabbed his hand with both arms and pulled, but Raihan didn't budge. He looked sad but unyielding as he looked down at her.

"Not going to happen, Erin. You're too weak." She looked like he had slapped her, and she let herself be pulled out. He then practically smacked her as he grabbed her face with both hands, forcing her eyes to meet his.

"Your life isn't worthless, Erin. Your life is unexpected, for sure, but you have worth. You just won't find that worth in playing the hero." Her eyes were downcast as she replied, sullen. Sulking.

"I'll leave that to Ash Ketchum, Hero of this universe, Arceus' Chosen, and a shitty destroyer of evil teams, I guess. Maybe that's not his job, anyways. I'm just Erin." Her voice was like acid.

WHAT!?

Excuse me, GO BACK!?

"That poor kid didn't choose that either, now did he? He didn't sign a form, just like you never signed a form. We know that for certain, I've seen your memories, Erin. You never agreed to anything when you came here."

Memory stuff is cool but GO! BACK! WHAT?!

He released her, letting her fall to the ground bonelessly in a heap as he dropped next to her, leaning back on his arms as he looked at the sky.

"Looker was right, Erin. You aren't some world savior sent from the great beyond. You aren't Arceus' chosen, because he has one. You aren't a hero, and you're not the protagonist of a game. This isn't a kids cartoon where young children take Flamethrowers to the face and live either, Erin." He was pointedly staring at her left hand.

That's disturbing but go back, go BACK! BACK! Repeat that!

Ash!?

"You may have played the games, but you weren't the hero of any of those stories. Red was. Ethan was, Brendan, Lucas, May, Dawn, all the others were. Not. You."

Wait, Red?! He was what?!

My poor brain, what the FUCK was all this!

Am I having a stroke?

"You brought Looker information, Erin. You were a messenger with life-saving information who was given the gift of life in repayment, yet you act like you're special. You were special, for sure, but nobody's that special forever unless your name is Ketchum."

Seriously, what the fuck was up with Ash? With Erin? With… this?

"Raihan, I close my eyes and I see their eyes. Right now, at this very moment in time, somewhere, a Team Rocket grunt is beating his newly-stolen Rattata with a whip."

Her voice was so soft, so deliberately calm that it hurt to hear. My horror only grew as she continued. She was certain.

"Right now, that Ratatta is frantically hoping to be saved. Every minute feels like an hour because his heart is beating so fast, he's so panicked at all times, and everything is processing too well. He's desperately praying to go back to his original trainer, the small human boy who loved him and held him close and played with him and gave him his favorite peanut butter crackers. He's hoping that eventually he can eat anything, and he knows the only way he will is if he does what he's told." Her voice threatened to break, but she cleared her throat quickly.

"Every time he sees the remote in the man's hand, the shiny red button that will hurt him when he disobeys, he flinches, but he eventually obeys or dies. Most beings want to live, Raihan. It's unfortunate, sometimes." Her eyes were so sad, so lost.

"He's praying desperately that it's a dream, as his monster of a trainer orders him to attack the small, familiar boy who was desperately searching for his best friend. The boy who is impossibly where he shouldn't be."

"The boy smiles at his lost friend, so relieved that the nightmare is over, that his best friend isn't gone, that he somehow managed to find him against all odds… The collar crackles." She let the words hang in the air for a moment.

"What does he do, Raihan?" He was silent.

"Tell me something like that hasn't happened before, Raihan. Tell me that, theatrics with the boy aside, that isn't reality right now for some poor Pokemon. Then tell me I should feel bad for not wanting to look away."

"That could be my family. Never my mother, they would have to kill her, but my baby girl? My happy little guy? My kelp buddy, my depressed gecko, or my traumatized little miracle? If it were them, would I ever forgive someone if they could have saved them, but hesitated out of fear?"

"Can I forgive myself if I don't try to do something? I can't, absolutely not. Never. Can I forgive myself if I drag Leaf into danger? Absolutely not, never. Could I abandon her in favor of running off to play hero?" She was very quiet for a moment before she slowly answered her own question.

"No, Raihan. I couldn't. I could no more do that than cut my other pinky off. So just like that fucking monster said, my only choices are death or agony, even if it wasn't me she was talking about at the moment, just her victims. It's just not my death on the scales that I care about, because apparently the agony was never an option in the first place. It's inevitable no matter what I choose."

Monster?…Victims?

"She would die, Raihan. This isn't Pokemon Red or Blue. You don't 'white out', and grinding would be abuse and ecosystem disruption rolled into one. There's no limits on what you can do in battle here, or at least it feels that way to me. It's so harsh here, and it feels so much like back home sometimes that it scares me. Because it's so real." She sounded like she was about to cry.

Many things about that one, but where was home for her?

"I'm not sure I want to live if I'm going to become a monster, either. Looker didn't seem to care if I did at all, but feeding people to my mom? I might actually do that, Raihan. I really don't know if I will or not, and that scares me. If I'm seeing red and abused Pokemon and they won't surrender? Nom nom."

This Looker person should probably care!

Raihan was silent for a moment as he thought. When he spoke, his voice was soft, but slightly teasing.

"I'm going to tell your mom you don't care about your life or dying."

She snorted lightly, pulling her knees up as she hugged herself tightly.

"You think she doesn't know? She was in the mind reading, dumbass. She saw me, you're not going to surprise her."

"I'll tell your Pokemon." She shoved him and he let the force twist him around.

"No you won't, because they won't understand, and you're not cruel."

He smiled, sadly I thought, then abruptly reached out and shoved Erin back to the ground. She just lay there in silence.

"If I hear about you drinking again I'll send Flygon all the way over here to kick your ass." She giggled a little.

"Yeah, like he'll ever have the guts to mess with me. More than he does with his pranks, I guess."

"I'll send him with Torkoal, then. He's not scared of you at all. Let's see you fight an inferno that bites your ankles, Erin."

I was pushing it, so I began to slowly back away. Too many thoughts were rushing through my head right now to be attentive enough, and the argument seemed over. I needed to go, now! Erin wouldn't actually kill me, but I was terrified of another timeout.

The snap of the branch under my hand left me horrified, and I looked up, expecting to see glowing purple eyes as Erin rushed me, Raihan holding her back.

Instead they both just gave me a sad look as I peered up from the forest floor.

They didn't look mad. They looked exhausted, if for different reasons. Raihan was obviously tired from dealing with Erin, and Erin…

Erin looked broken, and like she didn't care that she was.

She looked at Raihan with a sad smile. Her voice was soft as she spoke. I had never, ever heard her talk like that, and I instantly hoped I never would again. She sounded so lost.

It was far too familiar.

"What do I do, Raihan?"

Chapter Text

Leaf

—

"Hey mom… just leave me. Let… me… die…" Erin's voice was scratchy and weak as she steadfastly refused to come out of the pile of blankets the next morning. The gargantuan head did not 'just leave her.' The Tyrantrum pushed her around like a rolled up rug.

"Just… if you could, please turn the sun off…?"

She was not having a good time, and I saw a flash of pained purple eyes before she began to spin, cocooning herself further.

Raihan looked down at her with pity in his eyes. There was also plenty of worry, anger, and disappointment in those bright teal orbs, but it was mostly pity. He met the Tyrantrum's eyes and after a moment she slowly opened her mouth, undulated her tongue, closed her gargantuan maw, then looked towards her hungover daughter with a piercing stare.

That wasn't too unusual though. It was her default look, as I had finally figured out.

She still looked very unhappy.

Raihan grinned at her before snagging a water bottle. Through some forced maneuvers that involved a Deino counter weight and a Tyrunt jaw to pull a clump of blankets away, he managed to get Erin to drink the entire thing over the course of a few minutes. She still refused to come out, though, and with a sigh Raihan gave the Tyrantrum a nod.

The wide smile on her giant face made me smile in spite of my recent memories, and it grew to encompass my entire face as she rudely began to toss Erin around, freeing her from her pile. She wore only a thin shirt and sleeping shorts, and her eyes were blazing purple as she glared at the scaled arms and massive face forcing her to shed her cocoon.

Her glare was murderous, but it was also full of fearful anticipation, eyes wide.

"You have fun last night, Erin?" Raihan was smiling as he spoke, tone sweet, and she paled, her jaw slowly dropping in an expression of absolute horror, eyes dimming.

"I already talked to you last night, don't worry. Me and you, we have an understanding, we're fine, girl. Forget about it. Your mom, however, hasn't had the chance to have her talk with you yet. She is very disappointed in you, Erin. You should feel bad, disappointing such a caring mother."

Eyes wide with terror, Erin began to whine, a high-pitched sound that started softly but grew.

"Have fun trying to break the sound barrier, Erin! It's a good thing you bought her Protect! You have my sympathies for many things, but actions have consequences." His smile was wide and vindictive as she wiggled in the large arms that she had swore the Tyrantrum would never carry her with.

Although, that was not carrying.

That was restraining.

"Bye, now! Have fun, girl!"

He waved at her as the arms tossed her upwards. Erin barely had a second to continue her loud, high-pitched whine before the jaws snatched her out of the air, and after a couple moments turning Erin around inside her mouth, the Tyrantrum slowly walked to the edge of the clearing, mouth barely hanging open like she was panting.

Then the Tyrant Queen began to laugh, a series of full-body laughs that whistled out of her open jaws as her tail fought to stabilize her shaking bulk. She cackled as she began to hop on her feet in anticipation, head thrown back in glee.

I could hear Erin's piercing, terrified, pleading screams even as I heard the Protection fizzle into existence in the jaws. The Tyrantrum leaned forward, still chuckling, braced, and then she disappeared.

She wasn't a blur, I could clearly see the gigantic predator running away from us, but I very quickly realized that I truly had gotten the 'Leaf Special'.

Because the 'Erin Special' was about ten times worse, it looked like. I realized that she had been loping with me, just some casual speed from the Tyrant Queen to punish her overly prideful pack member, not something she was unused to, considering she was a dragon Queen. She had been kind to me, despite the horrific ride she had subjected me to.

With Erin? With her 'fourteen' year old daughter who had gotten that messed up on alcohol and made a fool of herself?

I swear the Tyrant Queen was using Rock Polish! She kept going faster and faster, and even as she got smaller in the distance she seemed to shine. She was soon out of sight, and while I didn't hear a sonic boom, I think she was coming close as she ran full-speed.

Her full speed.

As I finally stopped laughing long enough to turn around I found the entire clearing now glaring at me. My baby needed no encouragement, of course, but it was extra spicy today.

Even the cute little Hatenna was glaring at me with an adorable pout. I looked over to try and meet Raihan's eyes, but he was already fussing with the packs, pulling refrigerated Storage Balls out. He wasn't looking at me.

Neither of them had looked at me.

The only one in the camp who was happy to see me was my new fairy, and her face fell when our eyes met last night. She could tell just by the look in my eyes. I had shaken my head at her.

There was no way I was saying anything about last night without a verbal agreement from Erin that I wouldn't die.

Until after I got advice from her about my deal with the tiny horror.

Until I got help.

Not that I knew what any of that stuff meant, and they hadn't even yelled! They didn't scream at me, berate me, congratulate me on my audacity, nothing! They just sent me back and…

Ignored me.

They hadn't said a word to me, and it was starting to scare me.

"S-So, uh, Raihan, can we-"

He turned around slowly, and I wish there had been a snarl on his face. I wished he had twisted around and glared at me. A frown. An angry glower, an enraged scream. Hate dancing in his eyes, like I had grown so used to from my baby. A blank look of dismissal, hard as that would have been.

Anything but the disappointment that overwhelmed his eyes as he looked at me.

"Leaf, I'm sorry, but you need to be quiet until Erin is back. If I were you, I would think very hard about what you're going to say. Nobody here is perfectly blameless in the absolute dumpster fire that was last night, including me, but your actions have consequences, too." He took a deep, slow breath.

"You knew what you were doing when you listened to a private conversation, and we are rightfully furious with you for that."

"You knew less about what you were doing when you unleashed a dangerous fairy that compelled the entire camp last night, but I don't think anyone here will forget about that any time soon, so we're not going to lecture you for that one. We won't need to."

They were all glaring at me. Still. They hadn't stopped, actually…

"No matter what happens, Erin's going to travel with you if you want her to, Leaf, and I will train you to the best of my abilities the rest of the time I'm here. We won't abandon you because of what you did, and I won't be punishing you. The Tyrant Queen won't be punishing you for deceiving her with a fairy power that demanded her attention."

"We understand why you did it, Leaf, we forgive you, and we're deferring to Erin for your punishment. You're technically her responsibility right now, and she will punish you in our place."

Shit.

Erin was about to decide how to punish me, even though she was a kid, too? And for her mother and her best friend? I hoped that I would never see them again, but I saw her eyes last night. The way her eyes had just looked through me-

Oh Arceus, hear my prayer. She won't maim me, she won't hurt me, but please let my mind survive whatever torments she unleashes upon me. I beseech you in my hour of greatest need, our Creator above.

"Erin couldn't decide after we sent you back last night, so maybe you'll get lucky. None of us hate you, Leaf, really. We still like you and want to help you. We're done talking until the air is cleared, though. She shouldn't take long."

He turned back to the packs immediately, studiously ignoring my existence as he pulled out ingredients and began to cook a late breakfast for us.

He was so blunt, but he was right. I was lucky they were kind and had already forgiven me, delayed punishments aside.

Especially the Tyrant Queen! I hadn't even thought about that! Holy fuck! Arceus above!

Well, maybe He had answered a prayer of mine, if I was still breathing…

I had tricked and infuriated the entire camp full of Pokemon with Clefairy's fae stunt last night, and I had known this would be the reaction. I had known they wouldn't be happy if they found me listening to their private conversation.

I just… thought it might be worth it.

I still hadn't figured out if it had been.

I had no reason to leave the camp in the first place, so it was reasonable of them to assume that, had I not explicitly snuck out after them, I would have never been in a situation to hear them. They had no reason to think that I could or would, and thanks to that I had heard them talk.

Heard them talk about impossible things.

Ash Ketchum was Arceus' Chosen Hero?! Excuse me?! The thought seemed like such a joke, like saying you could stand barefoot on the sun, or go to another world! They had been so serious, though, and in private! Or what should have been private. One was a Gym Leader, not some random trainer like Erin!

Not to throw shade, but while she had some PokeNet fame, she had no accomplishments. Not that I would ever say that to her. I knew this was her first Circuit, too.

Right? She certainly had knowledge…

Red was a video game protagonist?

What the everloving fuck? How would that even work? His life was a video game? You fought Team Rocket in the video game that Red apparently comes from, what? Red never fought Team Rocket! He would have told me if he did something like that! We had been best friends!

Right?

That one was almost harder to wrap my head around than Chosen Hero Ash Ketchum!

A videogame character of all things!? Really!? That sounded horrible for Red! I would be worried if my name was Bluewood or something, but I had only heard Pokemon Red and Blue, and I had never heard of someone named Blue.

Erin wanted to go on a one-girl crusade to destroy Team Rocket? That had never been managed before, the organization was too dispersed, too disconnected. Nobody had ever figured out who the Leader of Team Rocket was, so they always came back, like a cancer.

Erin knew, however. Erin knew, and she wanted to provoke the man. She wanted to use her own apparently 'worthless life' as bait, to provoke a response that would be designed in part to kill her, involving this Looker person's agents swooping in to be the hammer to her anvil!

After deceiving me and sneaking off!

Even if she had changed her mind!

Let's not forget that Gym Leader Giovanni was apparently the fucking leader of Team Rocket, and he had cheerfully ruled from a city so close to my hometown that I would bike there for groceries sometimes! Only the expensive, select stuff for my mom, and not often, but still!

He was right there!

She wasn't going to do that, however. She wasn't going to do anything about the nightmare she described in such horrific detail, and it was eating at her. It was eating her alive, and it was my fault. Because she met me.

My fault.

She was so torn up about it that apparently an Alakazam, who would know exactly what was going through her mind, decided she deserved to get drunk, before that Looker guy decided to give her too much as a punishment. She had been almost okay when the flight back had begun, but by the time we got back she was bad.

It had torn her up so much that she had fought with what looked like her best friend, who was so disappointed in her, before she seemed to just give up!

She wouldn't do anything about the horrors she knew were happening, and she hated it.

She refused to abandon me to my fate of being devoured by my best friend, and she refused to let me stumble into a bad deal with an absolutely adorable little monstrosity I kept in an Ultra Ball. She refused to turn a blind eye to the pity case in front of her, and she refused to let me die.

She came from some place, and Erin had played the games.

The ones they talked about like they were real, and had meaning somehow. The ones where 'turns' and 'whiting out' existed, and that had 'limits in battle', whatever that meant.

They said Pokemon Red and Blue, like it was the title.

Like my best friend, Red.

Erin had been older. Like, older than Riahan, and he was twenty one! That was the feeling I got, anyways, but now she was fourteen! She could have been legally eighteen, however, except that agent guy had altered her legal age to keep an eye on her longer. The agent who sounded a lot like her highly reluctant legal guardian.

They both looked at me the same way, and I couldn't stop the implications of my theory running through my mind the entire time I waited there for Erin, hunched on the futon, avoiding the glares of the entire menagerie of Pokemon.

Eventually Erin returned, looking mostly clean but soaking wet as she hung from her mothers front teeth, having snagged a ride from her gigantic parent.

She stomped over to Torkoal, and after what looked like a brief bartering session, stepped back. A howling vortex of flame surrounded her and my heart skipped a beat, but a minute later a very dry, unburnt Erin stood there calmly. She scowled and began to stomp over to her pack, probably for a brush.

Her hair looked like she had been struck by lightning.

As she stomped her way over her eyes saw me, I knew that for a fact. They just… slid right off of me. She began rummaging through her pack, right there, and I couldn't help myself.

"Hey… Erin…" She paused, sighed, and then looked up at me. Her eyes were clear, but they were firm when she spoke.

"Hey, Leaf. Let me say something. I forgive you." I breathed easier for a moment, but she continued.

"I forgive you, but I don't want to talk to you for a while, and it's not your punishment, nor me being angry with you, it's a bit of a coincidence. I just don't want to get bogged down and distracted again, again, again."

"I will support you, I will help you with your team, and I will always keep you safe while we journey. I would love to be your friend, and this hasn't changed that. I would love nothing more than to travel with you during our Circuit, and I promise you that is a true fact." She sighed.

"Something was bound to slip, eventually. I need a specialized Protect or some sound-proofing move or something instead of just walking to the river, and now I won't make that mistake again. So it worked out, because I trust you, and you were always going to find out. I just hadn't convinced myself, yet "

"I've hidden things from you, that's true. I'll have to accept my punishment for my deception as well when the time comes, but you know you shouldn't have done what you did."

"So Leaf, for now, don't ask me anything and I'll tell you soon. I'm not making you wait as a punishment, I've just let this slide for far too long." She looked at me, and she smiled.

It was not a happy smile.

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to think up good questions! Three punishments is a lot of free time for your mind. If you're not screaming in terror, at least."

Oh Arceus, no!

"T-That's not fair! I thought it would just be one big punishment!"

I should not have said that.

"Are you sure about that, Leaf? The punishment will be over very fast, but it won't be fun."

The way her grin continued to grow as she spoke was disturbing, but I really didn't want three punishments! I almost slapped myself in the with my hair as I frantically shook my head.

"No! No, one punishment sounds good!" She reached her hand out and I shook it before I had a moment to think about what I was doing.

Then I had that moment I needed, a moment too late.

Oh no!

Erin was a dragon, as she so eloquently put it last night as she was dragged away by the face, but she acted like a damn fairy, too.

I had just made a deal with Erin, and the gigantic smile on her face made mine drain of blood. She just kept smiling at me for a moment, shifting to look at me from all sides as she hummed.

"Don't worry Leaf, I'll think of something better than another Leaf Special. Try not to spam the same Moves, you know?"

She giggled before walking away towards the middle of our little clearing. She whistled with just her mouth, and the entire gathering of Pokemon went silent as they stared at her. Raihan's dragons looked at her warily, probably not liking her when she looked that happy.

That was dangerous.

"Okay gang, gather round! I've been meaning to do this for days and I keep getting distracted!"

Her Pokemon formed a neat line in front of her, except for the Deino. He came in last and barreled into the Tyrunt blindly, leading to them standing there in an awkward looking pile as Hatenna hopped onto Tyrunt and Salandit stood on Deino's head, looking up at Erin.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking since I arrived here. I've met my new family, and I care about you all so much. So, I really can't let this state of affairs continue!"

She looked serious, hands on her hips as she looked at them. Her eyes were loving but serious as she glowered, and her Pokemon seemed to grow worried for a moment.

All except for the Hatenna, who began giggling well before Erin smiled wide, tossing her hands back as she beamed.

"I've called my family by their species name in my head for the last time! Time to get some names, if you want them!"

Their reply was loud, a chorus of roars, hisses, and adorable giggling as her Pokemon reacted with fervor. Her giant mom was standing there, too, watching with an expectant look on her face.

Erin turned to my fairy and practically snarled at her.

"You may watch, but you will stay out of my rituals, fae, or you will be their dinner. I swear it." My pink horror gulped and nodded rapidly. Erin glared at her for a moment longer.

"You may watch, fae, and that is all. Try to feel the feelings. It will serve you well in the future, should you make the correct choices." Clefairy nodded up at the fierce Dragon Tamer, smile uncertain and unsteady, now.

Erin swept her eyes over her Pokemon slowly as she spoke.

"None of my names hold the deepest of meanings. Some hold none. None, for the moment. I believe that the act of accepting a name gives it meaning, not the word itself."

Erin turned to her new mom and smiled wide as she spoke, her eyes bright.

"So, I've scrapped it, but I was thinking about Sue. She was the first and I think the largest of the inspirations for your species found, but it's just not you. Sue is a nice name, but not the name of the Tyrant Queen."

The fuck inspired a Tyrantrum? They're an ancient species from millions of years ago, right? Wouldn't that mean the whole-

No… Nope. Nuh uh.

I am not equipped to deal with this.

The huge Tyrantrum nodded eagerly, a smile on her face.

"Where I'm from, there are many religions. In one old one, there was a Goddess that gave birth to two Titans." The Tyrantrums eyes grew extra sharp at that and she leaned in.

"Her characteristics don't quite fit you entirely, but when she had two small children she ran from the father God to keep them safe. However, that aside, her parents were also Titans, so the symmetry seemed to line up a bit, I guess… Well, not really, but…"

She was blushing now, seemingly embarrassed as the Tyrantrum cocked her head, giving Erin an insistent look. She looked up at her new mother hopefully.

"How does Leto sound? I worry it's not feminine enough, bu-"

She was cut off as the Tyrantrum tossed herself backwards, out of the camp's confines. She practically sneezed as she practically threw her upper body forward and rapidly exhaled, causing a spray of dirt to fly out, before her giant chest began to suck up air like a giant vacuum.

Oh shit!

The bellowing, piercing, violently unending Roar felt like it would send me flying, and she was twenty feet away and facing the other way! She obliterated a tree! In a giant fucking explosion of wood pulp! I saw bird Pokemon rising in the distance, and I really hoped that Erin had been right when she said we were too far from anyone to be heard.

…

Oh my Arceus, she just wont stop!

Erin's smile was small and warm as she calmly watched the unending Roar, her recently-brushed hair billowing in the soundwaves, and I got the feeling she was very relieved.

Eventually even Tyrants run out of air, and she slammed into Erin's stomach the moment she did, staring at her with those huge eyes as she lifted her up, and I swear she purred.

"Glad you like it, mom."

Leto let her slide off, and she turned towards the baby Tyrunt, who was watching her with huge anticipation in her eyes. She was doing a little tippy tap with her feet, as was the Deino, but it was the baby dinosaur that Erin knelt in front of first.

"Leto had two children, you vicious little princess. One was the Goddess of many things, and I mean a lot of things, but she was most well known, to me at the very least, for one aspect." She paused and the little Tyrunt's eyes grew wide in anticipation.

"She was known for hunting." There was a growl of approval from Leto as the Tyrunt snarled happily up at Erin, her jaws snapping inches from Erin's face as she smiled calmly, happily.

She looked so happy as she spoke.

"How does Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt sound to you, my little titan?" The vigorous nodding of her head was answer enough, but Artemis began to run around camp, excitedly trying to fire off little Rock Blasts and Roars. Raihan's dragons had to help catch her, in fact.

The rest of the camp was watching the proceedings in fascination, and I could see Raihans team giving him glances. My new fairy 'friend' was watching Erin with unblinking eyes. She didn't seem happy, though. She seemed like she had failed, somehow.

Like she missed an opportunity for something.

I really had to get with Erin and write up a contract to get her under some form of control. After… After they finally talked to me.

After my punishment.

"I didn't start with a last name, this time around, let alone a first name. I chose."

What was that supposed to mean?

Erin looked up at her mother, eyes shining, voice slightly thick as she spoke.

"Leto had another child, Apollo. He was also the God of a vast number of things, including hunting, but he also had many names." She looked at the Tyrunt, at Artemis, then stared at her giant, scaly mother.

"One of them is Phoebus, and I chose that for my last name. I am forever Erin Phoebus, in this life."

