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ishibishie · 3 years

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it's time again, i was bored and i really really like steven so it's time for a......

28 MORE RANDOM HEADCANONS ABOUT STEVEN POST!

still. cw for dead parent shit. also this one gets a lil angsty in some spots D: i also expanded on some hcs from my first post so reading that might help you understand a few things i ramble about here. but enough preamble it's hc time god i love steven

- steven's favorite place to go caving is meteor falls. he remembers hiking up to the falls with his mother from rustboro city when he was young, so the location has a lot of nostalgia for him.

- due to him being a HUUUUUGE mama's boy when his mother was alive, steven spent so much time around her that he naturally picked up on her galarian accent. he speaks in a wyndon (cockney?) accent all the time and tends to use galarian english much to the confusion of everyone around him. wallace likes to tease his accent to his chagrin. he does his best to hold up that formal exterior, but when you get steven emotional, the accent comes on thick.

- he doesn't drink often, but in the times he does on his own it's always whiskey. if he's in sootopolis city visiting wallace, he'll tolerate the wine his friend offers him as well. that's not to say steven has a high alcohol tolerance: it only takes a few rounds to knock him out!

- steven has a small garden at his mossdeep house. it's not the prettiest garden in the city because he forgets to water the flowers half the time, but he takes great pride in the fact that the flowers are at least alive. all of the flowers in this garden are periwinkles, his favorite flower.

- he has a scar between his thumb and index finger on his left hand, caused by his hand slipping when he was testing the hardness of a stone with a knife. he unfondly remembers a small crowd gathering around him asking for autographs when he walked into the pokemon center with a bloody hand, completely unable to read the mood.

- he always starts his day off with a cup of hot tea. an earl grey blend with oran and pecha berries is his favorite!

- steven often moves and brushes his hair around. a habit he picked up from his mother!

- he prefers to wear red socks most of the time, but occasionally steven will wear different colored socks if his red socks are being washed. there was once a day where he was caught wearing two socks of completely different colors and lengths!

- he also inherited his mother's eyes. they have the exact same silver-blue eye color, and steven sometimes finds himself staring in the mirror for minutes at a time as it's like staring back at his mother. (OP INTERJECTION THIS IS MY FAVORITE STEVEN HEADCANON EVER PLEASE PLEASE CONSIDER THIS)

- steven is 167cm tall. he doesn't particularly care about how short he is compared to other guys, though. yet another trait he inherited from his mother, who was really short herself!

- steven can read sootopolitan! he learned due to lots of hoenn's earliest history and legends being written in the language, and he can read and translate it fairly well. however, he absolutely cannot speak it unless he really wants to be laughed at by wallace.

- steven finds a lot of joy in things other people would consider mundane and boring. even many years after he broke away from his sheltered and pampered lifestyle, he's always finding new things about how the "commonfolk" live. one of his favorite mundane joys is going to the lilycove department store and simply looking at all the merchandise.

- one of the things that makes him jealous in a heartbeat is seeing children and their parents happy together. it's simply a reminder that his mother is gone and his father barely did anything in the way of filling in that doting parent role after his mother died. he also hates admitting when he's jealous, so it's a double loss.

- he only goes out to visit his mother's grave twice a year: on the day she died and on mother's day.

- steven is never very open about his personal struggles, usually opting to smile and insist everything's fine. he doesn't want to be seen as weak in the public eye by showing any vulnerabilities. he only opens up to very close friends and family in private spaces. he very much fears the media picking up on his personal life and broadcasting his faults to all of hoenn.

- one of the things he never talks about is the internalized shame he experiences regarding his asexuality. with so many girls in hoenn especially fond of his "dreamboat" like appearance, he can't help but feel like he's being inconsiderate and a terrible person for even thinking about having to let so many people down if he were to ever publicly come out. not to mention his dad has said some inconsiderate things out of lack of knowledge that still stick with him.

- steven received his first flute when he was around seven years old by his mother. in addition, he also owns a piccolo and an alto flute: he much prefers the sound of concerts and altos and thinks casually playing the piccolo is ear-grating. (op interjection: it is)

- when caving, steven sometimes quietly hums or sings to himself. he thinks it's very pleasing to hear all the sounds around him echo and bounce around and to make the cave feel less empty/more alive.

- he's VERY prone to blushing. nervousness, a risqué joke, praising him, anger, embarrassment, and laughing will all turn his cheeks rosy. he constantly has to explain he's not into anybody around him due to this, which is awkward and makes him blush even more.

- he's had his ears pierced in multiple spots, but he usually wears a modest pair of ruby studs. what convinced him to get his ears pierced in the first place? a certain green-haired friend of his, of course.

- apart from galar, his favorite region to escape to is unova simply because of the sheer number of caves. also kalos because of the desserts, but steven doesn't talk about this one.

- during past trips to galar, he's met a few gym leaders of the region and even battled some in informal sparring battles! he also picked up a dynamax band at some point but has never used dynamax once: he rather prefers to show off the dynamax band to his friends back hone where it's functionally useless. same thing with wishing stars. a pretty part of his impressive stone collection to brag about, but very much useless in hoenn.

- steven absolutely hates crying. he's not a very quiet crier, either. luckily, it takes a lot of effort on someone's part to make him cry: that is, if you forget bringing his mother into any conversation is a certain way to break him down.

- he never learned how to ride a bike as a kid due to his parents being busy a lot of the time. he only learned how after he was 20, as wallace has much more free time than his parents. he picked it up fairly quick and is fairly good for a novice, but he still falls down occasionally.

- a random hobby steven has is fishing. he's exceptionally bad at reeling in pokemon with zero catches to his name, but enjoys it simply to have an excuse to relax outside amongst nature. he always considers skipping stones while he waits, but he ends up wanting to stuff his pockets with all the rocks he finds!

- his favorite color is purple! red is his second favorite.

- one of steven's most fond memories is traveling to galar with his mother when he was a boy to circhester and watching it snow for the very first time in his life. when he visits galar, he always finds time to visit the little town and sit at the fountain in the cold for hours for nostalgia's sake.

- if he never became the champion of hoenn, his plan b was to travel to galar and start a badge circuit there. he's never let go of this dream to battle on a real galar gym pitch, as he occasionally writes letters to the galar league chairman to let him partake in an exhibition match against the champion. he has not received a letter back yet.

#not art #cirrus dot text #steven stone #headcanons #like the last hc post i hope you like them :) even if you don't agree with all of them!

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championzavien · 2 years

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Hello everyone, Zavien here!

I'm still on flight to Kanto, sort of. We had some unexpected turbulence so we're actually landed here in Hoenn until they can fix whatever is bothering the plane.

Since my flights been cut short and it'll probably be several hours before I'm back on my way to Kanto, I figured I'd take some time to write up this post, just to keep you guys updated, but while I'm here I figured I'd try and research some of the local dark types!

After all, the whole reason I'm going to Kanto is to write a research paper on their dark types, so this will be good practice!

There's a number of dark types here in Hoenn, so I'll give a quick overview, starting with Absol, a reclusive pokemon from the mountains that is rarely seen. I do wish I could meet one and study it, but I've got an unfortunately limited time frame. For now, I'll have to find another subject.

The Sharpedo line is another no-go, I'd rather not be hospitalized and left stranded here in Hoenn! That family of pokemon are known to be brutal and vicious, they're the biggest reason I chose to take a plane over a boat! Not risking it! What a terrifying, majestic creature.

The next line I'll be talking about is the Cacturne family. I'd like to preface this by saying I know little to nothing about caring for grass type pokemon, I've got a thumb as black as soot. The only grass type I've ever owned and trained long term is my Serperior, and they're a very self sufficient family of grass types.

That out of the way, Cacturne is an intriguing pokemon, indeed, but they often live in deserts, secluded from people, so there's actually a surprising amount of disinformation regarding them.

For example, a common misconception is that Cacturne are only dark type because they are active at night, this is a common misconception for a lot of pokemon, but shadows and the night often have more to do with the ghost type, actually!

No, the real reason Cacturne are dark type is due to certain personality quirks, just like other dark types. In Cacturnes case, it's due to their signature ruthlessness. Allow me to explain.

Despite being social creatures, Cacturne lack empathy, and guilt. Unlike a number of wild pokemon (such as the mentioned Absol), Cacturne do not help humans in trouble. Quite the opposite really, they will follow around any humans close to death so that they may devour them after their passing. Terrifying!

Next we'll move on to the Shiftry line, a personal favorite of mine. While I think it's unjustified to denote them such things like "the wicked pokemon", there's no doubt in my mind about their dark typing. It stems from how extremely territorial these pokemon are over the forests they reside in. It's said if a Shiftry should ever come to be in the wild somehow (through trainer release or a rare encounter with a grass stone), that it would have devastating consequences on the surrounding area. Often times, a forest they overrule will be utterly still and quiet, except for the haunting melody of their leaf flute.

If you find yourself walking through the forest and notice the sound of a flute, check for other noises and pokemon nearby. If you're alone, you may have just walked in to a Shiftry territory, and I advise you run, because if you hear a Shiftrys flute, then you certainly will not hear it coming.

Now if you're wanting to raise a Shiftry yourself, I say go for it! Like many territorial animals, a Shiftry that trusts you will often include you and your team as pokemon that it allows in its territory, so you need not worry about letting it interact with your other pokemon. Just make sure they have a canopy to jump around in, and high up places to keep a lookout on their territory. They love having a view.

I'd like to do a more in depth post about this species at some point, what do you guys suppose?

Anyways, back on track, now we'll talk about the Crawdaunt line. Aggressive, territorial, and brutal, they're much like their water/dark cousins, the Sharpedo. In fact, they even bear markings on their torso and head that bear resemblance to Sharpedo! Some theorize this is an intentional evolution to keep them safe, but since these animals aren't native to Hoenn, coming from an unknown island out in the ocean, we don't really know what kind of evolutionary pressure might have pushed them into a sort of batesian mimicry, as they have no natural predators in Hoenn itself.

Interestingly, Crawdaunt actually shares some traits with Shiftry as well, being that it's actually quite bad for the environment. They are very tough, and extremely hostile, trying to battle anything they come into contact with. Due to this nature, any habitat with a Crawdaunt soon becomes empty...other pokemon have trouble co-existing, so they just leave to other areas if a Crawdaunt has settled down. There are actually laws and regulations in place to stop trainers from breeding many Crawdaunt, as they are a genuine hazard to their ecosystem!

(Note: The same is NOT true in the case of Sharpedo. They are vital apex predators in their ecosystem, and if they were to disappear from the wild the consequences would be drastic and long lasting).

As for tips on how to train and raise them, these pokemon love battle, and you should let them get in fights with other pokemon often to get the energy out. Otherwise, they're prone to disobeying and tearing apart their surroundings. Crawdaunt are also very hardy, and can survive in both salt and freshwater, even brackish water, so you don't have to worry as much about filtering, just make sure they have somewhere to moisturize at least two or three times a day.

Moving on to the final evolution family I'll be talking about today, the Mightyena.

This line is...actually quite abnormal for dark types. They have traits common amongst most dark types such as disobedience, aggression, and a bit of cowardliness, but once they've been caught by the fight trainer these traits can be controlled to a high degree.

As pack hunters, Mightyena will only answer to a trainer that it sees as strong and capable. Building that kind of trust with one is a long process, but one you'll need to undergo if you want to be it's trainer.

My advice, the more of these that you have the easier it'll be to train more. If they see others of their own species under your command, they will be more inclined to trust in your strength. This goes for several pokemon families, of course, but very notable for them in particular.

As for raising them, Poochyena have a dark coat that will protect them from low temperatures and can shed to keep their heat regulated in warmer climates. They are highly adaptable to many kinds of living conditions, but there are a few must haves that I'll list below.

