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cooltrainererika · 2 years

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Compilation of Pokémon fics

So I realize that despite my screen name, I haven’t posted much Pokémon content. I decided to change that. Here’s some fanfics I wrote for a list of prompts (as well as two ones I wrote outside of the list).

These are snapshots of the story I’m probably going to write in the future, or at least take place in the same game-based universe, featuring prototypes of real scenes I plan to include. So if anyone is reading these after my theoretical series has begun… Possible spoilers ahead. I may delete these once I start writing for real.

These feature multiple characters and generations. I may post these individually soon too. Jump to the one that interests you, if you see a character that interests you in the tags.

Also a few rules for my fics: I use Japanese place and character names for Gen 1-4 stories, English localized names for Gens 5, 7, and 8, French localized names for 6, etc. So I’ll post a key for all the names that appear here:

Hakutai Forest = Eternia Forest

Sakaki = Giovanni

Mt. Shirogane = Mt. Silver

Apollo = Archer

Athena = Ariana

Masara Town = Pallet Town

Green Ookido = Blue Oak

Hibiki = Ethan

Kotone = Lyra

Hikari = Dawn

Also, almost all trainers nickname their Pokémon. Because… I refuse to believe that everyone just calls their Pokémon by their species name. What if they have multiples of the same species like Lance? And who literally names their dog “Dog”? That’s dumb. I’ll post references to who’s who before the fic if needed.

Also, while I try to stick close to canon, I basically just ignore Pokémon Masters when it comes to characterization. I hate how GameFreak has changed their tune with “Oh the protagonists are blank slates!” after all these years, after I spent all these years crafting personalities for the protagonists. There’s also a lot of my headcanon mixed in these fics. You will get a taste of my headcanons and (hopeful) future series through these fics.

Also, one fic, “Four AM”, is based on the Poképasta “Pokémon Strangled Red”, but because of my aforementioned localized name rule, in lieu of Steven not having a Japanese name due to being a character created by a member of the western fandom, I’ve given him the name “Daisuke”, a reference to the canon character his name resembles, Steven Stone (whose Japanese name is Daigo).

There’s one censored swear word in here; I want my series to be accessible to theoretical children, so swears are censored. Though it’s still there because it’s a Colosseum fic, and I plan said series to be for teenagers.

Also warning, Burningleafshipping ahead. Originalshippers may not want to enter.

1. Excitement

In the depths of Hakutai Forest, a certain Buneary wandered alone.

After being thrown out of his warren, there wasn’t much he could do but do so.

So the young Buneary searched alone, for the only thing that he knew for sure would quench his thirst.

He had been told stupid Buneary like him were doomed to die. He huffed. He would show them. He would show all of them.

Eventually, he heard a rustling in the grass.

Another Pokémon?

It seemed big!

He poked his head out of the grass, and what he saw made excitement shoot through his small body.

A human. A trainer. Two, in fact. One an adolescent female with long green hair, the other, and more interesting to him, a young girl, but a child, clutching a Poké Ball as she walked through the grass, her attention on high alert.

Traveling trainers.

His ticket to adventure.

He rushed towards the girls, jumping out of the grass to get their attention.

Sensing the commotion, a Wurmple joined the bunny’s side. He paid it no heed.

The younger girl’s eyes sparkled.

“Ohmygoodness a Buneary!”

Great sign. She was interested!

The bunny settled and took on a fighting stance as the trainers summoned their Pokémon, the young one a blue flightless bird Pokémon he had never seen before, the older girl a big pink round one.

Just because he wanted to be captured didn’t mean he wasn’t going to have himself a good fight.

The bird seemed eager for a fight as well; another great sign. His senses were right, this wasn’t some boring homebody trainer, this was a battler.

“Penchan, Peck!”

He had been told before he was thrown out that if he wanted to battle so much, he should go find himself a trainer.

Well, today was his lucky day.

He curled his right ear as the blue one rushed towards him, ready for battle, his heart racing as he faced his soon to be master.

14. Minion

Rocket Grunt Ichizou shook as he made his way to the office at the end of the hall.

Boss Sakaki had summoned him. Personally. To his office.

He had been nothing but a good, loyal grunt for Team Rocket. He had been rated highly by his superiors, he’d done his job well if he had to say so himself. So it couldn’t be anything bad, right?

But what business could the Boss himself possibly have with him, a mere minion?

His steps echoed down the cold, metallic halls as he continued to walk down them to his uncertain fate.

Finally, he reached his destination. The door to the Boss’s office loomed in front of him.

He took a deep breath, and knocked.

“Come in.”

