Alex

  —

  Erin and Leaf were completely at ease in the damn basket as we barreled towards something Leto had found.

  I was not.

  I did not appreciate the Ride Basket! At all! Somehow Erin and Leaf both just… rode the bouncing! Me? I bounced wildly as Leto ran! I couldn't even hold onto the floor or handholds after I lost my grip because she was moving too damn fast, bouncing me around, continually re-breaking my grip before I gave up! I'd break my fingers if I kept trying to grab them while bouncing in the air, and Indeedee still does not like me.

  She would absolutely heal me to perfect health in a heartbeat, no doubt about that, even if broken bones took longer to actually heal. She would also slap me half the time she healed me…

  I slammed into the sides of the basket when Leto came to a skidding halt that broke two trees, ran back a hundred feet or so, gently placed the Ride Basket down, then returned herself. I almost asked what was wrong, but it was quite clear. You could almost see the stench in the air! Leaf turned and began to dry heave, and I was close. Erin? This was her idea! I spoke up as I tried to not hurl.

  "You're sure this is a good idea? Don't they hate humans? Well, not hate, but they don't usually like to be around people. Probably because people don't like to be around them!" Erin just shook her head idly at my question.

  "Nah, I have a feeling I know why this one is so… potent. I'll just need to get close enough to talk it out." Insane girl! Why are you talking to them?! Why not send a Pokemon?

  Probably because they refused to get any closer to the absolutely rancid smell in the area, actually.

  "I mean, it shouldn't be a hard negotiation. If I'm right, I'll just be giving them what they want. I'm so glad I bought a bunch of extra crap in Vermilion before I got Rotom, it was a good idea and not a huge waste, now… You two, stay back here. In fact, mom can come with me just for insurance, but let's leave everyon-" Leto released herself and walked off, away from the smell as Erin burst into laughter.

  "Never mind, then! I'll go alone! Just wait… back there, I guess. Out of the range… Take my jacket and headband, too. I'm going to have to burn these clothes…" She took them off, struggling with her arms for a moment for some reason.

  "Erin, why are you walking towards the worst thing I have ever smelled?!" She gave me an easy grin.

  "Simple! I want to!" She began to walk off. "I also don't give a sh- da- Arceus, Patricia! I don't care about the smell. I mean, I do, but I can deal." Then she was gone, into the woods, towards the foulest stink imaginable. Rotom looked murderous as it followed Erin. They couldn't smell, but they would rather not journey towards it any more than us. I swear you could feel it in the air.

  I turned to look at Leaf.

  "So, what the hell is she doing? That's a Vileplume, right? It has to be!" Leaf was grinning far too much like Erin, I thought.

  "Who knows, Alex?" I glared at her.

  "How is she even able to do that?" She laughed.

  "Alex, she rode back to civilization in a rotting skin while wearing more of them." She made a good point… "Plus, I think it's just pure willpower. Maybe that, and maybe she also learned to just turn her nose off after the Lowlands…" She perked up a bit and smiled.

  "Mom is going to love my progress report on her cursing, too… Although, I think she's turning moms name into a curse at this point…" I laughed, hard. Long, loud, and hard.

  It was hilarious to me that Erin of all people was being trained out of cursing. It drove her even more insane than she normally was, but even in the past week she had been cursing less and less. To her visible, and usually audible, irritation.

  Twenty minutes later Erin came walking back, holding a Pokeball. We walked away from her. Fast. She visibly reeked. I think almost literally! I really should have held my tongue, too.

  "Wait, Lance was right about your smell?!"

  My punishment? A hug!

  Her punishment for the hug? Me vomiting down her back from her sheer stench.

  It took a while to get moving again…

  —

  Leto was fast. We finished crossing the distance to Cerulean City by noon that day. Well, we got close enough by noon. That's when we stopped for some reason.

  "Leto! What's up, your majesty? Brought us a snack in that big ol' picnic basket you've got there?" Who the fuck? Who just jokes with an Alpha Tyrantrum?!

  I poked my head out of the basket and found a Ranger Station in front of us, a basic stone hut with an observation tower and a garage off Route. Standard as they went. You don't need a lot for a home base, though.

  The three Rangers casually smiling up at Leto couldn't be standard, I thought as she lowered the horrible contraption to the ground. Nobody should be that casual around Leto at first! Nobody!

  Erin practically squealed as she pulled herself out of the basket.

  "Mom, you know people?! I mean, I know you know the Rangers in the plains, but all the way up here?!" She was giving Leto a wide-eyed, disbelieving look. I could understand that, honestly. The oldest looking Ranger spoke up with a wide, easy smile.