1. COMPANY. This is very important. They're social creatures, and if you don't let them cohabit with other pokemon similar to them, they will grow to be extremely timid and weak, as it has severe effects on their mind. I recommend you keep it with at least two other pokemon, as well as making sure to play with it yourself.

2. Space

This is a no brainer, these pokemon never get tired, and need wide open spaces to run around in, lest they become destructive.

And third, last but not least, they need things that they can be allowed to destroy. These pokemon will bite just about anything within their reach, so I suggest you give them something that's meant to be bitten (make sure to train them into biting just these things) or you'll soon find your little dark type friend attacking your other pets.

I'd love to write more, but I got the call that it'd been fixed while I was writing up the Mightyena bit, so I'm already running a bit late!

See you all in my next post!

#pokemon #headcanon #science #writing

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druddigoon · 4 years

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bederia week day 2 prompt that lost steam 3/4 of the way through and ended up never being posted. gonna post as a scrap here, i guess

klara is all of us shippers

When Bede thought about the duties of being a gym leader, he never expected so much of it to be just waiting.

After the scandal with Eternatus and Rose’s arrest, the league was able to pull some strings to quell public unrest and ensure there’d be a gym challenge the next year. Mostly due to the fact that the new champion was the one to save the day, and that two major league gyms were succeeded by people who had played roles in dismantling his regime (because hey, he’ll take credit where credit is due). Now they were on the last dregs of the circuit, when most of the challengers had either advanced to gyms higher in the circuit or were picked off by lower ones.

Bede swung his legs idly against the stage. He’d received an rotom-mail stating that there were three challengers headed his way, but either they were lost in Ballonlea or decided to drop out, because he’d been here since early morning and there was no sign of anyone.

“Might as well just take the rest of the day off,” he muttered to his mawile, currently occupied with nibbling the stage equipment.

Mawile didn’t seem to be paying attention, too busy looking far off into the distance. Suddenly her larger mouth stiffened, her eyes widened, and with a cry that hurt Bede’s eardrums she hopped off the stage and ran out of the room.

Bede found himself with no choice but to follow.

She must’ve heard Gloria arrive at the gym, he thinks. They had planned to meet to train in the Tangle earlier this afternoon, but she had yet to show her face.

He pushed up the heavy double doors leading to the lobby. “About time you came, Glori—”

Wait.

That wasn’t Gloria.

His mawile (traitor) was currently munching pecha berries from a certain trainer he’d hoped to never see outside of league meetings. Her dustox was hovering overhead, shedding a trail of poisonous dust as it investigated the ceiling lights.

“This your mawile?” Klara pets the jaw pokemon, still happily chomping down on her pecha, “Super sweet little gal.”

“Yes. Mawile, you know better than to eat from strangers. Get back here.”

“Let her enjoy her treat! She must be knackered out from alllll the battles you’ve been doing at your gym.”

Bede refused to humor her. “Why are you here?”

“Aww, don’t be like that,” she spoke in a sickenly sweet voice, “Can’t a girl visit her favorite little brother?”

“For the last time, no one is forcibly adopting me.”

“No one except Opal, of course.”

“Look,” Klara said when he didn’t respond, “Minor league doesn’t have half as many duties as you guys do. We don’t have a gym to manage, we don’t have challengers to take care of, all we do is twiddle our thumbs at meetings or train for a shot next year at major! And both are soooo booooring~”

“And that is my problem because…?”

“Consider this payback for ousting my toxtricity in the tournament. You’re stuck with me, fairy boy.”

Before he can retort with I’m not afraid to high horsepower you just like i did your giant lizard, there was a loud slam coming from the entrance, door rattling on its hinges.

Gloria hobbled in out of breath, leaning heavily on the wall. She looked like she’d been through hell: face red, hair askew, and that dumb green beret she always wore nowhere to be found. “Sorry,” she managed, “league...business...took...longer than I thought.”

Did she run all the way to Ballonlea?

Bede sighed and massaged his temples. “I can’t believe you—no, don’t talk back at me, conserve your breath. There’s an empty couch right next to you. I'll go get some water.”

Gloria accepted the water sheepishly. “Sorry about this. I had an interview with a film crew right before when we planned to meet, which was just part of a documentary they were making on the history of Stow-on-Side’s monument. They just wanted my eyewitness account of what happened. Don’t worry, I didn’t go into detail about your disqualification.”

With how often he embarrassed himself in the media (and on live television, during the championship tournament) Bede doubted it would matter.

“But you know I get nervous talking in front of people. When they say it takes ‘one hour tops’, it apparently doesn’t take into account the amount of retakes I needed to do just to get a clip where I don't mumble.” She leaned over to give Mawile a pat on the head. “I was really late by then so I ended just...running. Didn’t realise until I was halfway in Glimwood Tangle that I left my bag at the filming site.”

He settled in the seat next to Gloria’s. “You shouldn’t be having these problems. Take some time for yourself, our meetings aren’t really important and can be moved to a later date. Make sure to factor for commute time and things like this.”

“Ugh, I know. Hop says I’m ‘pants with schedules’. I just...can’t decline. I’m the champion, this is part of my duty.”

Klara cleared her throat, making Bede’s ears burn. He’d completely forgotten they weren’t alone. “You didn’t offer to get me water.”

“Get it yourself,” he snapped back.

“Oh.” Gloria blinked, finally noticing Klara. “I didn’t see you there. You are…?”

“Klara.” She strode closer, extending her hand for a fistbump. “Minor league gym leader, number 881. Poison-type specialist.

“Nice you meet you, I’m—” She paused to glance at the outstretched fist in confusion. Bede bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from snickering. “I’m Gloria. I’ve been meaning to meet with the minor league leaders, actually, so it’s really nice to see you here! Beautiful dustox, by the way. Haven't seen many of its line around Galar."

If Klara took offense to Gloria's (lack of a) fistbump, it was immediately forgotten when Dustox was mentioned. She brightened. "Thanks! Got him from a breeder in Hoenn, and with the laxer species protection laws I was finally able to bring him here."

“Can I see him? Frosmoth has trouble flying in humid weather, and I’ve been wondering how something so bulky like dustox adapted to its environment—d’oh! I should probably call a corvitaxi to get my bag before someone decides to steal it. ”

“No need.” Bede fished out a pokeball and pressed it into her hands. “It’s near the mural, right? My reuniclus remembers how to teleport there. I need to handle some challengers today, so it’s best that we cancel our training. Retrieve your stuff, then go home and rest. You can return my pokemon next time we meet.”

After Gloria left, he turned back to Klara. "You should leave too. I have things to do."

"What, 'handle some challengers'? I don't need a psychic type to know you don't have any."

"I still need to close up. Leave."

“The champion visits you in your gym. For 'training', you say.” Klara rested her chin delicately on her hand. “Ah, young love.”

Bede sputtered halfway into locking the stage doors, catching his thumb in the process. "There is nothing romantic between Gloria and I! We both needed more training, and I was the best gym leader to tutor her."

"Suuuuure you are. And the Battle Tower doesn't exist." She grinned, all predator. "Let's not beat around the bush here. Champ likes you enough to make you her training partner, you care about Champ enough to fuss over her like a mother corviknight. Now, be a good brother and tell Big Sis the details."

Hissing from the pain, he fumbled around before releasing his hatterene. "Fuck you. Hattie, teleport me back to my house."

"Wait! No! Stay with me and I'll make it worth your while! I know the best tricks to woo a girl—"

Bede was gone before she could finish her sentence.

Several days later, he was walking through the streets of Hammerlocke.

There it was, a couple blocks away from the gym: a looming fortress of ebony brick and wreathed ivy with the words Hammerlocke City Vault emblazoned above wooden double doors. He’d been notified that he was to attend a private league conference in one of its side office buildings just yesterday, which was a little unusual since they usually give it at least a week prior. Bureaucracy has done worse, he supposes.

In the lobby, underneath a vivid painting of Galar’s Darkest Day (recently revised to include Zacian and Zamazenta now), sat Gloria, dozing on his reuniclus.

“Bede?” she mumbled, sitting up with a jolt when the pokemon slid out from under her to greet his trainer. “Didn’t know you had business here too.”

“Ditto to you.” Reuniclus chirruped, headbutting his shoulder. He gave him a couple rubs on its head. “Maybe we’re in the same one? Mine’s at ten in room thirty-four.”

“Huh.” Gloria tossed him his pokeball, which he caught and withdrew Reuniclus with. “Same, but...I’m meeting with my PR team, and I’m pretty sure they specifically asked for me. Are you sure yours is today?”

“Give me some credit Gloria, I’m don’t just mix up dates. Let me pull up the email...” He took out his rotom-phone, scrolled down and...yep, there it was: same date, room, and time. The invitation was formal, the same mass-email format he’d received from them a thousand times, and to check he glanced at the sender’s address and—

Sent by Klara.

Arceus fucking help him now, he was going to send his rapidash after her.

“Anything now?” Gloria prompted as Bede shut his rotom-phone with more force than necessary. He noticed she was more subdued lately, didn’t fire quips at him or engage in the back and forth banter that became the norm in their relationship.

He wanted to ask her if she was well, if she actually went home to rest like he told her to. Wanted to see the smile she wore when she played with her pokemon, back when she didn’t look like she was running herself into the ground. Bede had never been the one to concern himself over other people, but there was something he couldn’t stand about watching this quiet candle of a girl get snuffed in the panache of publicity.

“...Guess I did get the date wrong,” he lied. “Do you mind if I join your meeting? Might as well, since I cleared my entire schedule out for this damn trip.”

“Well, I’m alright with it.” She got up, and he didn’t miss the steadying hand she placed on the wall. “I don’t know about the people I’m meeting with…”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re the champion, they should follow what you decide to do.” If his past taught him anything, it was to assert himself or risk getting trampled over. By the way Gloria averted her eyes, he assumed she had not.

They walked into the conference together. When the PR team arrived, Gloria dismissed their confusion with a wave. “I brought Bede along. He won’t be part of the meeting, so just pretend he isn’t here.”

He huffed, crossing his arms, but his indignation melted away when she shot him a weak smile.

#drudwrites #bederia week #bederia #bede x gloria #klara

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rocketzealot · 4 years

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To say Fred got tense around Mauville City was a gross understatement. The thought of running into his Dad scared the hell out of him, given the terms they’d parted on. Yet Team Rocket loved to send him to busy, metropolitan cities, make him stand on street corners to look for the saddest looking kids to invite to another corner of the continent to commit more sophisticated crimes. He yawned at the thought of just waiting for people to arrive, so he took himself shopping. Anything to distract him from the shake inducing anxiety.

He found himself a quiet boutique, thumbing through racks of second hand clothes. Would he look good in a bomber jacket? Not in that size…

“Frederick?”

That name almost made him drop the hanger, but the pitch and tone of the voice told him it belonged to a young woman. Fred didn’t know anyone like that. He turned to see a blonde teenager looking at him with the same confusion as his own. She was impossibly pretty, in a kitschy kind of way, sweet summer dress and a thin cardigan, hair wore long and clipped behind her ear with Beautifly shaped clips.

“It is you! I thought it was. You’ve changed so much, but I recognised your face.”

Fred stared blankly at her, trying to remember who she might have been. She was way too young to be an ex, too old to be one of his…

“Am- Amelia?”

“You remember me!” She hustled across the shop from the entryway towards him as he tried putting the jacket back on the rack without looking. Immediately, she began helping him put it back. “What are you doing in Hoenn? I haven’t seen you in so long.”

Fred floundered, his mouth opening and closing. His half-sister had been about eight the last time he’d seen her. She was almost an adult now. She seemed so nice, nothing like her mother.

“Uh… I’m workin’… wh-what about you?”

She laughed, but not unkindly, a hand reaching for his arm. He almost flinched away.

“I live here, silly! And I work here, too, and you know what day it is, so I’m getting Daddy a gift. Umm… he’d be happy to know you’re working.”