Leto let out another Roar, but a much smaller, controlled one this time, to my gratitude.

Erin bent down to her Skrelp, who had reluctantly parted from her arm for this little naming ritual of hers.

"You, my little kelp buddy, have saved my life before. You've always got my back. You bled for me not minutes after meeting me for the first time, and I can never thank you enough for that. That Scratch probably would have torn my throat out."

She was so casual as she said it, the kelp dragon just nodding along!

"You love to hang out, literally, and you like to go with the flow. You're the most easy-going Pokemon I've met so far, other than your little pranks." He gurgled out a laugh as he stared up at her.

"You're not a Dragon in typing yet, but you are a proud dragon. My little armband, my little speedster. Your species may not be the fastest, but you go with the flow, and we will turn that into your greatest asset. Nobody will be able to pin down my devious, determined little kelp buddy, for he will always adapt and ride the flow of combat." His eyes were wide as he stared up at her in undisguised awe.

"My little protector, you shall be named Kallen. A strong name with no specific meaning, but nothing has to have meaning. If it matters, it matters, and that's you my little buddy. You matter."

A spinning, backflipping spray of water irritated the rest of his team, but they looked happy for him even as they shoved him away.

Erin turned to her Deino, who was wiggling as his tail wagged so hard, feet tapping so fast it looked like he was trying to launch himself. She bent and met his face, smiling at the terrifying jaws that snapped right next to her face, not even blinking.

I trusted him at this point, too, but that was something different. I knew he wouldn't bite me.

She knew he wouldn't.

"My happy little guy, my big puppy. My Deino. You love to love, and it is the thing I treasure about you the most, and I'm going to hold onto it as long as I can. You guard me without command, and your honestly strange control over your urges to bite couldn't make me happier, because I get to have you in my family."

He chomped his jaws in her face a few times in amusement, tail wagging the entire time. Her smile was vicious now.

"You are my guard dog, and I will unleash the fury of hell on those whose poor choices lead them to become my enemy in this life. In an old religion where I come from, the Gates of Hell, of the Underworld itself, realm of the dead and damned, were guarded by a three-headed beast." That wasn't disturbing at all, Erin…

"You may not truly embody your name for a while, my little guy, but you will. Your name is a promise. You will guard me like the great three-headed beast who stands guard at the entrance to Hell itself. Your name will be Cerberus, and you will always be the best boy." Her smile lost its hungry edge, turning purely warm again. It had been a warm and hungry smile, it had honestly been weird…

Cerberus began to howl, and charged out of camp to begin his own display of fireworks, Dragon Breath's spraying everywhere as he wildly shook his head.

His tongue was out the entire time.

He came running back just as Erin turned to Salandit, crouching down to meet the small Pokemon on a stump.

"My poor little poison gecko. You think something is wrong with you, that it is wrong to be so different." The little gecko's eyes were wet as she stared up at her trainer.

"You think that the opinions of others matter. I cannot change your coloration, nor would I. You are beautiful just the way you are, and neither me, my mother, or the rest of the family will ever think less of you because of it. We don't care if it draws trouble to us, either. Look at us, my sweet little gecko. We are the trouble." The little Pokemon laughed once, a short, weak thing as her tears began to flow.

"You don't have to be afraid, or feel bad for who you are, my little ember, she who melts everything that stands against her with poison and flame. My angel of infernos. My Seraphina."

The little gecko nodded once before wiping her eyes, then she scurried off. She looked overwhelmed, the poor little thing.

Erin knelt and sat to let her last Pokemon slowly, gently hop her way to her. All eyes were on her, and I watched my Clefairy stare as the tiny Pokemon looked up at Erin from her lap. Erin looked so sad, and so comforting.

"My adorable little miracle. You were there for one of the worst moments of my entire existence, and you were the only thing good from that night. I will not call you a gift, nor thank your mother." Her voice was like a winter's night in the mountains, so bitterly cold.

Hatenna's mother?

"I will not bind myself to her. I will never thank her for anything. I will destroy her myself if I have to, when I'm strong enough. That may be a long time, but it will happen. She is a monster, and she will die." She was certain as she spoke. The little pink Pokemon just nodded along.

What the fuck could Erin's entire team not kill right now? That her mom couldn't kill?

"However, I would not trade you for having never encountered her. Nobody would." There was a chorus from the other Pokemon, and Seraphina came darting back from the woods to join in.

"Nobody blames you for your origins. Nobody deserves those origins, my little nightcap. We all love you, and you will always have a home with us, even if it's a very loud home." The tiny pink Pokemon was crying in Erin's lap now, but she was smiling gently.

"You hate yourself for what you will turn into, and I am here to tell you not to." Her other Pokemon cheered, but quietly, hesitantly this time.

"You are scared, and I won't force you. We can get, I don't know, a titanium harness for an Everstone or five, okay? I know you'd prefer to be a Hattrem at least, though. Arms would be nice, wouldn't they?" The little Pokemon giggled as she looked down.

"You, my sweet little future wood witch, will be named for the Goddess of magic-" Her Pokemon froze in her lap.

"-of spells-" Another large flinch.

"and of crossroads. My little witch, Hecate." The pink Pokemon did not like what Erin was saying.

The adorable, sad Pokemon was shaking her head desperately, before Erin brought her up to her forehead, eyes closed. After a long minute the little Pokemon calmed down, and Erin spoke into her head, gently.

"You are not a monster. You will not be a monster when you become a fairy, you will become a fairy. You choose what to do with your spells. With your fae magic. We trust you, my little witch. We love you, too, and will always protect you. If you don't like the name, I'll think of another one, but you are at a crossroads of sorts, as well. You can fear yourself, or you can embrace yourself. Trust me when I say it is much nicer to do the second. It is still your choice, however, and you can change your mind later if you want."

The little Pokemon was silent for a long time before she looked up to Erin, shivering. She nodded.

"You'll use the name?" Another nod.

"Then I have an order for you, my sweet, adorable future fairy, Hecate. Never think that we hate you. If you make someone mad, that is one thing. I am infuriated with my mother right now, for instance." Leto snorted at her.

"That is one thing, but we will never turn from you, no matter if you wear an Everstone or not. We care for you. You are loved, and I need you to promise me you'll remember that."

The little Pokemon nodded a few times before beginning to sob, and Erin picked her up before walking back to the blanket pile, gently laying down as the rest of her newly named team surrounded her, trying to encourage the tiny Pokemon.

What had happened to that tiny little thing?

Raihan's eyes were wet as he watched, and he turned towards me, lightly whispering.

"She's wanted to do that for a long time, but she kept wanting to wait for the right moment. Erin doesn't get right moments, though."

It certainly seemed like that to me, too.

—

"You know this is cruel, right?" I quaked. I had never used that term before, but it was far too accurate!

"Leaf, a punishment is a punishment. You wanted to combine three punishments into one. Raihan's was doing his dishes for the time he was here." I froze up as she said that. I had passed up on such an easy punishment?! The ribs didn't even have dishes!

"My mother was hellishly mad, but she is a mother. She's seen more than a few children reach beyond their means. From what I gathered, she was going to have you slice and toss her cuts of meat when she wanted the rest of our time here, like the Queen she is." I began to whine as she continued. That one would have been no big deal!

"My punishment? Leaf, I didn't have one. I was, and technically still am, deceiving you. It would have been hypocritical of me to get mad for a young girl being curious, especially after I probably wasn't as smooth as I thought." That was an understatement, Erin! Also, you're a young girl, too!

If that was the case, then why was this happening to me?

Why was there a snarl of ropes on the Tyrantrums snout, through her mouth? There were also some straps! Lots of them, actually!

Why was I strapped head-first to the top of the Tyrant Queen's snout?! Why, for the love of Arceus, was I about to experience the true horror of too much speed FACE FIRST? Why was the entire camp looking on in satisfaction?

I mean, other than the fact I had pissed them all off?

Most curiously, why was there a second pair of long straps!?

Erin, the Savage Trainer, finished her inspection of the ropes binding me to her mothers snout. She gave me a warm smile, face directly in front of me. Her eyes glowed, then her pupils contracted.

Her smile grew so, so wide.

"We're going to have fun, Leaf! Cheer up! This is going to be the best roller coaster I've ever been on in my entire existence, don't ruin this for me!" Her voice dropped to hardly a whisper for her next words. I could barely hear her, and I could almost feel her words being spoken.

"She won't let me 'ride' her, but this isn't 'riding', right? This is surfing! She liked the idea of Dune, so be cool!" What was a Dune!? Her glare was getting less scary to me over time, but that didn't mean it was't still terrifying sometimes. Like now.

Right now.

I frantically nodded and she stepped back with a wide, happy smile.

She then hopped up behind me, standing on her mom's snout.

Then she strapped herself to her moms head with two long straps around her waist that she gripped in pure, giddy joy! She was almost hopping in anticipation!

What?! Erin!? What!? Just… WHAT!?

Noooooo!

Oh Arceus above, I remember how natural she looked when we came here in that damn Ride Basket. She was serious!

"This is going to be so much fun, Leaf, you really just don't know. I can't do snarky Flygons who break the sound barrier just to fuck with me. I can't do speed in a mouth. I can't do the world's fastest airplane, pulled by two absolutely adorable, gigantic Alpha Dragonites I would have loved to talk to."

Excuse me, what?!

Go back, please?

Nobody ever does, though…

"I can't do a lot of things. This, though?" Her smile probably matched the one I happily got to feel spread under my hands.

"I get the feeling this is going to feel natural."

—

I was ecstatic to finally meet the ground again, and not at speed. I had been in exactly no danger, and I knew that. The Protect was insanely strong, and she had proven it. Multiple times!

Erin found out that she loved to smash through trees with her face, laughing madly the entire time as she balanced on her mother's snout, long straps around her wrists as she cackled in mad glee. The Protect was always there, adding a slight discoloration to the world, but Erin would gleefully (have I mentioned glee? She had a lot of it!) watch a tree branch, or a whole tree slam into her at high speeds and laugh as the Protection flared into an almost orange light!

As Erin finally released me from my torture device I fell to the thankfully-close ground, stunned. Just… stunned. I had no energy for anything as our Pokemon began to surround us in the dust cloud we had brought in.

Erin, of course, was ecstatic as she regaled her Pokemon and Raihan with her review of the experience.

"Guys, guys, guys, guys! Guys! That was so awesome holy shit! That was the coolest, most awesome thing I have ever done! EVER! EVER! I broke a TREE with my FACE!" She was jubilant, jumping up and down in the air as she found it physically hard to remain still with her sheer exuberance.

Me?

I laid there on the ground where I landed, and I hadn't moved a muscle. I didn't move a muscle until Kallen came along with a low powered Water Gun that entered my ear, but I moved then. He darted away with another blast of water and I turned to Erin.

Her smile was far too kind for what had just happened to me.

"Leaf, I'm so sorry I just did that to you. Truly I am, on my life. That was far too much for what you did. Your punishment was deferred to this, however." She was serious as she stared at me, and I believed this insane, savage trainer when she said that.

Then she smiled at me.

"That was your lesson, Leaf, in making bad deals in the heat of the moment!" Her face was smiling, but her eyes were so serious as she stared at me with those spooky eyes of hers.

"You have a fae, Leaf! Do that with her in the heat of the moment and you will regret it, I swear to you! That may change as we introduce contracts, and you develop an actual relationship with her, but for now, that would have probably killed you… Well, maimed you, maybe?" Her eyes were ablaze even as she said the last part, and I looked to Raihan and he nodded at me, just one serious nod.

Holy shit, really?

Just from something like that?

Just that?

Me?!

"That right there is your reminder, every single time you talk to a fae, I want you to remember to watch your words, and keep calm as much as possible. Or really, any power that you encounter. Your reminder, Leaf, that helps you not die." She looked me directly in my eyes, and there was no mirth in her eyes as she spoke.

"Your reminder, Leaf, that true words have power." She turned away from me, and I knew she had been deadly serious when she said that. She had practically screamed it, in fact. 'True' words, like the fae.

When Erin said something she meant it.

What did that mean with last night's revelations?

I stared at her and her look grew complicated.

"You might want to take a seat, Leaf. It's time to have that talk you wanted. That we would have had eventually, anyways. Once I had finished being a coward."

She almost whispered the end, face ducked in shame, but she also meant that.

I knew I would need that seat just by the look on her face.

Hers and Raihan's.

Chapter Text

Leaf

—

Before we began, Erin demanded that we get some form of agreement hammered out with my devious fae, and I couldn't agree fast enough. We sat in a circle drawn in the dirt this time, just us three, but my little fairies eyes were hard as they stared at Erin.

"I will now read the contract outline between Leaf and her first, and so far only, female Clefairy. This is a casual, barebones contract outline to show what the contract will look like and encompass. I will read the overview aloud in sections, and will address any questions and concerns as they come. Clefairy, Raihan will be watching with a copy of the contract."

"As you hear something you disagree with, raise your hand. He will note what part you objected to, and we will address them after we finish, if I dont address them immediately. This will continue for the entirety of the contract, we will resolve those issues, possibly and probably making an entirely new contract. Then you will have to choose."

"You can verbally acknowledge this contract, or any new deal that we come up with, which I strive to make fair and will endeavor to change as much as I can allow. I promise on my honor I will not attempt to deceive you in this contract, only blunt your edges for my friend Leaf."

Erin spared me a glance as I beamed at her, grateful for her choice of words. She returned the smile briefly before turning back to the Fairy, a steely look on her face.

"Or, you can leave. I would actually be sorry to see you go. I want to do that little trick at least once, and I know you do, too."

For a moment, Erin and the fairy shared the same, devious grin as they looked at each other in anticipation. Not a kid, huh, Erin?

"Now, do you agree to hold no grudges, to approach the following discussion with an open mind, to speak only truth, to be completely peaceful, to take nothing, even in ignorance or by accident, to give no insult, and to accept no contracts until I finish? We can make the actual acceptance and contract forming happen after, I want us to have an open and honest discussion, fae. Do you agree with these conditions? I do not seek to bind you. Merely to talk."

My little fairy stared at her for a long moment before she smiled, her whole body lifting as her mouth grew wide. Her ears were bouncing in such a cute way as she rose to the tips of her toes and did a little dance as she nodded, looking like she was dancing to music as she agreed.

And her eyes?

Her eyes glinted. It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen in my life, and that included the past few days, and awakening to a murder attempt from my best friend.

She was happy, and I suddenly really didn't want that.

Erin was mad, though, as she stared at the fae.

"I warn you, fae, you should already know that I do not lie, nor do I go back on my word, but only when I am shown the proper respect! Attempt to charm me, to deceive me, attempt to subtly alter the contract as I have it written and will verbally and physically alter during our discussion? If you dare? I will eat you alive myself, piece by piece while you watch. I can be your greatest ally, and should you never give me a reason to hate you, you will be treated well by my entire team. I do not hate you for what you are. That would be wrong. I do not hate the fae, and never will." My little horror stood stunned at that.

"However, I reserve the right to treat you like a threat until I know you aren't, and I'm certain that you're not a nice, innocent fae just interested in the world of humans. You didn't find an innocent, pure soul to deceive, to follow, to hinder or to help. You found me. You wanted to see what I DO, and I know it, you tiny, cute, adorable horror!" Said horror blushed and hid her face in her tiny hands. She was smiling, though. An intrigued smile, like she didn't know why Erin was bringing up the obvious.

"You think it may be funny to see what becomes of me, to laugh at my fate, and I don't hate you for that, because that is your nature." My Pokemon refused to look at her any more.

"But we will have rules." Erin's eyes were so hard. No stupid light shows this time, just hard.

"Section one: Oaths. You will agree to never work against or harm your trainer, her traveling companions, or any of their Pokemon in any way, shape, or form, unless it is in the form of harmless pranks. You agree to take your beatings for those pranks if you can't escape. You're resourceful, don't get caught." She grinned at the scowling fairy.

"You agree to treat Leaf with the same kindness she shows you. You agree to never purposely injure your trainer, or through inaction allow them to come to harm. I know I kind of repeated it. It bears repeating. You are not to harm random humans, unless they seek to hurt or kill you, your trainer or us. If you are entirely dissatisfied, you pledge to break your own Pokeball and leave before you get dangerous, never to interact with us again, returning to your clan. You agree to act like the perfect Pokemon, because if you do we will completely unlock your Pokeballs restrictions."

She looked at the serious fairy watching her with what I thought might be hope in her eyes and smiled.

"You could break the connection with a minute's concentration from anywhere. You could cause your little mischiefs as we travel, should you swear on your life that they will be harmless in intent and execution. Accidents happen, but I better not find you deliberately harming another person unless I unleash you on them." My Pokemon hadn't twitched in a while. She hadn't breathed.

"I know any oath is the same to a fae, and I don't care! I truly do not want to try and bind you. I just don't want to invite more hardship on myself than I already will just by existing." The fairy relaxed a bit and nodded, still wary.

"Section Two: Powers. You agree to restrain your use of reality-warping powers to when we train, battle, or are otherwise called to use it. To define reality-warping powers, I mean your undirected fae magic altering the very fabric of reality we experience. I do not care about the Move you used last night, understand? It was brilliant, actually, and we're going to be working that into our practice when you start, both for individual battles and melees. From what I hear, it was fucking hilarious, actually. Just, you know, aside from the 'pissing everyone off' part." The fairy looked overjoyed and Erin gave her an honest, open smile.

"I wasn't joking. You are a powerful asset, and I do not judge you for your very nature. I judge by actions. Even with a contract, I am exposing myself. I am exposing Leaf. I'm exposing us to you, but I don't want a chained… Growlithe that wishes us dead, so it is necessary."

"I am extending this honor because I am willing to trust you on this. You know that I know what I am doing when I say that I trust you, so tread wisely."

She had told me to never do that!

"The fae are capricious, but they have their own twisted honor as well. For instance, I will never feel fear for my little Hecate. I am willing to trust you, so are you willing to be faithful? We could do great things, and you know it. All of us could do such amazing things together, but there has to be trust between us."

I don't think she was talking about contracts anymore. Was she ever? Or had it all been a way to get to this part naturally?

"All you have to do is stop playing games, take your mask off, and just be yourself! You will probably be a little shit, but so long as you are our little shit you would be permitted to run wild, should you not be a menace, and occasionally I would allow you off your leash." Her smile was wicked as she stared at my awe-struck fae.

"You know that between my ideas that you're itching to know, that you will never share, and your natural vicious playfulness we could create such glorious chaos. I won't allow it just any time, but I swear on my life, if we run into a situation where I could unleash you safely and you want to I will do it, and give you as much assistance as I possibly can. Why wouldn't I? I don't hate the fae, and you are such delightful tricksters… among other things." She laughed, and it was not a nice sound.

"I mean, that sounds so fun, you going berserk with no restraints on a Team Rocket base while my team runs interference!"

Tell me you're a 'responsible adult' with that expression, Erin, Miss 'I don't lie!'

My fae horror looked beside herself as she plopped on the ground, staring between her knees as she thought. Her eyes were clouded as she did, and it alarmed me. Erin had thrown her for such a loop she couldn't comprehend reality easily.

Erin seemed to do that to Pokemon a lot, I had found.

"Since I'm not trying to bind you, last section: Evolution." Clefairy looked up at her with a new light in her eyes and Erin laughed.

"We will not be using Evolution as a carrot to the stick, for instance. That would be binding your future." She smiled at my Clefairies shock.

"Don't worry. Evolution is guaranteed for you once we can afford a Moon Stone, or find one in Mount Moon. If we go to Pewter City first, you'll fight the Gym as a Clefairy. I'm reluctant to let you evolve if we find one in Mount Moon-" My fae wailed and Erin smiled.

"Let me finish! I know you had a clan, or coven or something. I know you're not a weak Clefairy, I know you're physically ready for it. You wouldn't do any damage to yourself." Clefaity rapidly nodded.

"If you find or receive one there, go ahead. However! If it's a gift, we need to thank your tribe. We'll be going there, anyway. We also have to thank them for letting you come along, right?" The pink fairy looked shocked and Erin leaned in with an actual warm smile on her face.

"I know how to repay kindness, fae, and you, and therefore your tribe, would be doing me a favor if you did your best to become Leaf's friend. I will never command your affections, but the effort would be appreciated. The true and honest attempt."

Erin turned to look at me with a soft smile while Raihan looked very alarmed! She had just told a fae that the fae was doing her a favor?!

For me!?

"She deserves the opportunity for a steadfast friend without having to deal with the brat."

My cute, adorable, super-huggable, unbelievably horrific little Pokemon sat there, staring at the ground as she drew little circles in the dirt. She looked up at me, and I saw something looking back at me from inside the shine.

It didn't look aggressive, it looked thoughtful, but it still chilled my blood.

Because it was so wrong.

What was she, really? I mean, really? Erin seemed to know exactly what she was. She didn't seem to care, she just treated her so… differently. Like she was an entirely different kind of being compared to everyone else.

She eventually looked up to Erin with an inquisitive, confused angle to her head, and Erin nodded at her.

"I know. You don't know how to frame friendship, can't know how to frame something like that. You can understand it, but not define it. It burns a hole in your mind, because you see something that you understand but you can't… know it, even if it fascinates you. Right?" A nod from my little horror so slight I almost missed it.

"I think I can almost understand that. Let me spin you a tale, fae. Tell me if it resonates with you." My Clefairy drew in on herself as Erin began to talk.

"You were in a… peaceful place. That, or a place of utter chaos. There is no other choice. Well, that or both at once, I guess." My Clefairy was motionless as she listened to Erin, eyes shining.

"Then you found a… an entrance? A way into a new place that was so much fun compared to where you used to live. So diverse." Her smile was soft as she looked at my newest Pokemon.

"Am I close enough, so far?" My Clefairy nodded, excruciatingly slowly.

"You came into this world, and you found others of your new kind. All excited to be in this world, this different place, but that was it. You wanted to know more than your enclave, more than your cave and mountain. You wanted to know the world." Erin's eyes were shining, but it was that same calm light I had seen before. She was… serene as she spoke.

"You want to see what the world is, not a cave in a single mountain. You want to enjoy, to experience, to know! You want the rush of seeing a new landscape, the feeling of stepping onto a new continent! You want the feeling of going places, and you want that feeling to never end. You want to explore, to explore people, too, but you're not sure how to be around others not of your kind, even though you want to. That is the conclusion I have come to after observing you." She knelt down in front of a completely stunned Clefairy. Her eyes were soft and calm as she spoke.

"Is it true? You don't have to answer, of course, but you know you should. Something right now is telling you to do it, and you've never felt it before, but it is right. This is the sort of different situation you will encounter with us… mortals. You may bind yourself, in truth, but is that really an issue for one such as yourself? To bind and be bound in friendship for a time?" Her warm smile grew to encompass her whole face as my poor little fairy began to quake.

My Pokemon froze for a second, eyes darting around to look at all of us. She seemed about to dart away, but Erin shook her head and she settled down. After a long moment she looked up at me.

I was prepared for the shine, but I wasn't prepared for the sudden entrance into a space that I could only call horrifying yet dull. I mean, it was just an endless reddish-purple fog rolling… around? I mean, it was just a flat plane of formless smoke, so why am I here? There's smoke, me, smoke, a twenty foot tall smoke monster with glinting eyes, smoke, me, smo-

It spoke to me.

"des–Ir. –ElinGs. Su–ly. P–viDe. T-m-."

My everything hurt as I felt those sparse words seared into my brain, unable to be fully parsed into my language. I think my hair hurt!

I knew what they meant though, because those hadn't been words. Those had been thoughts! Meanings!

"Desire knowledge of feelings. Supply proper environment to cultivate. Provide exemplary 'companion Pokemon'. In time, reconvene to address continuance of contract."

Then I was back.

My nose was bleeding as the alien thoughts seemed to squirm through my head. I sat there, uncaring and unfeeling, before they receded like an oiled wave. I felt… wrong, after.

Like her.

"Leaf… look at me." Erin's voice was soft, and as I looked up, so were those spooky purple eyes of hers.

"Leaf, you are fine. Clasp your hands, wiggle your toes. You're here, not wherever it took you."

I nodded, following her instructions. I actually felt better after a moment and her smile grew wide and genuine.

"Leaf, you just communed with the fae for the first time. No matter what happened, even if you just said hi, that's worthy of a celebration." Her eyes were shining with pride.

Mine shone with confusion.

"Why, Erin?" Her smile trembled. She knew what I meant. Clefairy sat there with hunched shoulders, breathing heavily. She looked so utterly exhausted, though. Why?

"She was trying to be nice to you, Leaf. Merely saying hello to us is hard, because of the distance between us. It's hard on us, too, because they are so… different it hurts to touch. To touch words, ideas, concepts. You should be proud, though, Leaf." She gave me a light hug before pushing me back, still holding me by the shoulders and beaming at me.

"You still did that! I don't know exactly what she said, though, so here!" She abruptly pulled my PokeNav from my belt.

"Hey!" I tried to snatch it from her, obviously, but she leaned back and shuffled away for a second before shoving it back in my face. Notes?

"Write down exactly what she said. Don't say it. Just write it down until I say stop." Her face was so serious.