  "Rangers keep a database with carnivores to keep an eye on, and Leto is the biggest one currently in Kanto. We all know her. Plus, she's got, what, three awards now? We love Leto!" What!?

  "Wait, mom has awards?!" Erin was flabbergasted as she stared at the Rangers in shock. They had huge, somehow proud smiles on their faces as they watched Erin's incredulous expression.

  "Of course! There's a Meritorious Service Award for clearing out some Kangaskhan poachers, another one for clearing out some other Kangaskhan poachers, and a Silver Star for saving that photographer. So far, at least." We all stared at him in shock, before our heads swung to Leto. She was smiling so widely, and the Rangers began to smile wider as well. Erin finally spoke up, voice slightly disbelieving.

  "Well, okay, wow! Wasn't expecting that, not that I'm disappointed, of course! Great job, mom! Somehow it doesn't surprise me that much, though. Let me guess, your friends with all the Kangaskhan?" Leto nodded and Erin laughed. "Yeah, I figured the world's most overprotective mother would be friends with The Parent Pokemon." Leto snorted, before turning to stare at the still too calm Rangers.

  "Oh, that's right, thanks for taking us here, mom! Just to let you Rangers know, you don't need to worry about that little stink in the forest anymore." They got puzzled expressions on their faces as Erin smiled and pulled out a Pokeball.

  A regular one.

  "You have a transfer device here, correct?"

  —

  Patricia Greenwood

  —

  "Patricia, aren't surprise gifts usually a fun thing?" I glared at the Professor and after a second of thought he looked down with a frown. Yes Professor, tell me a surprise from those girls is a good thing! I mean, it could be! In fact, I bet it was good! It's what else it could also be that I worried about!

  I mean, I just want a gardener Pokemon! Arceus, please tell me it's not a dragon of some sort! Are there Grass dragons? Probably! I like dragons, sure, and they like me, but I need a gardener! What if Leaf found a grass fairy?! She would! She communed with over a dozen Clefable! Named her Clefairy-turned-Clefable Hope!

  Erin invited over a dozen wild fae to celebrate that event! She went hunting with a wild Clefable named Stabby who loved her! Who she loved! In the dark woods! Where Stabby could use his fae magic! She killed a Persian in the dark! An apex predator! In the dark! With Stabby!

  Stabby!

  The transfer device dinged, and we looked at the single, standard Pokeball with trepidation and dread.

  Then it opened itself, because of course Erin had left it unlocked!

  Still, it was probably a good thing she did. The sight that met my eyes was more than enough to make me relax. They had done good, somehow!

  It was a green, two foot tall hula dancer wearing a wide skirt of green and yellow leaves, with two absolutely stunning red flowers on it's head. Well, it wasn't wearing a skirt, it was the Pokemon, and as it looked around and saw me it spun its flowers around, causing the petals to chime together. The sound that came from them was beautiful and happy, and I began to smile even as it danced up to me with a wide, happy smile and eyes, looking to be so joyful it was blushing. It was adorable!

  Professor Oak gasped in shock.

  I looked up to find his face incredulous, eyes wide in disbelief even as his mouth gaped open, and I began to worry all over again.

  "They… They found another Alpha?! And Evolved it!?" Alpha? Wait, it's supposed to be even smaller? I looked at him in confusion, and he visibly pulled himself together.

  "Bellossom are the third and final evolution of Oddish, one of the two available, Vileplume being the other. Generally, the more, ah, foul the Gloom, the more amazingly beautiful their petals are. You were trying to get enough sunlight to not need a Sun Stone to Evolve, and it took a long time, stressed you out due to the sun on your lower body, right? There's no other way you would be this exceptional." Bellossom nodded at him with what appeared to be her default expression, a wide, happy smile.

  "I say, you must have been one of the most vile smelling Gloom in existence, because you are the most beautiful Bellossom I have ever seen!" He smiled as Bellossom hid her face in her hands and turned around. She looked up at me with those cute little blue eyes and spun her petals, sending chimes out.

  Oh my Arceus, she was adorable!

  "Bellossom are usually very friendly, helpful Pokemon, and if… she?" A nod. "If she was trying to Evolve into one specifically, and only Erin would have gone up to you, I already know that, I assume she told you everything? I have to assume you're eager to be a farmer here, to make yourself and others happy in a beautiful garden with music and dance?" She nodded rapidly, a wide, happy smile on her face. Happier than her usual expression.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  How was it that Erin found these Pokemon?! Did she just smell Alphas?