“Uh huh…” His eyes shift nervously. “How’re you working? You’re, like, ten.” Change the subject. Didn’t want to talk about Dad. Didn’t really want to talk to a kid with a job.

“I’m 17! I’m a nursery aide!” She playfully shoves his shoulder, like they grew up together, but quickly seemed to pick up that Fred didn’t feel the same, drawing her hand back to the opposite arm. “Do you… do you, uh, want to come with me? There’s a really cute gift shop over there. It would mean a lot if you signed Dad’s card.”

Fred visibly cringed, holding up his hands. “Look, no offence, but I don’t really wanna get him anythin’. An’ he most certainly doesn’t wanna see a card from me.” Not least to expose the man who was so disappointed in him to his elementary school handwriting. “It was real—”

“Frederick! Please come shopping with me. I know you upset Dad last time you saw him, but he’s probably forgiven you by now. You’re a nice guy really, I just know it!”

“I—” Fred’s hand went up to his temple, perhaps a little too quick, his half-sister taking a hasty step back. God, what must Dad and his wife said to them? Stuff that might have been untrue at the time, but probably proved to be true since… “Look, you’re a sweet kid, Amelia, but I don’t wanna see my dad. I hope you have a real nice Father’s Day, but he ain’t my Dad the same way he’s yours.”

Her expression collapsed into one of disappointment. “No! Please, he’ll give you a second chance. Dad might have seemed strict when you met him last, be he’s actually really nice, some of the time! Please…”

Fred had already begun to leave, shaking his head. “Sorry. He ain’t the one who gets to offer second chances. Nuh-uh. See you ‘round, kid.”

“Fredrick!” Her dainty hands balled into fists. “Don’t be a stranger!”

#☆ r e p o r t e d ☆『drabbles』#fathers day #//me? doing writing on this blog?

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echoeternally · 6 years

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Birthday Gift!

Yikes, the month’s almost over, and I’m very, very late again! But that’s ok, because I had to make sure that I got this in before this month ended.

Here’s a belated birthday gift for my friend, @starlys! She requested a story about Pokémon Trainers together, and I decided to make a fun idea from that, using the trainers from the games themselves.

This is the first time that I think I’ve focused on the actual humans for once, not the Pokémon. Weird, but refreshing! So, here we go, with the story below! Enjoy reading it!

The Doubles Invitational.

A brand new competition featuring top trainer duos to help draw in more folks to visiting Alola, the region that’s still starting up its Pokémon League. Challenging their first and brand new Champion must not be enough on its own by this point.

Twisting some of my brown hair around my finger, I sighed and uncurled it, slowly letting my hand drop. Staring ahead at Iki Town’s small stage for battle practice, I watched some teams as they gathered around it.

“Anna…? Hello?” I blinked and turned to my partner next to me. “Anyone home?”

“Sorry, Meg…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

She brushed back a loose strand of her black hair, just before the wind blew it around again. Rolling her eyes, she softly chuckled as the wind blew her long hair around, messing it up again. The skirt at the bottom of her uniform flapped with the slight gust, and she waited as it died down.

Lowering her dark eyes, she wagged a finger at me.

“Don’t laugh, ok?”

“Never!”

We both giggled a bit, and she couldn’t contain hers from bursting into a light laugh. It’s the most gorgeous sound to me.

…Ok, maybe not the most, but I love listening to her laugh. To look into her eyes. To be with her.

If I could actually tell her that, though, then we would get somewhere.

“Trainers, welcome!” Professor Kukui hurried to the center of the stage and raised his arms. “This will serve as your practice arena for Alola’s new Doubles Invitational! We’ll start here before we have you tour the four islands with your competition, until we ultimately work our way to the League in Mount Lanakila.” He grinned broadly. “We’re hoping that you’ll give Alola some much needed recognition from other regions and draw in some new crowds, oh yeah!”

“Shouldn’t we have tried to gather more trainers from other regions, then?” A dirty blonde boy in a blue outfit folded his arms. “We’ve only covered a few here.”

“Ah…we’ll work on that for next time!” Kukui rested his hands on his hips and laughed. “Guess my wife was right!”

Wife. Of course…

“As it is, you all must be tired from the trip,” chimed in the older man in a blue undershirt with a yellow one opened over it. “It’s best that you relax a little before the competition begins, explore the area a little, and rest before our tournament starts tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah! Well said, Hala!” Kukui grinned to everyone again. “All right, you’re free to cruise around! Enjoy your stay, and thanks again for joining our new competition!”

They turned in to one another and chattered together, as each of the teams hesitated before turning to talk with either their partners or other teams. I glanced to Meg, who turned and smiled back to me.

“Hey, so, you two are from Hoenn, right?” We turned to the brunette girl in a blue uniform. “Is that anything like here in Alola? I heard the climate there is at least warm.”

“Somewhat, but it’s probably warmer here.” My partner smiled and brushed her hair back again, adjusting the headband above it. “I’m Meg, by the way. This is my teammate, Anna.”

“Hi.”

“Well, welcome to Alola! I’m Aimee,” introduced the girl. She jabbed her thumb back to the blonde boy from before. “My partner here is Kent.”

“Seriously, shouldn’t we have more representation from other regions?” He scratched his head as he stepped toward us. “Someone from Unova, Sinnoh always gets forgotten these days, and then we…wait, what’s going on?”

“Kent, we’re saying hello to newcomers.”

“Oh.” He straightened up. “Hello to newcomers.”

“Great, thanks.” Aimee rolled her eyes. “Now we’re the annoying team.”

“Of course we are!” He raised his hand into a fist. “We’re the Ace Duo! We’re going to be a wave that slams back against everyone and wins this competition for Alola!”

“And now we’re the weird ones,” deadpanned Aimee.

“It’s fine,” eased Meg. “I can definitely appreciate the enthusiasm.” She snapped her fingers. “And actually, Kent, Anna and I managed to capture and raise some new Pokémon from Unova as well, if you’re looking for more representation.”

“Ah, really? Nice!” Kent folded his arms and nodded. “Aimee and I raised some more Pokémon for this competition too. We’ve got some variants of the Pokémon found in Kanto, but they’re really cool. Pun intended.”

“Kent, I’m going to murder you.”

“Chill, Aimee!”

“Another pun, and I’m burying you in the sand.”

“Ok, ok!”

“Hey, why don’t we let our Pokémon out for a while?” Everyone turned back to me and I tensed up. “Um…it’s been some time for ours, so…”

“That’s actually a good idea,” agreed Meg, grabbing a Pokeball from the belt beneath her shirt. “It’s good to let them stretch and explore too.”

She tossed her first ball up, and then another after. I followed her lead and tossed both of my Pokeballs out, as our four Pokémon emerged.

“Whoa, check them out!” Kent squished down low to my first Pokémon. “Who’s this little dude? Never seen one before.”

“That’s my Linoone,” I introduced. “He’s cute, right?”

“Definitely!” Kent reached out to pat him, but Linoone rushed away and behind my legs. “Shy guy, huh?”

“A bit, yeah.”

“That’s ok.” He hopped over to my next Pokémon, Stoutland. “This one I’m familiar with, though. He’ll be ready to really help you out!”

“Yes, she will be.”

“Oh, cool! I didn’t even know.” He tilted his head and studied her, as my dog mimicked his motion. “How do you tell genders without the gender differences…?”

“Not every gender needs to be defined, Kent,” grumbled Aimee.

“My bad.” He bounced over to Meg’s slender cat. “Who’s this pretty kitty?”

“That’s my Liepard,” introduced Meg. “She’s new to our team, like Anna’s Stoutland. We took a small trip to Unova’s land some time before we came here.”

“What, really? That’s cool!” Kent sat back while Meg’s Liepard cleaned her paw and brushed her face. “We’ve only ever been here, but I’d love to travel around.”

“Yeah, we did it after our Champion thrashed the whole region,” recalled Meg. “You’d think a quiet girl like her wouldn’t be a huge threat.”

“It’s literally always the quiet ones that kick butt the hardest,” chimed in Aimee. “Our Champion was previously less talkative than average too, yet there she sits, on the League throne and everything.” She adjusted her cap on her head. “Not to mention that Red kid from Kanto who traveled here for the Battle Tree.”

“Yeah, but his buddy is literally the opposite, and he was the Champion before,” pointed out Kent.

“Huh. Maybe it’s just some Champions, then?”

“Yeah, sure.” Kent stood up before the last Pokémon, who still towered over him. “And this is a Hariyama, so this dude needs no introduction.” He smiled back to us. “Hala uses one as part of his team line-up too. Should be his signature Pokémon if you ask me.”

“Well, they’re not asking, Kent.” Aimee plucked a Pokeball from her belt. “Come on, let’s show off ours.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, right!”

Both tossed out four Pokeballs as well. Two blue and white Pokémon appeared first, followed by an enormous tree-like Pokémon and one big rock with…a…charger?

“These might look familiar to you,” divulged Amiee. “They’re the variants on their more renowned Kanto counterparts.”

“Alola’s special variants,” piped in Kent. “These are Ninetales, Sandslash, Exeggutor, and Golem.”

“Oh wow, they’re different here for sure!” Meg gazed up from Exeggutor down to Ninetales. “I like them, though. Different, but fun.”

“For sure.” Aimee stretched. “Anyway, Kent and I should help them get some exercises in.” She recalled Exeggutor to its Pokeball. “She’ll wait until later though. Otherwise she’ll just stomp all around the island.”

“Yeah, ok!” Kent jumped up. “Come on, everyone, let’s get going!”

He hurried off with his Sandslash stumbling after him. His Golem waited a bit, laughed, and then rolled off after them.

Ninetales sat elegantly next to Amiee, who shook her head.

“Sorry, he’s…excitable.” She shrugged and smiled to us. “Anyway, we’re looking forward to battling you guys! Good luck in the tourney.”

“Thanks, same to you!”

She jogged off with her Ninetales after waving to us, and they disappeared from Iki Town. Meg smiled as she watched her disappear, and then we both pivoted back to the other trainers gathered.

The quickest to spot were Gabby and Ty, who came with us from Hoenn. They were wanted immediately for their coverage of the event, but the two are tough battlers too, so both were contributing factors.

Gabby seemed like she was interviewing different trainers for the event, and chattered to some…very nice looking swimmer girls. I don’t know if I’d ever have the confidence to show off my whole body like that, but they seemed pretty fit and comfortable, somehow. Or maybe they just want to be ready to hit the water again. Either way, they’re definitely fine with how they appear, even on Ty’s camera.

Two little girls excitedly bounced around another little girl in pink. The twins giggled as their bugs crawled around, a big ladybug and a long legged spider. The other little girl had some kind of…I think a fairy? She held the little thing before her hands and it seemed too small even for that. Meanwhile, another girl in longer, dark clothes sat and mumbled behind her…to a big, ghastly balloon.

“Do you want to go talk with the kids, then?” I glanced to Meg, who smiled back at me. “They seem pretty cute and energetic, you know?”

“Uh, maybe in a little bit.” I scratched behind my head. “Honestly, I’m amazed that they invited two little twins here to battle against everyone.”

“They’re actually powerhouses from Johto, if I remember overhearing correctly,” recalled Meg. “Their parents are probably somewhere nearby, but these two know their stuff all on their own.”

“And who is their friend?” I placed a hand on my hip. “Did you hear about her?”

“Nope.” Meg patted Liepard as the cat rubbed against her legs. “Or that girl behind her with the huge balloon creature. My guess is that they’re sisters too.”

“Safe bet, yeah.” I picked up Linoone and cradled him while Stoutland walked over and rested by my feet. “And, the rest…”

We gazed at the remaining teams for the competition. A couple played with a baby in a panda onesie, laughing together even as their kid kicked the father in his face.

Another couple, younger this time, laughed and giggled together, pretty much wrapped together with one another. Both had dyed their hair to be the same color, a bright red, along with wearing matching sweaters that had a heart shape on them.