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Erin, are you insane! I'll write it down like, twice!" She glared at me, her damn spooky eyes blazing at me.

Shit.

"Now, Leaf!"

I finished soon enough. I wrote it down ten times before Erin was satisfied I had gotten the 'true core' of the message, but it was finally done. She cackled as she ran back to her pack, and I shared a look with Raihan and my newest Pokemon as the rest of the camp followed her with their eyes.

Raihan looked uneasy and pale, but my Pokemon looked like she was actually getting worse, like some internal store of energy was almost used up and she was just chugging along on fumes. She looked fine two minutes ago!

What was that? Was that her? That was what she really was? That wasn't even her, though, just some sort of random form my mind made up because it couldn't know. It made my brain hurt to think about, but I knew I was right, somehow. She was just so… different. Erin had to know, right?

She had been utterly terrifying in a very different way than a giant dragon, but she hadn't been aggressive, I don't think. She actually seemed inquisitive, but wary. Like she was going to extend some trust, but she was ready to lose a part of herself when it went wrong.

It was… almost endearing, if not for the horrific monstrosity part? Like a stray Rattata uncertain about taking food from a strange human. She was obviously uncomfortable around people, and I could feel that she liked to play pranks because she knew the exact reactions she would get. It was predictable. Maybe… Maybe I could make other, nicer things predictable, and show her a positive reaction instead of the usual negative?

I don't think she knew the difference, actually!

She still wanted to come along. I knew that Erin had been right, that my little horror just wanted to watch what happened to Erin in the future, but it seemed she might actually be willing to be my friend. Not that she understood the concept, of course! She wanted to, however, and that would have to work for me.

It was better than bitter hatred.

Erin rushed back with what looked like a note card. What kind of teenager used a note card? Where do they even sell these things? She handed it to me with a happy smile and began to read from a sheet of paper. They were the same, obviously.

"Clefairy agrees to be the best Pokemon she can for Leaf in all ways, so long as Leaf treats her well. Clefairy will clearly communicate any issues or wants she may have. Refusal to accept Clefairies requests will not necessarily denote a lack of respect or care. Clefairy agrees to treat the entirety of Leaf's friend group and their Pokemon, her Pokemon, and strangers kindly. Self defense is obviously allowed, as are harmless pranks. If you are unsure if a prank is too much, come ask me." She looked up from the card at the grinning fairy. She liked everything she had heard so far, or at least not hated it, but this had her attention.

"You know I won't tell them." Her grin was wicked, the horrible girl. She continued.

"In return, Leaf shall try to cultivate a 'proper environment' to understand feelings. You agree that, as of this time, Leaf has no specific knowledge of what that entails, but she will do her best." The fairy nodded at that.

"Leaf shall also provide for you to the best of her ability. Leaf will do her best to make friends with you, and while I understand your difficulties, you will do the best you can to understand and reciprocate the feelings. She will be patient and kind, as you probably already know." Another nod as she turned to stare at me briefly. It looked like something waved to me from the shine and I barely managed not to shudder.

"You agree to travel with Leaf at least as long as this Circuit, and the two of you can decide if you want to continue after that. This also includes the express permission to break your own Pokeball and leave at any moment should Leaf treat you badly, somehow." She sounded disbelieving, and she was right to. I would never treat my Pokemon badly! On purpose!

"Pokeballs have many settings, including stasis, awareness, very slow healing, the ability to release yourself, and more. Your Pokeball will look like the ones on my team, fae. You won't have restrictions, but that comes with trust. You can lose this privilege at my discretion, and I pledge to be fair when I do so." Clefairy was scowling at her with her arms crossed but she hadn't shook her head.

"Lastly, any knowledge, other than that of feelings, that you acquire while with us will never be revealed to anyone without our express permission. You will never utter it, write it, you will not commune it, nor will you attempt to leave behind or pass the knowledge along in any way, shape, or form." My little fae couldn't scowl any harder, but she looked like she was trying.

Erin looked at her intently.

"Any problems with that? I'm leaving you so much leeway, fae. I know your kind can be trusted, sometimes. Prove that you can be. Prove that your desire to know feelings isn't wrong. I know it's not. Prove that you can be more than you are now. Just… form a bond of friendship mutually given. Take nothing, but give freely. That's all friendship is, fae."

My Pokemon sat down, looking at the ground as she seemed to just… leave. Like there was nothing in her anymore. Not dead, her chest moved, but it was just… the creepiest thing I had seen from her so far that didn't involve her eyes. After a minute she jerked back upright, looking around in confusion before her eyes met mine.

There was no smoke this time, thankfully.

"y-S. Gro-.

"Agreed. Flourish, new specific-positive-emotion-assigned-being."

It felt like it… gave something to me. It felt… it wasn't a bad feeling, it didn't hurt, but it was so wrong.

That didn't hurt nearly as bad as the last time, but I still wavered as I held a hand to my suddenly pounding head. Erin looked concerned, but I waved her off with a wince.

"She just told me she accepts the contract. It wasn't as bad, but still…" I leaned back with a pained wince, noticing the entire camp staring at me and my fae. More at her, but most of Erin's Pokemon looked concerned for me. Maybe they had forgiven me after that… punishment?

Erin gave a wide smile before she bent down to pat my little horror on her head. She gave Erin a confused look, to which Erin smiled.

"You took a large step, fae. I would even say I'm proud of you, for doing that. We will all do our best not to infringe on anything, and know that if we do it will not be with our willing and knowing participation. I was telling the truth. Fae can be horrific monstrosities." She smiled as she shook my suddenly sad looking fae by the shoulders, who looked up at her with wide eyes.

"You're also people. Maybe we are horrific to you, too? You are so different, but people are people. I'm delighted to get to know one of yours." My fae's eyes were wet as she nodded. She then perked up and bounded away from her, then out of camp entirely, heading for the canyon. I stood to go get her but Erin gestured for me to stay.

"She's got a lot of feelings right now, Leaf, and she's really not used to them. Let her have her time. She's no danger to us anymore. A prankster, unfortunately, but not dangerous." She sighed before looking at me.

"Finally ready for that talk, Leaf?"

—

We were all sitting on the futons, reclining as Erin fidgeted there. She looked determined, but unsure.

"I'll start with… I don't know. I tried to think about how to do this, but it seems like every option is wrong… I mean, start with me? Where I'm from? Coming here? Looker? There's too many options. So instead, I'll just tell you about my favorite video game series of all time, Leaf."

Oh no. No. Already? Can't we talk about this Looker person, first?

Her face was gentle, tone soft as she spoke, reclining on Cerberus as the Pokemon idly stretched out, just relaxing. Raihan looked on with a knowing, worried gaze, as did Leto. The rest of the Pokemon huddled in, like it was story time.

I guess it was, really.

She took her time to get started, and when she did her eyes were soft, wistful.

"It's one of my first memories that I can really remember, Leaf. I was six, seven maybe? We lived in an apartment with an unused room, completely empty. We didn't pay for it, technically, but it was unlocked, and I would go in there for some peace and quiet. I'd go in there with my GameBoy Color, a handheld gaming system that my grandma had been nice enough to buy me."

"It was huge and clunky for what it was, really, but this was before phones that looked like even basic PokeNavs, so it was amazing! It was so cool, too, see-through purple plastic instead of those nasty flat colors, and you could see all the wires and stuff!" Erin's face was practically glowing in remembered delight as she spoke. She also looked so sad.

"There was a slot on the back to put video game cartridges in. It ran off of expensive, disposable batteries, but also a wall outlet, which I used more. I had batteries, but I didn't waste them on the hundreds of hours I put into that game until I burned it out one day. I was a kid, and it was probably a power surge, but I like to think I managed to out-play the game. Before I had to get another, of course. It was the coolest GameBoy model, in my correct opinion." She seemed smug as she smiled. Smug and sad and wistful.

"I'd sit there in that empty room, Leaf, plugged into a wall outlet, just sitting with my back up against a wall, and I'd play a series of games about Pocket Monsters for hours, days, weeks on end. My well-meaning but technologically clueless grandma had bought me the newest device, capable of color, but a black and white game cartridge." She was so nostalgic. And sad. Sadder.

"I never noticed the monotone tint to the game, and it took me months to notice that it wasn't in color, that it was capable of being in full color, and not just one. It didn't need color to enthrall you." She took a deep breath and sighed. Oh no. I don't like that sigh, Erin.

"In the very first game to come to my country, you started in Pallet Town, in your room in your house. Your mother downstairs would tell you that Professor Oak was looking for you, but he wasn't at his lab when you went. If you tried to exit the town on the route to the north, Professor Oak would pop out of nowhere and warn you that wild Pokemon were dangerous, have a great idea, then drag you back to his Lab." My eyes were wide as she spoke. No way. No way! Nope!

Why was my face tingling?

"You would choose your rival's name, then your starter. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander. I was always a Charmander fan, even if it was a pain in the ass to take down Brock if you didn't get a Mankey. I mean, there were other ways like Butterfree, but Mankey's are awesome." She coughed into her fist.

"Anyway. You would be sent out to travel around Kanto to collect all eight badges while filling out the very first PokeDex for the Professor. Along the way, you run into Team Rocket a lot. They weren't that big a deal, just roadblocks, but the Sil-…uhh… one long part in the middle suuuucked. Not that it was super hard, it was just way too long for a six year old's attention span. It felt like it took days." She shook her head.

"I'm rambling, sorry. Leaf, in that game you do all that, you could catch the three Legendary Birds if you wanted, complete the Pokedex, fight the Elite Four, then the Champion. I've been Champion more times than I can count." She giggled as my eyes boggled at her. She's been a Champion? Multiple times?

"Lance was always my favorite Champion's ass to kick, but Cynthia's actually fun to beat, since she's not a pushover like most trainers in the games. Satisfying, too, after that absolute bitch ambushed me…" My eyes couldn't get wider, but I could feel increasingly panicked. Champion Cynthia what?!

"Leaf, that one game spawned a whole series of games. A large series, not to mention the manga, cartoons, books, the movies, dear go-Arceus the fanfics, the merchandise like plushies…" She looked at me with a serious face.

"I once kicked a kid's ass in a friendly match for a Pikachu backpack. It's one of the few times I've initiated a fight in my life." I managed to giggle a little at that. It sounded exactly like something that Erin would do.

"The original twinned games were called Pokemon Red and Blue, Leaf." Even though I had already heard this, I went pale. Cold.

Red. Like Red.

My best friend, Red.

"Later on, after they had released a lot more regions-" I don't think I can get any colder, what's next when she speaks? "-they re-released the first region. This time, however, they went with the original, unreleased- where I was from, at least- Green version instead of Blue, and since they upgraded the games, they upgraded the names, too." Green.

Stop pausing Erin!

Maybe just stop! Don't do it!

Stop talking!

She didn't, with a kind, gentle smile.

"Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen."

Oh, apparently once you go cold, you go numb next. I think my body had pulled all the blood it safely, or maybe unsafely, could from my extremities, and my hands and feet began to tingle, along with my face. Raihan was looking at me with concern. Very understandable.

I was concerned, too.

LeafGreen. Leaf Greenwood.

"When you started these games, you eventually got to choose a character that wasn't the default male, finally. So when I started up my copy of LeafGreen, I was delighted. The female protagonist, who had never existed in the first game, was my favorite so far." Her voice was so gentle. Kind.

"She wasn't over the top, she didn't have ridiculous, gravity defying hair that formed loops and crap, she was just a strong, confident girl out to make her way. She didn't look like she was hyped up on some PokeDrug that made her the happiest she could be, either. Instead, she had a strong, determined smile. Like she meant business, and she looked forward to proving it to the world. She was my favorite protagonist to play as ever, actually." Her eyes were so soft as they looked at me, and her voice trembled as she spoke next.

"When you named yourself, there were always a few random options from a list… There was always one default option, though." No. No.

No!

"I always chose it over my own name, because it was such a pretty name for such a strong young girl." She was looking at me like she thought she was about to break me.

Fuck. No. Fuck…

"Isn't it, Leaf?" She looked so sad as she said that.

Leaf.

I was a video game character.

I don't know how you're supposed to react to that, but going silent for ten minutes, ignoring everyone's concerned attempts to get my attention, while frantically thinking back through my life to see if I was real is how I chose to do it.

Good news? I think I'm real.

Bad news? I might not be.

I mean, I'm real. I'm here! I pinched myself, it hurts, right? Is pain just an electrical signal? Wait, it is, technically! Is the whole world a video game cartridge running on electricity? Are we all one big electron? Are we-

"Leaf!"

The sound that Erin made was intense, and I snapped to attention, staring at her in shock. She smiled at me softly.

"Back with us, Leaf? Calm down. You're probably jumping to a lot of conclusions. Unfortunately, I don't have answers. I'm sorry for that, but I've got some theories. Are you okay to talk?" She began to look worried as I continued to stare blankly at her. I managed to talk, but I was barely able to croak out the answer.

"A-am I real?" Okay, so not the answer.

Her eyes got so wide as her face dropped into the largest example of empathetic sympathy I had ever seen. She pulled me into a hug that I didn't reciprocate, couldn't. I just sat there, feeling cold.

"We are real, Leaf. Believe that, because it's true. This is real, life is real, eyelashes in your eye, beautiful sights, horrid realities. It is real." Erin sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"You are real, Leaf. I want you to know something. Someone I respect very much told me the same thing recently." She smiled warmly at me.

"This isn't a game. This is real life, and we are real people, with real lives. You need to try and calm down as I speak, okay, sweetie?" She was treating me like I was fragile, and I couldn't blame her as I dully nodded.

"Good, listen to me. Do you feel love for anyone? Fraxure? Your mom?" I stared at her, blankly horrified eyes meeting her concerned ones. I nodded.

Duh.

Her smile grew warmer.

"Then you are real, Leaf. You can't fake love. The universe is just far larger and vaster than you understood before now, that's all." My breathing began to come easier, but I was still so cold.

Hecate hopped into my lap, nuzzling into my stomach while letting out soft murmurs, and despite my shock I managed to slowly, gently pet the sweet Pokemon. Erin smiled at the sight but didn't say anything.

"Leaf, my personal theory is that our worlds, our universes, are connected. It might just be through thought, but that thought was enough to spawn so much. Things are different here, though, like the Preserve. I'm pretty sure it was just a crappy little town in the Shield DLC-" Wait, what!

I won't wait for you to never go back, not this time you!

"Stop!" She paused and I stared at her in shock.

"Your world, or universe?" Her face got red and she cursed, trying to look away. It was hard, considering she had been trying to comfort me with a hug.

"Oh, yeah, shit, fuck… uhh… Leaf, I'm from… Fuck! Yes. Yes, I'm from a different world." She sighed, almost falling backwards as she did.

What?!

"I'm from a different world with no Pokemon, just animals, which are like non-special Pokemon? They weren't as smart as Pokemon, and couldn't use type energy or Moves, not that either existed there. I've only seen insects here, you guys don't even have rats, which is nice. Rattata don't count, they're adorable. Hopefully cockroaches don't exist here, because I haven't seen one yet and I'd like to keep it that way. Forever. Eternally!" I was curious now, but the look on her face made me second guess myself. Also, no Pokemon? WHAT? How does that even make sense?

"How are you here, then?" My voice was unsteady as I asked the question. I mean, a different world?! Her voice was soft as she answered.

"I was playing the game set in Galar when it happened. I had actually just started a new game the night before, now that I think about it…" She trailed off, face dark for a second before her head popped back up, looking like nothing had happened.

"So there I was, trying to decide if I should build even half my team with Galar's shitty low-level Pokemon-" She grinned at Raihan and he gave her a mock glare. "-or if I should Breed my own. I was staring at the water starter that I was forced to choose. It was honestly kinda cute, but I wasn't a fan, and wouldn't have actually used it, same as the first time I played Shield. It was still better than the soccer fire rabbit or the drumset gorilla!" Raihan groaned as she said that. Wait, those are real? I mean, Pokemon, yeah, but still!

She got quiet, releasing me as she moved to the edge of the futons, hugging her knees as she stared straight ahead. Artemis came over and nuzzled into her, bringing a brief smile before she got quiet again. When she spoke her voice was so soft, like she was afraid to break the silence.

"I died, Leaf. I died alone, staring at my blank white ceiling as I had a heart attack. I had actually been living healthy for years at that point, but it doesn't matter if it was old damage or genetic, because they ran in my family as well." She paused, face pale.

She had to be joking, right? She died? Like, not drowned and was resuscitated? Like, died, died?

Dead?

"Everything just… decreased to a pinprick, after a bit. All my feelings, emotions, my sense of self. Then I slammed my head on the ground of the Lowlands in a new, younger body." She was dead serious as she told me that, but I stared at her in horror.

She had died? She had been older, so I guess it worked out in some ways, but let's not forget something. Erin died?

"You d-died?" She smiled softly. Weakly

"Leaf, everything dies, and I think I had one of the more… peaceful deaths you possibly can. I could have done without the… fear, but the fear… fades, eventually. Everything does." She looked uncomfortable now and I snapped my mouth shut.

I took some time to think on my next question, and I wouldn't touch that subject ever again. Shit. Nice job, Leaf. She died and you ask about it.

"Is that why you know about Giovanni, and I guess the other evil teams? Because you played the games and watched the, uhh, cartoons?" She nodded at me.

"Am I, like, destined to fight them, or something? I am, right? Right!? I'm Leaf!" Oh, and I had been doing so good, but the panic was just under the surface at all times. Now it was out.

Erin's face fell as she lunged to hug me again.

"Leaf, I want you to understand one thing. I don't know this, but somehow I know I'm right, so listen, okay?" I nodded tightly, breathing heavily.

I was a video game character! A NPC!

"You are your own person, and you got lucky compared to the people from the anime. They had their very lives controlled. They seem to be bound to their fate." I was listening now, horribly fascinated.

"You, Leaf, don't have a predestined fate! You just become Champion and that's it! Your future is yours to choose! Team Rocket were just speed bumps along the way, not the focus. The focus was on Pokemon! On you!" She was growing excited as she spoke, holding me at arms length.

"Leaf, you are a young girl denied her first circuit at the right age, but it's here! Don't think about some vague fate. You are your own person, Leaf. You decide who and what you become, and don't let anyone tell you differently. You're not destined to fight Team Rocket. Not to mention your starter and age is wildly different from the games! You're not the protagonist, either!" I knew who she meant.

"Ash?" Her face fell in sympathy.

"That poor kid has been through so much. I'm not sure how he survived when it's real, but I'm calling Arceus shenanigans if it went down anything like it did in the cartoons and the movies. I mean, the poor kid died too, I think more than once, maybe?" WHAT!

"What! Ash died!?" She looked at me in slight confusion.

"He got better?" I glared at her. "He wasn't dead for long, a Legendary killed him, then he got brought back to life by another Legendary in the first movie. It made a whole movie theatre of nine year olds cry, it was a brutal scene for a kids series. Pikachu was so sad… Everyone was…" She trailed off, still broken up at the horror that my old friend's death caused! Caused by a Legendary! He was saved by another! She's still broken up from when she was nine!

Whaaat!?

"He's the main protagonist of the animated series, and thankfully he ages here. He was perpetually ten in the cartoon, and perpetually the best trainer in the world… when he remembered to act like it. Sometimes. If he hadn't released his teams every season he would have been unstoppable, but I understand that from the production's point of view." Arceus, my head.

"How about Red? He never fought Team Rocket, did he?" Her face made me go cold. "No, no way! He didn't! Did he?" She was nodding sadly. She looked over at Raihan and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Yea, Leaf. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you. From what I was able to find out from Looker, he fought Team Rocket on multiple occasions, and was the leading cause behind the ill-named Rocket Takedown that happened. His path… seemed to follow the path he would take in the games, as well." They were both looking at me in concern.

Red? Red… fought criminals? When he was ten?

He never told me?

"He never told me…" Raihan shook his head.

"Leaf, the Indigo League covered it up, he wasn't allowed to. Think about it! They couldn't point the press at a ten year old boy and say 'here is your great savior, destroyer of Team Rocket'! They gave him a lot of money, he quietly moved away for his next Circuit, and he hasn't returned since."

I sat there silent for a moment, but I had more questions. I could think about poor Red later.

"Looker?" Erin groaned at the question.

"A smug prick who tricked me. Also one of the most trustworthy people I know. He's technically my legal guardian, and we both hate it so much. He's one of Interpol's top agents, and he's probably rushing somewhere right now with the huge bags under his eyes getting larger as we speak." She sounded concerned as she said that. I nodded. Interpol I hadn't expected, but nothing there was too surprising.

"What age were you before?" She froze.

Then she gave me a wicked smile.

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age, Leaf?" I paled, but she began to laugh.

"You're fine, your fine! I was thirty." Wow, she was almost as old as my mom! Had been almost as old as my mom. She was still a kid, though, now at least.

I blurted out the next question before I could stop myself.

"Why choose me?" She knew what I meant. Her eyes were kind as she squeezed my shoulder.

"Why not, Leaf? I didn't plan on meeting you, in fact the Professor seems to have deliberately crafted our meeting-" Yeah, he had, now that she said it! No wonder he was so frantic for me to get to the Lab, she had probably just arrived in Kanto!

"-but why wouldn't I help you? Why wouldn't I travel with you? It's…" She was blushing, and she groaned at my intent look.

"It's… kind of a childhood dream to travel with a game protagonist, and you were my… favorite…" She was blushing so hard right now. She threw her head back and shook it a few times.

"Anyways! I'm glad you're thirteen, because letting ten year olds out there is insane! I know you hated it, but look at my hand! I'm so glad I'm not ten again, either, that would be horrible! People already say I act like a kid! I'm not a kid! I'm a grown-ass adult!" She was mad as she said that last part and I laughed. That… was kind of childish.

No.

Was it really?

I think I'm right, but she might kill me if I'm wrong

I'm certain, though.

I'm going for it.

"Have you ever thought that you might be acting like a kid because you are a kid, Erin? You sounded kind of childish, there." I held my hands up as those spooky eyes of hers flashed and Raihan started to laugh.

"I mean, Erin, because your body is a kid's. Is it so surprising that you're acting like a kid again, no matter how old you were?"

She looked at me in abject horror and gasped. I didn't know the proud girl was biologically capable of making that noise, and she sounded terrified.

"Y-You take that back right now Leaf!" Her voice was growing high pitched now, and her face was pale. I began to smile. I had finally rattled her.

This was a nice distraction from existential dread.

"You're a kiiid, Erin. What's so baaaad about thaaat?" I sing-songed at her.

Her face didn't look like it physically could get red right now, but she was certainly pissed.

"Take it back, Leaf!"

She certainly screeched like a kid, too.

She reached for me, but I was no longer as intimidated by this violent, insane girl as I had been when we met, and she wasn't expecting me to grab her hair and pull her forward, to the ground. She sat there, stunned as Raihan stopped laughing and looked at her with pity.

"Erin… She might have a point. You're acting like a kid who can be intensely mature sometimes. Not like an adult who acts childish sometimes. You've… You've actually gotten worse since the moment you first dropped in here, I know that for a fact from your memories. The intense trauma probably didn't help. You're probably acting like a kid because you are one. Your mind was just gradually adjusting to your body up until now. And Erin, you look comfy as a kid right now." Her eyes were wide in horror as he spoke, bottom lip quivering.

"I didn't really put it together until she said something, but Erin… Leaf is right. I'm so sorry that I have to break something like that to you. You're a kid again."

Like it was horrible that I was right!

Erin looked up at him, hair still in my fist, staring at him, then at me, then at the ground for a long second.

She took a deep breath.

With a heart wrenching wail she knocked my hand away. She began to back away slowly as she stood, her face so pale as she stared, hands to her face. She was staring through her raised fingers in horror. Staring at nothing and everything all at once.

Then she began babbling in fear that grew into something more.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! No! No! No! No!"

Denial.

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nuh uh. Not happening. Not me. Not again. No."

Then it was anger.

"I refuse. No. No! You can't make me! I am not a child! I am an ADULT! I don't want a do-over of this part! Arceus! Get your ridiculous-lookin' ass down here and fix this you stupid llama-looking FUCK!"

Her casual blaspheming was overshadowed by the massive glow in her eyes as she raged like a dragon.

"I never signed up for this! Jirachi! If it was you, thank you, but not a kid! NOT! AGAIN! FUUUUUCK!"

She screeched before she abruptly charged off towards the valley, Kallen almost slamming into her with a Water Gun before he rapidly used little jets to slow himself. He latched onto Erin's arm and looked back at the rest of her team, as if to say 'I've got this,' even as Erin charged out of sight, still babbling as she denied a truth anyone with eyes could see.

I looked at Raihan, absolutely stunned by what I had just witnessed. She acted like her life had ended, not suddenly gotten extended! Like her life was going to be terrible just because she was a kid!

What was so bad about being a kid? I loved being a kid, and it was only going to get so much better for a few years, until I wasn't a kid anymore, but I'd deal with that later.

Adults had so many responsibilities, and I had already missed most of my time to enjoy being a kid, stuck in sleepy little Pallet Town.

Being a kid was awesome. Right?