He gulped and turned the handle, opening the door to see Team Rocket Boss Sakaki himself sitting patiently at his desk, Apollo beside him, his back straight as a board as always. On the other side stood the Boss’s Nidoking, its stare as frightening as its master’s.

However, another figure caught his eye; a small child, no older than three, bright crimson hair resembling Athena’s, playing with Apollo’s jacket.

The Boss’s son.

What was he doing here?

“Ah, Ichizou. We have been waiting for you. Come, sit.”

Ichizou stiffly bowed.

“I-I am sorry to bother you, Boss.”

He just as stiffly made his way to the chair in front of the desk, trying to make as good an impression as possible.

The Boss took a sip from the cup of green tea in front of him, and the grunt, almost not noticing it was there, followed, the drink at least somewhat relieving his parched throat.

Summoning his best formal language - he was never quite good at it - he spoke.

“Thank you for summoning me, Boss. May I ask why you have called me here?”

Sakaki folded his hands on his desk.

“Ichizou. For years, you have been loyal to this organization. Your performance has been phenomenal, and the Admins speak highly of you, despite your sometimes lacking manners.”

“Is that so? Thank you, Boss.”

Ichizou internally sighed a giant sigh of relief. He hadn’t gotten in trouble. He probably wasn’t going to get his finger cut off or a scar on his face. Good. Keep it calm.

“And I hear you are great with the younger recruits.“

The boy fussed in Apollo’s arms.

“Father, this is boring!”

“Young Master Silver, it will be over soon, be patient.” Apollo said, hushing the boy.

“…Your skills at teaching and training young recruits are phenomenal, and you are very patient with them.”

Ichizou’s chest warmed at the praise he was hearing. From the boss himself! He blushed, trying not to grin.

“Yes Boss, I suppose I am. It is not that different from caring for my siblings, after all.”

“I have observed your skills and loyalty personally as well. As such, I have a… Unique request for you.”

Sakaki faced Apollo, who nodded, bringing the boy closer to Ichizou.

“You do know about my son, Ichizou?”

“Yes, I have seen him on occasion. His name was Silver, yes?”

“Yes! I’m Silver! Da future boss of Team Rocket!”

Silver boasted, puffing his chest out and grinning.

Ichizou had to admit, it was cute.

“…What about him, Boss?”

“As you know, I am often too busy to care for him. As such, I need extra assistance in his care.”

Ichizou‘s jaw dropped.

“Are… Are you requesting that I care for your son, Boss?”

“Yes, Ichizou.” He gave his son a pat on the head, to the boy’s pleasure. “I am requesting you be his personal servant. We need someone loyal to this organization, who can be trusted. You, Ichizou, are someone who I have evaluated to be trustworthy. I will raise your salary appropriately. His maids shall teach you what you need to do.”

The grunt continued to sit there in shock, speechless.

“Do you take this request?”

He stared at Silver, who was now playing with the stationary on his father’s desk, then back to the Boss.

“Me… The honor of raising your heir…”

It felt like the massive weight of the world had suddenly been placed on his shoulders.

He was, to say the least, overwhelmed. But he couldn’t deny a personal request from the Boss himself, could he?

“Yes… Yes, I accept.”

“Good. At the end of the week, be at my residence, 9 AM sharp. Do you understand?”

Ichizou nodded, still half-believing he was dreaming; it felt so unreal. Was this really real?

“Good. You are dismissed.”

“Yes, Boss.”

The now former grunt quickly stood up, bowed, and exited the office, closing the door behind him. He stood there for a few moments, trying to process what had just happened.

What the hell had he just gotten himself into?

15. Mother and Daughter

Lillie couldn’t place since when her mother was like this.

Whenever they did something that even slightly displeased her, she screamed and yelled at them. She called her ugly and all sorts of other names. She argued with Gladion more and more every day.

Gladion always came to Lillie’s defense against their mother; he didn’t have to, he didn’t have to go to bed starving for her sake.

Was this normal? She thought she remembered a time when mom wasn’t like this. Before dad went away. Before she started dressing her in nothing but the same white dresses.

Today was supposed to be her ninth birthday. But because Lillie had displeased her mother by attempting to peek in the “secret” room the other day, she instead was sent to her room without even dinner, much less a celebration, and now she lay, alone, on her bed clutching her Clefairy doll.

“Besides!” She had said. “Cake makes you fat and that makes you ugly, dear. I’m doing you a favor!”

She thought she remembered having extravagant birthday parties with the Foundation staff every year, parties with the best gifts money could buy, parties where everyone was smiling and happy.

She sighed. What did she expect? It was her fault for going where she didn’t belong, after all.

