#my wife and son need me Dragonite let's fly

[softquietsteadylove]

Would love to read more Thenamesh Pokémon AU! Liked it very much?

Maybe Gil and Thena fighting against a few poachers to protect the Pokémon Gil rescued? And then some cute fluff in th end? :D

"Good work, buddy," Gil smiled, patting Dragonite's arm as it unloaded another few pokemon rescued from nets and traps. The anxious Oddish and Budew bounced down to the ground and hopped around each other. Gil knelt down to them. "I'm glad you're all safe. We have a few supplies with us, and the Chansey will check you out and make sure you're not hurt, okay?"

The grass pokemon gave him a look before moving as a group towards the friendly seeming pink pokemon waiting for them.

Dragonite leaned down to Gil, booping him with his snoot.

"Of course I am," Gil sighed, scribbling on his tablet about their new head count.

Thena was out there - with Teddiursa - battling.

She had volunteered of course, after hearing that some poachers had escaped them from last month. And they weren't in a position to say no to help from one of the best battlers in the region.

Teddiursa had come simply because he was still too young to be left home alone and too anxious to be left at the ranger centre without her for so long.

Even after being with her for a month, the little mama's-boy still preferred to be attached to her when at all possible. It wasn't so surprising, though--normal type pokemon tended to bond very deeply with their caretakers. And for all she said she discouraged it, he had yet to see Thena leave the house without Teddiursa at least seated in the hood of her coat (if not cradled in her arms like a baby).

Dragonite patted Gil's shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"You're right," Gil blew out an anxious breath, adjusting his hat on his head. "I'm just...being paranoid."

"Hey, boss," another ranger called over to him. "We've got a report of another trap getting set off at the base of the mountain!"

"Dragonite!" Gil responded immediately, climbing onto the dragon type's back and flying off the cliff and towards the mountain base. The caves were deep and extensive, but Thena had offered to keep an eye on the bottom entrance, knowing that it would be the easiest route for them to use. "Please, bud, we've gotta hurry!"

Dragonite took a nosedive, flying down to the valley floor at a dangerous angle of descent. He pulled up at the last possible second, flaring his wings out and looping around, even having to run a little as they landed.

Gil leapt off his back, running into the cave at full speed. "Thena!"

"Ursa!"

Gil's blood ran cold as he saw a very familiar head of ears and a pom-pom tail running out of the cave towards him. He leaned down, receiving the little cub in his arms. "What happened?!"

"T-T-Ted-Teddi--"

"Okay, okay," Gil held up a hand, encouraging Teddiursa to take deep breaths with him. The little bear did his best, filling its tiny lungs and keeping its tears at bay. "Buddy, just look at me. Where is Thena?"

The little cub pokemon began at the beginning as Gil took off running again. It told him all about how Thena was patrolling the caves when the ceiling opened up and nets came down. They got a bunch of the Quagsire in the shallow ponds, as well as Thena.

She had taken Teddiursa out of her hood and pushed him through one of the wider loops of the net, insisting he go and get help instead of being caught with her.

"It's okay," Gil reassured the little guy, who was now fully crying as he recounted the sight of his Mama being dragged away from him by bad guys. And that was overlooking the fact that he had relived the landslide that had separated him from his Ursaring pack in the first place.

"Ursa!"

"I know, I'm worried about her too, bud," Gil patted the little bear's head, snuggled into his vest as he ran. "Don't worry, Mama's gonna be just fine."

"Ted!" the little bear nodded, doing away with his tears with their rescue mission in mind. He looked up at Gil, "Teddiursa?"

Well, no, he didn't have pokemon to battle with. He had very little experience with battling, really, having always known he was going to be a pokemon ranger. It just suited him more to be in pokemon care and conservation as opposed to traditional training.

Thena was made for pokemon battling.

She was so strong, and she bonded so deeply with the pokemon in her care. They were an amazing team. She was smart, resourceful, she knew the ups and downs of every pokemon's type and strengths and weaknesses.

"Teddi," Gil breathed deeply, running through the burn in his lungs. "Does she have Gallade with her?"

Teddiursa's eyes sparked at the name of the pokemon it had quickly come to see as an older brother. "Teddi!"

Gil felt a little reassured by that, at least. Thena's partner pokemon was just as strong and just as temperamental as she was. Even if he was in a pokeball, he would know Thena was in danger and fight to protect her.