The third couple consisted of Experts from home, an elderly man and his wife, both meditating together. They whispered and chuckled gently with one another even as they did so.

A fourth couple gazed around the area, snapping pictures and bouncing around, showing one another pictures as they laughed and held hands.

“…They’re…all couples,” I concluded.

“Well, that’s nice.” Meg knelt down to rub her Liepard’s chin. “It’s good that couples can all come together and battle well, isn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah.” I swallowed and cleared my throat. “Yeah, it’s…nice.”

“Are you ok?”

“Fine, yeah.” Linoone wriggled in my arms and I rubbed his belly, avoiding eye contact with Meg. “Um…do, uh, do you want to go talk to them?”

“Sure.”

We walked over to the four couples, as each pair had slowly gathered together, chattering and laughing, somehow easily comfortable with one another.

“And if you’re the ‘Young Couple’ here, that’ll make us the ‘Old Couple,’” hooted the elderly man.

“Hey, those sound like great team names,” agreed the younger man in the sweater.

“Aren’t you two baking in those things?” The middle-aged woman paused from giving her child attention to study the younger pair. “You two should be fried by now.”

“We’re a bit hot, but we had to wear our cutest shirts today first,” insisted the younger woman. “That, and Kanto’s a lot cooler compared to these islands.”

“Gia really wanted to show these off,” chimed in the younger man again.

“Oh, sounds like you’re getting primed with those shackles already,” teased the middle-aged man, holding his squirming child out to avoid another kick. “Better quit and run while you’re ahead.”

“Does that make it too late for me?” The sightseer tilted his hat and grinned. “We’re here after just getting married.”

“Oh, now why would you do that?!” The middle-aged man laughed again. “It’s all over for you, my friend!”

“Pretty soon, your wife gets to run the show,” joked the elder man. “Isn’t that right, Jay?”

“That’s right, ladies, we run these relationships.” Jay, the elderly woman, pressed her hands to her hips. “These men do as we say, right?”

“Yes, absolutely!” The middle-aged woman switched her fairy toy with a Skitty one. “Women run this show for sure!”

“Oh, that’s how it works?” The other sightseer lowered her phone and spun to her partner. “Guess I’m taking control of this marriage now, babe!”

“Like I said, all over for you,” reminded the father. “Jes, you better bail while you can! Enjoy the single, bachelor lifestyle!”

“Ha, maybe!”

They all hollered and laughed together, not even noticing that Meg and I had approached. I took a step back, cursing my earlier suggestion to walk over. Meg had opened her mouth to introduce us, but the elder man immediately caught sight of us.

“Well, well! Look at these wonderful beauties coming over!” He whistled and laughed. “Jay, I missed my chance with some really nice girls!”

“Oh, John, please!” The old woman nudged him and walked over to us. “You’re both actually quite young.”

“Bet they’re still legal!” John winked as Meg subtly pushed me back behind her.

“John, goodness, hush!”

“Um, hi.” Meg lifted her hand up. “I’m Meg, and this is my teammate, Anna. We’re trainers that went to school together, and—”

“Oh, best friends!” The middle-aged woman clasped her hands together, ignoring as her child kicked her husband again. “That’s so sweet, that the two of you are here! A much cuter pair than those other women, barely wearing anything in just those silly swimsuits! It’s so nice to see girlfriends here together! I miss all of mine from back home myself.”

“Girlfriends…?” I couldn’t help uttering that.

“Yes, good old gal pals! Plenty of schoolgirls that I grew up with, all of us becoming best friends!” Her face soured. “Except Sharon. She was a horror. And Janice, who was a cheating, lying witch. Ah, and I nearly forgot that rotten Becky, who—”

“Anyway girls, it’s good to meet you,” returned Jay. “There are probably some fine men around the island for you two enjoy together while you’re here.”

“Yes, oh my!” The sightseer woman hurried over to us, holding her phone up. “We’re here for our honeymoon, and, oh my goodness. You should see the local men here! If you thought that Professor Kukui was a looker, just wait until you see the others! Fine, toned bodies, just exquisite!”

Meg and I took a step back as the woman stumbled closer to us, raising her phone. I placed my hand on Meg’s shoulder, and she patted it as we frowned from the beaming woman flipping through her photos of several…men in open shirts and swimsuits, all posing in various ways, if they were aware of the photo.

“Hey, Noriko!” Her newlywed husband placed a hand on his hip. “Your sights are supposed to be everywhere, but especially on me!”

“Hush, Devin!” She smiled and waved her hand at him. “These girls are single, they should know just what kind of men are available for them. Besides, if I’m just looking, then I’m not cheating or anything.”

“Ha-ha, she’s got you there,” agreed Gia, the younger woman. “You honeymooners are lucky, though, enjoy these beautiful islands for some time already!”

“Hey! Honeymooners!” Devin snapped his fingers. “Babe, that’s a great team name for us!”

“Wow, you’re right! How adorable, I love it!”

“Looks like we’ve all got great names pulled for us already,” decided the middle-aged man. “Erin and I are going to be the Poké Fan Family!”

“That’s right, Jan,” piled on his wife, “and with our Furfrous, we’ll do so well together, like a real family should!”

“You have dog Pokémon with your baby?” Gia gasped. “That’s so cute!”

“Babies and dogs are so precious,” agreed Noriko. “Devin, just when are we getting at least the dogs?”

“Once we get enough money,” teased Devin.

“Please!” Noriko rolled her eyes. “We got plenty from our wedding.”

“And you’re blowing it all on the honeymoon, ha-ha!” John clapped his hands together. “Typical young couple spending! Back in our day, Jay and I made the same mistakes. But don’t worry, you kids will grow and mature as you go! Learn, life, and laugh together!”

“Ok, ‘Old Couple,’ we’ll see who pays off best in the tournament,” joked Devin. “Us Honeymooners will have to do our best against you two!”

“Yeah, we’ll have to!” Noriko jumped around. “We’ve been around here long enough to practice battling along with sightseeing, that’s for sure!”

“We’ll see how you two measure up to a golden anniversary couple like us,” jested Jay. “Our Hariyama and Medicham have trained for years with us.”

“Jes, we’ll have to do our best too,” insisted Gia. “We’re the ‘Young Couple,’ so we should win against the others!”

“Yeah, youthful energy for the win!” Jes laughed. “I’m already looking forward to the battles tomorrow! Nidoking and Nidoqueen will carry us forward for sure!”

“We should start practicing with our fur-babies, Jan,” suggested Erin, “before our little guy needs to get some rest too!”

“Oh, he’s so cute,” cooed Gia. “I can’t wait to have a family some day.”

“Jes, run now!”

“It’s your only way, son.”

“Hey, I can hear those wedding bells already!”

“Ha-ha-ha!”

“It was so wonderful meeting you all!” Noriko clasped her hands together. “Tomorrow is going to be such fun!”

“Absolutely!”

“Take care, all. You too, girls!”

Each of the couples laughed some more and parted ways, wandering off to go train with their Pokémon. Meg and I quietly watched them disperse from Iki Town, and I opened my mouth to comment, but closed it after a few seconds. Anything that I could mention about them wouldn’t be…tasteful, I suppose.

“To be honest with you, I can’t tell if they were happy together or barely masking their mutual miseries.” Meg beat me to the punch. She smirked and giggled a bit, and I grinned to her.

“Thank you, I thought I was all on my own with thinking that!” I laughed. “Why are they so…odd?”

“Some couples just…have a different kind of appreciation for each other, I guess,” delicately put Meg.

“Maybe, yeah.” I placed Linoone back down, as he smiled up to me. “Um…do you want to go north, to the Mahalo Trail?”

“Huh?”

“It’s the pathway up that way, past those trees,” I pointed out. “I was reading about it while we were flying over here.��

“Oh, sure, let’s go.”

We took our Pokémon with us and wandered past the trees, making our way to the sunset-coated mountain path. Hurrying up and down the isolated trail, we trained everyone’s agility to start. Meg’s Hariyama couldn’t quite keep up with the others, with her Liepard and my Linoone dominating most of the way around.

“Poor Hariyama.” I patted him as he collapsed to the ground, panting. “Here, have a Pokéblock! I brought one over with me.”

“Great call, Anna,” complimented Meg. “You’re so thoughtful.”

Testing some accuracy with some targets that we tossed out next, Hariyama faired much better, but Liepard managed to do the best taking them down as well. Stoutland managed to do pretty well here too, though; maybe her patient temperament helped her out. Meg helped me with directing her better, though.

“Some of those were tricky,” I pointed out.

“A bit, yes, but if you get her to use her surroundings a bit more closely, you can get her to hit more targets.” Meg pointed at the rocks. “Liepard can leap off a bunch of those to smash targets, and that would work for both Linoone and Stoutland. Try it.”

Making our way to the middle of the trail, we battled next, in a doubles match against each other. Meg’s Hariyama easily obliterated my team here, and we decided to try to switch it up, pairing them off with their normal doubles partners. Hariyama won it again in the end, being the strongest against the others, but Stoutland and Liepard put up a better fight together than she and Linoone had before.

Whining and pouting, Linoone flopped against the ground, whimpering softly to himself. I laughed and sat down beside him.

“You’re built for running more than just battling,” I reminded him. “Not everyone can be the best at everything.”

“Well, Liepard tries to,” joked Meg, rubbing her cat’s head, and then her chin. Liepard smirked, and narrowed her eyes on Linoone, but returned to affectionately rubbing against Meg. “Play nice, girl.”

Stoutland sprawled out next to Linoone, and she rested alongside us. I rubbed both of their heads and bellies as we relaxed, the sunset at its end, as the sky darkened. Meg and her team sat down now as well.

“Thanks again for coming with me here,” I spurted out.

“Huh?” Meg raised an eyebrow at me, and then smirked. “Anna, we’re a team. Of course I’d be here with you.”

“Yeah, but…I don’t know, I’m just grateful to be here with you,” I explained. “We used to just be those schoolgirls on Route 117, mixed somewhere with atheletes and breeders outside of the daycare.” I shrugged. “Battling that Littleroot girl, though, and having her come back to challenge us again and again, we got stronger together. And now look.”

“We’re a top doubles team selected for a special invitational.” Meg smiled. “It’s exciting, I know. Each of us here worked really hard to get here.” She tapped my Linoone’s nose. “Even if we’re not always happy when our friends do well.” Linoone huffed and rolled his eyes at her, prompting our laughter.

And I just listened to Meg again, and it’s so refreshing to hear her laughter again. She opened her dark eyes, and I gazed up at her, smiling at her under the rising starlight.

“Meg.”

“Yeah?”

“We’ve, um…we’ve been together for a while.”

“Well, yeah, going to the same school kind of does that for us,” teased Meg.

“Right, but…you were always my upperclassman, so…I just never figured…”

“Hey, we got paired for that mentor-student program, and we’ve been a dynamic duo together since then,” reminded Meg. “You and I just belonged together, you know?”

“That’s…that’s exactly how I see it,” I murmured, lacing my hands together. “Just…I was wondering…how do you see us?”

“…What do you mean?” Her dark eyes studied me carefully.

“It’s…well, I’m not…completely sure?” I sat back and tilted my attention to the ground, my heart pounding. “It’s just…of the teams here today, we’ve got a bunch of different mixes. Some are just working together as they were formed, like the Interviewers and that self-proclaimed Ace Duo.”

“Ha, true.” Meg chuckled and folded her arms behind her head. “We’re going to need our own clever team name, you know.”

“Yep. Anyway, I just…” Lifting my shaking hand, I twisted some hair strands around my finger. “The other two pairs that we didn’t really talk to, those were sister pairs. Well, there were those gorgeous swimmers, but I’m not sure about them.”

“They’re probably not related,” joked Meg.

“No, not likely.” I pulled my legs up to my chest and hugged them. “Just…the last group left together were a bunch of couples.”