But the room was calling to her. She didn’t know what it meant, but every time she passed it, something tugged at her deep in her mind.

What was her mother doing in there, anyway?

It probably wasn’t her business.

16. Father and Son

Seven year old Silver looked at his father with sparkling eyes.

The grunts stood in front of his father, their backs straight as planks, all of their undivided attention on their boss.

His father had a voice that was not loud; it did not have to be loud. For he did not have to raise his voice to command respect. It was firm, smooth, and strong.

With a look from his powerful eyes and the command of his voice, Team Rocket Boss Sakaki could command the respect of any.

No matter how many times he saw his father, he never failed to impress Silver and fill him with awe.

And he was to be like that when he grew up.

He stood up straight like his father, widening his shoulders as much as he could.

Someday, that would be him.

…Would it?

In that moment, his father may as well have stood atop Mt. Shirogane, Silver only able to admire him from the foot, basking in his glory. So far away. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t reach him.

No, he would, eventually.

And someday, he would make his father proud.

17. Shadow

(Sundance is an Espeon, Moonshine is an Umbreon)

As soon as the Peon sent out the Makuhita, Wes could sense something fundamentally… Wrong. Something was very wrong.

The Pokémon growled and snarled, appearing to be in blind rage, nothing but fear and fury in its barely open eyes.

“Wes! It’s that one, that Pokémon!”

Rui shouted, pointing at the Makuhita.

“Those jerks captured me because I saw that Pokémon.”

“What?”

He turned to the girl.

“I can see a black aura coming from it. They must have done something to that Pokémon!”

Black aura… The Pokémon’s strange behavior…

Of course! It had to be from that program he had read about in the files!

White hot rage once again consumed Wes, as fresh as when he had first found out about the vile program, his hands shaking as they balled into fists.

How dare they.

But rage immediately transmuted into heavy, crushing guilt as he reminded himself this was how the Pokémon he had snagged had ended up.

In fact, he’d sworn he’d snagged a Makuhita in the past few months. Goodness, was this the same Makuhita?

The pain and rage that this poor Pokémon felt was, in a way, his fault.

“WES! WATCH OUT!”

Suddenly, the Makuhita lunged towards him, it’s fist making hard contact with his chest.

Wes gagged and hacked, stumbling backwards and doubling over as the pain from the punch shot through his guts.

Rui screamed. Moonshine looked towards Wes with shock, and Sundance snarled towards the offending Pokémon, the gem in his head glowing with psychic energy.

The pain. Oh goodness, the pain; his heart felt like it was going to burst!

Sundance and Moonshine protectively rushed to his side. Moonshine whining with worry, Sundance’s eyes filled with spiteful rage at seeing him in agony.

“Sundance… It ain’t Makuhita’s fault…”

“Wes, be careful! This Pokémon isn’t afraid to attack people!”

“Ya… Ya think…?” Wes retorted.

It wasn’t uncommon for gangs to sic their Pokémon on others anyway, he also wanted to add. It was just that that usually came after the match.

His Snag Machine came into his view as he tried to catch his breath.

…Of course!

This was going to be the key to him correcting his mistakes. His mistake of unwittingly participating in this little program of theirs, of being nothing but an unwitting pawn for 6 whole years.

He picked himself up, holding the Snag Machine with his other arm, his face reflected in its black surface.

“I know, Wes! I hate to say this, but there’s no other choice.”

Rui nodded.

“Get that Pokémon from the bad guys! Please, you have to! You can… Actually, only you can do it!”

He grinned.

“Heh. Ya don’t have t’say it.”

The Peon’s Duskull fell with a Bite from Moonshine, leaving only the Makuhita standing.

“Makuhita! Shadow Rush!”

“YIPE!”

“Moonshine!”

Moonshine let out a painful cry as the opponent attacked with uncharacteristic ferocity lacking in mercy; even in the cruel region of Orre, the Pokémon usually knew to hold back unless their masters ordered them to use lethal force. But this attack was something else.

Wes empathetically winced at his companion’s pain. Sundance, meanwhile, looked just about ready to avenge his brother and trainer in the most painful way possible.

“Sundance, Reflect! Moonshine, Secret Power!”

Sundance, visibly disappointed by not being allowed to attack, cloaked himself and the Umbreon with psychic energy. Moonshine picked himself up, somewhat struggling to do so, and slammed into the Makuhita, surrounding himself with a mysterious power, the opposing Pokémon snarling as it was hit.

“Shadow Rush!”

The Makuhita, while injured, immediately recovered at surprising speed, and this time the strange attack connected with Sundance, making the Espeon let out a high pitched whine as he flew backwards and slammed into the ground.

