#‘​I thought he just really liked being a minccino! you’re telling me he can’t change forms AT ALL???’

[sincerely-sofie]

omg wAIT HOLD UP SPINDLE CONSIDERS TWIG AND ARK AS HIS PARENTS??? that’s actually so adorable but this whole time i really thought he was just like. buddies with them. pals, amigos even

I don’t know that he ever explicitly refers to them as such— he’d feel awkward doing so, and is as wary of rejection as ever— but they’re absolutely Mom and Dad in his eyes after his arc progresses enough. They’re the first adults to ever provide him unconditional love and support. He doesn’t have to hold a tray of scalpels, gauze, and sutures perfectly still at just the right level while ignoring the horrifying sounds of an unwilling surgery for them to acknowledge his existence. If he’s just in line of sight or range of hearing, they’re treating him better than his biological parents would if he did everything they asked and then some with flawless grace and impeccable skill.

He comes into the main room of the house in the morning and they’re instantly greeting him and asking how he slept. He grabs a snack to tide Opal over until mealtime when she starts fussing as Twig is prepping dinner and she thanks him for being such a help. He struggles to sleep at night and goes into the main room to curl up on the settee, and Ark quietly chats with him to distract him from whatever memories refused to rest that night.

After a while, Opal is much older and refers to herself and Spindle collectively as Twig and Ark’s children, and neither of the two correct her— heck, they even continue the conversation without missing a beat, completely unperturbed by Opal’s comment. Suffice it to say Spindle holds this memory close to his heart.

[askthepokemutants]

Ace...?

...

Ace...?

...

Come on now, this is-

Ace: O-oh, sorry, King, I was... distracted.

King: Have you informed Nelda of what's happened?

Ace: Yes, she... took it oddly well, she's upset, more at herself than anyone else, but... she's ready and willing to meet with the others to finalize a plan to try and, um.... cure Shadow Pokemon.

King: That's what she took from all this?

Ace: Can you blame her? Yoshi is her subordinate; she actively let this happen, so-

King: Hmm? Ace?

Ace: S-sorry, I'm actually... trying to keep Yoshi's mother calm... Nelda's... doing well, but, she needs a friend-

King: She knows...

Ace: You shouldn't come here, King. She's very upset-

King: no... I'll be there in a few moments-

Ace: N-no, you don't understand-

King: I said I'm coming. End of story.

Ace: ...

Nelda: W-wait!

Yoshi's Mother: King ...

King: Please... c-calm down... I-

Yoshi's Mother: I'm tired of excuses! First Tai and now this!? I won't lose Yoshi too!!

King: AAGH

Nelda: Should we... help-

Ace: No.

Ace: Yoshi's mother, like most Pokemon here in these woods are, well, former trainer-owned Pokemon, and not just some that they gave up on for not being the best bred or something similar, no, we were specially bred, but released when the trainer who owned a ranch passed and no one claimed the land or his Pokemon. We were all free to go and do what we wanted... Haven't you ever wondered where Yoshi's unique skill came from? Why I’m so fast? Any of that?

Nelda: No, but... you mean that freaky 'make physical moves into projectiles' BS he pulls off?

Ace: Yes...

Nelda: Okay???

Ace: Long story short, you're a wild-born Pokemon, right?

Nelda: Yeah?

Ace: Despite what your type is, Yoshi's mother would most likely destroy you, me and King based on how angry she is right now...

Nelda: ...

Ace: Plus, she's the one who made up that skill and taught it to her sons...

Ace: Oh, this is going horribly-

????: What's going on out here?!

Ace: Oh, of course...

King: ... Please-

Yoshi's Mother: Enough with the-

Ace: Please stop-

Yoshi's Mother: No! Because of you, King, Yoshi's just another freak, like that monster Sneasel Vris!!!

Minccino: What...?

Cinccino: Yoshi's...?

Yoshi's Mother: He's a Shadow Pokemon...

Ace: It was an unforeseen incident! You have to-

Yoshi's Mother: And where were you, Ace?

Ace: I... w-well...

Yoshi's Mother: ... They also told me about Cherry-

King: Don't...!