Raihan was staring after her with pity, however, and that brought me up short. He noticed me staring at him with confusion and chuckled, slowly walking over. He clapped his hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eye.

"Being a kid is great, Leaf. Enjoy your youth, because it usually only comes once. When it comes twice, however, it's not necessarily a good thing. It's no wonder she's such a mess." He said it fondly.

"She's an adult in a kid's body that makes her act like one, which embarasses the proud dragon girl. She has all that dragon aura telling her to act like someone different, too, and she'll never be rid of it. She has too much knowledge and empathy along with a savior complex she'll never admit to. She's made a lot of mistakes, Leaf, and she won't mind me telling you that. She'll freely admit it, but that's not the kind of thing you just volunteer." He looked sad.

"She doesn't want to make more mistakes, but nobody can choose everything. She chose you. She cares. I care. You're a good kid, Leaf. You are your own person, too. Don't let a game decide your life."

"Not that you're allowed to look for them. Either of you!" He gave me a thunderous frown for a second before releasing it.

"You're a good kid, Leaf. You have such care for your Pokemon it baffles me. I mean, one wants you dead and I'll bet you still think of him as your baby, or your sweet little guy occasionally." I winced as his verbal attacks critically landed.

"You may have failed your dragon, but if he had been a Normal type, I don't think the species would have mattered. He would have absolutely lived for your every word, because you do the same for your Pokemon. You just keep getting difficult Pokemon. Still, I believe that you can have that kind of relationship with all of your Pokemon, I truly do."

His next words were so careful, so measured.

"You have a gift, Leaf. You have a gift with Pokemon. You just have the worst luck with your choices. If you can adjust, and go from wanting a friend first and a partner second to the reverse, to a situation where you work with your Pokemon first and hopefully develop a relationship deeper than Trainer and Pokemon later, then you will grow powerful. He may never like you, and you can't let that fact break you." He sighed.

"It's either that or release them and start again, and I think we both know you would never do that. You love them both already, even the horror. Erin's working on that, by the way." I tilted my head at him and he grinned.

"She's got plans for your little fae, and now that we've got some agreements in place, training is going to… change, Leaf." He grinned like a dragon that had spotted its prey as his eyes locked onto mine. "Change can be so good for you, Leaf. You should embrace it!"

I gave his vicious grin a nervous look, uneasy about tomorrow already.

"We had to wait to get to know her a bit, but I'm glad Erin hurried it up. I'd rather you not unleash a dangerous fairy with almost no restrictions, but I'd really rather you not do it twice." I pouted at that. Low blow Raihan.

"I thought I was forgiven, and that you weren't even going to mention that?" He grinned at me.

"I said I wouldn't lecture you for it, Leaf. I can still talk about an event that happened. If it sounds like a lecture, that's probably just the guilt."

He was as bad as Erin sometimes.

Chapter Text

Leaf

—

Erin was not happy the next morning. She had finally come back late last night covered in dirt, head bloodied, and dragging the corpse of a Mankey with a hole drilled through its head for the dragons to eat. She managed to mutter that it was an ass, Kallen would need to hold back in the early Gyms or just skip them, and that she was done talking for now. She had devoured some food, drank a bunch of water, then fell into bed and refused to talk.

Me and Raihan had been talking the whole day, anyway, and he knew almost everything she did. I was still trying to wrap my head around it, because it was just… it was too much, right? It had to be an elaborate prank. Then I remember seeing Erin and Raihan talking about it, and it seems… real.

Raihan being insufferable in the games made so much sense, though!

I managed a fitful night of sleep, waking early to find Raihan already awake and on his PokeNav. He gave me a small smile as he beckoned me away from Erin and her pile of Pokemon.

"Hey, Leaf, I have a couple of… questions, requests for you. I already talked to Looker and Professor Oak. You don't have to say yes, but hear me out…" I leaned in, intrigued.

He looked amused, but he also looked concerned.

—

"Erin, I'm sorry to say this, but… You don't act like an adult anymore." She looked up from her slightly-burnt pancake breakfast with murder in her eyes. I had thought pancakes might cheer me up after my reality was broken, and Erin probably could use it, too, the poor young girl!

Hah! It all made sense! She was a kid who refused to acknowledge it!

"Before you tear my head off, listen to me. You are obviously not the average fourteen year old, Erin." She grumbled at that.

"I could be eighteen…" He wasn't impressed.

"Ah, yes, protesting the reality you're faced with. Very adult behavior. I know you know what the other side of that feels like, so how about don't. That one was sad, Erin. You're fourteen. Too bad. Get over it." Oh wow she was blushing so hard it looked like it hurt!

"On that note, Looker has an announcement for you. I talked with him during your little… expedition, yesterday, and he got back to me this morning." She got so pale. The blood vessels in her face were getting a workout today.

"You can't depend on Looker picking up the phone, or Joy, or even me. Even if we could, we're on the other side of the world, Erin, and we're all busy people." She was shaking her head back and forth as he talked, denial all over her face.

"You can't do this, Raihan!" He shook his head

"No, I can't, but I'm not doing it, Erin, Looker is. I'm just his happy little messenger." He looked uncomfortable and happy all at the same time, happily unsure.

And wary. He wasn't stupid, and I noticed he circled her as she began to stalk him so that she was always having to turn, always outside of arms reach. Perpetually ready to spring out of the way. Her eyes glowed, because of course they did.

He was treating her like an enraged dragon, and it was working.

"Raihan, if you deliver that message, I will hurt the messenger! I'll do it!" She was frantic as she screeched, but he just laughed.

"Erin, you won't do that, because I'm your friend. You might snap on me again, but I doubt it, not after how badly you fucked up the other night." He took a deep breath and she whimpered, falling to the ground in denial.

"You need a guardian until you're a mental adult again, Erin. You run around like a kid in a video game, and you can't do that, girl. You're far worse than a, uhh, native teen ever could be, trust me. You need a grounding force, and since you're going to be journeying with Leaf for the Circuit, Oak had the thought to ask Leaf's mom if she'd do it. Especially since Leaf investigated us, which Looker was not happy about, by the way. I took the heat for that one for you, so you're welcome, Erin." I had agreed to let her be asked, mostly to watch the comedy playing out, but Erin did seem to be a good person.

Mostly.

She also seemed so sad sometimes, and my mom was the kindest person I knew. Erin seemed like a good person, and she was going to get a new guardian on this side of the world, either way. There wasn't much other choice, either, considering everything I knew. Erin knew like five people, and only Professor Oak lived on this side of the world, and that was just asking for way too much attention. Mom should be able to help the not-young young girl, or at least just not be as bad as Looker apparently was.

Erin's face looked like a corpse as she stared forward, slowly repeating no as she sat there, stunned. Horrified.

"The final decision is obviously hers, but you need someone to check in on you, to make sure you're okay. Someone you can talk to about the mundane stuff, who can also keep an eye on you. She can't know all of this, but she'll know that you used to be older. That this is hard for you. That way you don't get slapped upside the head too much when you meet in person." He was grinning, and I couldn't help myself as Erin glared at him.

"My mom likes to flick you, so…" Erin turned her face to me with a scowl that promised blood.

"Leaf, no, it doesn't matter. Not happening. I have a mom, Raihan. She's going to eat you, right now actually!... Now!" Erin looked almost frantic as her mother didn't devour her too-close best friend. Raihan laughed, then sighed.

"Think I was dumb enough to mention this without her permission? She agrees with me, Erin, and was grateful for the idea. She is many things to you, but she can never be a human. Pokemon, and her especially, are amazing, wondrous beings. She loves you, but she can't give you everything. She knows that." He grimaced.

"She wants to meet the poor woman, though." Erin laughed, then looked alarmed.

"That's a horrible idea, but thankfully it'll never happen, because I'm not doing this. Tell him no." He stared at her blankly.

"Erin, the form is made. Filled out. Looker's just waiting on her confirmation, and then it's official. You don't get a say in this, as a... minor. Looker does." She sounded like a tea kettle!

"So pack up, Erin. We can leave the camp mostly as is, I don't think anything's going to come around here anytime soon. Not after our Pokemon have been hanging out and training. We're headed to Pallet Town. Now." He paused.

"Sorry. Don't hate the messenger, please."

She waved him off, shaking her head in silence.

Erin didn't speak as we packed up a few things, mainly the food and blankets, and soon we found ourselves in front of Flygon. Standing there ready to fly to Pallet town. All of us. The Flygon who could easily carry two people on his back.

All three of us.

The other two gave me a look and I suddenly didn't feel so good.

"Leaf, don't test me right now. I will not be carried." Her glare actually made me take a step back, and Riahan was shaking his head at me. Sadly. Because of course.

"Sorry, Leaf, I'm not going to demean myself by making my biggest troublemaker carry me like a princess. He won't drop you, ever, but… You know how he is. Sorry in advance." I glanced at Flygon and a sweet smile grew on my face. He didn't look happy as he bared his teeth right back at me.

"I think I'll be fine." Oh shit the dragon I had blackmail on would hold my life in his arms, for real! Literally! This was either going to be great or horrible!

—

Erin was meeting my mom in our front yard. We lived on the outskirts of town, and the closest house was only barely visible in the distance. We landed in my front yard only to find my mother and Professor Oak standing there, waiting for us.

My mom was… motherly? I really didn't know how else to describe her. Taller, long brown hair, green eyes… a motherly… aura? I guess? I didn't care, though.

I rushed to give her a hug, of course, but Erin only tightened her grip on Flygon. Raihan sighed before recalling the poor strangled Pokemon, letting Erin fall to the ground in a heap.

"Stop being a child, Erin." She was not having a fun time as she stood up, slowly walking over to meet us. She gave Professor Oak a casual nod, which he returned, and Erin met us as the Professor and Raihan met in person for the first time.

"Hi, I'm Erin, nice to meet you. Your daughter is very talented, you should be proud." Erin didn't lie, so I felt myself blush as my mom met her handshake with a hug. Erin froze, but lightly, warily returned it for a brief second before she slipped out of my moms arms. My mom didn't look upset, though, and just smiled warmly at her.

"Patricia Greenwood, the pleasure is mine, dear. And of course she is!" She pulled me into a one armed hug. "Isn't she just adorable, too?" I felt my face begin to heat up as Erin grinned at me.

"She really is, ma'am, like a baby Pokemon you need to keep a watchful eye on." My mom laughed at the horrible girl, and Erin bared her teeth at me one more time before her face got serious and she looked at my mother.

"You seem like a very kind lady." My mom's face was kind right now as she looked at Erin warmly.

"You seem very kind and generous to even consider this. For a total stranger, though? Respectfully, you don't know me, ma'am. You don't know my Pokemon. You don't know what I'm capable of, and you're offering to potentially be my legal guardian? Really?" Professor Oak tried to speak, striding closer to her and she glared at him. He stepped backwards as if stunned, slight shock in his eyes.

"Oak, I respect you more than you could possibly imagine, but this is something very special to me. This is my agency. This is family, and I can't just do that with some strange woman I've never met before. No offense, ma'am, seriously, you seem very lovely. I just…" She seemed lost as she stared around, searching for words.

My mother's face was still kind, though, as she gave her a warm smile.

"Dear, I understand. I heard of a young girl who needed some minor guidance for a time and didn't see a problem with it, that's all. I'm not your new mother, and you're not exactly going to be living here. We'll only really talk over video, and I would have been calling Leaf anyways. You can think of me as a caseworker, if that helps?" Erin shook her head and began to slowly back away.

"I don't think it will, no. Sorry for wasting your time." She turned and began to walk away before a wave of pressure roiled off of her for a second. Suddenly Atremis was there, her jaws clamped onto Erin's pants leg. She growled as she dug her little claws in, and Erin looked down in betrayed shock.

"Mom, Artemis, no! Stop!" Artemis didn't stop. She got more determined, actually, and Raihan sighed.

"Could we go to your backyard? It looks like Erin has decided this is a teenager day, and apparently won't act like the adult she so desperately claims she still is." Her face was full of betrayal as he continued. "Let's go out in the backyard and tell your mom that you're leaving, Erin. She seems to have an opinion on the matter."

She was shaking her head rapidly at this point, and the Luxury Balls were all rattling. Raihan got a nod from my confused-looking mother and sighed.

He then snatched Erin up like a petulant child and began to walk towards our fenced-in backyard, Artemis following closely behind.

"Raihan, put me down! You can't make me!" Her face was red and slightly panicked as she pounded on his shoulders.

"That's exactly what I'm doing, Erin. Be an adult."

"I am an adult!"

"Could have fooled me, girl."

"Raihan!"

I hung back with my mom as they disappeared into the back yard, giving her an uncertain smile.

"She's… nice? She's a good person, for sure, she's just…"

My mom gave a soft laugh, her face still amused as she stared towards the rising argument.

"However old she may have been, that was a teenager right there. A spoiled teenager who wasn't getting her way." A smile grew on her face, amused and excited all at once.

"I think she might have forgotten how to act properly, too! Imagine that?" Her warm, kind smile was scaring me now, so I quickly pulled her towards the back yard, Professor Oak following behind us.

Erin lay on her back, glowering as Artemis stood guard over her. Raihan held her bandoleer of Pokeballs in his hands, a look of exhausted satisfaction on his face. He looked at me and his expression grew serious.

"Leaf, what have you told your mother about Erin?"

"Just that she used to be older, isn't a bad person despite appearances-" Erin snarled at me from the ground and I pointed at her "-like that, and that she's helped me more in a few days than Professor Oak managed in months. No offense, Professor." He gave me an easy smile and waved me off.

"That's quite alright, there was a reason I was so excited at the opportunity she represented for you, Leaf." His eyes were warm as he looked at the Ultra Ball just sitting there on my belt. Like I didn't need to worry about death just by being near it, locked or not.

Raihan cleared his throat and looked at me.

"So, Leaf… have you told her about Erin's Pokemon, yet? Or your new one, for that matter?" My mothers eyes grew wide at that last part and she began to beam at me.

"Leaf! You got a new Pokemon! What is it? Is it nice? Can I meet them? How did you do it? Where did-" I raised my hand to cut her off before she could really get going.

"Mom, calm down. Erin found her for me, but she's not… nice." Her face fell and I rushed to continue.

"She might be! Maybe! I think she's going to try? She's… different, mom. She's a fairy, and they can be just as bad as dragons, if not worse. We have an agreement, and I trust her with my life now, even though she's horrific, but… I'm not sure you should…" I cut off as she enveloped me in a warm, comforting hug that I hadn't realized I needed right now.

"Sweetie, I'm not sure why she's horrific, but she can't be that bad? You seem to trust Erin, right?" I nodded my head against her. I did trust Erin about serious matters. Erin could be serious, it just wasn't her default state of existence.

"Then let me meet your newest team member, sweetie."

I eventually caved, and after reciting a list of rules for my mom to follow that Erin proudly approved of, even if they should be completely unnecessary now, I released her. My cute, adorable little fairy. My prankster. My pink horror that threatened my sanity.

My Clefairy.

She came out already aware of the situation, of course. Her Pokeballs restrictions had been turned all the way down. She wasn't slowed or cut off from time itself, unable to leave on her own (it was standard for new captures, but it was heavily frowned upon to have a Pokemon in one for too long). She wasn't only vaguely aware of her surroundings. She had no restrictions placed on her, and she might as well have been hanging from my belt with her hands with how aware she was of the outside world. The Pokeball was just a convenient hand-hold to get rides.

The moment she saw my mom her eyes got wide, and Erin hadn't even begun to growl before my little horror's eyes were shining. With a startled yell I tried to grab her before she could do something, but I was too slow. She leapt, and I watched in slow motion as she began to rise into the air.

Then, she kept rising, and I realized with a shocked expression that stars were shooting out, forming larger stars as they exploded out from behind her in a torrent. She smiled down at my mom, who had an expression of absolute wonder on her face, then let herself drop. She bounced a few times, then gave my mom a bow with a huge shit-eating grin on her face.

Then she turned and winked at me.

That little shit! I thought she would be a menace, so instead she astounds my mother, who even now was clapping in delight! She did that just to fuck with me and my expectations!

Not that I would prefer mayhem to this, but still!

To be fair, that also might have been a genuine desire to spread joy to her new 'friend's' mother, but it seems a little early for that much progress!

"She's adorable Leaf! How could you call such a cute creature horrific?" My mother was not prepared for the smile that made its way onto my fairies face, nor the shine in her eyes as my adorable horror laughed.

My mother reared back for a moment, but with a dark laugh of her own, something I had never heard from my mother before, she crouched down to stare at my grinning Pokemon.

"It's a good thing she's so well behaved then, Leaf, or I might have had to replace my toilet seat cover. You know, that lovely pink one." My Clefairy paled and began to rapidly nod.

"Oh, you're saying you'll be well behaved for my wonderful daughter?" My mothers smile was so sweet it was sick. My fairy rapidly nodded, eyes wide and fearful and dull, and my mom stroked her on the head with an easy smile before she rose.

"Well, I must say, I'm glad you have such a well behaved Pokemon, Leaf." Her smile was wide and innocent as she turned to glance at Erin, still laying on the ground. Erin had watched with her own shit-eating grin of utter satisfaction. Also pride…

What the fuck was that, Mom? Did you just make a fae cower?!

"How is your… Fraxure, dear?" Her face was complicated as she looked at me and I froze for a second, before Erin perked up, scrambling to her feet.

"Good idea, Miss Greenwood. Raihan, Professor, let's go. C'mere." She instantly began moving, pulling Artemis after her. They all crouched behind our cushionless outdoor couch, the wicker thick enough to be hard to see through.

Erin looked at us and frowned, pointing at us then the ground near the couch impatiently. Professor Oak was recording. Again. I grinned at the slightly stunned look on my moms face. Understandable, a Gym Leader and Professor Oak just casually followed her orders.

"I get it mom, but let's go. She can be serious, and she's good at this, so trust us. I know what she's doing." My mother gave me a tight nod as we walked over. I unleashed my baby up against the side of the couch so that he couldn't see them, but we could all see him.

He came out with his usual huge growl, looking around warily. Not seeing Erin or her oversized mother around, he grinned up at me. I scowled back with my arms folded as he took a step forward, my mother taking a few back.

"Think very carefully before you make a mistake, now." He growled and took another step, slicing his blades through the air with short motions. I didn't back down, couldn't, so instead I took a step forward, my hand lifting to point at him. I was so ready to pull my hand back, though. It was a nice hand, it did hand things great.

"After Erin's mom, or even Erin when she's mad, you don't scare me. You could kill me, yes. I'm a human. But you're still weak!" He hissed at me, eyes flashing in rage.

"That's my fault, and we're working to fix that right now! So don't keep posturing and acting like you're going to attack me! You're not going to! You would have left if you didn't want to fight with me, and you know that if you killed me, Erin would eat you alive! Literally! Like, I feel disturbed saying that, but I think she would agree with me. With one of those terrifying smiles of hers."

My mothers horrified gasp was only matched by the huge grins on Erin and Raihans faces as I finally cowed my dangerous dragon, even a little. Professor Oak was beaming at me in pride and happiness, his camera still trained on me and my dragon. Said dragon settled back down, crouching there in the dirt as he scanned around, jerking when he finally noticed mom.

"Technically, in that situation I would cook and eat his limbs while I made him watch, preferably with your corpse still there for the poetry inherent in mutual destruction."

Erin stode around the furniture, and I watched my moms face as my rebellious baby cowered on the ground. And as she heard Erin's horrifying words, of course. Her face was incredulous, which was understandable, but I was really watching for the next reaction.

"Heeeey there, little dragon. Points for effort, little guy. You didn't charge, so give yourself one point. You did growl and posture at her, however, so you lose that point. Then? You backed down." She sat in front of him and stretched her hands out. He refused for a moment, but eventually her waving hands were too much and he grabbed them. She smiled warmly at him.

"You're still trying to find your honor, to find what the concept means to you. That's okay. You see backing down as a disgrace, as a sign that you are weak and lesser, correct?" He nodded, slowly and hesitantly as my mother watched with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"You see it that way because you don't know what it is to be a dragon. Not yet. I guarantee you that at one point in her life, before she was an Alpha or even fully grown, that my mother backed down. Even after. She has backed down from Champions. There is no honor in pride. The two can exist together, but being prideful isn't an honor. Only being honorable is." She reached up and grabbed his blades in her hands and gave him a friendly shake as he stared at her.

"You did good, little dragon. You still have a long way to go, but… Not bad. Keep at it, don't backslide too often, and I think you might be a real dragon by the time the Circuit comes around."

My baby perked up so much that he almost cut Erin, but she just laughed and shifted her hands to hold them from behind and began to play tug of war with him, a game she shouldn't want to win, considering the sharp edges were facing her. My mother's jaw was still open as I nudged her. She turned to me with shaky eyes and I smiled.

It felt so good to see that Erin really was that insane, and that I wasn't just too, I don't know, sane. Normal?

"She's crazy, but she's a good person, and she's good at this. She's helped me reconnect already, even if it's not much." My moms eyes grew watery as she pulled me into a tight hug.

"Oh, sweetie, oh I'm so happy to hear that. You have no idea how worried I've been for you!" She continued to hug me, tightly I might add, as she spoke. Very tightly.

"Yeah, I only had to beat his ass… what's it been, little dragon? Three times?" She paused while my mother stared in disbelief, as though she couldn't believe what she just heard. No idea why, just a human fighting a Rank 6 Pokemon. Totally normal stuff.

"I don't know if the second one counts since my Pokemon did most of it, I just bounced your face off the ground, and I'm counting your two little incidents at the Professors as one… Let's just say twice." She gave an aggressive tug on him and he snarled at her. Her grin was basically a snarl, too.

"Twice I've had to beat your ass, once so bad I even had to go easy on you because you were already unconscious. You were weaker than I anticipated, but I should have anticipated that. That was my fault, not yours, so don't worry about it." The growl was huge now, his eyes murderous as he stared at her face less than a foot from his, my mother staring in horrified anticipation for the imminent bloodbath.

But he didn't do anything.

"Luckily, you've decided that you want to be an honorable dragon. It's a work in progress, but the fact that you didn't just try and attack me is a good sign, my dude." He perked up at that as Erin gave him one last playful shake before releasing him, staying seated.

"Keep it up. It's a process, and I know you're probably going to backtrack. That's fine, I know the feeling, but you can do it, if you want. You have drive, so use it for the right things, little dragon. Other than Leaf's love, it is the only thing that saved you from my nice, sharp blade that's already claimed lives." He looked determined as he gave Erin a firm nod. It warmed my heart, but…

My mom appeared to be choking on her own tongue at this point. I patted her arm, and she was shocked at how calm I was. I mean, that was nothing for Erin, honestly. She was being nice to him, and I knew she was also trying to push my dragon, continuously, to test his restraint.

"Erin can be kind of… intense, mom. She's nice, though! I swear! Even if she sicks her mom on me!" Raihan began laughing at that and I blushed. Oh my Arceus I forgot that he had pictures! Please don't, Raihan!

My mom took a long, deep breath before she looked at Erin. She was calmer, but she looked wary, too. Probably the right attitude to have with Erin.

"Now, how about I meet the rest of your Pokemon, dear? This little girl seems to care about you quite a lot." She looked at Artemis, who was already back at Erin's side, finally taking the chance to look around instead of pinning her delinquent sister.

Erin grumbled, but didn't say anything as Raihan slowly began to release her Pokemon into the yard.

My moms eyes grew wide as the menagerie grew, but somehow she knew what to say to each of them as they appeared.

"Oh my, what a beautiful shade of white you are, you precious thing! Don't give me those sad eyes!" Seraphina was blushing as she tried to hide her face.

"What an affectionate little sea dragon you are! Is that your favorite spot? Obviously, of course!" Kallen had done a flip before rocketing towards Erin, as usual.

"Well now, this must be the big happy guy I've heard about! No biting, right? Just lic- No- Stop!-" I pulled the frantically licking Cerberus off of her as he whined at me. He liked her, apparently.

"Hello there, little one. You're safe here. I don't even have to get to know you to know this: You love them, don't you?" Hecate's little face broke into a wide smile and my mom rubbed her head with a beaming smile before she straightened, looking at Erin.

"Well? I count five, young lady." Erin's eyes grew wide, as did the absolute shit-eating grin on her face, before she paused and looked at Raihan.

Raihan sighed and came to stand next to my mom.

"I am a Gym Leader and a Dragon Master, so believe me when I say that she is safe." My mom's smile began to droop at that. Not the best way to start a calming discussion.

"She's actually really nice, mom. She's just really strict." My mother's expression brightened a little at that, but then her expression continued to grow worse as Raihan just kept talking.

"She is no danger to you or anyone else that is peaceful, and she's quite kind." He sounded a bit desperate, and my mom noticed.

"She really is, mom. You don't have to worry about her. She's even helped me for no reason at all." Erin grinned at me. A wicked grin, the terrible girl.

"She helped you because you can sometimes act like a spineless wimp, and she won't allow the pack she leads to hold a weak link."

Erin!

I rounded on her, finger already raised, words on my lips, when my mom suddenly clapped her hands together. She looked at us all calmly, then at Erin.