“Ugh, the couples.” Meg laughed. “They were…definitely something. Yikes.”

“Tell me about it.” I sighed. “But it makes me feel like everyone else has this team dynamic, be it co-workers, or sisters, or friends, or more, and ours is…I was wondering which it compares best to?”

“…Anna, what are you trying to ask?”

“I already asked it, Meg.” I glanced up at her, and my face burned. “How…how do you see us?”

“…Wait.”

“We’ve been together almost all of our lives, you know. Teammates together, always and forever, that thing.” I turned back down and flicked a pebble off to some bushes. “So, I just…I guess that I…”

“Is that why you even wanted to go talk with the couples?”

“Maybe? I don’t know.” I closed my eyes. “I guess…I wanted others to compare and contrast with, yeah, so…I…sorry, I don’t know where I was expecting this to go.”

“Anna…”

“Sorry, we can just forget that I ever brought this up.” I shook my head. “I’m being selfish, I wasn’t even thinking about our battling tomorrow, so we should go get some rest, or—”

“Anna.”

Blinking, I gazed up at Meg; her cheeks flushed a bit as well. She hesitated before smiling a bit. She brushed back some loose strands of her dark hair and stared right at me.

“Here I thought I was supposed to teach you new things,” joked Meg.

“You always do.”

“And yet you just taught me something new.” She paused and smiled a bit more. “So, maybe now I should teach you something in return.”

“…Meg, what?”

“Just be quiet for a second and don’t laugh.”

She leaned in, and I sucked in my breath as her face closed in on me. Her hot breath washed over me as her lips pressed gently into mine. Our eyes shut as we broke apart and slowly kissed some more. Her hands wrapped against my cheeks, and I brushed mine back behind her hair, and we pressed into one another. Our Pokémon made soft noises, hopefully of support, as we continued into the night.

Morning came so quickly after that night, and I didn’t want to get up. I grumbled as I stirred, rousing from bed, as Linoone whimpered at me, refusing to really move from the spot between my legs. Stoutland rose up from the floor, and she leaned against the bed to lick at me, helping me wake up a little more.

“Hey.”

Rubbing my eyes, I turned my attention to Meg, and she smiled as she pushed out of the bed across from mine, Liepard hopping out with her.

“Um, hi.” I shook my head, brushing my hand against my messy hair. “Uh, good morning.”

“Good morning.” Meg smiled to me. “You ready to battle?”

“Battle…?” I opened my eyes wider. “Oh, the invitational! Yeah, yeah.”

We hurriedly finished getting ready and hurried out to the battle stage in Iki Town. Hala and Professor Kukui waited in the center of the stage.

“Now, each of you are going to be divided into various battles to team up against one another,” instructed Hala. “These will be our qualifiers, with Iki Town hosting the first round of battling. For this round, only use one Pokémon from each trainer. First up, we’ll have Rune and Rime battle against Amy and May.” He waited as the sisters made their way onto the stage. “Now, what would you two like your team names to be?”

“Oh, hey there.” I blinked and turned to the swimmers behind us. The blonde spoke up. “You’re the cute pair of girls from yesterday.”

“Us?”

“Yeah, you two,” chimed in the brunette. “You’re the only other pair that isn’t a pair of sisters besides Ashlyn and I.”

“Yes, it’s nice meeting you.” Ashlyn rested her hand on my shoulder. “Hope you two can knock out our first round of competitors with us.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to face off,” I managed. “Um, I’m Anna, by the way, and this is my partner, Meg.”

“Hello there.”

“Well, I already introduced Ashlyn here, but I’m Kylie,” introduced the brunette swimmer. “Anyway, looks like this battle is wrapped up, so good luck.”

“Huh?”

I spun around as the twins knocked out both of the other sisters’ Pokémon. Kukui clapped his hands.

“The Mysterious Sisters are no longer able to battle,” announced Hala. “The Twins win this match!”

“Oh yeah! Way to start the tournament!” He smiled brightly for Ty’s camera that focused on him. “Both teams really showed their hearts in this battle too, solid stuff. Let’s get to our next battle!”

“We’ll have Jan and Erin face off against Meg and Anna.”

“Here we go,” whispered Meg, as we walked forward and onto the battlefield.

The couple across from us smiled to one another and played with their baby as they took the opposite side against us. Hala waited in the middle.

“What will your team name be, Erin, Jan?”

“We’ll be the Poké Fan Family!” Erin rattled some toys near their baby. “Isn’t that right, angel?”

“Oof!” Jan’s head knocked back as his baby kicked him again. “Yep, perfect name for a couple and kid like us!”

“Sounds good.” Hala walked over from them to us. “And what about you, Anna, Meg?”

“Our team name?” I glanced to Meg.

“We’ll go with what you came up with last night,” decided Meg.

With what I what?

“We’re the Teammates,” introduced Meg. “We’re battling partners since we were kids, but we’re teammates in all aspects of our lives.”

She cupped her hand into mine and winked to me. I blushed and nodded back to her.

“Very good, and promising.” Hala nodded and the swimmer girls behind us cheered, interlocking their arms together as they called for us. “Are the teams ready to battle?”

“Yes,” we simultaneously called out.

“Good.” Hala raised his hands. “Begin!”

Lifting Linoone’s Pokéball, I lobbed it out, as Meg tossed out Hariyama. We smirked as the Furfrou pair popped out across from us. Jabbing our hands forward, we called out for our Pokémon’s attacks, as the battle together was underway.

Glancing over to Meg, we shared a smile as we battled the whole way through.

Phew! A bit quick on the development, but adorable nonetheless!

Once I was requested to write about trainers, I knew that I wanted to work with doubles teams. And I think Anna/Meg is one of the first pairs that immediately jumps into my mind all the time, for some odd reason. I feel like they’re a unique and memorable pair throughout the series, and I don’t recall many others that ended up like them.

Alola made a good setting, since it was a region that would employ a different approach at getting tourists interested in visiting. I did my best to include a bunch of different trainers from regions, and where I missed trainers from Sinnoh and Unova, I tried adding in Pokémon to take their place.

If I had more time, I probably would’ve expanded on the Swimmer Girls, Kylie/Ashlyn. I originally wanted them to be the lesbian mentors for the other two, plus Lumineon would’ve been another Sinnoh rep besides Drifblim, if you spotted that one. Ah well!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this gift, @starlys, and any additional readers that joined in as well! Sorry again that it was late; I really wanted it to be on time this year. But, I did promise that I’d get it in before the month ended, and that I delivered on!

Again, I hope you enjoyed! Take care.

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tumblunni · 6 years

Text

Fuckinghell i got to That Part in USUM and it was even worse than i expected

Kfuckinh fuck i alreadyhated lusamine cos i hadan abusivemum like that in real life but this time i wanted to fucking stab her actual eyes out with my thumbs! How can a bad writing flub trigger such a huge ass panic attack in me!! Am i really that pathetic!! God im just sitting with my face in a fan cos im overheated as fuck i was all fight or flight mode just about hitting the A button and knowing the next scene i get will be Somehow Lusamine Was Right, in the place of the execellent callout scene lillie got in the original. So much actual detailed analysis of child abuse and now NOPE ITS OKAYMOMMY HURT U FOR A GOOD CAUSE

And what i hate so much is that they didmt even completely rewrite it! This isnt even an 'alternate universe story' where lusamine was a good mom, which would already be problematic in context but at least there'd be an excuse for it. Nah instead they just left in all the foreshadowing leading up to her being abusive and all the scenes of her being a fucl but just at the last second its ok cos something something necrozma.

Things that are still canon in this universe:

lillie and gladion ran away from their mother and nearly died on the streets and all that

Lusamine still controlled how much they acted and looked and etc that lillie has anxiety over picking her own damn clothes in a shop (and gladion mentions the same in an optional dialogue that also wasnt removed)

"Oh no its a big reveal that aether foundation is evil and working with team skull and they kidnapped lillie and now u have to fight thru an entire foundation full of evil murderous adults and also faba the fuckmeister supreme"

Lusamine wants to murder cosmog to open an ultra wormhole and laughs about it

Lusamine has an entire fuckin secret room full of pokemon corpses preserved in ice so they'll 'stay beautiful and never disobey'

Lusamine tells her kids theyre disgusting for disobeying her and she doesnt love them and never did and also they are selfish cunts for daring to want to be not abused

Then she fuckin attacks them, and you fight

Fuckin ALL THEY CHANGED was that at the end shes like 'but i do it cos necrozma bad and i was really save world'. And the writers seem to think that this somehow justifies her actions rather than just making her an equally evil equally abusive person who just has a dumb knight templar reason for why she thinks she's in the right. Like maybe you could say this would make her more redeemable in the end, i guess?? Like if she actually had a proper redemption plotline you could use this as a springboard to jump off in order to create that plotline. That she was once good and her evilness is a very specific sort of 'murder and hate is justified because my purpose is so important' kind of thing, which should honestly have led to her personality being entirely different and written entirely different. But you still actually have to write a redemption route! Shes not just suddenly good because she has a motive for being evil! And shes not even as redeemable as the other villain bosses, if we only hear about her 'good reason' AFTER we see her do everything evil! And her evil is so much more personal than the other bosses! Like maxie and archie were still likeable eveb before their VERY EXTENSIVE AND WELL WRITTEN redemption plot, because their evil plot was abstract and nonsensical ('destroy world') rather than actual detailed real life crimes to characters we care about. Abd very manipulative and deliberate ones! Maxie and Archie had it established very early on that they THOUGHT what they weredoing would improve the worls even if it was obvious they would actually destroy it. Lusamine didnt abuse her kids accidentally or because of a mistake, the only way she thought she was doing the right thing is that she thought her kids were ungrateful evil fucks who deserved being hurt because they MERELY WOULDNT OBEY HER EVERY WHIM! And we see this from the perspective of the kids who are very much just goddamn innocent kids and very much show actual realistic ptsd symptoms and relateable stories of abuse. So yeah lusamine already starts at a higher tier of villainy that would require more redemption than archie and maxie, even if you can technically say 'maybe her plan to beat necrozma via pet murder and child abuse might actually work'. (Or, in the origonal, that technically her plan was just to fuck off to another dimension of obedient mindless slave jellyfish and never come back, which is technically less wprld damaging than the hoenn guys.)

And just MANNNN what i really hate is that they didnt remove anything except like.. The parts where you sympathise with the kids. I feel like the scene of lillie at the clothes shop early on and the dramatic break in to aether paradise were just left in out of laziness more than anything. Like theres a lot of stuff that seems 'oh we have to do that cos thats how it went last time, but lets half ass it and rewrite the dialogue shorter and rush to my New Bits'. I feel like if someone played this first before sun and moon then half of the plot wouldnt make sense! But why did they choose to leave in just enough that it made lusamine still look like a monster, if she never gets her comeuppance!!!

And man i really fucking hate how they rewrote lillie and gladion during the big plot swrrve into LUSMINE HAD GUD REASONS 2 DO THE THING. Lillie says barely anything and gladion is suddenly all 'please stop because I CANT LOSEYOU ASWELL AS DAD, MOM' not fuckin please stop because you are murdering nebby and you just told me you dont love me. Andthen hebegs her to take him with her to fight necrozma becauseits type null's destiny to be a beast killer?? When just five seconds ago hehad unchanged dialogue about how he saved type null becauze he saw it was born and raised to be what its 'parent' wanted it to be, just like how lusamine abusively raised him. Like fuckin entire story about him escaping to be himself and give this lil frankendog a chance at a real normal life, just WHOOOSH right over the new writer's head...