"Please!" Gil shouted to a Luxray running on a ridge above them. He raised up his badge, "I need your help! My friend-!"

The electric type looked down at them, eyeing them with its intimidating eyes, black fur bristling.

"She got taken by the poachers!" Gil continued to plead with the wild pokemon, which had at least leapt down to come closer to them. "I have to save her. Just give me a ride--you don't have to stick around to fight them with me."

"Lux!"

Teddiursa laughed with excitement as Gil jumped onto the back of the Gleam Eyes pokemon. Gil put a hand on his vest, inside which Teddiursa was snuggled. It raised a paw, pointing with its claw. "Teddiursa!"

"Thena!"

Thena and Gallade were backed up against a wall, in front of the wild Quagsire, both of them with their fists raised. Of course Thena would fight a pokemon poacher with her bare hands, if need be. She and Gallade were ride or die, and had been since he was a shy little ralts.

"Thena!" Gil called out, hoping to offer his help before she started trying to fight a Golbat with her own fists.

"Who the hell-?!"

Gil jumped off Luxray's back as it slid over to them. It did stick around, for which Gil was thankful. It snapped its teeth and crackled with electricity, making the poachers' Golbat a little more wary of them.

"Teddi!"

Thena's eyes went wide with relief as her little bear leapt from Gil's vest into her arms. She spun him around in her arms, holding his head under her chin with his ears brushing against her cheeks. "Oh, thank Arceus you're okay!"

"Teddiursa!" the little bear nuzzled against her. He looked up at Gallade, "ted?"

"Gallade," the fighting/psychic type patted the little bear's head, congratulating him on the job well done.

"Golbat, get us that cub!"

Oh, that was not how this was going to work. Gil held out a hand in front of Thena and Teddiursa. Gallade bent his taller form over them.

"Luxray, thunder fang 'em!"

Gil really did owe the wild pokemon a debt of gratitude. It had really come to his aid, and now really was battling with him. The lynx pokemon leapt into the air, easily sinking its teeth into the Golbats' wings, surging with electricity and making them plummet to the cave ground.

"Let's get outta here!"

"Paralyze them!" Gil pointed, sending the assisting pokemon after them. Its speed spoke for itself, catching the three male poachers and freezing them on the spot with a painful - but non-lethal - dose of static. It wandered back to him more slowly. Gil removed his hat, bowing his head to the pokemon in respect. "Thank you, for helping me save my family."

Perhaps with a family of its own to care for, the pokemon acknowledged Gil in return, before heading deeper into the cave again.

Gil turned, breathing out a sigh of relief as he pulled Thena and Teddiursa into his embrace. He buried his nose against Thena's sunshine hair. "You're okay."

Gallade patted Gil's shoulder, still holding onto its trainer.

Thena laughed faintly as she tried to pull back, only for Gil to wrap his arms around her waist and press his forehead to hers. She could feel the sweat there, and the brim of his hat getting tipped up against her head. "Gil, it's okay. Everyone's okay."

"Ursa," Teddiursa offered in comfort as well, reaching up from Thena's embrace to pat Gil's cheek with his paw.

"Okay," he sniffed, trying to get a hold of himself. Even with Dragonite having gone back to the other rangers, he still had a job to do. "Okay--you're right, w-we should go."

"Gallade," Thena asked with a frown, "could you carry them back with us?"

"Gal," he nodded, knowing that he was the strongest for the job, even with Gil here now. It walked over to the static-y poachers, loading them both up on one of its shoulders.

Thena leaned down to the huddle of terrified Quagsire, just now removing their flippers(?) from their eyes. "You should head into the sub-basement of the caves until this all blows over. Stick together and be careful."

The amphibious pokemon all nodded to her before scurrying off, their tails dragging on the damp cave floors. Gil reached out for her hand. "Let's go."

She nodded, prepared for him to let go of her hand over the course of the long walk back out of the caves. But he never did. She looked down at their joined hands and then up at him.

Gil could feel her looking at him but didn't let go. If anything, he tightened his fingers around hers. "I'm not letting go...not yet."

Thena looked down at the cave floor, smiling into her coat collar and feeling the weight of Teddiursa in her hood. Her cheeks warmed as he threaded their fingers together. "Okay."

Gallade rolled its eyes at them.