"Erin, dear, I think it's time to meet your mother." Her voice was unsteady, but she didn't look afraid.

"Well, you asked for it… You heard her, mom. Don't crush anything, please." My mother only had a few seconds to be confused by Erin's words before the light show began to play out.

I watched my mothers head follow the shifting mass of red light. I watched as her head began to slowly, slowly rise, and I watched as her expression changed from one of fearful anticipation, to terrified realization, then to shock as her head kept rising. It had to be shock, because she had stopped. Not just stopped moving, I don't think she was even breathing as Leto leaned down and nodded at her.

"Hey mom, you heard all that, right? I said I'd come, I came, so let's go!" Erin leapt for her moms face, only to slide off as the giant Pokemon refused to help her remain on. No teeth jutting out, no tilting her head, she just let Erin slowly slide off. She actually angled her head to make it harder.

"C'mon! I don't need a guardian! I am not a child!" She yelled, childishly. She began trying to climb her mothers back, and judging by the look on her mothers face, Erin was about to mess up badly.

I didn't say anything, just walked past my petrified mother up to Leto. I gave her a smile as she looked back towards Erin, then rolled her eyes. Yeah…

"Mom, this is Leto! She's really nice, I promise!" I placed a hand on her snout and turned.

My mother was so pale I thought she might actually pass out, but with a short gasp she finally began to breathe again. She looked terrified for me, though, like she thought I was about to die, so I quickly ran back over to her and wrapped her in a hug. I thought being close to Leto would make her feel safer, not fear more for me!

"Mom, trust me, she's nice! She would never eat me or you! She's neve- She's devoted to her daughter, Erin!" I said the last past with a loud, exasperated yell. Erin finally managed to crawl to the top of her moms back and sat there! The insane girl sat on the cloak of feathers Leto had there, grabbed on, then pointed ahead.

"Mom, let's go! We can come back for the others later, they'll understand!" Her voice was frustrated and panicked. She looked like she just couldn't deal with the current situation.

Leto looked like she felt the same way.

Leto took a few steps away from the humans, Pokemon, and lawn furniture, before she shook. She snatched Erin right out of the air with her arms, and Erin barely had time to begin to scream 'no' before she was flipping into the air. I gave my mom a tight squeeze as she gasped in horror at the sight, hands raised to her mouth.

"She's fine, mom." Leto's huge jaws came out and snatched her daughter out of the air, and after a moment she began to shift her mouth around.

"Erin's just in timeout, now." Those damn lips peeled back and there she was, incandescently furious as she sat there on her giant mothers tongue. Covered in saliva. Pouting.

"They call Erin the Savage Trainer online, and I'm sure you can see why. Like I said, though, Leto is really nice, but strict." Her huge head nodded at me, eyes and massive lips smiling. Erin looked like she refused to speak, eyes closed as she sat in her prison. Fuming.

My poor mother looked beside herself as she stared at Erin, then Raihan, who was laughing, and me. I was trying not to laugh, but at her incredulous, stunned face I broke down. Our Pokemon were also laughing, so why not?

Erin began to screech and thrashed, repeating the same foolish mistake I had made, and her mom's eyes gleamed. She narrowed her eyes at me and Raihan, causing my mom's knees to shake as the giant head appeared to glare at her, too. My face broke out into a huge smile, though, and I scrambled over, my mothers arms falling away from me with no strength.

"I know a good trail, if you lift me up I'll point it out, okay?" She nodded, Erin continuing to screech from inside the mouth. I scrambled on, to the laughs of Raihan and the worried gasp of my mother, before I got a good grip on her snout and we began to rise. I pointed to a small hill in the distance with a large tree sticking out. It was nothing special, but it was the only thing I could really use as a landmark. Pallet Town wasn't exactly known for much.

"If you run towards that hill with the tree, there should be some small creeks? There's not much around here, though, so maybe try to make a game out of it? Like, don't knock over anything, even if you have to throw your whole body around?" Erin's screaming was much angrier now, and it only grew as Leto grinned at me and nodded.

She lowered her head to let me jump off, but before she ran off she turned to stare at my mother. My mom froze, but Leto actually gave her a short, tiny bow of her head. She then turned around and walked off a distance before she was suddenly gone, the sounds of Erin's screams already fading away.

My mother collapsed to the ground and I rushed back to her, pulling her upright. She looked like she was about to faint as she stared at where the huge predator had been, and I could understand that.

Leto had no business being as fast as she was, not at her size.

"She bowed to you, a 'weak' human, because you are doing her a great service." Raihan spoke up seriously, catching my mothers attention.

"She's not a young, stupid Pokemon. She is mature, intelligent, and most of all, she is a mother. She knows that she is capable of a great many things, but caring for a human child's psyche isn't one of them." My moms face turned thoughtful at that. Still pale, though.

"There are very few things in the world that can threaten Erin's life now, so that's her primary worry. Leaf's either, since she's a member of Leto's pack now, as well." My mom looked at me in surprise and I blushed.

"Like I've been saying mom, she's actually really kind and understanding once you get to know her. She's just huge and terrifying and… She's just…" I couldn't not tell her, not when it was so easy to find the information online.

"-The Tyrant Queen of The Galarian Crown Tundra Preserve. She's a brutal maneater with a confirmed kill count of forty three humans-" I raised my voice over my mothers horrified exclamations. "-and yet she chose to go into a Pokeball for Erin!" My mom paused, thankfully. She was hard to stop when she got going.

"She fought off Champions that attempted to capture her, but she chose Erin! She's not a danger to anyone anymore, not if they're not a danger to us." My mom slowly sat down. She wasn't calm, but she was very, very still as she turned to Raihan. He nodded at her slowly, eyes concerned.

"Ma'am, I understand your hesitancy, trust me, but I am a Dragon Master. Leto is no danger to anyone. She actually likes your daughter. Your daughter who, I might add, thought she would be smart with some comments around camp. Erin wasn't very happy, and Leto went against her own daughter to help Leaf out." My mothers face regained some color even as he continued to talk.

"Then she told Erin to bow down to her, and the Tyrant Queen gave her a timeout as well. The first, actually." It's a good thing my mother was sitting in the grass again, because she would have fallen if not.

"Then Leaf found out how bad an idea it is to protest the pack leader's punishment, and Leto went to do a quick obstacle course, as well. The Leaf Special." I started rubbing my mothers back as I glared at Raihan. He just gave me a shiteating grin. He knew I was about to get in so much trouble!

"Leaf, is what he said true?" Her voice was oddly calm. Very calm.

"U-um, yeah? It was actually really safe, she held me really tightly with her tongue, and used a really intense Protect…" She was glaring at me now, Raihan smiling behind her.

"You were smart with some comments, hmm?" Really, that's the part she focused on? I grinned.

I would not be shamed for that!

"I just asked Erin and Raihan if they were dating as a joke, and they looked so disgusted." I met Riahan's eyes as he gagged a little. "Then I realized they were the same person, and that's why they couldn't stand the thought of dating each other, age aside. She really got mad when I told them that." My moms face grew amused as Raihan began to lightly scowl at me. His voice was vindictive as he spoke.

"Leaf also decided to protest Leto's punishment by thrashing inside the mouth of one of the largest predators in the world, just like Erin did a minute ago, so..." My moms horrified gasp was only matched by the laughter of the Pokemon. She looked around at them in stunned silence for a moment before her eyes met mine. I smiled at her.

"I'm telling you mom, Leto's nice. She's a bi- she's strict, but kind and fair. She kind of reminds me of you, actually. Just, you know, a lot bigger. And scalier."

My mother just sat there in silence, thinking for a moment. Off in the distance I heard the crack of a tree breaking and we all winced. The sound made my mother perk up, though, and she stood and began to hook up the hose.

"She's going to need this, I assume?" She was giving me a sly grin, and I couldn't help the scowl on my face. Then I nodded, sullenly I might add.

"That, and a shower. The… smell really seeps in." She began to laugh and I felt my face grow hot.

At least she seemed to have calmed down a little about Leto? She was the most physically intimidating Pokemon I had ever heard of, barring a Gyarados or Steelix or other Alpha dragons, but she was… kind. I would not have wanted to meet her before she met Erin, but after Raihan's further revelations I had my own theories.

Leto seemed too comfortable with humans, even considering she had to interact with them now. Even considering she had viewed Erin's memories. Either she had picked up some human traits from Erin during the memory viewing, or been someone's Pokemon before. That second one was far more plausible, considering her species had been artificially reintroduced to the wild. She still ate people, but she might have been familiar with them, too.

Leto eventually returned, rolling a blank-faced Erin out of her mouth as my mom took an unconscious step backwards from the massive Pokemon. Erin stood and walked over to my mom mechanically. She didn't even have to be told what was going to happen. She knew.

The poor young girl!

I was never going to let that one go.

Never.

After a long hosing down I led Erin to my tiny little bathroom, left her some spare clothes, and returned to find Raihan deep in conversation with Professor Oak and my mom around the kitchen table. I could see Cerberus running in circles around Leto's legs out the back window, so I assumed the rest were still out there as well.

"-isn't unstable. I mean, she is, kind of, but really I think she's, ah… rapidly going through puberty again mentally, backwards, and the awareness of it is driving her insane." Professor Oak was nodding along while my mom sat there in fascination.

"She's trying to act like an adult, and I bet in her mind she is, sometimes at least, but it's getting filtered through her teenage brain into… that. Looker's also hoping that she'll hesitate even a little bit more to put her ideas into practice, if it means disappointing someone she's not on casual terms with, like me or him." He shook his head a bit, perking up a bit as he saw me.

"Leaf, perfect timing. You don't mind this setup, correct?" I shook my head. I really didn't, actually. She was really fun to tease, too, now that I had a few levers to pull.

"Nah, Erin's nice, even if she's, uhh, rough. She could also… probably use someone to just talk to that's not me or her Pokemon, so no? Feel free? It's not like she's taking half my allowance." He nodded, and Professor Oak spoke up as my mom smiled at me in pride.

"Like I was telling you, Patricia, she comes with the highest recommendations. She may seem to be, and rapidly be becoming, immature, but she's got a good heart." He cut off as my mom waved her hand. She seemed calm and determined now, even as her eyes kept darting to the enormous shadow looming in our backyard.

"I don't mind doing it. I was always going to, after I heard the basics from the Professor, here. I just hope she can accept some help." Raihan chuckled a little, shaking his head at the odd looks he received.

"Ma'am, you don't have to worry about helping her. Someone else will be getting to that, eventually. No, we just want someone to ask her the simple things on her journey. Have you been well, have you gotten into any trouble? Have you had a good time, do you need advice, just… questions. She has nobody else to do it, and she's probably going to spiral rapidly once I leave, thinking that her insane ideas are normal because of course she's an adult, obviously! I just can't be here from half a world away. I have a life, too." His eyes looked tired.

"I've known her for a very short amount of time, but she's a good friend, and I'd rather not have to hear about her getting herself killed because she was too impulsive. I guess I'm just saying, all she needs is an anchor, someone to ground her. Possibly in more ways than one." He grinned, and it wasn't a nice one. My mom looked intrigued as he spoke, though.

"Erin tries her best to never lie. Haven't heard a single one, she'll just refuse to speak instead. If you treat her like a fae and get her to agree to something she will do it, however reluctantly. So if you, for instance, somehow get her to agree to obey your punishments…" The grin that grew on my mothers face was evil, and I did my best to appear small.

Nope, I'm not here for evil mom face!

"Well then, that sounds lovely! I do so like those who keep their word…" She was scheming, and I was rapidly feeling worse about this whole thing.

"So, Leaf. I can see that Erin has managed to subdue your Fraxure, but how are you doing?" Professor Oak had a proud look on his face still, but he also looked concerned as he gazed at me. I smiled, and though it wasn't a strong smile, it wasn't one of my old, weak smiles either.

"It's been hard, but worth it. Erin and Raihan are both nice, and Raihan's actually helping me a lot while he's here. Leto helps me, too." My mom threw him a wide smile that he easily returned. "They're… harsh, but I get the feeling that's just how I'll have to be if I want to keep my dragon." Raihan nodded at me.

"It's not easy keeping dragons, Leaf. There are always exceptions in every species, and some are more gentle than others, like the Dragonite line, but they are all prideful creatures. They have to respect you, and dragons respect strength. They won't expect you to be stronger than them in a fight, obviously. Erin's just insane." I nodded at that. Preach it, Raihan!

"They expect you to be strong of character, to have drive, to give them instruction and direction they wouldn't normally have, to bring something to the table that they can't. Your dragon, well, I'm not going to hammer in what you did wrong again. What you're doing now is demonstrating to him that you're attempting to change. Actual progress is best, obviously, but just the perception that his, uhh, 'weak, useless' trainer is training herself, attempting to be better? That's already won you a little respect back from him." My moms face was intrigued as she listened to Raihan talk, and I had to admit that he was a good teacher. When he wasn't being himself.

"Notice how we haven't told you what to do, though?" I nodded. "It's because it's different for every Dragon Tamer. Everyone does it differently, and you have to find that out yourself. I'm more of a bargainer with my dragons. They respect my strength and want to get stronger, sure, but they're primarily in it for the rewards. They aren't a fae, I don't need agreements with them, but they know that the more effort they put in, the less they question my authority, the better their rewards."

"Erin is close to unique, so I wouldn't really look to emulate her. Dragons fear her, even if they can get over it eventually, and she knows how to interact with them as a dragon. As an Alpha dragon. Her young Pokemon will fight hell itself for her, even the non dragons, and her mother might win. If there's anything you can take from her style, it's how she adores her Pokemon, but you don't need help with that at all." I blushed at his words.

"You're finding your own way to tame dragons, and we can't help you move forward, only stop you from moving backward. We have advice, obviously, but the Dragon Tamer Leaf of a year from now will act very differently than you do now. Don't worry, though." He smiled evilly. "Erin won't let you fail, and Leto will keep on straightening that spine of yours whether you like it or not."

The sound of stomping footsteps rang out from behind me as Erin crashed her way downstairs. Her face was red as she stood there, glaring at me.

"Leaf, I am not wearing your clothes!" She screeched at me. I gave her a wide smile. I knew she would hate that! She stood there in what was apparently my 'iconic outfit', a blue sleeveless shirt and a short red skirt, with flip flops, unfortunately. I didn't have a second pair of shoes to complete the 'set'.

Before I could even begin to gloat my mother had stood up, arms crossed as she glared at Erin with a thunderous scowl. Erin, for her part, began to wilt under my mom's fierce eyes.

"Young lady, I may not know you yet, but I would think you were raised well, once?" My mom continued over Erin's frantic nod. "Then is it appropriate to stomp down someone's stairs? To yell in someone else's home?" Erin's face was so red as she shook her head, mumbling apologies as she stared at the carpet.

"Now, as to the clothes, I'm not sure why you're so upset, dear? You look adorable, just like Leaf!" Now we were both blushing, but Erin looked like she might melt through the floor right about now. Raihan had a huge grin on his face, and so did Professor Oak, who was- No! He was recording!

Professor!

Why this?!

"Now, I've decided that I will go ahead and take over for Agent Looker as your primary legal guardian-" Erin began to raise her head and speak, but my mom just put a finger over her mouth. Erin stared at it in stunned confusion with crossed eyes as my mom continued unabated.

"-and as a minor you have no say in the matter, it is done. I'm not trying to take over as your parent, dear, however, there will be rules. I am not your mother, but if you are to be my responsibility, you will follow them, am I clear?" Erin gave a stunned nod, mouth open in disbelief. And shock. A lot of disbelieving shock.

"Rule number one: If I give you a punishment, you will follow my punishment. Is that understood?" Erin nodded, still looking dazed, before she gave my mom a look of mounting horror. My mom just smiled back at her.

Sweetly.

"Good, good. Rule number two: You are both to call me at every Pokemon Center you stay at once the Circuit begins, and at least once every other day when you're traveling. If you're going to be going through a spot with bad reception, let me know in advance so I don't worry." Erin seemed to be twitching, but she still gave a jerking nod to my mom. That wasn't bad.

"Rule number three: You will call me anytime you feel that you need to talk to someone that isn't my lovely daughter or your friends, especially if they are sleeping on the other side of the world. You do this instead of bottling up whatever thoughts or worries you have. I spend little time working, and I work from home. I'll always pick up your call, dear." Erin's nod was a little more certain now, but she was still eyeing my mom warily.

"Rule number four: If you get one of your… ideas, as Raihan put them, you call me or him first. Always. I'm not going to have my new ward go out and terrorize someone with the Ty-Tyrant Queen." Erin nodded, and I didn't blame my mom for the stutter. Leto was a lot to take in. In so many ways…

My mom smiled warmly at Erin and brought her in for a hug. Erin struggled, but not much, and allowed herself to be hugged for a few seconds before she broke it off. I smiled at Erin.

It was a warm smile, but it had a bit of a bite to it.

"You look so cute in my clothes, Erin! I think I have a spare hat, if you want?" The look in her eyes was pure fury as I dodged her grasping hands.

"Leaf! I know you have to have different clothes!" She began to chase me, only for a loud clap to ring through the house.

Erin stood stunned only for a moment, but it was long enough for my mom to come over and flick both of us on the back of the head. We gave her dirty looks as she smiled at us.

"Leaf, don't try to pick fights with Erin! Erin, don't rise to her bait, and don't start a physical fight indoors! Understood?" Her hands were on her hips now, and me and Erin both bowed our heads a little, mumbling out apologies.

Raihan just chuckled to himself as he watched the scene, Professor Oak still recording!

Maybe this was a mistake on my part?

Chapter Text

Leaf

—

"So the reason you're spending all your time camping out there is because of your mother?" Erin nodded at my mom as we sat there eating lunch.

I would never tell her, but after eating Erin's literally otherworldly cooking, my mother's Pidgey Pot Pie was just… lacking. We all still ate it with enthusiasm, but only Erin seemed intrigued by the flavor as she asked my mom a few questions about what she put in it. She even managed to look neutral when she did.

Erin was still very much not a happy person. At all. But despite her temper, Erin wasn't one to blindly lash out at people doing a good deed. Well, I could see her doing that, actually, but I could also see her removing herself from the situation first. Less victims to silence after her rage calms down, anyway…

"Well, yeah. She refuses to sleep without me. I haven't slept alone since we met, and she's way too big for most rooms. Pokemon Centers apparently usually have a few rooms big enough, but not for free during the off-Circuit times." My moms face looked thoughtful as she listened to Erin. And warm. Leto's love for her immature daughter really was sweet. Overbearing, but sweet.

"It's easier to just have her run far off-Route and set up a campsite. A rain tarp and ground cover makes it comfortable enough. I was going to buy a huge tent, but I can't afford that for a while now. Hopefully I can before it gets cold. Summer is going suck." I hope so too, Erin. I really do, too.

"And you don't worry, going so far off rout- oh, what am I saying!" My mom laughed a little, her eyes darting to the prone form of Leto visible in the backyard. She was being used as an obstacle course by the other Pokemon, apparently, and I found the sight sweet. I knew her, and trusted her, though. My moms smile at the sight was a great deal more unsteady.

It didn't stop her from being my mom, though.

"Why don't you all stay here instead, dear? You could run out to train, our backyard is more than big enough for everyone, and we can rig up a tarp on the fence for you! That sounds quite fun, actually, like a little sleepover!" My moms eyes were shining as Erin's face ran through a series of emotions.

Irritation, quickly subsumed by guilt over said irritation, then she visibly braced herself before tightly nodding.

"That sounds… great, ma'am. I'm sure my team wouldn't mind watching TV again, either, even if it's through a window for my mom." My mom clapped her hands together in delight.

"We have a projector, actually! We haven't used it in forever, but we could pull it out and have a movie night!" Erin winced, but looked over at me with a questioning look in her eyes. I nodded back.

My mom could be a bit much sometimes, but sleeping in my bed for the remaining time before the Circuit began instead of cheap futons sounded amazing, despite Erin's obvious reluctance. She would get over it. We would have plenty of time during the Circuit to camp.

"That sounds… lovely then, Ms. Greenwood." My mom laughed and rubbed the top of Erins head, causing her to scowl.

"Please, call me Patricia, dear. Ms. Greenwood makes me feel so old." Erin's eyes actually grew understanding, and for the first time I saw that there really might be an adult in there. Somewhere. Buried deep, deep down.

Buried and dying, was my guess. The poor young girl. Hah!

Never letting it go.

"Okay then… ma'am." Her grin grew when my mom gave her a playful pout.

"That's not exactly fair, Erin."

"It's completely fair… anyways, we need to go collect our stuff-" Raihan stood up, interrupting her and grabbing Erin's backpack from beside the door.

"I'll go with Leto, you all get to know each other, set some ground rules. I'll be back soon." He looked at my mom briefly before he was gone. Professor Oak also stood, walking towards the front door.

"Yes, yes, I'm glad this situation was resolved so amicably, but I really am needed back at the Lab." Erin glared at him for the amicable comment, but we all sent him off with a warm goodbye.

Then it was just us three in a silent kitchen, and it quickly grew uncomfortable. Erin frowned for a brief second before looking up at my mom with a questioning look on her face.

"What is your stance on eating wild Pokemon?" My moms eyes grew troubled, and she stared at Erin's Sneasel feathers for a moment before she responded.

"I personally don't like to eat wild, unfarmed Pokemon, and I don't really feel comfortable eating something so smart that died just for me to eat. I won't judge those who do, however." Erin nodded, face conniving.

"Okay, how about eating parts of a wild Pokemon that was killed by another Pokemon for food? We had Tauros ribs the other night, and Leaf and Raihan almost met Arceus, sooo…" She trailed off, my mothers face so conflicted. After a moment, though, a massive grin spread across her face.

"Well, I mean, if it's just a byproduct of a natural process, and she's going to need to hunt anyway, well… I don't see why not, hmm?" Her grin was wide, and hungry.

I smiled to see the byplay. Erin could use someone to talk to, and my mom was pretty awesome, if I said so myself. Plus, as a bonus, mom gets Erin's otherworldly cooking tips.

"Well, when Raihan and my mom get back, I'll see if she can go find that herd. There's a herd that got kicked out of the plains, so we're kind of culling them back… Damn, now I really want more ribs."

She was not prepared for the flick of fingers against the back of her head, and she hissed in pain as she ducked her head. My mother lowered her arm, a warm smile on her face.

"Language, young lady. I may not be able to control your mouth outside this house, but I can inside." Her tone was gentle, but so firm. Erin paled a little bit, probably regretting her choices already. I almost was, but the siren song of my bed tonight was overpowering.

"Sorry… Ms. Greenwood." Her grin grew again, even as my mom rounded on her. Before they could get going again, however, I stepped in between them.

"How about we go make sure our Pokemon aren't destroying the back yard, huh? Erin?" She gave me a little glare before making for the door. I held my mom back as she exited, and we were alone for a second. I gave her a tight hug, and she returned it after a brief moment of surprise.

"Thanks mom. She's a good person, but she's too proud to admit she might actually be a kid, I guarantee you. Still, she's helping me, and we're going to travel together. She could also really use a mother figure that doesn't drool." My mom laughed a little as she tightened her hug briefly.

"Leaf, if I were you I wouldn't call me a mother figure around Erin. She seems as though she may have some… problems with that, so we're just going to call me her guardian, okay?" I nodded, already aware of the fact. "I agree, though. Her Pokemon wouldn't look at her the way they do if not, not to mention her mother…" My moms face didn't get pale this time, but her eyes still darted to the Tyrantrum-free backyard. Then they came back to rest on me.

"Not to mention how she handled your dragon! What was that? Did she actually fight him? She beat him unconscious!?" I couldn't blame my mothers reactions, as I continued to nod. Her face grew more and more incredulous, before with a huff she grew mad.

"Now that's just irresponsible of her! Fighting a Pokemon!" She turned to stomp outside and I grabbed her arm.

"Hold on mom! She doesn't do that every time! Just to establish dominance, and-! And as a…" I trailed off as my mother gave me a suspicious glare.

"As a what, Leaf?" Her tone was stern, nothing like my squeak as I responded.

"As a punishment…" Her frown deepened.

"As a punishment for what, Leaf?" Her tone was so flat.

"As a punishment for… for trying to kill me in my sleep after he Evolved." I was prepared for an expression of horror, but her face merely looked knowing.

"Ah, I imagine she didn't take too kindly to that. Still!" I looked at her in astonishment.

"No, Leto was furious, too… you knew?" My voice was small as she gave me a warm, sad smile.

"Leaf, I'm your mother, of course I knew. I knew even before the Professor called to inform me. Did you really think he wouldn't tell me, your own mother?" I guess I kinda did, if I feel this much shock, yeah!

"I knew that once the Professor was involved you wouldn't die, and I didn't want you to lose him forever. Despite his actions… he's your baby. You still love him." It wasn't a question, but I still nodded quietly.

"As Raihan told you, you have a way with Pokemon, Leaf. I truly believe that one day, he will be your most powerful asset. I hope he loves you, but I know that someday soon he will respect you. There is so much there to respect, after all." I wiped at my eyes as she finished, before we walked outside to take in the chaos.