And then THE FUCKIN WORST BIT is that they kept the same scene of lillie sleeping in lusamine's bed but changed all the dialogue to just 'i'll sleep here' *scene ends* rather than 'i remember when i used to sleep in her bed after nightmares when i was like five and thats the last time i can remember that it felt like she actually loved us, i need to sleep here again to say goodbye and steel myself to fight to save the world next time we see her'

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha nuance what is that complexity who is she never heard of her

Fuck that scene was so relateable cos thats literally what i did the day before i ran away from home.fuck you for removing it.

Fuck this game really is like a weirdass rom hack some other guy did of a game he didnt understand. It at least makes me feel better to know it was directed by a different team and isnt considered the 'final full version' like platinum and emerald and stuff. I felt practically gaslit when i was tryong to reconcile the idea someone could write a complex analysis of child abuse and then unwrite it as if it was never important. Was it never really intended to be abuse at all and i was just imagining it?? But nah no its just someone else handling the expansion pack for a game and turning it into an 'alternative story' with his different lame motiveless Bad Legendary villain cos somehow he didnt think the original was good enough. Fuck, it was the most emotional most terrifying villain boss of all time, fuckin geez what is wrong with you!

GUZMAAAA WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUUU

oh yeh did i mention that also Still Exists but the npc thats implied to be his abusive dad has his dialogue slightly rewritten to be 'my kid ran away on a pikemon journey and beat me' not 'i beat my kid but he beat me back'

God fuck u fuck this fuck EVERYTHING what goddamn motives do you have for removing a goddamn How To Spot Child Abuse manual for kids in game form. THIS ENTIRE PLOT WAS SO IMPORTANT IF I SAW THIS AS A KID I WOULDNT HAVE TRIED TO KILL MYSELF

gahhhahahahhhhh

#bunni struggles through usum #man but ive seen the vids of the new director and the old dorector goofing around in interviews and they seem to be friends?#so man i feel bad being mad at him #i bet it was probably more like just laziness in rewriting a new story and npt understandong the accidenatl implications #rather than deliberate censorship or clusamine was right' messages #ehhhh #just please dont do this again pokemon #this is the worst thing pokemon has ever done and it made me want to quit playing way more than any amount of 'bad icecream pokemon' ever #im like wow why did i ever complain about anything else before this

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atrainernamedradish · 6 years

Text

Starter Tier List

This concept was done by a Poketuber by the name of Aura Guardian. I liked the idea of it so much that I did my own version of a few weeks ago while I was “watching” the video.

While most tier lists are based off of skill this one is based off of pure opinion. It will be ranked like your typical American grading system of A-F while adding in SSS Rank like you find in a lot of Japanese games using rank.

Rank F - Sceptile

This is the weakest Gen 3 starter for me. There is nothing I like about it., well maybe except its shiny. I don’t find Treeko cute/cool, despite my fondness for The Mystery Dungeon series I don’t like Grovyle’s design, and Sceptile (nor Mega Sceptile) appeals to me. There are better grass starters.

Emboar

Tepig is cute. That’s the ONLY reason this line is higher than the previous one.

Greninja

(I am about to get SO much backlash for this!)

I am going to have to go with Ace Trainer Liam here and say that Frogadier looks so much better than Greninja. Not only is Greninja so awkward looking but I hate its level up moveset! Originally I thought it had no business being a dark type, but honestly I’m feeling this way towards its water typing. You can argue this for its dark typing, but the ONLY reason it’s a water type is because it’s a frog (and maybe it being blue...). And unless you’re running a Protean ability Greninja than the damn thing is not that good! In my playthrough of Y with Greninja (I like to play with a starter to give it a chance) it was the weakest member on my team! My Aromatisse was far more viable and it’s not even on a competitive radar!

Charizard

Charmander is cute. I have fond memories of the anime with the entire line. I can understand why Charizard is a fan favorite. But I don’t like the way Charmeleon looks, and there are better fire starters. Sorry Charizard. Nice shiny though!

Rank D - Chesnaught

Generation 6 had some of the weakest starter designs I’ve ever seen. While Chesnaught appeals to me... the rest of the line not so much. Ironically Chespin was my reluctant pick for Gen 6, and I say this because the first evolutions are underwhelming, but a certain unnamed starter from this trio took its place.

Meganium

This starter line is okay. That’s the only reason why it is where it is on the list. I have nothing bad nor good to say about it. It’s not my favorite or despised either.

Infernape

Infernape looks pretty badass. It’s pre-evolutions I honestly don’t care for. Plus it has better competition in this trio.

Rank C - Feraligatr

Totodile is cute. Feraligatr is pretty badass. Croconaw... dear God that thing is ugly lol! It’s resonates better than the Meganium line and that;s why it’s higher on the list.

Swampert

It has a solid design and typing. It’s am automatic secondary pick for the trio it’s in.

Incineroar

This starter has come a loooong way! I initially despised this entire line! But after bonding with it I have a new found perspective of it. Unfortunately Litten is still unappealing to me, but I blame the 3D model. I though Torrecat was pretty damn ugly upon its reveal, but Pokemon Refresher showed how cute it was~ I also adore its sassy personality~ Incineroar grew on me as well. I used to find its design horrendous but then I figured out what about it I loathed, and that my friends... is its hands! They look cartoony being way too big on the Pokemon and it looks like it had all fingers instead of fingers and a thumb. Other than that... it has great charisma and I’m glad I gave the line a chance~!

Blastoise

There are not enough good middle stage evolutions for starters, and by God Wartortle is sooo adorable~! The ears just slay me~ But aside from my gushing Blastoise has a well designed water starter line. It;s not my favorite but I have nothing bad to say about it.

Rank B - Samurott

Oshawott was an easy choice for me among the Gen 5 starters. It was adorable and it won my heart instantaneously~! The final evolution in the form of Samurott wasn’t my favorite at first, but it’s grown on me~ Just wish the move pool was a little better... (Also! It should have had fighting not Goddamn Emboar! D<)

Serperior

Sassy and cute things are my weakness and Snivy was no exception to that rule. While I’m not a big fan of the middle evolution in this line, it doesn’t waver its place on this list. At some point I will use a Serperior to better appreciate this Pokemon.

Torterra

While I have not officially used one in the official Pokemon games I never realized how badly I needed the dual typing of grass and ground. Grotle was a God send in Pokemon Glazed for that stupidly overpowered first gym! (The game was great but for fuck sake the beginning of it was a pain in the ass for no reason other than that dumb idea that harder = challenging!) Torterra is a beast and one day I will finally add it to an official playthrough~

Empoleon

While I love the unique typing this final evolution has... sonavabitch do I hate the fact that it’s weak to a type it should be able to take out...! To be honest I’m not a fan of the middle evolution. It looks super awkward and doesn’t fit in with the cuteness of Piplup and the regalness of Empoleon. But in generation 4 there isn’t a contest for starters when you have such an adorable little starter who becomes something that classy and badass!

Rank A - Delphox

Fennekin was my least favorite of the first evolutions for the Gen 6 trio. While it’s still not my favorite in design, in fact, all the Gen 6 starters are unappealing to me, I adore what it becomes. Just like Torterra the unique typing of fire and psychic is desirable combination I didn’t realize I wanted (I know Victini has it but I don’t use legendaries)~ While I have used one in Pokemon X my official introduction to this Pokemon was in a fanmade game called Pokemon Insurgence (it is an amazing game which I highly recommend to any Pokemon fan), which may it and the other Delphox R.I.P. since they both perished in my egglocke 3;= While Braixen is the best designed out of the line Delphox isn’t half-bad~ That model cry though... *shudders*

Primarina

Popplio was kinda cute when first revealed. When Primarina was leaked I instantly fell in love with it~ ...Brionne... well... I hate it initially. I thought it was goofy looking upon its reveal. HOWEVER, Pokemon Refresher changed my mind so fast on that! Brionne is still awkward looking but in an adorable way now. It makes my heart melt~ I simply love Primarina and he was the star of my Ultra Moon playthrough~!

Venusaur

That’s right ya’ll, I’m a Bulbasaur fan! I chose easy mode and ain’t lookin’ back! What can I say about this dinosaur plant thing...? It’s just so cute~! And grass types are in my top 5 favorite types. While Ivysaur is a bit meh for me I can tolerate it better than other middle starter evolutions. Venusaur is just a huge more mature Bulbasaur with a big of toad in him now and sometimes all you need is for the little guy to just get a bit bigger, ya know?

SSS Rank - Blaziken

There’s no competition when it comes to playing Hoenn for your’s truly. I picked Torchic in my first playthrough of Ruby and I did the same when I picked up Omega Ruby. The only reason this starter choice is on the low end of the top is because of Combusken. I don’t hate the design but I don’t love it. To be honest I prefer Mega Blaziken’s design to normal Blaziken, but Blaziken is love none the less~<3

Decidueye

It took me FOREVER to pronounce this little shits name! But despite that lol, I simply adore this entire line~! I was Team Rowlet the moment I saw the little guy~<3! It is just so insidiously adorable, and the anime has not helped (need to actually watch it, but thanks to screen shots/GIFs none the less lol)! I don’t care what anyone says I love Dartrix~! He’s so cute and sassy and oh my God his freaking out over his hair just... *bemoans*! I love it...! Decidueye was the other starter leak I fell in love with. It’s just so cool looking and it fits with the rest of the line~ The entire line is just cute and cool and Gen 7 really had some good starter designs~ But even something so cute and cool as the Rowlet line was still beaten in the end...

TYPHLOSION

Cyndaquil is my favorite starter of all times. Pokemon Silver to this day, and that includes awesome remakes, is my favorite Pokemon game! And when I initially got the game as a pre-teen up to when the games were ported to the virtual console Cyndaquil was always my choice for a starter in Johto. Sadly I had fallen out of Pokemon for a brief time so I missed out on Heart Gold & Soul Silver (ROMs don’t count dammit lol!)... Cyndaquil is just the cutest thing while Quilava is both cute and cool with Typhlosion just being such a BAMF! The entire line proves that you can be simplistic and still have a good design. All Cyndaquil did was get bigger and meaner and it works~! And that’s why it’s on the top~! ^v^

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rhnuzlocke · 7 years

Text

Re-write?

So I decided to give the first chapter of Running Hot a quick re-write in normal prose just to give you all a feel of what it would be like. Is this an improvement on the original? Does it appeal to you all more? Again, I wouldn’t do the full re-write until Running Hot is finished in mid-August. Based on how long this took, I could probably do a chapter a week even if I’m busy. Anyway, I’m just curious how you all feel about it. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Episode 1: String of False Starts

Ren is jolted in her seat and wakes up. She slowly pulls her feet off the dashboard of the cramped car and stretches. The rest of the small car is crammed with boxes and a lamp and all manner of other things. Ren yawns and looks out her window at the scenery which is mostly lovely woods although the trees are a bit different than she is used to. The car crosses a bridge over a broad estuary at high tide. There are wingulls floating in the water and perched on driftwood.

“How long was I asleep?” Ren asks.

“Not too long, maybe an hour,” her mother answers from the driver’s seat. “Anyway, we’re almost there.”

“Oh geez, sorry okāsan, I was supposed to keep you company.”

“It’s fine, Ren-chan. You needed the rest and it’s been such a pretty drive.” She glances over at her daughter. “Are you nervous at all? I know this is a lot.”

“I guess a bit,” Ren admits. “I mean, I haven’t even seen the house.”

“It’s very nice! You are going to love your room. The region is really beautiful and the town is just lovely. Maybe you could work in the lab for a bit while you figure things out…” She trails off because Ren is staring out the window and not responding. Asuka takes a breath. “I just want you to know that your father and I are really grateful for how well you are taking all of this. You’ve been such a big help, even if you maybe aren’t as excited about it as we are.”

Ren turns back to her mother and smiles reassuringly.

“Aw, okāsan, no one could hope to be as excited as you. I think it will be fun!”

Asuka sighs.

“I just think you put on a brave face for us sometimes, but I want you to know you are allowed to feel however you want about this.”

Ren takes a deep breath before responding, settling her hands into her lap.