  How?!

  I crouched down to talk to her, still taller than her. If she was an Alpha, regular ones were so tiny!

  "Well, just to make sure, you understand this is a Rescue Ranch, with… sad Pokemon that need to be protected and helped?" She nodded with a sad frown, then spun her petals again with a smile. The chiming sound wasn't mystically happy or anything like that, but 'happy' was the best way to describe it in my mind. I smiled down at her.

  "Well, if you stop liking it here, we can always find you someplace you would prefer, okay? I don't want you to think you're being forced to stay with me." She chimed up at me again, and oh Arceus, she is adorable! They did so good this time!

  "Before you leave…" Professor Oak spoke up quickly at my light glare. "No tests! Yet! Just a picture or ten? I wasn't joking, I have never seen a Bellossom this beautiful, or Alpha, for that matter." I laughed as she danced over to him, already posing.

  —

  Alex

  —

  So, apparently I had forgotten that Alpha Tyrantrum were not a common form of transportation, because I was somehow briefly surprised as trainers scattered when we finally cleared a bend in the Route and saw Cerulean City come into view around a large hill. It was a stunning city, with canals throughout the entire city that connected directly to the large ocean inlet to the north. The majority of the buildings were a pearly white that sparkled in the afternoon light, and the overabundance of water features were just barely visible.

  "Fuck, run!"

  Erin began laughing even as Leto began to slow. Obviously we couldn't 'ride' Leto into the city, so we hopped out of the Ride Basket as Leto returned herself. The group of three trainers hugging each other in terror on the side of the Route were highly amusing, even as I felt bad for them.

  Far more amused, though.

  "Sorry! She's friendly! Well, she is these days!" Erin just waved at them and started walking away, Ride Basket already stored. Leaf and I followed after her, and I glanced back only once. I actually felt so bad for them now, far less amused. Well, for that one guy. He needed a change of pants…

  I spoke up to distract myself from that poor guy's fate…

  "So, looking forward to some seafood? I haven't had any in a long time. The sea is a bit far from the Clan, and since we raise Gyarados, we don't eat Magikarp, and Goldeen are more or less seasonal, not to mention not that great." I'd had Magikarp before, and I was fine with that. They weren't bad, not at all, but they weren't… anything, either.

  Erin snorted out a bitter laugh.

  "Yeah, I'll get to try all ten species they might serve… I mean, I'm still looking forward to it, though, for sure." Why was that a disappointing number, Erin?

  Leaf spoke up brightly, already cuddling Hope as we walked. The four foot fae. In her arms. The five and a half foot girl. As we walked…

  "I want to try some, too! Also, shopping! There's sooo many different stores here, and I want to see most of them." Erin actually grimaced at her words, eyes tight.

  "I'm not opposed to some shopping, but I have shopping limits. I mean, I like shopping, but Leaf, you love shopping. I might have to hang out with Alex, instead." I just stared at her.

  "I kind of love to shop too, Erin. You don't get to leave the Clan many times until your Journey, so I made the most out of every trip." Seriously, it sucked so badly! I knew I wasn't special, a lot of Clan members had restrictions like that! It even made very good sense when you looked at history and how often we were used as hostages to stop Hyper Beams, but still!

  "Well, we need to do some clothes shopping, at the very least. I basically lost a whole outfit to that stench, Leaf needs a different outfit please, and apparently you weren't even allowed to dress yourself?" I frowned at her words. No, in so many ways…

  My voice was a little bitter as I spoke.

  "I mean, at home, sure, I had my own… style and everything... It's tradition to not only wait a couple months to start the Circuit at a randomly chosen spot, even if it puts you on a time crunch, but it's also tradition to radically change whatever style you had before, just in case there had been spies that noted your appearance. Clan Blackthorn didn't exactly stay in power this long with words, so we were, and still kind of are, about as valuable a hostage as there is in Indigo, and I've seen the records… So I understand it, I really do, but I also really miss my hair! It was past my shoulder blades!" It had taken me years to grow it out, after I had finally argued my parents down, and now it was gone! Chin length was bullshit! Still better than nothing, but still!

  Erin looked sad as she frowned, half-muttering to herself.

  "Damn, that actually really sucks, but… Well, I was about to kick Lance's ass, or have Dragonite do it, but I guess it does make good sense? Even if it sucks… To this day, actually… I might still kick his ass anyway, it wasn't necessary if you're Journeying with us, but we'll see, it is tradition for a good reason, apparently…" Wow, she had been frustrated by that, apparently. Pretty grateful for it, not going to lie.