There wasn't any, however. It looked like everyone was napping aside from Clefairy and Artemis, who were bouncing on either side of Erin. Or, maybe they were trying to get at each other? My little fairy looked happy and innocent, but I knew that was a mask, just like the rest of her. I would side with the prehistoric infant until shown proof otherwise.

"Artemis, I know she probably did something! Not here in the backyard! Just hold onto that anger and let it turn into bitter rage, then destroy her when you get older!" Erin's face was amused as she redirected the tiny charges, heedless of her fingers so close to the open maw. She punched my fae away, and the horror just laughed before bounding back.

My mom frowned and began to step forward but I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and a shake of my head.

"Let Erin handle her team, and Clefairy, she knows what she's doing."

"Yes, but dear, what she said…" I shook my head.

"Mom, Artemis is a Tyrunt, a prehistoric species. She's wilder and more aggressive than any modern Pokemon, even if you don't really see that around Erin. You can't tell her not to be mad, to let it go. You have to accept that she will always have a temper. That doesn't mean she gets to accept her rage and destroy things in a tantrum, but she's a baby, still. She's working on it. I mean, I think even Leto could still throw a tantrum in the right circumstances." Erin looked up from her play-fighting with her Pokemon and gave a quick nod.

"Oh absolutely! She's banned from doing it around people, but if she gets mad enough I'll probably have to go someplace and have her let off steam." My mom looked a bit worried about that, but I reassured her.

"That's actually amazing self control for her species, mom. Anyways, what I was getting at is that different species need to be handled differently. Not to mention, even different Pokemon of the same species don't all act or react the same, either." I felt proud at the look my mom gave me, and even though I saw a wicked smile on Erin's face she remained silent.

I totally wasn't almost exactly repeating a lecture she and Raihan gave me, nope!

"Well, okay then, dear…" She trailed off as Artemis finally got bored of her attempts. She then decided that the new person was more interesting, so she charged my mom with reckless abandon. I was just about to stop her charge, even though it wasn't that dangerous at her current size, when my mom crouched and absorbed the impact like she was trained for it! My expression must have been obvious because she laughed, beginning to stroke the excited baby's snout.

"You used to charge around almost the same way, Leaf, little arms flailing about! I had to wrap blankets around the table legs!" Erin began to laugh along with her as I glowered at the two of them. This wasn't good. Erin and my mom together might be able to actually kill me through sheer embarrassment if they ever truly joined forces.

"She likes Leaf, and she knows your her mom, so obviously you must be a nice person too!" Erin was smiling as she crouched to meet the fresh charge of her adopted sister, letting Artemis knock her over in a theatrical display that left her wrestling the small Tyrunt with her arm wrapped around the baby's head.

"Someone's got too much energy! Go ahead and give me a few Tackles, little girl!" Artemis perked up and actually Tackled her way out of the headlock, before beginning a series of running Tackles that brought her dangerously close to sleeping Pokemon, the grill, lawn furniture, and at the end, Erin. Erin just dodged the Tackle and caught the exhausted little Pokemon, however.

My mom watched the entire thing with a warm smile, tension draining from her shoulders. I had no doubt it would come back as soon as Leto did, but for now she was calm as she watched Erin play with her sister. She spoke up, very softly.

"Is she always wearing a mask, Leaf?" I took a moment to think about that question.

My immediate answer was of course not, Erin wore her heart, thoughts, and Pawniard blade on her sleeve, not a mask. Then I began to really think, and I saw it. She might let it slip, but Erin never let herself appear truly weak. Not getting put in timeout, being teased, being tossed around by Raihan, no, true weakness. She was still torn up about Team Rocket, despite her choice, but she was masking that, as well. Not that I could tell my mother anything about that whole situation.

"Almost always, yeah. She's had a… rough introduction to, uhh… society?" I cursed myself. Why would I say that when I had no idea how to cover? My moms eyebrows rose, but she didn't say anything, so I kept going.

"She's had to be strong, and I think she doesn't know how to be normal again. I think part of her is still back in the Lowlands of the Proserve, and I think she needs help, but apparently she's going to be getting it." I sighed and looked at my mom. Her eyes were proud as she looked at me.

"I think she's going to get help, but that doesn't mean she can't use some more in the meantime. She might be stubborn and prideful, but she's still human." I snorted. "Despite appearances when her damned eyes glow."

I failed to anticipate the flick to my forehead, and winced in pain as I glared at my mom. She had an amused look on her face, but then it got questioning.

"Glowing eyes?" Shit.

"Uuhh, yeah, I mean, like, a turn of phrase! Yeah! That's what I meant!" Her eyes narrowed at me.

"Leaf Greenwood-" Shit, the full name. "-tell me right now. Does my newest ward have glowing eyes?" Her voice rose, and she was nearly whisper-shouting near the end. Obviously Erin heard and was looking over, and she got a huge grin on her face as my mom met her eyes.

"Ma'am, I assure you, all glowing is purely cosmetic. So far I have yet to shoot any lasers out of my eyes, to my vast disappointment." My mom looked at her with a strange face. Erin's grin grew wider and she bounced her eyebrows.

"Wanna see?" Even as my mom gave a stunned nod I stood there in confusion. I thought it was, like, an anger thing? Could she just make herself angry?

The answer was apparently yes, as with a deep growl Erin bent over, hands clenched into fists. When she looked up her eyes were glowing royal purple. They weren't blazing, and the light looked kind of flickery and dull, but my mom was startled enough. She gasped and stumbled backwards, but I caught her before she could fall.

"It's a bit interesting, huh?" Erin wasn't growling, her voice was actually pretty light, but it certainly sounded intimidating coming from that face of hers. She took a deep breath and suddenly the intense atmosphere I hadn't even noticed disappeared. My mom gasped and stood upright, staring at Erin like she was a wild beast. Erin grinned, sadly I thought.

"It's one of my… job-related bonuses? I have a lot of draconic aura, but as you can see, it's not exactly a… fun aura." She seemed to flinch as she said that. "Small Pokemon run from me, actually. It makes handling dragons so easy, but… it's not all positives." She turned away and took a deep breath while I exchanged a look with my mom.

I knew about Erin's issues, some at least, and she had come so close to touching on them, but I would have to wait and see if she opened up to my mom. We had a week here at least! Plenty of time! Right?

The rest of the afternoon was relaxing as we all hung out in the backyard, my mom making good on her promise and leading me and Erin on a half-hour search through cluttered boxes before we found a projector that we could hook up to a PokeNav. A few large branches from the nearby woods raised the height of our already-tall fence and we soon had an entire corner of the yard tarped over, the ground cover and blankets coming out even as we dragged the lawn furniture over.

By the time it had grown slightly dark we were all ready to watch a series of Pokemon Matches from the last Conference. My mother watched with amused wariness as Leto demanded a spot be made for her, and in short order she had been turned into her usual couch. I don't think my moms jaw could drop any further, but she certainly tried when both me and Raihan went and joined Erin.

Leto was a surprisingly good couch, provided you had a cushion.

Eventually even my mother gave in and joined us, her expression morphing into one of awe as she laid her head back on Leto for the first time and heard her giant heartbeat. She caught my eye and I gave her a warm smile. Leto was awesome, if you could get over the whole 'has literally eaten dozens of humans alive' part.

"So, want to start us off, mom?" She had connected her PokeNav, so I didn't think anything of it when she smiled and began to tap away at it.

Then the first picture came up.

"This is Leaf on her first day of elementary school! She was so determined to wear all three skirts, and I just couldn't say no! I mean, look at that face!"

My mothers face was practically glowing as she presented a very embarrassing picture of me! I groaned and reached for her phone, but a chuckling Leto snatched me up. My mother looked like she was about to have a heart attack, but only momentarily. She noticed the curved lips and the sounds coming from the giant Pokemon and began to chuckle, then laugh as Leto held me there, just barely above the ground. Facing the screen.

"Leto, that's not fair! Mom, those are so embarrassing! Stop it!" I thought I made some good points, personally, but my devious mother just continued to chuckle at my weakly flailing limbs and switched to another photo.

"This photo here is Leaf at the beach for the first time! She was so scared of the water, but determined, so she put on some floaties. Then a float ring. Then she put floaties on her legs." Everyone laughed at the determined little girl on the screen, happily stomping towards the ocean with a determined little frown.

"Here's that same little girl, a minute later!" There I was, flailing on my back in the water, unable to control myself. My mother had retrieved me and removed the excess floaties from my legs right after she took the photo, but I wish she never had. Right at this moment, I wish she had let me drift out to sea. My face was so red as Erin and Raihan both laughed. I could feel Leto chuckling, too!

I was eventually set free after what felt like hours of torture, and we settled back to actually watch some matches. My baby was intensely interested, while my new little horror seemed to be as well. She had been calm today, minor pranks aside. I didn't mind her tapping the shoulders of other Pokemon and darting away, even if they did, but I couldn't help but worry about what happened when she got bored of small, simple pranks.

Eventually it got late, so with tired goodbyes me and my mom returned to my nice, safe, climate controlled house and I went to sleep in my nice, comfortable bed.

Well, that's what should have happened.

What actually happened was Leto growling at me as I began walking away, causing me to stagger to a quick halt. I looked at her in confusion, but with an insistent shake of her head she pointed back at her stomach. At the pile of blankets and two very amused Dragon Masters watching me. Erin's grin was so wide it threatened to split her head in half, and she could barely stop herself from laughing long enough to speak.

"Pop quiz time, Leaf. What's going on here?" She began to giggle, my mom looking on in fear, even though Leto was quiet now.

I groaned. Fuck!

"Leto… has accepted me into her pack. As a member of her pack, I'm not… supposed to sleep away from the pack." Erin stopped giggling long enough to answer as my mom's face transformed into amused exasperation.

"Close enough, Leaf, but you're forgetting one part?" I looked at her questioningly. "You're also the weak link, so she worries about you when you get too far. She worries about the little baby Pokemon." Leto's nod was not appreciated. My mom began to giggle as well, and I shot her a betrayed glance. She managed to speak easily enough, but she had a smile on her face that I didn't like.

"Oh, well, that is unexpected, but so precious!" She turned to Leto, a wide, open smile on her face as she faced the Alpha Tyrantrum without fear for the first time.

"She is like an adorable baby Pokemon, isn't she! You worry she'll hurt herself just walking around!" My mom began to giggle even harder as Leto nodded, a huge smirk on her face. Her eyes darted to me and narrowed, and I narrowed my own back.

"I'll get you back for this, Leto! Just you wait! I don't know how, but I'll figure something out!" Her eyes narrowed at me dangerously and I cleared my throat. "On my own, no Clefairy this time!" Her glare stopped and she snorted at me. My mothers face wasn't happy as she stared at me, however.

"You set your Clefairy on her?" Before I even had the chance to speak up, Raihan beat me to it.

"Leaf set her Clefairy on the entire camp, actually." I scowled at him as my mothers scowl grew more dangerous looking.

"Leaf, that-" I cut her off, desperate.

"Mom, trust me, I got my punishment for that, and… well, nobody will let me forget it." Seraphina and Hecate both nodded, which was a little sad, but oh well. Raihan's dragons had largely remained neutral on the matter. They were angry in the moment, but they wouldn't be traveling with Clefairy, just staying here briefly.

"Well… Okay dear. Don't make me have to have a talk with you." I winced at her tone and Erin laughed. My mom rounded on her with a glare as well and Erin shut up fast.

"And you, young lady!" My mother let the words hang in the air for a moment before she got a huge smile on her face, looking over at Leto questioningly.

"I don't suppose there's room for one more? This seems like the world's funnest slumber party!" I groaned as Leto easily nodded. I loved my mom, but really? Joining us for a 'slumber party'?

At least she was having a good time…

—

The remaining time before the start of the Circuit was a productive one for both of us. Erin's team continued their training, while me and Clefairy got used to each other. It was disturbingly easy to forget exactly what she was, and I found myself cuddling her more times than I could count. I eventually stopped fighting it and just sort of let it roll off me.

My Pokemon was an adorable little horror, but she was my adorable little horror, so why not take advantage of it? I was supposed to be teaching her about feelings, and friendship was the best feeling, right? I would never do that continually being creeped out by her. I still was, but I was getting better at pushing through it. She seemed to be putting in actual effort during training, at the very least, so I tried my best.

Training had changed, lately. Clefairy could use Gravity, and Erin had gleefully introduced the concept of Gravity training to the entire group of humans and Pokemon. It started off slowly, just adjusting to the higher gravity over time. This also gave Clefairy time to test out her Move, figuring out how to expand the radius, at the expense of intensity. Erin was almost giddy at the limitation, however. According to her, that just gave us all longer to build up the appropriate muscles as she got better and better with the move.

She meant all of us, too. The crazy girl had somehow managed to rope my mom into approving the insane training, and my first ten minute session was spent trying not to vomit my lungs out. Erin? Erin had been somewhat okay. She had apparently dealt with far worse on her flight here. She said that would change, but for now she was able to withstand the pressure. Not well, she still wobbled around dangerously, but better than me, that was for sure. The rest of our Pokemon were likewise having difficulty, with the exception of Cerberus and my baby. The rest of them lay in crumpled heaps as they tried to adjust to the higher gravity. Kallen had to adjust to moving manually with water jets as well, since he couldn't float around in the higher gravity, and he was not happy about it. At all.

He was almost as bad as Clefairy with the pranks, honestly. Worse, maybe, because Clefairy was being somewhat well behaved, and Kallen... was Kallen. I would set her on him one of these days, I swear…

Near the end of our time training, however, we were all able to stand unimpeded in her Gravity, even if it was a lower-intensity one. The training got more intense after that, as all physical Moves were preferably trained inside Gravity, and while Clefairy rested we trained our special moves.

We also got some good one-on-one time, me and her. I had noticed it before, but she was powerful, so powerful I felt bad for my plans to possibly use her in my first Gym. She had so many moves that I couldn't begin to remember them all. Many were 'weak' and situational, but even with my poor grades I was aware that something as simple as Pound could be the key to victory in the right circumstances. Knocking an opponent off their feet, repositioning the user, redirecting a physical attack, potentially even breaking the environment. All for a simple move like Pound.

She knew powerful Moves as well. Her Moonblast had howled as it pulverized a boulder, leaving nothing behind. The dragons had growled and snapped at the display, but I had grinned. She had utility, too, and could Charm enemies, Sing them to sleep, call for Encores, the list seemed endless.

Erin had suggested I stick to a few moves in the beginning, and just let her go wild if my commands weren't cutting it. As good an idea as any I had. I was effectively only working with one Pokemon, my baby continuing to be obstinate and only rarely following my instructions. I didn't envy Erin with her six Pokemon worth of Moves to figure out- well, five. Nobody expected Leto to make an appearance.

So why did they disappear one day and return looking singed and scratched?

Unknowable mysteries aside, it was a productive week for me and my baby. He may have still resented me, and he may have ignored most of my commands, but it was such an improvement that I still couldn't believe my good fortune. We would attempt the Gym together, and the thought made clouds of Butterfree bounce around in my stomach. Clefairy would be my backup, but I really wanted to beat my first Gym with my first Pokemon. He wanted to as well, it was the 'working with me' part that he was having trouble coming to terms with.

Erin had been working with him every now and then, though, and her review of him was glowing. Overnight progress wasn't to be expected, but he was showing the closest thing to it. He was still angry and confrontational, but he was gradually developing respect for me. Erin said it was due to my improving attitude, combined with the Gravity training.

Nobody came out of that looking strong, not even Clefairy, so we all looked a little more equal.

Raihan and my mother got along great, and soon I found my own mother being tagged in the famous Gym Leaders selfies. Of course, my mother didn't own any social media accounts, so he showed her how to make one. My mothers laughing, smiling, blushing face would forever be plastered next to Raihans goofy-looking one on the PokeNet, and the thought made my heart hurt a little.

Even if she was already really popular with his fans. Everyone liked her, which was gratifying, but still, she was my mom…

She also found the collage of shame, and was delighted, of course. Now that she had calmed down around Leto, that was. She wanted to print it out, frame it, and hang it up on the wall!

In what should have been a surprising twist, but wasn't if you knew either one well enough, my mom and Leto had gotten along famously as well, once she stopped being so scared of her. Sleeping outside resting against her chest may have helped with that. My mother also had an appreciation for a good prank, and Leto loved them. While her restraining me for my mother to dress up like a doll hadn't been fun for me, they'd had a great time! They seemed to commiserate about troublesome kids, too, but I don't know who my mom could have been talking about.

Maybe I had an unknown sibling somewhere?

Erin gradually warmed to my mother, which was inevitable, really. She was awesome, and Erin finally stopped flinching away from my moms attempts at hugging. She still refused to talk about anything serious, but we weren't exactly pushing her on that. She also quickly learned to watch her mouth around my mother. It took her quite a few flicks, though.

To Erin's dismay Raihan informed her that yes, I had been right. Erin had seemed to stabilize, and she acted more like a kid than anything else these days. I had no doubt she could flip that serious switch, but the first time she had pouted- angrily pouted, but pouted!- at me for stealing her MooMoo Freeze I couldn't help but point it out to her. Giddily.

Because it was hilarious.

She hadn't found it funny, however.

Erin soon regretted her agreement to accept my mothers punishments, as she hadn't been happy to find us on the ground fighting as Raihan sighed from nearby. The whole house turned out beautifully, however. Not a speck of dust to be found.

So did the lawn, because obviously I had provoked Erin…

—

"So you two have decided on Pewter Gym for your first stop?" I nodded at my mom from across the dinner table.

Erin's mother hadn't brought back any Tauros today, but the dragons still had plenty of meat from the previous few days of hunting. Instead, she brought back three Mareep for us, the electrical sheep still lightly sparking every now and then. Luckily Erin had some heavy-duty rubber gloves, and when I asked her why she had them, she pointed to the corpse.

"For shit like this. I never know exactly what she's going to bring back, Leaf."

That had earned her another flick, but the Mareep ribs my mother and Erin managed to cook up had been absolutely amazing. They had bonded over cooking the most, Erin eager to learn the 'local' cuisine, my mother eager to learn the exotic spice combinations that Erin seemed to use so freely.

We were sitting there, eating tender ribs and veggies with huge potatoes loaded down with fixings, when my mother finally noticed something about Erin.

See, by this point she knew who Erin was. She had watched the video, an expression of horror on her face at Erin's initial appearance. She had talked to Erin, she had cooked with her. They had spent time together. My mother, however, apparently wasn't very observant.

That would explain why she gasped in horror as she saw Erin's left hand reaching for the platter of grilled vegetables. Erin looked up briefly before a vicious look came about her face. She hunched over the platter, clacking the tongs in her left hand.

"The carrots are mine, ma'am! I thought we had an agreement!" There was a smile on her face, but she was serious. The girl really liked carrots for whatever reason.

My mother wasn't amused, however, as she continued to stare at Erin's left hand. At the missing finger there. Erin finally noticed, going quiet momentarily before she turned back to my mom with a smile so fake I don't think anyone was fooled.

"Oh, this? No biggie! I was an idiot, threw when I should have smashed. Sometimes I barely feel it anymore." Erin didn't lie, but I knew she just stepped around the truth, there. Sometimes.

All pain went away sometimes, it just usually came back.

I knew her wound still bothered her, aside from the obvious 'oh yeah I have no finger' moments. She would wince when lifting objects sometimes, and I couldn't imagine that an Oran Berry (which you weren't even supposed to use on humans with injuries worse than large cuts!) had done a great job of… evening out the flesh and tendons. It pulled at her when she used her hand, but she didn't want to admit it. Of course.

My mother was no fool, and after exchanging a glance with Raihan she spoke up.

"Would you like to talk about it, dear?" Erin let the question hang there in the air. Technically only Raihan had heard it from her, and I had only heard the barebones account. She seemed to think as she slowly chewed on a rib. She grunted and dropped the clean bone, frowning.

"Sure, but it's not a fun story at all." My mother had a kind smile as she reached over to grasp Erin's wrist.

"Bad stories are better shared." Erin chuckled, her face still dark as she continued to eat. A minute later she began.

"Well, I was involved in a… teleportation accident, like you know. I was dropped in a new, younger, naked body in the Crown Tundra. I knew exactly where I was, and I was… terrified." She shivered a bit, Raihans face pale as he remembered her emotions.

"I was trying to get down the slope I found myself on, when I heard the most pitiful roar, then a squeal of pain, and I just… ran. I just ran towards the sound, naked, stomping on rocks and sticks with my bare feet." My mothers eyes were wide as she heard the story.

"I turn the corner to find a Sneasel attacking Artemis. I… honestly wouldn't have been as mad as I was if it had just been trying to kill her, you know?" She looked up, pain in her eyes. "I feel so bad saying that, because she's my baby girl, but if it hadn't been tormenting her I might have left them. Everything has to eat, you know…?" She cleared her throat.

"Either way, I didn't ignore that. It pis-" She glanced at my mom and rapidly changed her words "-infuriated me, so I snatched up a rock and yelled at it. It turned, sneered at me, then turned away again, because I was just a naked human kid. Not a threat. I was… not thinking clearly, either, so I threw the stupid rock. It kind of bounced off its head. I remember I was so happy for a second. It was a solid hit right in the head!" She wasn't eating, just talking now as my mom looked on in mounting horror.

"The next thing I knew, my head was bouncing off the rocks behind me. My hand felt like ice, but when I tried to push myself upright… She cut off, staring at her hand. "I found this, and then I looked up to find the Sneasel standing there. It had my finger in its mouth like… like a cigarette. Then it ate it right in front of me. Sneering…" My mothers horrified face was covered by her hands, but I could see the tears shining in her eyes.

"Well, long story short, with Artemis's help I fought smarter and beat its head in. And out… and around. It tasted good that night, at least. Artemis loved eating it, and it became my chest wrap." She chuckled at her own morbid humor as my mother began to shake. I looked at Erin in pity.

She had no idea what she had just unleashed.

"Oh, come here, you!" She rushed around the table, ignoring the food we were all eating, to envelop Erin in a crushing hug. Erin tried to squirm out, but my moms motherly instincts were in full panic mode. Erin was going to regret that one.

She did, but it still took a good ten minutes for my mom to relinquish her grip on my new mentor despite her squirming.

—

Erin

—

"And this is supposed to make me forgive Looker for his little prank?" I held the tickets up with a glare, Raihan raising his arms in surrender.

"I'm just the messenger, once again, but yeah, probably? Erin, you care deeply for your Pokemon, right?" I nodded along with his obvious words. "Well, how about getting them groomed? It would be so expensive for your mom, but this is a full team pass for you and two others to a very confidential Groomer in Viridian. Can't have your team fully known in the big leagues, after all." He grinned at me.

"Take the tickets, Erin. And take us, too."

—

My new mother glistened in the sunlight of Leaf's backyard. Everyone was looking shiny, fluffy, and/or pampered, but the way the light shone off her scales really outshined everyone else, literally. She looked so happy, so content, that the sight made me laugh in happiness. She had loved the Pokemon Groomers, and a very surprised-looking representative had told me she was the perfect client. A bit destructive at one point, but only because her leg had been kicking in sheer happiness.

The rest of my Pokemon were happy to bounce around with clean scales, freshly shampooed furs, and manicured claws and talons. Hecate, especially, had enjoyed her time there. Looker had made arrangements beforehand, and the calmest person I had ever seen took Hecate from me. I mean, she looked like a ninja got mixed with a maid was mixed with a monk or something. She made me calm just by being close to me!

Cerberus was already working on undoing the work done to him, but he had enjoyed his time at the Groomers. Staff had been delighted by his friendly attitude, far less so by his hyperness. He had been my first negative review, but not my only one.

Kallen looked shiny and spiffy almost, his fins bright and perky. He had also decided that new humans meant new victims for his pranks, and his training had made him a slippery little kelp dragon when he wanted to be. My second negative review, but unfortunately not the last.

Artemis, because of course it was Artemis, threw a tantrum when she wasn't allowed on the small Pokemon chair. Why she wanted to sit in the Pidgey-sized chair was beyond me, but it was also beyond the workers. I had ended up spending most of my time there watching over her so she didn't throw more tantrums.

Luckily Seraphina wasn't a troublemaker, and in fact was the center of attention with her brilliant white scales. Thorough waxing, polishing, and claw trimming had left her practically shimmering, a blush almost perpetually on her cheeks as the employees cooed over her. My adorable little gecko had glowing reviews, obviously.

Overall I was grateful to Looker for his gift, even if he still owed me. That alcohol trick hadn't been funny. Not at all.

Nor had the realization that I was turning into a kid. Or, and the thought was even more disturbing, already had.

It made an unfortunate amount of sense. I was in a teenager's body, teenagers had an overabundance of hormones, and their brains weren't even fully developed. It would make sense that if you put an adult's mind in a teenagers body, they would eventually adapt. It made so much sense, and every new revelation pointed to the theory being correct.

I was adult software running on teenager hardware.

If only it was wrong.

I did not appreciate Leaf's insight into the matter, and I really didn't appreciate the results. It made sense, yes. Leaf's mom wasn't my new mom, she was my legal guardian for the inevitable call from the police for something I would 'allegedly' do in the future. In the eyes of the law, old mind or not, I was a minor, and honestly anyone would be better than Looker.