“I think it’s a good time to pull up roots. I’ll miss Johto and stuff, but I just graduated. Everyone will be going their separate ways anyway.” Ren perks up again, fixing a smile back on her face. “Besides, otōsan has been gushing about Hoenn for years. I’m pretty hyped. And we’ll get to see otōsan all the time. This is so awesome for you guys!” She squeezes her mother’s shoulder. “Try not to worry so much.”

Soon enough they arrive in a small rural town and pull into a driveway behind the moving truck. The two-story house is small with a red tile roof and charming facade. A mover and several machoke pile out of the moving van and mother and daughter climb out of their car. The machokes open the back of the van and start carrying things inside. A middle-aged woman comes over from the house next door to greet her new neighbors. She initiates a bow rather than a handshake and Ren and Asuka return it. They talk for a few minutes and then the woman joins Ren, Asuka and the movers bringing things inside. Once everything is in the house, she helps unpack boxes while Asuka puts things away and Ren directs the machoke.

After the movers have gone, the three women sit around a table in the kitchen/dining area and have lunch. There are boxes piled everywhere, but at least the furniture is in order. The neighbor makes a comment to Ren who proceeds to flex her muscular arms exaggeratedly. All three laugh.

Even later, Ren is sprawled on her bed, taking in her new room. The ceiling is sloped with the roof and the beams are uncovered. Most of Ren’s things are still in boxes, but she has put some clothes away in the closet and a few pictures and little pokemon statues out on her dresser. Ren’s mother pops her head in the open door.

“How’s it going, Ren-chan?”

Ren gives her mother the thumbs up without looking over.

“I’m going to the Birch’s to help Nikau,” Asuka continues. “I was hoping you could stop by the lab and see if you could gently remind Prof. Birch that we are all having dinner together. He was supposed to be here by now. I think he is a bit like your father and just gets very wrapped up in his work.”

“Okay,” Ren responds distantly, still staring at the beams above her.

Her mother lingers for a moment, studying Ren’s face before leaving. Ren sits up and stretches before heading out. She catches up with her mother on her way out the door and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Her mother smiles and heads next door while Ren walks down their driveway towards the road.

---

Ren walks down the main road through the small town, if it can even be called that. It’s more a collection of houses with a general store than a proper hamlet. Still, there are flowers in front of almost every house and lots of modest vegetable gardens. The largest building by far is Littleroot Labs. The main entrance has a automatic sliding glass door so Ren walks right in. There is nothing between the small vestibule and the main lab room, although there is a hall off to the left. Ren looks over the scientists and cool equipment with curiosity. The most impressive piece is an virtual 3D map of the region in the center of the room. One person is sitting at the console adding information to one of the areas which is highlighted. There are several other people working on other things, but none that scream professor to her, so she approaches the lab tech working on the map.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Prof. Birch.”

“He’s still out in the field. What was it that you needed?” The lab tech turns to face her and blinks in surprise. “Oh, you must be Senri’s kid. Welcome to Littleroot!”

The other scientists all look up at this except one in the corner who is listening to music.

“Thanks,” Ren says, ignoring the stares. ‘Any idea where I can find the professor? I’m supposed to remind him about dinner.”

The lab tech chuckles: “Sounds like Alan. He should be on Route 101, just north of town.”

“Thanks again. Nice to meet you.”

She offers her hand to shake and waves to everyone as she backs out of the lab.

---

Route 101 is mostly wooded with the occasional grassy area. The footpath diverges from the road very quickly, making it feel quiet and wild despite the short distance from town. Ren admires the scenery as she searches for the professor and stops to look at wild pokemon when she spots them. Most of the zigzagoons, taillow and wurmple scurry away at the sight of her, but a few pause to look her over before fleeing or just ignore her altogether.

Ren is watching a taillow catch a bug when she hears a cry. It sounds human and distressed and Ren runs toward the sound. She comes to an open meadow and nearly trips over a shoulder bag in the tall grass. She picks it up and keeps running. She finds Prof. Birch on the ground with an angry poochyena shaking his pant leg vigorously and snarling. Ren stops and stands up straight.

“Hey!” she yells to get the poochyena’s attention.

The poochyena eyes her for a second then continues savaging the professor’s pant leg as if she wasn’t there. Ren takes a step forward to stop it, but Prof. Birch yells at her.

“Don’t! I have pokemon!” He tries kicking at the enraged poochyena to no avail. “In my bag—hurry—AHH!” he screams as the as the poochyena tugs harder.

Ren thrusts her arm into the bag, pulls out a pokeball and throws it, catching it easily as it bounces back, releasing the pokemon inside. The red light from the ball forms into a treecko. He surveys the situation for a moment, then charges the poochyena, smacking it in the face with his tail. The poochyena rolls off and Prof. Birch scrambles back but doesn’t manage to stand. The poochyena lunges at the treecko who dodges, but when he looks back at Birch, the poochyena lands a Bite and the treecko flinches, leaving him open for a Tackle.

“Oh, ah, Pound!” Birch orders belatedly.

The treecko obeys, swinging its tail at the poochyena, but the wild pokemon catches it in its teeth and flips the treecko with a heave. The treecko lands heavily on his back, winded.

“Leer?” Birch says uncertainly, still sprawled out on the ground.

The treecko fixes the the poochyena with glowing golden eyes, but the wild pokemon shakes it off. It lunges again and the treecko just barely dodges. Birch doesn’t even have the presence of mind to stand as the poochyena chases his treecko around. Ren watches this for another moment before her face sets and she steps forward.

“You are faster than that thing!” She yells to the treecko. “Wait for it to charge, then dodge and use Pound!”

The treecko’s gold eyes flash to hers, then it tenses, waiting. When the poochyena charges, the treecko jumps over it, flips in midair, and brings its tail down on the poochyena’s head, slamming it into the ground. The treecko lands gracefully just behind it.

“That’s it!” Ren yells encouragingly.

The poochyena gets up and shakes its head. The treecko squares off with it on all fours, tail wagging.

“To the side this time!” Ren calls, pointing for emphasis.

The treecko dives towards the poochyena’s tail and spins as the poochyena wheels around, teeth bared. The treecko’s tail connects heavily with the poochyena’s side, sending it rolling away.

“Now hit its back!”

The treecko leaps up and brings his tail down on the poochyena before the wild pokemon can get to its feet.

“Yes!” Ren cries, eyes alight.

The poochyena shudders, trying to stand, and Ren’s expression becomes serious once more.

“Pin its head and look it in the eye. You’ve won this fight. Let it know.”

The treecko does as instructed, snorting into the poochyena’s face as he pins its muzzle to the ground with a hand. The treecko holds the poochyena’s gaze until it looks away, then he lets it up slowly. It slinks off with a whine.

“Great job!” says Ren enthusiastically and the treecko turns to look up at her. “You kicked that mutt’s butt! You sure are fast.”

The treecko grins broadly and she smiles back. He is a light grass green with a red stripe down his back surrounded by red spots. His throat and belly are pale and his tail a light but vivid blue. Little gold scales are sprinkled sparingly over him so that he sparkles slightly in the sun.

“You okay?” Ren asks the treecko.

He nods vigorously, but his eyes stay fixed on her even as she turns to check on the professor. She offers Birch a hand and pulls him up.

“You okay professor?”

“Yes, just a bit shaken up is all.” He takes a few deep breaths and pats out his coat, trying to straighten himself out a bit. “I have to admit this isn’t the first time this has happened. Thank you for saving my neck, or maybe I should say my leg. You must be Ren.”

“Once again my reputation precedes me,” Ren responds in and absolute deadpan.

“It certainly does!” Birch says with a smile. “You look a lot like your father. You battle like him too. Should have expected as much, I suppose.” His brow furrows a little. “Only, I thought Senri said you weren’t a trainer yet?”

“I’m not, but I used to practice with otōsan and stuff.”

Birch nods.

“You are very talented. I’m a terrible trainer as you’ve probably noticed,” he says, looking sheepish. “I always just panic and blurt out the first move that comes to mind, even when my leg isn’t being chewed on.” He straightens out his sleeves. “I should really work at it more since I’m out in the field so much.

“Well,” Ren says carefully, “you are really good at your job.” She hands him his bag. “I’ve seen your work in the news and I read of few of your papers in school. It’s great stuff.”

“Thank you! And thank you again for the help.” He rummages in his bag, pulls out a potion and sprays it on the treecko, who shakes, looking refreshed. “There you go. Thanks, bud.” He turns back to Ren. “I better get home. I was supposed to help my wife with dinner like a good husband for once.” He pulls out his PokéNav and tries to call his son. “He’s still not picking up,” he mutters to himself, then looks back up at Ren. “You know, I hate to ask a favor when you just saved me, but do you think you could fetch Kai for me? He should be just north of here on Route 103.”

“Sure thing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you so much! Hey, why don’t you take this treecko with you? It can get a bit rough out here and you two seem to get along.”

Ren looks down at the treecko, who wags his tail twice.

“How about it?” she asks him.

The treecko nods excitedly and climbs right up to her shoulder as if she were a tree. She laughs.

“Will you be alright, professor?

“Yeah! I still have a few pokemon and it’s not far.” He hands her the treecko’s pokeball. “Dinner probably won’t be for a while anyway. We have to wait for Senri. So you two have fun. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ren. I’ll see you soon!”

“Nice meeting you too! See ya!” Ren calls after him as he hurries back towards town. She tilts her head to glance at the treecko on her shoulder. “Ready?”

The treecko nods and they set off.

---

The treecko stays on her shoulder as they hike onwards back into the woods. After a bit, they come across a wurmple crawling beside the path. The treecko goes rigid and tugs at Ren’s tank top.

“What’s up?” Ren asks, looking at him.

The treecko wiggles while pointing at the wurmple, then plants a fist in his other hand with an audible smack.

“You want to battle?”

The treecko nods vigorously and Ren eyes him seriously for a moment. She looks down at the wurmple, which has turned to face them and it raises its hindquarters in obvious challenge. Ren sighs.

“Alright, go get ’em, tiger!”

Ren braces as the treecko vaults off her shoulder and lands in front of the wurmple. The wurmple immediately string-shots him in the face and he staggers back.

“Keep your cool. Listen for it,” Ren instructs calmly.

The treecko crouches, eyes closed, and the wurple shifts, readying its stinger.

“It’s gonna try and sting you! Hit it with your left!”

The treecko aims a punch with its left hand and it hits home. He uses the contact to grab the wurmple and flips it, quickly hopping on top of it. He holds it down until it stops struggling, then lets it up, turning back to Ren as it slips away into the grass.

“Masterful job, tiger! Hold still,” she says, smiling.

She kneels down and peels the silk off his face. His golden eyes blink open and he grins, looking satisfied. He climbs back aboard and they head off again.

---

Before long they are skirting Oldsdale Town and continuing on to Route 103. It is very similar to Route 101 except that Ren can now smell the sea nearby. Ren and the treecko find a clearing in just visible from the path with a deep, round pool. A young man about Ren’s age is sitting next to it, talking to his torchic which is in turn talking to a zigzagoon. The young man is rather heavyset like Prof. Birch, but has darker nut brown skin and the hair poking out from under his beanie is straight and a good deal less sun-bleached. Despite these differences, Ren feels fairly certain she has found the right person and steps out into the clearing.

“Really?” the young man asks excitedly, scrawling something rapidly in his notebook. “Could you ask it if it’s seen any recently, or maybe what time of year it’s seen them?”

His torchic nods, turning back to the zigzagoon who is nibbling on something. They converse for a minute in cheeps and coos and then the torchic twitters to the young man, who scratches something in his notebook again.

“That’s great!” he exclaims. “We’ll have to keep coming back here for a while to see if we can confirm. Thank it for me would you, Jay?”

The torchic turn back to the zigzagoon, but it has obviously spotted Ren and picks up its food before scurrying away into the bushes. The young man and torchic look up at Ren simultaneously. He grins brightly.