“Sundance! Hold on!”

Fortunately, it appeared Reflect had mitigated the damage at least somewhat, as Sundance was quick to be back on his feet. Good, it bought time.

Immediately, with practiced hands, Wes readied a Poké Ball, feeling the familiar buzz of the machine as it charged the ball with energy and broke the anti-theft mechanism.

Once again, a wide grin crossed his face. It was time to do what he did best.

23. Something to Say

16-year-old Leaf looked out into the sunset. Red stood beside him, Yellow lazily lying in the grass. Pidgey cooed serenely as the breeze rustled the grass and leaves behind them.

All was calm.

It was nice visiting Masara once in a while after adventuring in other regions. While going on journeys was great, there was nothing like home.

“The Masara sunset never gets old, doesn’t it?”

Red silently nodded. Despite being out of the worst of his depression thanks to a new lease on life, he still unfortunately was as silent as ever. She sighed.

This tree was their special spot when they were little. She soaked in the moment; it reminded Leaf of those times where she, Red, and Green would just collapse under this tree after an entire day of playing.

Red had led her here, for some reason. Just the two of them, without Green. He of course hadn’t told her why.

One idea crossed her mind, but she quickly pushed it back.

For her whole life and throughout their journey, Red was like that older, sometimes younger, brother she never had had. Yet after Red had begun to isolate himself, as she tried and tried to drag Red down from the mountain and out of his depression, her love for him had begun to change and morph, further fuel for her efforts.

That was two, maybe three years ago. Now, she recognized it as it truly was. And now that Red was back, with nothing to distract her, moments between the two of them felt… Strange. Not like they were before. Yet, she did not want their friendship to change, so she pressed it all back. He probably still saw her like a sister, anyway.

“It really brings back memories…”

Moments passed. Nothing but the breeze between them.

“Maybe we should go back now-“

“…Leaf.”

Leaf spun around, in shock, to see Red facing him, a wide blush on his face, staring her dead in the eyes.

“I… I love you.”

The world seemed to freeze. Her face grew hot. Her heart was all she heard. The sun bathed them in the last of its orange light, the sky beginning to show signs of darkness.

His voice was quiet, nothing like how he used to speak, also having lowered with age. But yet… It was Red’s voice.

Red tipped his hat down, averting his eyes down and to the side.

“Red… You…”

Red looked at her again and nodded, his blush growing as bright as his namesake color.

The words were few, but that was all that was needed.

“Oh… Red…”

A wide smile crossed Leaf’s face, tears of joy falling down her cheeks. She embraced him, holding him tight.

“Oh Red! I love you too!”

27. Fight or Flight?

The Pidgey burst out of the grass, and Quill jumped.

“Alright, first battle! Let’s go Quill! …Quill?”

Quill was huddled behind his trainer’s leg, squeaking and shaking like a leaf.

No. No, he couldn’t do this!

The Pidgey stared. It almost seemed to be laughing. Hibiki, Kotone, and Marie also stared.

“Come on Quill, it’s just a Pidgey!”

Quill didn’t like the way said Pidgey was glaring at him. It flapped its wings in intimidation, and Quill squeaked again, holding onto Hibiki’s leg tighter.

No, nonononono, he was going to skip this battle!

“It’s alright, boy. Come on!”

Hibiki bent down and patted his head, his energetic voice now having a comforting, soft edge to it.

“It’s okay boy, you can do it! I know you can!”

The boy pointed to the Pidgey.

“It’s nothing to be afraid of! I believe in you, Buddy!”

Slowly, the Cyndaquil got out of his hiding place, taking another look at his opponent.

He was right. It was just a Pidgey. Just a Pidgey.

As flight wasn’t an option, his only option was to fight.

With shivering legs, he faced his opponent, flames simmering on his back.

He could do this.

32. Looking Back

Looking back, there was plenty Green Ookido had done wrong.

He could have maybe not pushed Sepaltra so hard. He could have been a better trainer in general.

But most of all, he could have been a better friend.

He remembered as if it were yesterday when Red had punched him behind the Pokémon League. He remembered the pain, he remembered the absolute shock, the blank shock, as Red coldly declared they were no longer friends anymore, the words like icicles driven into his heart, the dread like a heavy pit in his guts as Red walked away.

That was over a year ago.

“Bwerr!”

“Okay girl, alright!”

Ann, who had been running laps around him for a solid minute now, wagged her tail as Green scratched her behind the ears.

Why did the Flareon like him so much? After what he had done to her trainer?

“…I thought you’d respect me again after I became the very best. I was wrong.”

A lump formed in his throat as his former friend’s Pokémon nuzzled against his hand.