I liked the guy, trusted him, but I also really didn't want him to be my legal guardian. The feeling was mutual, aside from him wanting to keep an easier eye on me. Not that this would stop him, he would probably still get every single report on me. He was still my legal counsel.

Leafs mom was cool, though.

No, it was once again my lack of agency that drove my frustration with the situation. Ms. Greenwood was great. It was no wonder that Leaf was so eerily kind. Most of the time. When she wasn't pranking me into her clothes… But I hadn't had the option. It was just decided for me. I had been so tired of people choosing for me my entire life before, and now I had to deal with it again. The fact that it made sense didn't help.

That's not to mention my horror over my lack of agency in my own mind! Not only did I have dragon aura that tampered with who I was, now I had a teenager's body tampering with how I acted. I had been happy to be done with being a kid! I mean, I never really stopped thinking of myself as one mentally, I guess, but I was done with the odd body shit! The aches, the wisdom teeth-oh Arceus! Do I have wisdom teeth here?!

Looking back at fifteen from twenty, I had been an idiot. Looking back at twenty from twenty five, I had been an idiot. Looking back at twenty five from thirty, I had been an idiot. I really didn't want to know what kind of idiot a fourteen year old me would be like this time around… With magic creatures that fart Hyper Beams in my back pocket. Or bandoleer, as it were…

More than anything, I had been grateful to be done with the moods. Being a kid wasn't fun, and I now realized that I actually had been showing signs since I got here, just as Raihan claimed. I was more volatile, rash, immature, and moody in my actions. The thought made me feel sick, but unfortunately there was only one way out of it, and forward was going to suuuuck.

At least I had Pokemon for real this second, shorter puberty…

Chapter Text

Patricia Greenwood

—

I smiled weakly as I watched my little girl play with her new Pokemon from my bedroom window. Disturbing horror or not, she was adorable, so I couldn't blame my daughter, but the sight still made me uneasy. There were always stories of trainers with fairies who just… disappeared, one day. The problem was, how can you be sure it was the fairy? Trainers went missing all the time from aggressive Pokemon.

I had managed to intimidate the fairy, thankfully, but that was only possible because she had already been bound, and very well bound at that. There was a list of reasons to avoid fairy types, but the primary one was always too loose a binding. To be fae was to be so different that wrong could be right, right wrong. Good could be orange, and Evil a soft mauve two steps to the right. Every fae acted differently, but at their core they were selfish creatures.

They coveted something that humans had, and they extracted it at any cost. A nice loose binding could be worn like a coat, shed or destroyed at the fae's convenience. Too tight, too controlled and the fae would never accept. One wrong move with a fae, and you had best pray that you could walk away intact. I had seen what could happen to a fae pushed too far.

I knew my daughter would never do that, thankfully. Which could represent another problem. She had been a bit of a pushover, harsh as the thought was. There were many things I could do for my daughter as a mother, but I had failed there.

I had failed so many times.

I should never have let her convince me to enter the Egg Draw for her. I should never have given in to the earnest, tear-filled face that begged me, a million dollars she had somehow managed to save through years of hard work held in her hand. I should never have gone to Goldenrod, and I should never have brought back the Egg. They had pictures of dozens of different Pidgey Egg patterns, I knew it was a dangerous one.

I should have exchanged it with some unlucky young adult, gotten her a Pidgey, but instead I brought it back to my daughter. I let her keep it, even after we couldn't find any knowledge of it online. That wasn't strange, there were a lot of pattern variations even between the same species. Still, I noticed that it was almost impossible to find out what dragon Eggs looked like. I should have known.

I should have taken away the baby Axew that hatched the day he did. I should have taken him to Professor Oak. I should have shattered my ecstatic daughter's heart into pieces.

I should have gotten rid of him after he evolved for no reason. I should have been there when he tried to murder my only child.

I should have been a better mother.

"Fraxure, no, stop! You can't fight here, and you know that!" My terrified eyes found her, standing in front of him as he growled at Clefairy.

I nearly began to run downstairs, despite knowing I would be too late, but with an aggressive growl my daughter, my sweet, soft-spoken, innocent daughter stomped in his direction once. He didn't flinch, but he did stop growling and turn his glare towards her. She glared back at him, but even from up here I could see the fist clenched at her side shake.

"You think you're more important than any other Pokemon here? Is Leto smashing you right now, like she clearly wants to?" The giant, maneating Tyrantrum was glaring at Fraxure, more than her standard glare. I had relaxed around the surprisingly maternal Pokemon, but the sight of her glare, even directed at another, still sent instinctive shivers down my spine despite days of interaction.

"This is my yard, my moms yard, and you're not messing it up just to try to prove to everyone that you're a real dragon, and not a weakling. You can spar with Clefairy tomorrow!" She was almost snarling now, and I barely recognized my daughter at that moment. He growled at her, low and dangerous, before turning around and ambling towards the other side of the yard.

My daughter's face relaxed and suddenly she was back. That had been quite the mask she had just put on. It wasn't her, though, and I think she knew it. That mask was Erin, and while my daughter could certainly learn many things from the rough, semi-young girl, I think she would have to work on her mask. I was still proud of her, however, as she further controlled her rebellious dragon.

My eyes caught Erin watching the exchange with pride in her eyes from a lawn chair as she browsed her PokeNav. Her eyes rose to meet mine and she winked at me before going back to her device, and I blushed a bit. I wasn't exactly spying on them, I mean, it was my own bedroom window, and I wasn't hiding…

I still didn't quite know what to make of the not-young, young girl. I trusted Professor Oak, and she did have high recommendations. Not just the Professor, but a Galarian Gym Leader, one who had spent more time with the girl than anyone else. Not to mention the Interpol Agent who had been her temporary Guardian.

Why she would need an Interpol agent to be her temporary Guardian in the first place was a mystery. The only explanations I had been given were that she had been involved in a 'teleportation accident' that sent her to the Preserve's Lowlands in a younger body. Somehow. Because that was exactly how teleportation accidents went. You got younger bodies, not missing limbs, entombed legs, or freefall.

Totally believable.

Still, she seemed… nice? She certainly cared for my daughter, that was easy to see. She might fight with her, but the watchful eye as my daughter dealt with her dragon, and the pride in her afterward, weren't fake. She reminded me a little bit of my old Mankey, actually. Not that I would ever tell her.

The poor thing had been kicked out of its troop, weak and beaten when I found him. He had never once hugged me back for the six months I Journeyed with him. He was never mean, or rude. He was perfectly respectful, especially for a Mankey, but he never let himself get closer. He didn't let anyone in, not me nor my old team. That's not to say he was disobedient, or unloyal. He had gotten himself seriously injured while willingly saving me from a wild Arbok. He had fought with and for us.

He just refused to open up.

Erin reminded me of him, sometimes. Her issues with her lack of agency, and with family (at least of the human variety) aside, she seemed scared to let herself care about more than just Leaf or Raihan. To even entertain the possibility. She was putting up with remaining here, and while she was cordial with me, friendly even, I found myself… uncertain.

I wasn't going to abandon the poor girl, but I didn't know how to help. Sometimes I couldn't even meet her eyes, and the memory of them glowing made my pulse quicken. She wasn't a bad person, I trusted not just my own judgement, but that of my daughter and the others who knew her.

She was a good person.

She wasn't an easy person to be around, though, not by any measure.

I think my daughter had already gotten used to her intensity, but I knew Raihan noticed. He was what someone expected when you thought 'Dragon Master'. Well, for the most part. I had thought a 'Dragon Master' would have better fashion choices than those shorts, but then again, Lance and his capes…

His social media had been a bit of a surprise as well, but it was oddly entertaining, if I was being honest. It was quite interesting seeing the various locations and people in the photos, even if most of the pictures themselves were mostly his goofy face. I even had 'fans', now, apparently?

I had managed to talk to him alone a few times, and while he had never explicitly said it, I knew that she was aware of her effect on people, not just small Pokemon. I itched to give the poor girl a hug at times, and at other times it felt like a hungry beast was staring me down, weighing my limbs for food.

I hated it, but I would try to never show her that again, not after I had seen her eyes glow, felt danger, and backed away in fear. The look in her eyes, so understanding even as they quivered…

"Hey mom, wanna see if you can find that herd of Tauros again? I think I speak for everyone when I say we could use some ribs for dinner." My daughter and Raihan both coursed out loud yesses to Erins question, and with a huge sigh that sent a blanket billowing into the air, Leto stood up. She carefully, gently made her way out of the yard, and I marveled at the control she had. Someone that size should not be that graceful.

Or fast.

Soon she was disappearing in the distance, shining with the light of Rock Polish as she began sprinting. I tried not to think about how her punishments were just her speed. Inside her mouth.

And apparently strapped to the top of her head!

I'd had words with Erin once I heard about that one, but to my surprise she hadn't backed down from my fury. My daughter had apparently agreed to combine three punishments into one in the heat of the moment, so Erin used it as a teachable moment. I actually approved after she had finished her explanation, especially considering her newest Pokemon, but her next words had made me mad for an entirely different reason.

"I mean, I was surfing on her snout, and the Protect was okay with trees, so we were fine."

My lecture had gone on for a solid two hours, and while Raihan managed to escape, my errant daughter was also an unwilling participant. She hadn't decided her punishment, surfed a Tyrant, or broken trees with her face, but she had still panicked with a deal like that.

Neither had been happy with me the entire next day. Both of those girls could hold grudges…

I smiled as my daughter continued playing with her Clefairy. Despite everything, it was nice to see her feeling more confident, more sure of herself. She deserved it. She deserved that and so much more.

—

I had known, intellectually, that Erin's mother would be hunting. She had brought back several Mankey and a Primeape for the other dragons the night before, but those had been small. Even the Primeape had seemed tiny in her jaws. I had found the sight disturbing, but I had found it less disturbing than Erin gutting them all and setting up a large meat spit in our fire pit area.

I tried not to think of my old Pokemon as she did. I knew none were him, I didn't see the scar from the Arbok, but still… I should ask Leto to watch out for him. I don't think I could handle seeing him brought in.

Erin thankfully hadn't eaten them, however, leaving them to the dragons. Her adorable Deino had actually taken over the job of slowly turning the meat, and none of the dragons seemed to begrudge him his extra-large portions.

I had been startled, to be sure, but it wasn't that surprising.

Erin's mother returning carrying a huge Tauros by the neck was certainly surprising, though, even if I had known she was hunting them specifically. It was almost six feet tall at the shoulders!

Erin whooped in delight, followed by my daughter and Raihan, and I had to wonder just how good these ribs were. I'd taken Leaf to The Viridian Plate once, one of the finest restaurants in Viridian City, and I wasn't sure just how much better these could be than those delicious, tender Miltank ribs.

I watched in disgusted fascination from my back deck as Erin quickly ran inside, coming back with a Storage Ball that contained a large tarp, metal basin, and a rolled package. I felt my stomach churn as she set the basin on top of the tarp, and as I saw her unroll the package, revealing a series of different blades, I paled. Her eyes shone with a gentle purple light as she pulled out a short, stubby knife with a hooked edge and one with a long, thin blade. Her smile was soft, gentle, and all the more disturbing for it.

"Ribs, ribs, ribs, here I come ribs!" She was practically singing as she muttered to herself, and my daughter just nodded along! Raihan too!

"Okay, most of the blood is drained… wait, if you were holding it by the head, how did you drai- Okay, rock spike to the neck, thanks for not ruining the meat, but… that spray pattern… No! Did you really throw this Tauros at another Tauros, like I'm imagining!?" Her giant mother viciously nodded, grin massive even for her, and I desperately tried to expunge that mental image from my mind.

I failed.

"Okay, well… Can't say I've never wanted to beat a motherf- dude with another dude before, so good on ya… Well, grab the back legs, let's get the rest out…" I turned away as blood slowly poured from the corpse, but Erin had apparently been onto something, because it only took a brief time (and a few huge shakes!) before it was… empty enough.

I had to look away as she had her mother flip and hold the corpse up, but the sounds as she sliced into the skin, and the splashes, nearly broke my self control.

"Oh, Arceus! He was full, eww!" She gagged a little as she pulled the now-full basin away. "Fu- Screw this, you guys don't want this, right? There's more grass than guts." At the headshakes she grinned, looking over at her little Salandit.

"Seraphina, sweetheart, you feel like deleting some… stuff?" The little gecko glared at her trainer, but ambled over and began to unleash rapid-fire Acids and Embers into the basin. I was worried for a moment, but Erin had apparently done her research, and the basin didn't melt. I did have to wonder how she would get rid of the acid that didn't burn, though…

That smoke couldn't have been healthy… I mean, they were all far away from it, except for Seraphina, but still.

"Kallen, water that down for me please, bud. We'll go dump it and water it in as soon as I finish getting them ready." I guess that worked. The acid certainly looked less dangerous now, and I knew that was an approved disposal method for most Move based acids, but still…

"What do we think, we need another Tauros skin? At this rate we might be able to make our own dam- darn tent! Like a giant lean-to of skins!" Where had she stored the others, actually? She began to confidently slice at the skin, and despite my disgust I found myself fascinated.

It was terribly, horribly interesting, the way she slowly peeled the huge bovine like a vegetable, and she got faster and faster as she went. By the end her blade was practically dancing as she finally separated the tail. The bloody, meaty skin flopped to the ground as the Tyrantrum held the skinned corpse in her arms. Leto seemed to have no issue holding the huge Pokemon in her (comparatively) small forearms.

"Okay, finally, shi- nasty part done! Nastier part! Time for the tenderloin, ribs, then the rest is the dragons!" She cheerfully dropped her blades on a small tarp, had Kallen blast her hands briefly with water, and retrieved another blade, this one long and curved. It looked almost like an ancient, exotic sword, except it was only a foot and a half long.

A few minutes later Leaf was rushing to store the largest, richest looking tenderloin I had ever seen in my life, and I seriously began to question my choices when it came to farmed vs hunted meat. I had always found it cruel to take an intelligent Pokemon out of their natural environment, but the sight before me was tempting. Not that I could afford Tauros, but still!

Not to mention Erin's words around our farmed Pidgey Noodle Soup last night. I couldn't stop thinking about them.

"I understand your position, but here's mine. I want my food to have had the best life it possibly could. A wild Pokemon may be smarter, yes. They were also happier, and healthier. They felt joy in their lives, in nature. I may orphan Pokemon to eat meat, but do farmed Pokemon not have family?"

"They do, except their family is dumb, just like them. Bred to be that way. An intelligent, sapient being, bred to be a better, dumber food source… The very thought is just so repugnant, so vile, so abhorrent on a fundamental level to me. They had no choice, and no chance. At least the wild Pokemon have a chance. Theoretically, you know. Not much is getting away from my mom."

"I've come to the conclusion that unless I want to go vegetarian or vegan, I'll be eating people. I'll deal with that, just like the rest of the world. I honestly like meat too much to quit, aura nonsense aside. I'd rather eat free, happy people than… lobotomized slaves. As horrible as that sounds, saying it out loud. Even for me."

I wish she hadn't put it that way. I knew Pokemon were intelligent, but the thought didn't dissuade her. It just… existed, to her. I… tried not to think about it, honestly. Most people who ate meat tried not to.

The look of that tenderloin had done a lot to change my mind, however, and as Erin grinned and gleefully picked up a saw I couldn't stop my own small smile. Raihan grew excited as she picked it up. More excited.

"Ribs, here we coooome!" Raihan was grinning as he waited to catch the huge ribs as they fell, Leaf returning with another large plastic sheet she laid on the ground nearby. She smiled up at me when she noticed me watching her.

"Sorry mom, the kitchen counter is way too small to actually prep these! Erin, I got your spice storage!" My daughter held the Storage ball like a precious treasure, and I saw Raihans eyes follow it as he laid down the first section of ribs Erin had cut free.

"Perfect, wanna get the fire pit going, Leaf? I need some nice embers, please! Cerberus can help you drag some deadfall back if we're running low." Erin didn't even look up as she sawed, bloody hands steady as she cut.

My daughter cheerfully saluted her new mentor as she idly called Cerberus to her side, the oversized, eager Deino already halfway there. He had been quite a pleasant surprise, a Deino that didn't bite everything. I had heard terrible stories… His stubby little tail was wagging with force as my daughter practically skipped her way to the woods.

I smiled at the sight. It had been years since I had seen her this happy, and it was more than just the ribs. Although, considering the looks Raihan was giving the growing stack of ribs, maybe it wasn't all that much more.

Erin finally finished dismantling the carcass, or at least our parts of it. She quickly pulled out a huge cleaver and began to sever joints on top of a rough, stained wooden block, the nauseating sounds thankfully over quickly as she loaded the rest of the carcass onto a suddenly small-looking meat spit. A meat spit that bent slightly as Erin's giant mother carried the rod back on its stand.

"Okay, cool, cool! Could you get the door for me, ma'am? I need to wash my hands something fierce." She was smiling, but her forearms were covered in flecks of blood and meat and… bits. I gave her a weak smile as I rushed to open the door for her.

"Let me get the faucet for you too, dear!" I hurried to stop any future bloodstains as she hustled to the sink.

When Erin returned outside and opened her Storage Ball I nearly choked on my own tongue. It looked like she had taken some of every spice and stored it, along with multiple larger jars full of what were obviously spice mixtures. There was even a small notebook. Variety aside, the reason she had what looked like every spice Pallet Town sold aside, that was a lot of money right there. She looked at Raihan.

"I think the second ribs weren't as good, right? A little too much kick, not enough savory?" He nodded at her, eyes never leaving her hands. She looked over at me with a smile.

"Wanna learn my spice mixtures?" Her smile was open and easy, and I could recognise a peace offering when I saw one. She hadn't been rude while here, but she was trying to be nice now. Honestly, she had handled her situation better than I probably would have, if I was being completely truthful with myself.

"I would be delighted, dear!" I wasn't lying, either. The sheer spread of spices on display, not to mention the way my daughter almost drooled as she returned with a dead tree, was enough to intrigue me. I might even learn a thing or two.

I was sadly mistaken. Instead, I learned too much! I began to actually take notes as she explained her testing process, copying some of her own notes, and after a taste of her rib mix I was suddenly impatient.

I needed ribs, and now.

Unfortunately, Erin's method of cooking ribs took hours! We rinsed them off, carefully dried them, and applied a lot of Erin's spice mixture. We then wrapped them in huge foil packets to begin, but near the end Erin finally let us remove them, placing them directly on the grates she had set up to finish them off.

The smell, oh Arceus above!

Before the food was done, Leaf pulled me inside, looking back to make sure we were alone before she turned to me with a mischievous smile on her face. I was instantly wary. A mischievous teenager was usually up to trouble.

"Mom, I haven't mentioned it, but wait for everyone to take a rib first. Watch Erin and Raihan." I gave her an odd look at her phrasing (a rib?) and her directions, but she just smiled at me.

"Trust me!" I nodded, still kind of confused, and she grinned before pulling me back outside.

I began to see what my daughter had meant as Erin pulled a huge, rough wooden platter from her storage and began to slice each rib, using that Pawniard blade of hers. I frowned at the sight, but she had actually sealed the rough, hide-wrapped handle by now. It was still a barbaric weapon, but it wouldn't be spreading germs, so I held my tongue.

Still, Erin had pre-sliced the ribs like it was natural, instead of, you know, giving us our own platters, and as we sat around our small outdoor set of furniture she placed the large, rough platter in between us. I kept Leaf's words in mind, and I watched as Erin took a rib, followed almost immediately by Raihan, then Leaf. I grabbed my own as I gave my daughter a weird look, but she wasn't even looking at me. She was tearing meat off the bone like a wild Pokemon, and I frowned at the sight as I lifted my own rib.

Really, I spend all those years wiping her mouth and teaching her how to eat properly and one bi-

One bite was all it took for me to understand. I began to tear meat off the bone with similar fervor, in fact. It was the best meat I had ever had in my life, and my tongue almost seemed to spasm at the complex, almost-burnt spice mixture mixed with tender, succulent meat. I actually moaned a little.

I can't believe I thought those Miltank ribs had been tender! Or flavorful!

I looked up after I finished to find the rest of them watching me with knowing smiles. I blushed a little, but smiled at Erin.

"This is the best meat I've ever had in my life, Erin dear!" Her face lit up at the compliment, even as she twitched a bit at the 'dear'. Too bad, I call everyone dear.

"Thanks! Tauros are really high quality meat, so it's mainly that. The spices aren't that exotic either. From how Leaf described those Miltank ribs, they probably just cooked them in an oven or over an open flame even, eww. You need to lock the moisture in and break the connective tissues down before you sear the outside for flavor." Her face was beaming as she reached for a second rib. Raihan quickly followed, then Leaf, and then I got it.

They had a pecking order between the two of them, and judging from their faces, they didn't even realize it. I exchanged amused glances with my daughter, who managed to make eye contact briefly before savagely digging into her second rib.

I'd have reprimanded her, but I was doing the same.

—

"I don't think I ever got the chance to thank you for this, Ms. Greenwood." I shook my head at Raihan as we drank some tea out back. Leaf and Erin were off training, and Raihan had taken the chance for an actual bit of relaxation on his supposed 'vacation'.

"You don't have to thank me for anything, dear. I worry that I have nothing to really help with, actually, beyond just being a point of contact. She was an adult, right?" I raised an eyebrow at him. She could certainly have her moments, but it was still hard to believe she used to be just five years younger than me. He laughed.

"Trust me, I know it can be hard to believe sometimes. I met her on her third day in her new body, and she was still quite a bit more mature. Still… her, but she was certainly calmer." He smiled. "She might hate it, but she's a kid again now. Moods and all." I smiled, still questioningly.

"Yes, but you sound sure about her age." He frowned at me for a long moment. His face looked troubled when he finally spoke.

"There was a… memory reading that I sat in on. I know for a fact she was older, because I saw it." I couldn't stop the open look of shock on my face.

Mind reading!? It had to be voluntary, obviously, but there was a very good reason that it could easily be considered a war crime! He must have noticed my rising ire because he held a hand up.

"It was me, Looker, the local Head Ranger, and a Nurse Joy as her Welfare Advocate! We did everything by the book! She just wouldn't talk!" I calmed down a little at that. A Nurse Joy would have stopped something too harsh. Still, I frowned.

"What was so important that she demanded a memory reading?" His face closed like a book, and I sighed before he even spoke.

"Talk to Looker, ma'am, not me. Sorry." I waved a hand at him idly.

It was frustrating. My new ward didn't seem to actively be involved in anything, but she certainly had been. I trusted Professor Oak, but it still grated at me. I knew that those secrets were hers, not mine, but I knew that my daughter knew.

Leaf was very easy to read.

Erin's… disposition aside, she had seemed responsible when it came to my daughter, so I knew she wouldn't have volunteered that information. I just knew that my darling child had eavesdropped, and to my frustration I could find no way to confirm it or punish her.

At this point I would probably eavesdrop as well, honestly.

"Would it be too much to ask for… something?" He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I struggled to put my thoughts into words.

"I don't even know what I'm asking for. I know you won't just tell me her life story, but…" His eyes were troubled as he digested that. Not that there was much there. I didn't know what I was asking for, truly.

"There's plenty she wouldn't mind me sharing with you, honestly. That she would be more than happy to talk about… I understand what you mean, though." His eyes met mine, and suddenly I felt like I was being weighed and measured. His eyes bore into me like drills.

"I could tell you something, ma'am, but I'm honestly unsure of your reaction." I raised an eyebrow at him. "You either believe me, or you don't. And are horrified, or are relieved beyond all measure. Possibly both." I sighed and rolled my hand at him. He winced a bit before speaking.

"Your daughter will be more safe than you could possibly imagine for her first Circuit." His eyes were hard as they stared me down. Like a dragon's eyes. "I know that every year dozens of young trainers are maimed or killed by wild Pokemon here in Kanto. Assaulted by the remnants of Team Rocket. I can assure you, if your daughter runs into any trouble, that trouble wont exist for long." My eyes got wide as he nodded at me.

"Erin has a Rotom Phone coming specifically to record evidence before her mother eats the evidence. She'll accept their surrender, but if they don't? Well, Leto eats a lot." My face was drained dry of blood at this point.

"Leaf already heard Erin say all that, as well." I began to frown, but he rushed to continue. "Leaf decided to play Salandit and sneak up on a private conversation. She got her punishment already." That girl! I knew it!

"How is that supposed to make me calmer around Erin?!" I mean, really! His eyes were serious as he responded.

"She's going to protect your kid like her own, is what I was saying, Ms. Greenwood, and so will Leto. She might be vicious, and they might call her the Savage Trainer online, but she's not wild." He frowned. "I'd rather the… eating not happen either, but Team Rocket are a Global Terrorist group. Anyone with the uniform on already gave up their inclusion in the Global Humanities Accords, and the entire world knows it." My eyes widened at the brazen statement.

It was true, yes. Those branded Global Terrorist organizations relinquished their rights as humans, legally. That didn't mean it was right to feed them to Leto! I was about to continue when he sighed heavily, weary eyes looking at me over his cold cup of tea.