Ace: Please... you don't understand how sensitive this is-

Yoshi's Mother: They believe she's alive.

Minccino/Cinccino: WHAT?!

Ace: We don't even know if that was really her! We can’t be sure unless-

Minccino: Then what do you think you're doing just sitting around here?! It's been nearly a decade and you're telling me there’s a chance our daughter's alive?!

Cherry's Mother: You've been hiding that from us all this time...?

Ace: N-NO! We just discovered this days ago! We're still trying to understand how this-

Cherry's Father: So did the Black Pikachu really kill her? Or was that some elaborate lie just to make it and its group feared and hated more?

Cherry's Mother: Did that thing take our daughter?!

Ace: No, it’s nothing like that... please, stay calm-

Cherry's Father: Seven years, Ace.

Ace: ...

Cherry's Father: Tell us what exactly is going on out there... Because we're not getting answers from the King...

Ace: What-

[The Strident King has fled...]

Oh...

Okay... fine... no point in hiding it anymore, is there? From what another of our high-ranking Knights, and Yoshi, discovered is that Cherry is likely alive, how... we don't know, but some kind of... “Pokemon” disguised as a human toy has done something to save her life... why they took her, I can only imagine...

Yoshi's Mother: ... Apparently, it was an accident caused by a third party this individual works with, and likely helped cause various problems relating to the Black Pikachu-

Ace: That's conjecture-

Yoshi's Mother: That you said was disclosed to both Yoshi and this Carla-where is that "conjecture", Ace? Tell them the truth: you've been hounding the Black Pikachu and their allies for so long, dragging in so many others, putting so much stress on them, that they finally snapped-YOU created the very problem you thought existed!

Ace: ...

Yoshi’s Mother: This puts into doubt everything that they've done, you do understand that right? What about what happened in Johto? Did it really happen because they felt like ruining a city? Or were they pushed by someone we know nothing about? Do we even know where that Black Pikachu came from?

Ace: We may, but-

Yoshi’s Mother: We don't know what they lived through, all we know is that they're a band of freaks, probably created to do horrible acts and they’re either are running from that, or were acting on them, so, which is it?!

Ace: I..

Cherry's Father: That's a good question...

Ace: ... There's nothing I can tell you... I'm just as confused as all of you are.

Cherry's Mother: What's going to happen now? Are you going to chase after this individual who has Cherry? Or the Trio? If I’m understanding all of this correctly... whoever this is has some deep connections to a lot of your problems...

Ace: Apparently... but King was overpowered by one of them, so we need to-

Cherry's Father: ONE of them? How many are you dealing with?

Ace: ...Well-

Yoshi's Mother: They don't know...

Ace: .. We theorize that this being is either trying to protect the Terrible Trio as a whole, or is hunting a specific member, or members, and... it's likely they took care of Team Machine, the ones responsible for Tai’s death, as well-this group... they're... either enemies or allies, but I fear that we may be enemies in their eyes.

Yoshi’s Mother: ...

Cherry's Mother: Are we safe?

Ace: ... That, I... don't know...

Yoshi’s Mother: I want to know more about this, Ace... I want facts this time...

Ace: What do you want me to do? Bring you along-

All: ...

Ace: Oh, no... no, no, no....

All: ......

Ace: Okay, that’s it. Listen, and listen closely... if you want to do anything for your children... stay here, and wait for them. Because, as much as I don't wish to get on any of your bad sides, I have no intention of putting any of you in danger and you will just have to accept that!

Yoshi's Mother: Ace-

Ace: Alright... I didn't want to have to explain this, but your life might be in danger if you go to Yoshi right now.

Yoshi's Mother: What?

Ace: When he changed, he assaulted Carla, the Strident Princess of Orre, stabbed her clean through with one of his schalchops.

All: !!!

Ace: He said things that, truthfully, could just be this shadow side to him, but it did involve you, and we all know, at the very least, how dangerous Shadow Pokemon can be, even to the ones they care about, so I'm not asking, I'm telling you: none of you are coming with me.

Cherry's Father: But-

Ace: No.

<---

Kalos

Alola