“…Yeah Annie, who’s a good girl?”

Ann appeared to sense Green’s mood and stopped, sitting down and, with a sympathetic look in her eyes, whining and nuzzling against his arm. His hand shook as it sunk into her fur.

“I don’t wanna see you anymore.”

Green knew Red well. He should have known he had taken the rival thing too far. He should have known how it had looked to Red. He should have known how much he was hurting Red. He should have known their friendship was more important than him being better.

How had he been so stupid?

He had been nothing but just a stupid brat after all, at the end of a day. He had been a stupid brat who had ran from Team Rocket, who had treated his Pokémon like toys, who had chased after a girl who didn’t love him, who didn’t even understand his best friend.

Looking back, the signs were there. He just had breezed past them, too caught up in the thrill of competition to notice.

“…It’s nothing, girl.”

His voice wavered. Ann looked at him with those soulful eyes of hers, still filled with sympathy.

It made it all the more painful.

He looked up and over at the window to see Separltra staring out it.

“You’re worried about him, huh?”

The Charizard roared in confirmation.

He sighed. He did this every morning lately.

“…Come on, we have to get back to work.”

34. Hesitation

(Context: I have a headcanon that Pokémon often have names they use amongst themselves. However, they’re incomprehensible to humans, unless you’re someone like N; however, even N won’t be able to properly say them to another human. “Duskpaw” and “Kit” mentioned here are approximations of the meanings of their “real” names, and are rendered comprehensible in the text for the sake of the story)

N looked on in shock as Duskpaw hopped in front of him.

The Purrloin seemed to be eager for… Battle?

N stared at the cat as the girl in front of him grinned.

“Oh, so it’s gonna be a battle, huh?”

The brown-haired boy beside her shook his head.

“Hilda, you battled all the trainers on the route before. I’ll take this one.”

The girl scoffed.

“Wha?!”

The black haired boy sighed.

“Hilda. You had your chances. Let Hilbert have his.”

“…Fiiiine…”

“Alright. Walter, come out!”

The boy - who appeared to be named Hilbert - sent out an Oshawatt, the water Pokémon materializing in a flash of light.

N continued to stare at Duskpaw.

<Hello. Let’s make this a good battle, alright?>

The Oshawatt waved cheerfully.

What?

Moments passed. N looked from Duskpaw, then to the other Pokémon, then back to the Purrloin. The boy and Oshawatt continued to wait patiently, staring at him and anticipating his move. The breeze blew and rustled the grass and trees, a small crowd beginning to build around the two.

“What are you doing?”

He asked the cat.

“Excuse me?”

He was baffled, absolutely flummoxed. A million questions ran through his mind, but he could only settle on one.

“Why?”

“But you will come to harm, my friend.”

<So?>

N continued to hesitate.

“Oh come on, do something already!” The girl yelled.

N didn’t understand. Kit and the others had told him horror stories about battle, how they would be burned, cut, and hit for their trainer’s amusement; he had the scars to show for it. He had cried to him about the nightmares he had of this very thing. And this Purrloin wanted that?

As strange as he was, he was to respect the Pokémon’s wishes.

“Alright… I shall accept your challenge.”

What a strange Pokémon. What a strange set of Pokémon.

This was an equation that did not make sense.

———Later bonus scene———

The Oshawatt landed gracefully on his feet.

N didn’t understand. The two seemed to be… Enjoying this?

The two were covered in scratches and bruises, yet they were enjoying this.

<Hey, you can understand us, right?>

The Oshawatt - called “Walter” by his trainer - stopped his movements to face N, cheerful as when he had started the battle.

“Yes, I indeed do.”

“…Why do you do this, my friend? Does it not hurt? You do not have to follow your trainer’s commands. Do you not want to be free?”

The Oshawatt tilted his head.

<Hm, I guess it does hurt! But I chose to follow Hilbert, to fight for him, to dedicate this shell to him.>

Then, he smiled.

<There’s no greater honor than that, I think!>

N’s eyes went wide. The calculations were all wrong. This made no sense. This entire situation made no sense.

<You’re weird.> The Purrloin said, looking at him curiously. <Let’s continue this.>

The battle raged on until finally, Duskpaw collapsed, down for the count.

N approached the fallen Pokémon, gingerly taking him into his arms.

“I’m sorry, my friend…”

The Oshawatt assured him, calmly, before Hilbert broke into praise, petting and embracing him; the Pokémon had lost interest in N by then, in joy at his trainer’s approval.

“Good job, Walter. Have a good rest.”

He disappeared into his Poké Ball, strangely appearing more than willing to do so.