"Ms. Greenwood, this is as much as I can tell you before you need to talk to Looker: Erin is a force for good in this world. Sometimes you have to amputate an infected limb, but you don't call the bonesaw evil. It just is. If she runs into terrorists that abuse and torture Pokemon?" His eyes flashed in fury, and I flinched back. Because of his… him-ness, it was easy to forget he led a Gym and one of the largest cities in Galar, but that had been an angry, defensive dragon in those eyes.

"There's a reason Looker gave her the go-ahead, Ms. Greenwood, and that I haven't argued with her about it. She might be a kid now, but she's adult enough to make the decision to end a sapients life in defense of another. She's already done it with Sneasels. I honestly don't know how much difference she really sees between humans and Pokemon…"

I managed a strangled-sounding bark of laughter at that.

"She ate those." He laughed.

"She wont eat a human, I swear!" He began to laugh harder as I frowned at him. This was serious.

"I don't appreciate the fact that my new ward intends to commit war crimes, Mr. Gym Leader!" His laughing face met mine.

"Terrorists aren't covered! It's not a crime!" He waved away my followup, stopping his laughter.

"No, sorry, but they aren't. She also doesn't want to do it, but she's worried she might let it happen if she sees a bunch of caged, bloodied, abused Pokemon in front of her." My throat tightened up as I heard him say that so matter of factly. Team Rocket was another topic most people tried not to think about too frequently. He continued, a knowing look in his eyes as I quieted.

"This is pushing my limits, but honestly? I'm so glad she met Leaf." I looked at him in confusion and he gave me a weary smile.

"Erin's actually very responsible, believe it or not." I snorted a little despite myself, but he was shaking his head.

"Truly, she is. Before she met Leaf? I know for a fact she would have gone after Team Rocket's remnants all on her own." My mouth was hanging open as he nodded sadly.

"She would have, yeah. From her own mouth… She didn't see the problem with using… using her own 'worthless life' to provoke a response from them. She would have done it, no doubt in my mind." I managed to close my mouth as he continued.

"The worst part? She probably would have succeeded. She certainly has the drive. The thoughts of those caged Pokemon keep her up at night, and she wouldn't have stopped until Team Rocket was ripped out by the roots." He sighed. "She might even have survived her campaign against them."

He leaned back and chugged his cold tea, looking at the sky as he slowly spoke.

"You see, she suddenly found herself powerful. Leto is the closest thing to a Mythical Pokemon, while not being a Mythical species I've ever personally encountered. It would take…" He frowned in thought. "Half of my Pokemon to take her down, all of them to do it without a huge risk of death." My eyes opened wide at that. I knew who Raihan was by now. He might as well be a Champion himself!

"She's found herself powerful, and now she hears that Team Rocket is still around?" That was a weird way to put it… "She felt like it was her responsibility to do something where nobody else would or could. She wasn't going to turn away no matter what anyone said, not me, not Looker, not Joy." He smiled at me, a warm, relieved smile.

"Then Professor Oak tricked her into dominating Leaf's Fraxure, tricked them into meeting. Now she's got a young girl as a responsibility. Now, instead of my new friend rushing off to a noble, lonely death, she'll take a slow and steady route with your daughter. She's too responsible to abandon her, especially not now." His eyes were calm as he looked at me.

"I'm relieved, because Erin needed a reason not to play hero, and Leaf needed a mentor. The fact that they both get a friend out of the deal is just a bonus to me." I felt my tension leave me a little at that.

That certainly put Erin in some important context. Feeding Team Rocket to her mother was still a bit far, and I would have my own talk with Leto, but for now I took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before I released it. When I opened my eyes, his were knowing.

"Thank you, Riahan. I'm… honestly still unsure, after hearing that, but you've given me a lot to think about." He nodded at me.

"Don't worry about it ma'am. She's… a lot to take in. Trust me, I know." He chuckled and I couldn't help but join in.

She certainly was a lot.

Chapter Text

Erin

—

"Erin, listen, just because I would like to watch your matches doesn't mean you two need to skip out on the first step in your Journeys!" Raihan sounded exasperated, but I could tell he was also happy.

"It's too late Raihan, it's done. Viridian Forest sucks as- badly anyways. Just be lucky Galar starts a few days later than Kanto, and you can pre-book Gym Battles here. From what I heard, the first week can get really backed up with young, impulsive trainers that think their freshly caught Poliwag will win them a badge from Brock or Flint."

Apparently it was very common at all the gyms, in fact. Something like half of young trainers returned home within their first week of Journeying, and three-quarters of the other half returned within the first three months. It was one thing to dream of Journeying and being a powerful trainer. It was an entirely different thing to actually go into the wilds with a single Pokemon and work your way up. Or survive. Roughly three percent of all trainers wouldn't survive their first year. A much smaller percentage than I had expected, sure, but that was a lot of kids, still!

"They get stuck on their first badge for months, sometimes!" Leaf grinned through a bite of Pidgeotto Pot Pie as we ate around the table that night.

This world had food every bit as complex as mine, in every way except their seasonings. It's like they thought they were precious and rare, not cheaper than back on Earth! I had been hoping to make a huge pot of chili for our last dinner here, actually, but I wasn't about to pay for nasty Miltank beef, and mom had finally culled the herd of Tauros so badly the remnants had fled back to the plains areas.

My 'Erin's Improved Pidgeotto Pot Pie' was almost as good, anyways.

"Besides, I know you want to see Leaf's little troublemaker put some work in." He grinned at me.

"Which one?" We all chuckled at that, Ms Greenwood's face highly amused.

"Well, it must be Fraxure, of course! Clefairy has been so well behaved." There was a twinkle in her eye, and I choked on a piece of food as I laughed. Patricia Greenwood may not have gotten further than four badges during her Journey, but the woman had a force to her. The little fae horror'd had no idea what she was about to encounter here. It amused me greatly.

Leaf groaned a little at the teasing.

"No, it's going to be me and Fraxure… If he obeys me, we should be fine, right?" She looked questioning as me and Raihan nodded. He spoke up, wiping his mouth off.

"First badges are generally very simple affairs. It's simply a power check. Is your Pokemon beyond what you would expect a house Pokemon to be capable of? Can your Pokemon pull from greater reserves of type energy? Hit hard? Do something other than just attack? That's all this is. You'd be surprised at the amount of people that bash their faces in on their first Badge for months, still. Fourth badge and onwards is where things get tricky." I nodded at his words.

"Worst case scenario he's so dam- dang stubborn that he refuses to listen to any commands and does no damage before going down. Clefairy would still sweep Brock, easily. It's after this Gym where he'll have to actually put the work in if he wants to be able to contribute." It was true, too. Her Clefairy was powerful for a wild Pokemon, but if her Fraxure worked with her they would have absolutely no problems with Brock, either.

"And you, dear?" I had stopped flinching at all the caring she did, because she even did it to Raihan. It was just how she was, not something she was doing to me… is what I told myself.

"Well, Kallen could decimate Brock's first badge team, so I'm thinking about having Hecate or Seraphina start us off. They need the most experience, even if Seraphina would be at a disadvantage." Her eyes grew concerned at that.

"Aren't they a little young, dear?" I shook my head.

"Seraphina is fully grown, she was just… not well tolerated by her mothers harem, and she's a runt. Hopefully that can change with Evolution, though, not that I would care. With Hecate, you're close. She is almost fully grown, old enough to fight, it's her willingness that's in question. She says she's interested, though, so I'll probably let her if she's still feeling up for it tomorrow and it's not a better matchup for Seraphina. Sera's not taking on the Cerulean Gym."

My adorable little Pokemon was nervous, especially by the prospect of an audience, but she was also determined. Tomorrow's audience should be small, at least. The first day of the Circuit? There couldn't be that many people there.

—

There were that many people there. It wasn't a crush of bodies, but the Gym was visibly busy as we flew over Pewter City. The city was smaller, seemingly cut into a small valley that now seemed artificially larger. I could recognize defensive fortifications at various points, however, and noticed that there were several massive, probably still used bunkers at the tops of the valley.

The entire city seemed built around defense, in fact. The streets were both windy and tight, and wide and open in other places, and with an aerial view I could see that those areas were killing fields for invaders. The Gym was obviously set up as the fallback area, as the entire city seemed to lead to it. Overall, while small, it looked like the kind of city you would need to aerially bombard to have any hope of taking it easily, but those bunkers were huge, and no doubt absolutely packed with technology and Pokemon.

I truly enjoyed our aerial view of Pewter City. Raihan seemed to as well, directing his phone to take a few pictures. It really was nice up here, seeing the city laid out like a grid, people as small as ants. Feeling the stiff breeze this high up. Enjoying the feeling of incredible height.

"Okay, pictures are good! Great, even! Let's go!"

Leaf, however, wasn't having such a great time, held in Flygons arms as we hovered over the city. The dragon was being oddly compliant, none of the 'accidental' slips that he was apparently known for. I don't know what she did, or how she did it, but I felt proud of my little protegee. She had something on the dragon, probably blackmail, and it warmed my heart to see.

She was doing so well recently!

"You heard her, buddy! Nice and gentle to the Gym, please." Flygon trilled and dropped, his wings suddenly still for a few seconds. Me and Leaf barely had time to scream before we were moving again, at a nice, sedate pace. I tightened my hand on his neck, but his trill of amusement only grew louder.

I was really going to miss this dragon. The others were too scared or intimidated by me to really interact beyond saying hello. Flygon? Flygon lived to annoy that which terrified him. He was like the most personable housefly imaginable.

We touched down in the small designated landing area at the Gym. It looked just like it had in the anime, a gargantuan, plain boulder. Somehow, it was a dilapidated looking boulder, even though the sidewalks, railing, paths, and outdoor facilities were all in good repair. The boulder just looked… sad? Old?

There were even a series of outdoor arenas, all currently filled by a variety of children battling. I say children, but most were probably thirteen, thankfully. I know the age restriction rising had caused Leaf and those like her a lot of heartbreak, but I only had to make a fist to feel the reminder of why letting ten year olds go on Journeys was a bad idea. Thirteen was still young, still a kid, but infinitely better than a ten year old child.

I mean, apparently Youngsters were a thing, considering that had been the stopgap measure for those kids like Leaf. She might have messed up with Fraxure, but she was smart enough to stay away from those. It was 'You can have up to a Rank 2 Pokemon, full stop, stick around your city.' That was basically it. Much better to raise your handling limit than be stuck with a Rattata for years… Not that they couldn't be powerful, and well trained, but still.

Thankfully, I wasn't a kid! I was… fourteen…

Fuck.

Raihan began to steer us towards the busy entrance.

"Let's go get you two checked in, if you're late when they call you you lose your slot. Plenty of people wait like Mandibuzz to snag empty time slots." It certainly seemed to be the case, considering the large number of trainers whose heads turned towards us as we walked in. A few moments later we had checked in, receiving our time-stamped tickets. Leaf would go first, then me.

We stepped outside to wait, but the second the trainers outside saw us leaving the Gym so quickly after entering they pounced.

"I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" Leaf looked amused at the enthusiasm.

"The wait's a few days, let's battle, green!" The girl pointing at me was about to lose her finger. Possibly the hand. Maybe just the finger…

Hand?

"No, battle me!" Random boy number two spoke up, this time to both of us, apparently. What was with these- Ugh.

I clapped my hands, taking a deep breath to calm the anger that was even now building. They were kids. Being kids. As kids do.

Which I am not.

"No! The answer is no for all of you! We have an appointment because we're not idiots, we're just waiting for our turn! Shoo! Shoo!" Most of them turned away, disappointed, but one kid remained, glaring at me.

His eyes widened when our eyes met, however, and he quickly turned his glare on Leaf. Raihan stood behind us, completely ignored. To be fair, Raihan was an adult, even a very young one, closely following two younger girls around. I could forgive people thinking that he was our… chaperone.

Even in my own mind the thought was bleak.

"I still challenge you! If you're dumb enough to challenge Brock the first day, then you're too weak to be worth his time! You haven't even trained, I bet!" I grinned at his tone. A cocky little kid, desperate to prove that he had something. He had chosen his words poorly, however.

I glanced at Leaf. The poor girl was uncertain, but my nudge got her to firm up her shoulders. She then got a look in her eyes. I'd say she was trying to look devious, but it came out looking more adorably impish than anything else as she raised an Ultra Ball to her lips.

"Did you hear that, baby? Someone just called you weak." The ball shook, but didn't break open. Her little troublemaker had earned himself some more privileges, mainly the ability to clearly sense the outside world when he wanted to. He still couldn't release himself, obviously, but if he kept it up, he might be releasing himself in a few months time.

We moved to a freshly-cleared arena, and me and Raihan grabbed some of the abundant concrete blocks that served as seating. There was a constant crowd in the area, and we soon had a decent little audience as the kid and Leaf both approached the auto-referee. I had found it fascinating, but it made sense. Out on the road there were no barriers, no referees, but right next to a gym? You couldn't have unauthorized battles, and hiring that many people to act as referees would be ruinous.

They both scanned their Trainer Cards and retreated to their respective sides. A thin barrier sprang up around the field before a scratchy, synthetic voice called out.

"This will be a one on one battle until surrender or unconsciousness. Duncan Rhodes, please send out your Pokemon first."

The kid, Duncan apparently, sent out a large Nidorino, the quadrupedal poison Pokemon taking a moment to let out a little cry before he settled back on its haunches. He looked healthy and happy, glancing at his trainer with obvious affection in his eyes, but my smile only grew as Leaf raised her Ultra Ball. That Nidorino's day was about to get a whole lot worse. I felt bad, but not too badly… It could be a Pidgey instead…

Okay, I feel a little bit bad, for sure…

"Leaf Greenwood, please send out your Pokemon."

Leaf's Fraxure came out with a roar, and he dug his claws in the second he landed, prepared to charge. He held still though, as Leaf snapped out a sharp 'hold'. He turned back around to glare at her before hunching over, his back claws tearing at the dirt as he swung his face, and blades, around. His eyes practically shone with anger, and the Nidorino shivered as their eyes met. Poor thing…

Oh Arceus, I should have sent Hecate out… No, he's not as bad of a murderous maniac anymore… Training him is funny…

"The match will begin in three, two, one… Begin!"

"Nidorino, use Poison Sting!"

"Dragon Claw into Bite!"

Nidorino let out a barrage of bright purple needles of poison energy from its open mouth that rushed at Fraxure, but the constant beatings- I mean, training- with Clefairy and my team had given him the reflexes necessary to dodge out of the way of the admittedly fast attack even as he maintained his charge. He practically spun sideways out of the way of the spikes even as his feet dug in without stopping. That was a well trained Nidorino with that fast, accurate Poison Sting, but he was obviously freshly-evolved. That would explain why he tripped when trying to sidestep the Dragon Claw rushing at his face. He should have been able to dodge, honestly. Fraxure was… weak for his species.

Nidorino managed to avoid the Move with his face, eyes widening as the glowing claw flashed past his eye, but his shoulder was still struck, sending him tumbling back in an unfocused burst of purple energy. Fraxure didn't give him the time to recover, either, rushing in with a dark aura surging around his jaws. He clamped onto the front of the Nidorinos neck, right in between the spikes, and began to thrash around, savaging the poor poison Pokemon with his teeth and blades.

Fuck, I knew it…

The unfortunate Nidorino began to scream, and thankfully a red light absorbed him a moment later. Leaf's face was a calm mask, but she'd had her mouth open to call him off before the Nidorino was returned, along with his ball in her hand. Good. She had some control over him, but full control was still a long way off.

The two met each other in the middle of the arena, the boy stomping his way over with a red face, and he was gone by the time we got to Leaf. She turned to us with a wide smile that was only slightly uneasy, her eyes happy but tense.

"That was my first battle! I won! He listened! Mostly!" I gave her a wide smile and a one-armed hug, happy for her.

"Good job, Leaf. He was easy, so don't get cocky, but your Pokemon didn't even take a hit, and followed a combo order. He needs to work on his Dragon Claw, though. That energy was way too fragile, it should have held together. We all know what he did wrong, too, but it wasn't that bad, for him. He could have torn that Nidorino's throat out if he had wanted to. It's certainly progress, still." Her smile was wide, right up until Raihan's huge hand slammed onto her head and began to twist.

"Good job, kid. Maybe a little firmer on the orders, well, order, but he followed it. That's a good sign." He continued to ruffle her hat as she scowled at him, and I smiled.

Leaf had needed that win, honestly, even if it had barely been a fight. She had needed to be shown that she had changed, that she wasn't the same sad, weak girl she had let herself become. She might not be confident yet, but she was learning to fake it, at least.

The intercom crackled into life, announcing the number right before Leaf's. We took that as a sign and made our way back inside. There was no viewing area from the lobby, but there was a door to the audience area, so we left Leaf there with good wishes.

I smiled as she stood there in front of the Challengers entrance, taking deep breaths. She looked nervous, of course, but the girl also looked determined. She looked a little like her artwork at that moment, actually… I caught Raihan watching her too and we shared a smile before entering the audience section.

It wasn't huge, and could probably only hold a couple hundred people at most, like a high school gym. Most of the space was dominated by the boulder-strewn field ahead of us. I was suddenly very glad that I'd had Leto use Ancient Power to make our training grounds. It was extremely similar, so our Pokemon should be at least somewhat used to the field type.

It looked like the battle was already over, a young kid walking away, head hanging low, his face red. He looked to be doing his best not to cry, and I felt a surge of pity as we took our seats. Me and Leaf were in somewhat unique situations with our Pokemon, them being older and more trained.

For most thirteen year olds, they had only received their starter Pokemon the day before, usually from a family member, school, Pokemon Center, Gym Leader, or for a very rare few, a Professor. Those with no support system were still able to apply for assistance. Everyone was entitled to a Pokemon, and to start a Journey, but government-issued Pokemon were… substandard. There were for sure strong Raticates out there, but starting with a Class 1 Pokemon was slow, even if you weren't restricted like Youngsters were.

A few had gotten Pokemon early, like Leaf, but unless their parents were solid trainers, the Pokemon would probably be barely trained, and far weaker than they were expecting. Like Leaf, once again. Her Fraxure was especially weak for one of his species, due to him forcing the Evolution far earlier than even Raihan had ever heard of. He was still a Fraxure, but he should have been able to poke that Nidorino really hard and win. He had been evolved for two months! We were fixing that now, but still, it highlighted a problem that most young trainers faced.

Most people attempting the Gym this early were overconfident, and running headfirst into the brick wall that was Brock had to hurt. The man himself looked like he was straight out of the anime, if older. He sat cross-legged on a boulder, but he wasn't meditating. He was leaning forward on his knees, watching the boy exit with a complicated expression on his face. I saw it go back to a blank mask, however, as Leaf entered to the referee's call.

"So, you think you have what it takes to win my Badge?" His voice was hard, and despite myself, and the memories of him in the anime, I found myself a bit intimidated by him. The realization made me grin, however. Leaf straightened her shoulders before replying, her voice mostly steady.

"I do, and I'm here to prove it!" Her smile trembled, but Brock's smile was warm at her response before he went back to doing his portrayal of a brick wall. Brock had always been a kind guy, not to mention, you know, raising too many younger siblings. Even if he could apparently turn the intensity up when he wanted to.

The referee held up a flag and began to speak.

"This will be a two versus two First Badge Gym Battle! As the Gym Leader, Brock will release his Pokemon first, and be unable to switch! Challenger, you will release your Pokemon second, and will have one switch available to you! The matches will continue until surrender or knockout! Are there any questions?" At their head shakes he continued.

"Gym Leader, release your first Pokemon!" Brock smiled and tossed out a Pokeball. I was expecting the round rock with arms, since Brock always started with a Geodude in the games, but I wasn't expecting the eyebrows it had, nor the short, spiky hair. It was an Alolan Geodude, and instead of Rock/Ground, it was Rock/Electric. A nasty surprise for the beginners with their baby water Pokemon, I was sure, but not so much for Leaf.

"Challenger, release your first Pokemon!"

When her Fraxure came out this time he was still as a few surprised murmurs rang out. He was completely unmoving, and I grew worried, but only for a second. His eyes were going crazy looking around, and I could see the very moment he realized his audience was this large. There had been maybe a dozen people outside for his first match. There were easily fifty here, the numbers in constant flux as families left or arrived, people ate while watching, there was even what looked to be the local Bug Catchers Club on one end of the seating.

Fraxure smiled, a wicked, dangerous smile, as he glared at the Geodude. The poor Geodude looked alarmed by the look on the other Pokemons face, and I couldn't blame him.

Fraxure had gotten really good at breaking rocks this past week. Even if I had to stop the maniac from using his blades… Go ahead, break them off on rock before you strengthen them, dumbass. Don't come crying to me when you can't cut shit…

"The match will begin in three, two, one… begin!"

"Geodude, Rock Polish!"

"Fraxure, Taunt!"

I smiled as Leaf made the correct call. Fraxure seemed to duck down, his head swaying like a snake as he hissed out something, his face locked in a huge sneer. Whatever he said, it was bad, really bad, knowing Fraxure, because the shine beginning to build around Geodude immediately died down as it glared at Fraxure. Brock grinned and called out.

"Spark!"

"Bite into Dragon Claw!"

Electricity sparked around the Geodude as it launched itself at Fraxure with its arms, the dragon meeting the rush with a dark Bite that sent shards of stone flying from the impact. The Geodude was already contracting into a Defense Curl as the jaws released it, but the Dragon Claw that followed up the Bite still knocked it back a few feet, large scratch marks clearly visible on its front. Before Leaf could even order another attack, however, Fraxure had pounced.

He was actually doing extremely well, Dragon Claws and Slash's flying from him in a frenzy as Sparks discharged randomly, but the look on his face was bad. His blood was up at this insignificant, weak thing that had dared to try to be tough in front of him! In front of a dragon. With one final Slash the Geodude went down, overwhelmed by the rush of attacks. Brock's face was worried as he returned the Geodude, scrutinizing the angry dragon with a small frown.

"Fraxure, that's enough! Good job, but it's time to stop. Come here." Leaf's voice was firm, despite the undercurrent of anxiety I could clearly hear, and with a growl her dragon took a deep breath before stomping back to his half of the field. He spared his trainer a short sneer before facing Brock again.

"That's certainly an… interesting Pokemon you have, there." Leaf blushed at the man's words, stammering out her reply.

"Y-Yeah, we're working on it right now! We've both gotten a lot better, though!" His eyes narrowed- well, he squinted harder at her for a moment before he smiled.

"Well, don't try to rush those kinds of things. Sometimes they come around, it might just take time. Now…" He pulled another Pokeball from his belt.

"Good job getting past Geodude, but this one's a little bit different to fight." The large, rock-snake that appeared wasn't a surprise, but I still let out an embarrassing squee at the sight that drew an amused snort from Raihan. I had always thought Onix were so cool, and they were even cooler in real life, huge and intimidating as its boulders ground together.

Fraxure stared upwards with an open mouth for a moment before smiling. It was his usual mean smile, and I had a bad feeling suddenly.

"Second Round, begin!"

"Onix, Rock Polish!"

"Fraxure, Taunt!"

Either Brock liked to gamble, or much more likely, he correctly predicted that Leaf's rebellious Pokemon would disobey her this time when confronted with a huge challenge, because even as the giant rock snake began to twist on itself, smoothing its boulders out against each other, Fraxure let loose a Dragon Claw. The attack dug in, but only barely before the rapidly-increasing speed of the Onix pulled the small wound away. I could see Leaf's face crumple in frustration as an unannounced Tackle sent her Pokemon flying back.

"Onix, Dragon Breath!"

"Fraxure, Leer!"

Imagine my surprise when I found out Leer can interrupt moves here. It just depended on the Leer-er, and Fraxure? Fraxure's happy face was the subject of small Pokemons nightmares. His Leer could actually interrupt Clefairy. Sometimes. Occasionally. I had seen it happen, just not often…

Clefairy was too powerful, honestly.

Fraxure was not happy to see a non-dragon use a dragon-type move, however. With a low growl he rushed forward, managing to actually dodge the Dragon Breath by a hair's breadth, only to bounce his claws off as the Onix once again pulled away from any true damage he might be able to do.

The little dragon hissed up at the rock snake, but before he could attack again a red light swallowed him up. I saw Leaf talking to the ball, and I could lip read and estimate well enough to figure it out.

"If you don't follow my orders, you don't fight."

She sighed, looking up at Brock and the announcer.

"Sorry, I'm withdrawing Fraxure from the match." Brock nodded at that.

"He looks to be powerful, but you must have your hands full with him. A good call on your part, though. A rebellious Pokemon just gives me too much leeway, too much control over the match." She gave an embarrassed laugh and shake of her head.

"He's… something else. That was still progress, though, so one day!" He smiled as she pulled her second Ultra Ball out.

Clefairy bounced out with enthusiasm, looking around at the crowd with wide eyes for a moment before turning to look at Leaf. She smiled, and suddenly I was worried for an entirely different reason.

"Fraxure was being his usual self, so it's up to you, Clefairy!" The little Pokemon gave a nod, and after glancing at both trainers the referee brought his flag back down.