  She looked over at me with a wide smile, eyes searching. Not examining me like they normally did, just… looking at me closely? Whyyy? Not even you can peer into my head with those eyes of yours! Wait… shit, if anyone could it would be this visibly insane girl…

  "Well, Alex, you're getting a makeover, then! You're going to look good for your gym battle tomorrow! Because, yeah… your traditions? They work." Her smile turned slightly pitying, but mostly amused.

  "You kind of look as generic and boring as possible. It's somewhat accurate to what I know of you, at least? Right?"

  I tried to chase her, but she was still faster than me despite her short legs.

  —

  "No, just my room is fine… Yeah, we all sleep with her, she wont let us not, actually, as her pack…" Erin absolutely adored her giant mother, that was easy to see, but she also probably liked comfortable beds and small, cheaper tents that could run AC, too…

  The Nurse Joy that looked back at her was stunned for a few seconds, before she began to giggle! It's not funny, Nurse Joy! Not for me! She was smiling as she looked at Erin.

  "Oh, that is adorable… Also, Miss Greenw- Miss Erin? We could actually use your help with a… problem we're having." Erin's eyes grew sharp as she leaned closer. The Nurse smiled at the display and continued.

  "Recently a Noibat colony led by a Noivern pair moved into a cave near the end of Route 24 and beginning of Route 25. They've been harassing travelers and infuriating the local Pokemon with their noise, which is the main issue, really, since it's driving Pokemon out of their normal habitats. Incidents between wild Pokemon have started to increase in frequency, but they haven't directly attacked anyone themselves yet. If possible, we would like you to mass capture them for re-location before they cause a Stampede and someone does get hurt." What?!

  Wait, I guess Erin was a Dragon Master. She might be a weird as hell Dragon Master, but she actually was one, unlike Lance, the Human Mascot.

  "Huh, sure. That should be nice and easy for a first job. Maybe one of you will find one willing to join you, too." Wait, what?! Hell yes Erin, you might be insane, but your insanity is worth it!

  Leaf was smiling at that.

  "That would be pretty cool! Imagine me flying on a Noivern!" I imagined myself flying on a Noivern and grinned. Hell yes! Insanity wins!

  "That's the only request, and you'll accept?" Erin nodded and she began to type away.

  "I've added your ID to the list of allowed visitors. They are currently quarantined, so you'll have to get past the checkpoint. Well, they can fly over it, sure, but we don't want people disturbing a nest of dragons without knowing what they're doing." Yeah, yeah that has ended badly, historically. Very badly.

  "How long will it take to get there from here? Ah, I mean by foot. By Ride Basket it's about the same either way, I'm just curious." The Nurse giggled at Erin's question.

  "About a day to get there walking, but we would appreciate your speed. I see that you're registered for Gym Battles, will you be able to-" Erin cut her off with a wide smile and a shake of her head.

  "Don't worry about it, Nurse Joy. We can run out there and get it done quickly tomorrow morning. Getting out of the city will probably take longer than the run there and back, because she's heard all of this and will be so mad if I miss my Gym Battle." Leto's Pokeball rattled, because of course she agreed.

  Oh Arceus, we're going to move so fast tomorrow…

  —

  I still wasn't sure why Erin was so disappointed by the selection at the sushi restaurant we went to that night. Magikarp, Goldeen, Remoraid, Sharpedo and Basculin was actually a decently large selection! She had eaten the entire platter she ordered, too, but one of her comments had stuck out to me.

  "It's just okay, I guess? I mean, the fish itself is so amazing, but even the sushi rice is just… bland…" Why did her face fall so much when she said that? Why had Leaf gotten so sad?

  Why was the sushi rice being bland an issue? I mean, I actually agreed! A little! Well, it tasted fine to me, but it could have used something else, I guess, now that she said something…

  —

  The Tyrant Queen of Galar loved to watch Pokemon Contests. Not only did she love to watch them, she wanted to be in one! Erin was going to try to get her into the Contest held at the Gym in four days, but I think even Leto knew how big a long shot that would be. Size alone disqualified her from most of the smaller Contests, because she simply wouldn't fit inside most of the venues. Well, fit inside enough to perform an act.

  Although I really wanted to know why Erin had looked so hopeful! So full of anticipation!

  —

  We did move fast the next morning. Too fast, actually, to the point I didn't even bounce! It was pretty damn hard to bounce when inertia tells you to go back faster than you're falling. I spent the entire half-hour run to the checkpoint relatively stationary, actually. It was almost comfortable. Still wasn't, not at all, but it was better than bouncing!