N continued to stand still, staring at where the Pokémon once stood.

"I never expected to hear Pokémon say such things..."

Hilbert blinked.

“Uh… Well… Thanks for the battle, Mr. N.”

He went up to N, his hand outstretched.

N shook his head, stepping away from the boy.

"As long as Pokémon are confined in Poké Balls... As long as people use them as tools for battle… Pokémon will never become perfect beings. I have to change the world for Pokémon, because they're my friends."

“Change the world? Perfect beings? What-“

He turned, not letting the boy finish. Swiftly, not minding Hilbert’s further questioning or the crowd, he headed to the Pokémon Center, cradling the Purrloin in his arms, leaving the girl and two boys standing.

This was strange. Strange, indeed.

He did not know such strange Pokémon existed. His mind was filled with confusion and puzzlement at what he had just witnessed, a muddled mess of questions without answers.

He had to ask Father about this later.

(This was started entirely by me wanting to bury the plot hole of N battling you. While I generally try to stay game accurate, I gave this scene a major overhaul because I thought it didn’t make sense)

35. Name

A knock.

The Name Rater looked up from the TV. He headed to the door, unlocking it to find a red haired boy; a thin and lanky boy who must have been about 12, his dark clothes and serious, determined expression making him almost intimidating if it were not for his stature.

“Oh, hello, hello! What business do you have with me?“

“You’re the Name Rater?”

The boy asked, somewhat curtly.

“Yes, that I am! Are you reconsidering your Pokémon’s nickname?”

“You could say that.”

The man let the boy in, beckoning him to take a seat.

Taking his shoes off at the door, the boy took a seat and sighed, his expression still extremely serious. Odd.

Not minding, the Name Rater continued with his usual spiel.

“Yes, I'm the Name Rater! I rate the names of Pokémon. Would you like me to rate names? Which Pokémon’s name should I rate for you?”

The boy put a hand on his belt and took out a Pokéball. A Feraligatr roared as it appeared in a flash of light, materializing in front of him.

“Oh, a Feraligatr I see? What is its name?”

“…Feraligatr.”

The Name Rater stared. Then, he blinked.

“Just Feraligatr?”

He raised his eyebrow. The boy winced and sank into his jacket.

“…I know.”

But the boy seemingly collected himself, and sat up straight, the look of determination now stronger in his eyes.

“You can probably see why I want to change it, though. I need to change it.”

The Name Rater nodded. “I see! Good choice. Your Pokémon is your partner after all, your one-of-a-kind companion, not just any Pokémon.”

The redhead nodded empathetically at the statement.

“…Right.”

“Ah good then. What should the new nickname be?”

The young man looked at his companion, who stared at him back. He closed his eyes in contemplation.

Several moments passed until he finally opened them.

“I was thinking… Jin. Yeah, Jin.”

The man grinned. “Jin! As in ‘compassion’, correct? I see! Yes, I can see great fortune in his and your future with that name! Your bonds shall be everlasting. You have great naming sense, young man.”

The boy seemed surprised at the response, his face turning a slight pink. But for the first time in the session, a small smile crossed his face.

“Really?”

The Feraligatr let out a joyful cry.

“Yes! Alright, this Pokémon is now named Jin!”

The Feraligatr, or rather, Jin, nuzzled his trainer, and the boy petted him back.

“Jin. …Your name is Jin.”

“Gwee-agh!”

“Congratulations. He seems to like it!”

The boy gave the gator another rough pat, smile widening; he seemed to be proud of himself.

“…Yeah, your name is Jin!”

The sight made the Name Rater smile; it was always great to see people satisfied with new names.

“Well then. Do you have any more names you would like me to rate?”

The redhead turned his attention away from Jin and faced him again, reaching down to his belt to pick up three more Pokéballs.

“Yeah. There’s several more I’d like you to look at.”

“Well then, let us begin!”

36. Frozen

(Context: Yellow is a male Pikachu, Dekapon is a male Snorlax, Tanetane is a male Venasaur, Ann is a female Flareon, and Suzu is a female Fearow. Not depicted here is a male Lapras named Lappie)

Yellow woke up in his usual spot by Red’s side, snuggled in Red’s old jacket, on Dekapon’s belly, as always.

He stretched and hopped down to go relieve himself in a faraway spot, as always, walking by Tanetane, awake before everyone else as expected, playing with his vines, the two Pokémon exchanging greetings.

Things had settled into a routine here on Mt. Shirogane.

“Pika pi!”

“Bwee-woo! Bwee-woo!”

Yellow cheerfully hopped onto Red’s stomach, Tanetane making laps around him.