“Hi there!”

“Hi, I’m Ren Kosugi.”

She offers her hand. He takes it and they shake before she pulls him up.

“I’m Kai and this is Jay. It’s nice to meet you. Are you a trainer?”

“No—” Ren begins a bit slowly but she is interrupted by the treecko moving on her shoulder and making a gurgling sound.

The torchic cheeps loudly at Kai and he looks down at her, then back up at Ren.

“That’s funny, your treecko says you are.”

“I already said I’m not,” Ren mutters quietly to the treecko. Turning back to Kai and adding: “And he’s not my—”

The torchic interrupts with another excited cheep.

Kai looks down at his torchic again: “Are you sure that’s Dad’s—” Looking back up at Ren: “Wait, did you say your name was Kosugi?”

“Yeah.”

“So you must be Senri’s kid!” he babbles, flustered. “I’m sorry I wasn’t—I didn’t expect—I mean I guess I just thought you’d be a guy?” He trails off uncertainly.

“Well I’m not,” Ren says flatly.

“I guess so—I mean obviously,” Kai corrects hurriedly, face flushing. He laughs awkwardly, suddenly unable to meet her eyes from embarrassment.

Ren looks kind of irritated, but after a moment of internal struggle, her face softens. “It’s fine. Anyway your father sent me and the treecko to bring you back for dinner.”

“Oh, right, geez. I’m sorry about that. I turned off my nav because the notifications kept spooking my subjects,” Kai explains.

“No big deal. I wanted to have a look around anyway,” Ren assures him. There is a beat of silence but Ren picks up the slack: “Want to head back? It’s getting kind of late.”

“Y-yeah.”

Ren turns around to head home but Kai lingers for a moment before jumping to follow. They skirt the bushes at the edge of the clearing and get back on the path. Kai stays quiet, clearly too embarrassed to make further conversation. Ren sighs and takes the initiative.

“So I take it you are a trainer?”

“Yeah!” he replies, perking up for just a moment before getting quieter again and looking away. “But I just started.”

“And you can already talk to your torchic? That’s pretty cool.”

“Thanks. She’s great and really smart.” Jay headbutts his leg affectionately. He smiles at her. Ren watches out of the corner of her eye and grins a bit. “It was really awesome to actually be able to speak to a pokemon after waiting practically my entire life…”

There is another beat of silence, so Ren swoops in once more.

“Do you help your father with his research a lot?”

“Yeah,” He says, smiling again. “I sort of grew up doing it, but now that I’m old enough I’m an official research assistant. And because I have my own pokemon, I can do field work, which is the fun part. Jay is the best. She is always helping me find rare variants and interviewing wilds. Just back there, this zigzagoon was telling us—”

Kai continues to babble excitedly about his work and Ren smiles just a little to herself, looking satisfied. It is getting dark and the sun is setting over the trees to their left. The treecko hops down of her shoulder to walk next to the torchic as they go. He burbles to her quietly but excitedly and she peeps quietly back. By the time the four of them get back to Littleroot, the sun has set and Kai guides them back to his house by the lights in people’s windows since there are no street lamps. All four parents are there already and greet their children enthusiastically when they come in.

---

The two families, including the torchic, treecko, a mudkip, a vigoroth and an ursaring, are gathered around a table at the Birch’s house finishing dinner. Senri is sitting on one end, tilting back in his chair with his wife and daughter on either side. Ren is seated next to Kai and has one arm on the table so she can better see past him to the other end where Prof. Birch is telling the story of his rescue, gesticulating wildly for emphasis. All laugh as he nearly falls out of his chair in the re-enactment.

“And I’m blithering out inane commands like an idiot so of course my poor treecko is getting his ass kicked—no offense, bud—so I’m just panicking even more. But then Ren steps in—thank Arceus—and starts telling my treecko what to do. And it works, like right away! They had this thing literally beaten into the ground in less than a minute. I’ve never seen anyone turn a battle around like that before. And this poochyena already knew Bite, so it was no slouch. I mean, that should have been a tough battle even without the rocky start!”

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Senri says, grinning. He makes brief eye contact with his daughter and she gives him an irritated look in return “She’s always been a natural.”

The treecko chooses this moment to climb Ren like a tree and rest his head on hers, standing on her shoulders for support. She stops glaring at her father and lowers her other elbow to the table, resting her head in her hands to make the position more comfortable. All are quiet for a moment, watching the pair grin at each other.

“What do you say to taking that treecko off my hands, Ren?” Prof. Birch asks.

“Wha!—really?” Ren responds with an embarrassed start.

“Of course. He is a bit of a handful,” Birch admits, “but he seems to like you already.”

The professor smiles, trying not to laugh because the treecko, who has clearly not been following the conversation, has grabbed hold of Ren’s head so that he can nuzzle it with full force, mussing her hair quite thoroughly.

“What do you say, tiger?” Ren asks the treecko from under the black hair coming loose around her face. The treecko freezes, eyes blowing wide. “Would you like to be my pokemon?” Ren prompts.

The treecko bounces ecstatically for a moment before leapfrogging over her head and landing on the table in front of her. He whirls around to face her, nodding frantically, whole body quivering with excitement.

“Well alright then, I guess you are,” Ren says with a big smile.

The treecko does a summersault, which sends a few things flying, then jumps into her arms, nuzzling her neck. After a moment, she puts him back down on the table.

“Are you going to battle him?” Senri asks, grinning from ear to ear.

“I’m not—” Ren begins defensively, but snorts mid-sentence because the treecko is furiously waggling its eyebrows at her.

“He’s been with humans for a while now. He’s picked up a few things,” Prof. Birch explains, chuckling a little. “Is that what you're going to call him, ‘Tiger’?”

“Nah, I’ll think of something better.”

“Do you think you could do me another favor?” Birch asks.

“Sure!” Ren says, belatedly turning to look at him.

“I know you haven’t decided what you are going to do yet, but I’m sure you won’t be in Littleroot all the time. Would you take one of my pokedexes and log the pokemon you see while you are out?”

“That’s hardly a favor, professor. I’d love to have a pokedex.”

“Great. You can come by the lab and pick one up tomorrow then. And you can call me Alan. We’re all friends here.”

“Of course, Alan,” Ren says, smiling. “Thank you.”

The treecko climbs back on Ren’s shoulder and meanwhile Jay the torchic has is nestled herself between Kai’s arms on the table. Senri has his arm over the back of his wife’s chair as she leans in to talk to Nikau. He starts in needling his daughter about whether or not she is going to train her new treecko, but she dodges the question. Alan gets up and starts clearing the dishes away since he missed most of the prep work. The vigoroth is happy to eat the leftover scraps while the ursaring naps in the corner, snoring softly.

---

The next day Ren is unpacking more of her things. The treecko is trying to help, but mostly he is just bouncing around and climbing all over her walls with his sticky pads. Ren doesn’t appear to mind his antics and even gives him a rubber band ball to play with.

Later they head downstairs and help Ren’s mother unpack dishes and other kitchen things. Asuka unwraps and directs while Ren puts things away and the treecko helps place things in the cabinets that are too high for the women to reach.

They all take a break for lunch and after they are finished eating, Ren sees the treecko staring out the window, tapping his foot absently on the sill.

“Hey okāsan, I think we are going to head out for a bit.”

“Sure thing, Ren-chan,” her mother responds placidly over her shoulder. “Thanks for the help.”

---

The treecko is bounds ahead of Ren on Route 101. It is warm in the sun, but still a little cool beneath the trees, so Ren has a light jacket over her shirt and a knee-length skirt. The treecko spots a zigzagoon and bounces in place, looking eagerly at Ren.

“I’ve told you twice I’m not a trainer,” Ren tells him. “ I’m serious.”

The treecko just waggles his tail, grinning at her and she sighs.

“Alright, but we can’t just do this all the time. It’s dangerous because we’re not registered. Do you understand?” There is no recognition in his eyes, so she tries to explain. “A real trainer can take you to a Pokemon Center if something goes wrong. And I’m not even sure I really want to…” she trails off as he gestures at the zigzagoon, as eager as ever. Her expression softens for a moment and she straightens up. “Try not to jump around as much this time. These zigzagoons are pretty good at getting you in the gut.”

He nods, bounding forward as the zigzagoon crouches, tail erect in challenge.

“And watch for the front claws!” she calls as the treecko dives at his opponent. “They’ll do a lot more damage. Try to get around back!”

He does as instructed, stopping just out of range as the zigzagoon swipes at him and jumping to the side instead.

---

The next few days follow a similar pattern: unpack, lunch, afternoon foray on Route 101 and battles with wilds. Ren and her treecko are challenged by a poochyena and once again she accepts. The two pokemon go back and forth for a while, the poochyena using Tackle and the treecko using pound, with neither able to gain the upper hand. The treecko is pants as the poochyena watches him carefully from several feet away. It uses growl and he shudders.

“This is getting us nowhere. You’re not gonna land another pound without it getting a better hit. Use absorb!” Ren commands.

The teecko launches a ball of green energy at the poochyena and it staggers. Energy flows from it into the treecko and he perks up a bit.

“One more!” Ren calls.

This time the poochyena collapses. And the treecko stands, looking exceedingly pleased.

“Great job, tiger!”

She crouches down and they high-five, grinning. Ren pulls some jerky out of her shoulder bag and places it in front of the poochyena. It gets up and takes the offering cautiously before slinking away. Kai and Jay emerge from the grass behind Ren.

“You are a good battler,” Kai says in wonder.

She whips he head around, looking a little sheepish. “Thanks.” She stands.

“How come you two are out here battling wilds?” Kai asks.

“It was his idea,” Ren says, jerking her thumb at the treecko. He puffs up with pride puffs up Kai’s torchic titters. Ren looks down. “I mean, we shouldn’t be, but he really likes battling. He gets so damn excited. It’s really hard to say no.”

“Maybe it’s not my place, but when I saw you two battling just now, it looked…” he pauses, try to think of the right words “…right? Like you’d been doing it for a long time already. You two were in sync and, well, at least it looked like you were having fun.” Ren looks unsure and a bit uncomfortable so Kai pauses for a moment before continuing. “I don’t even have a badge yet, so feel free to totally ignore what I’m saying, but I think you are super talented and you two could totally take the league in time.”

Ren rubs her right arm, still not meeting his eyes and Jay chirps at her. Ren blinks, not understanding what the torchic wants to say and looks up at Kai for a translation.

“Jay says you should do what makes you happy, what feels right, and not worry so much.”

Ren’s face brightens a little. And she smiles at Kai and then the torchic: “Smart cookie.”

---

Later that night, Ren is lying on her bed with the treecko resting on her chest. She pulls a hand out from under her head and rests it gently on the treecko’s back. His eyes open and he looks at her.

“So I’ve been thinking… how do you feel about ‘Tāraki’—as a name, I mean?”

The treecko scooches up and boops her nose with his. She laughs.

“So is that a yes?”

He nods and flops his head down on her collarbone.

“Okay, Tāraki, I’ve also been thinking about what we’re going to do, you know?”

He rumbles against her.

“It seems obvious to me that you really want to be a battler. And I know I’ve been sort of… unclear on whether I want to be a trainer. I really do like battling with you, but I…” she trails off and sighs. “Maybe I’ll save that explanation for another time. The point is… I’m willing to train you.”

The treecko’s head snaps up, eyes boring into hers.

“I mean I’d be happy to train you. We can even challenge a gym if you want, I just can’t promise we’ll take the League Challenge or anything right now, okay?”

Ren splutters and as he launches himself at her neck, hugging her tight and rubbing his head roughly against her cheek. She giggles, trying to gently push him away.

“Tāraki!”

#pokemon #nuzlocke #oras #treecko #torchic #pokemon trainer #re-write #update #running hot nuzlocke

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