  The checkpoint Ranger hadn't even checked that Erin was a Dragon Master, but to be fair, Leto was a walking sign that said she was. Well, a charging sign, but after we passed the checkpoint she returned herself. No need to set them off with her stomping up to their home.

  Erin shook herself out with a wide smile, Kallen immediately latching onto her arm as Seraphina plopped her hands on her forehead, tail wrapped around Erin's neck. Dratini didn't come out, I assume because of the sticks in the forested hills here. Because they might poke her… Well, I mean… if I was a long noodle dragon, I guess it would be super annoying, despite my scales. Hope appeared already cuddling Leaf, because of course she did…

  "Okay you two, this might not be a Team Rocket situation, and I get the feeling Leaf will be fine, but you're both to stay a good distance behind me until I give you the okay. This should be as easy as these get, though. I'm literally just going to go say hi." She was grinning even as she began to jog off. Jog off, because why would she not! She was excited!

  I exchanged an amused look with Leaf as we began to slowly jog after her. She was excited to… chat. Well, to be fair, I guess if I could read aura, I'd love to go chat with some wild dragons… Assuming the wild dragons didn't kill me, which wild dragons are kind of known to do… Somehow I didn't think she would have that issue…

  We reached the foot of a large hill, or a tiny solitary mountain, really, and Erin stopped. She took a huge breath in, held it for a second, then shouted almost as loud as I have ever heard a human shout. I mean, she wasn't a huge person with large lungs, she was actually a very slight, tiny girl. She should not have been able to make that sound!

  "Knock, knock! I would like to say hello! I mean no harm to any who mean me none!" She took a few large breaths as she recovered. It took me a few more seconds than her, mainly because she had laced aura into her words. It hadn't done anything to me, but it almost had. I had almost felt what might have been vibrations.

  A piercing roar in the skies drew my attention, only for a Pokemon to slam into the ground directly in front of Erin. I cried out in alarm, but Leaf was just… watching with an amused smile? The adult-sized bipedal Zubat-lookalike was growling in Erin's face, but only for a moment. I don't think she even wielded her aura, it just finally sensed it. That would explain why it went rigid in terror before slowly falling over backwards in a dead faint.

  Erin's bellowing, gasping laughter was more than enough to draw the rest of the colony out.

  —

  "Listen, I've told you why you can't live here! I'm not trying to force you, and I won't, but if I don't get you to move, someone else will come and do it by force!" Erin had been arguing with the Noivern couple for a half hour already.

  We had moved up into their little cave for the discussion, and Noibats? Arceus, they are loud! My ears were already ringing! I mean, yeah, there were almost twenty in here, along with their parents, but still! My ears! They were adorable little purple bats, with their huge ears and huge yellow eyes and those cute little snouts… They were so loud though!

  "Are you sure you want to come with me? I know your parents said yes already, but we don't even know where they will end up going, yet! Don't you want to visit them, eventually? I also have a fae, plus, Hazard is… a hazard." For once, Leaf had returned Hope, because we didn't need a fairy in a den of dragons, but she was not alone. One of the Noibats, a quieter and calmer one, had apparently decided she was neat, and wanted to come along. Good for her.

  I was actually happy for her, truly…

  I just wished any of them would give me the time of day!

  None of them had responded to any of my questions, to my looks, nothing! They were basically ignoring me! What the hell?

  I looked over at Erin with a deliberately huge pout, making my eyes wide. This was Tauros-shit, help me, insane Dragon Master!

  She burst into laughter at my face, and the two Noiverns looked my way. I kept the expression up, mainly because I froze in terror momentarily. They were dangerous, and I could feel it from twenty feet away. They looked over at Leaf, then at me, looked at their children… and then they laughed. They started laughing so hard they were clutching their stomachs, and every Noibat joined in. Us humans couldn't laugh, not with how loud it became in the cave. It was hard to think.

  Eventually the laughter died down and I looked at Erin in utter confusion.

  "Alex… I'm not sure how to tell you this…" Oh Arceus, she actually does look sad to utter whatever horror was about to spill out.

  "They can smell the Aerie on you, even more than we all smell like Leto. You're from a rival colony of dragons, to them. I mean, Leto, and therefore Leaf and I, are more like wanderers, so they don't care, but you? Sorry, bu-" She cut off, and I grew hopeful. For such a short period of time, I was hopeful about acquiring another dragon teammate.

  Then she grinned.