Red’s eyes fluttered open. He stared at him for several moments before finally saying a quiet “…Morning, Yellow”, his smile small and fleeting as he petted his companion.

The response was expected, but still it left such a hole in Yellow’s heart.

“Bwee!”

“…Morning, Tanetane.”

His response to his starter was just as quiet. The Venasaur looked just as dejected as Yellow at that fact.

Red laid there for several more moments, before finally slowly, very slowly, dragging himself out of his blanket and setting foot onto the hard, cold ground.

It was the start of yet another day.

Soon, they would be in the caves again, defeating the local wild Pokémon and training for who knows what purpose.

Red barely yelled orders like he used to now, he whistled; it was a unique system he had devised, one he was quite proud of when he had first done so.

But now, it was yet another reminder of how much Red had changed.

How long had they been up here? Red had just turned 12 when he had first made the journey to this place; goodness, had it really just been a little over a year?

Yellow remembered the Red who was passionate, the Red who whooped with joy when he won battles, the Red who wholeheartedly loved adventure. He had been by his side for almost all of it. He had watched him grow, and he had grown alongside him as well.

It was said that the boy had a heart of flame, despite picking Tanetane as his starter.

So why was Red like this?

Day by day, he spoke less and less. His smiles grew less and less frequent. Leaf was worried. They were all worried.

Yellow didn’t understand. Even Ann was getting sad from Red’s state. She and Suzu were slowly getting more and more tired of being up here, but Red insisted that they stay.

Yellow once caught the girls considering leaving with Leaf. Not only were they sick of this damned mountain, but they couldn’t bare to see Red like this. He couldn’t blame them.

If anything, Yellow was an optimist. Yet, even he couldn’t see any end to this.

It was as if in the cold, bitter winds of Mt. Shirogane, that heart of flame was freezing over.

He was slowly freezing over, and Yellow could do nothing to save him.

42. Loyalty

Eevee 1510 didn’t trust anyone.

He was spiteful and arrogant, and he knew it; growing up in an Eevee Mill, he was too concerned with himself and his brother to care about others.

He grew up protecting his brother, Eevee 6-28, and he was all he cared about outside of himself. He was all that mattered. With him, 1510 kept his pranks friendly and harmless.

6-28 was too sweet for this cruel world; if he were born in the wild, he surely would be unable to even hunt. He had no idea how or why he could always remain so kind and optimistic. If he were not his brother, he possibly would have scoffed at him and dismissed him for the wide-eyed fool he was.

6-28 constantly complained about how mean he was, but he saved his kindness for him and that was all that mattered.

He especially did not care for their breeder, and he made sure to spite him whenever he could.

Until one day their breeder had gone too far. He had hurt 6-28, in more ways than a normal battle would, and 1510 had had enough. As soon as he bit their breeder, that spelled the end of them having a roof over their head.

However, it was not long after they had been thrown out huddled in that box that he had spotted them.

“Ya two were thrown out too?”

The boy, only 6 or so, but a child just like them, had asked that as he opened the box and found them.

1510 backed away, but 6-28 was quick to lick his hand, making the child smile.

“Ah’m Wes. Yer lonely too, right?”

He took a small loaf of bread out of his pocket, breaking it into three and giving two parts to the Eevee.

“It’s all Ah have left… But ya can have it.”

As 6-28 followed the boy, 1510 was to as well.

“Ya need names… Okay… What about Sundance n’ Moonshine? Dunno where Ah’ve heard those words before… But they kinda fit, don’t ya think?”

From that day on, there were two living things that mattered in Sundance’s life; Wes and Moonshine, no more, no less.

Wes grew into a jaded, tough boy. By the time Team Snagem had found him as he attempted to pickpocket one of their goons 5 years later, he had grown wise to the ways of the streets and the world.

So Wes served Team Snagem, climbing their ranks and becoming their best snagger at the tender age of 13, serving their crooked goals. Moonshine’s ears drooped every time they wrenched a Pokémon from a hapless trainer’s custody, as he heard the Pokémon call out for their masters, and Wes hesitated at first as well, but Sundance was unmoved, for why was he to care.

By the time Wes had left Team Snagem at 17, he trusted no one. How could he. He had become as cynical as Sundance by then, only reluctantly letting the girl Rui follow him.

“Damn it Sundance, stop!”

But yet, one thing remained the same; the boy’s care for Pokémon.

Wes pulled Sundance away by the scruff of the neck from the Makuhita he had been toying with, glaring at him.

“He’s been through enough. He doesn’t need ya ****in’ with him. We’re helpin’ these Pokémon, got that?”

Sundance and the new girl watched that night as Wes and Moonshine attempted to get close to the Makuhita, almost getting beaten for their efforts. However, Wes did not give up. He continued throughout the night, reaching out just like he had done all those years ago.

This was the boy he had dedicated his life to.

As such, Sundance was to follow his goals as well.

——————-

Cinnamon merely saw Hikari as a means to an end.

The Buneary loved battle. He would often get scolded by his elders for picking fights with other Pokémon, and after getting thrown out, he searched for a trainer to capture him and take him on an adventure.

The first trainer he found was Hikari. He liked what he saw from Penchan; she was clearly a battler.

But that was her purpose to him; a trainer to send him out into battle and take him on an adventure, no more, no less. He made friends with the others, sure, for he wasn’t exactly a loner, but he didn’t care much for his trainer herself. She was merely some little girl. He was the star of battle, she was just the one giving him permission to do it for once in his life.

He didn’t understand fully what Penchan and the others meant by her making them stronger; all she did was stand back and order them around, what else possibly did she do? He took what he needed from her, and that was all.

But he found he liked when she praised him after battles. He found he enjoyed her attention. After defeating that grass gym leader, he felt something. Something different.

He found out more about her; how determined she could be, her spirit, how much she wanted him to succeed. She put her heart and soul into him and the rest of her Pokémon, almost as if she were battling alongside them. After every battle, it felt more and more like something they had done together.

With her behind him, every battle became more meaningful - much more so than the spats he got into as a wild Buneary - every battle felt special; and the closer they became, the more he decided to know her and witnessed her trials, the more meaningful and special they became. And the more powerful he felt himself become.

For he was not fighting for only himself anymore; he was fighting for Hikari, his trainer, his best friend.

He now knew what Penchan meant all those months ago.

When he finally reached his full form, he knew he had only her to thank.

He now understood; this was what it truly meant to be a trainer’s Pokémon.

Non-prompt fics:

Welcome Home, Old Man!

Five year old Silver jumped up from the couch and squealed as he saw his father, who was just hanging up his coat and hat when the small boy ran into him. It had been a full year since he had last seen his father; of course he was excited!

Ichizou and the two maids bowed their heads as the Boss entered the room, his grand presence felt all across it. Sakaki looked down at his son, giving him a pat on the head.

“Hello, Silver.”

“Welcome home, Old Man!”

Sakaki stared. Silver merely smiled back. Ichizou, meanwhile, stood there frozen, mortified. Noriko and Yoshimi couldn’t help but cast glances at him. He glared back.

Oh no, the Boss was looking at him.

Oh no.

Of course, he was the only suspect here.

The boy had listened to Ichizou talk about his own father that way, had listened to him talk too much in general, and now the boy was copying him. He had found it cute then, but now what he’d done to the child, the future heir of Team Rocket, had begun to sink in.

This was bad. Really bad. He shouldn’t have spoken to Silver that way in the first place, what was he thinking?!

“Since when do you speak like this, Silver?”

“I like the way Ichizou talks! It’s cool! It sounds tough! Much cooler than the hard stuff Apollo teaches me!”

The servant gulped.

He was dead meat. For sure.

The five stood there, frozen in silence. Ichizou squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the worst.

Sakaki gave Silver another pat on the head.

“I see.”

Ichizou opened his eyes. The Boss wasn’t mad. He looked more amused.

“It seems he likes you, Ichizou. Very well, in fact”

Sakaki took off his shoes and stepped further into the room, Silver continuing on chattering in the rough speech patterns Ichizou had unwittingly taught him.

“Ichizou, Noriko, Yoshimi, follow me.”

Ichizou almost collapsed into the floor in relief.

Four AM

10-year-old Red woke up in the middle of the night. He didn’t know why, but here he was, up at 4 AM.

He yawned. He had decided to get out of bed to go to the bathroom before going back to sleep, when he spotted something outside his window.

“Huh?”

He looked outside, to see Daisuke, his hero, the moonlight just enough to make out his form - his weirdly hunched over form - walking slowly, as if dragging himself, to his home. He could recognize that red jacket anywhere, he had copied it after all.

What was Daisuke doing outside at such an hour?

He opened the window.

“Oh, Daisuke-niisan! Hey!”

Daisuke froze, but otherwise did not respond. Red felt something… Off. Something was very off about him. Well, he had been off for the entire past year, but something… It sent a shiver up his spine. Red held on tighter to his Poliwag plushie, even himself not sure what he was so tense about.

Daisuke continued into his house, the door closing behind him.

Red sighed and got out of bed. Whatever, it was probably nothing.

He went back to bed a few minutes later, not suspecting a thing.

——————

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