Albert Greenwood

  —

  The sound of wood creaking woke me up, and for a long moment I lay there confused and startled. That had to be an intruder, Martha was still in bed wit- oh. This wasn't our old, slightly lumpy mattress, the one from our old apartment. It was much nicer, but also much smaller, and I felt Martha's elbow digging into my side. I'd gotten very good at avoiding her sleep-elbowing over the years, but there wasn't enough room in this bed… in Leaf's bed.

  That woke me up, and I took a few moments to simply think about how radically my life had changed in a day… after I scooted away from that elbow…

  Honestly, we were a success story for the most part. Neither of us started with anything, we built ourselves up at our jobs over years until we could afford the bookstore, which had always been kind of a dream for the both of us. We hadn't been rich, but owning a piece of property in downtown Saffron meant that you inevitably ended up brushing shoulders with the true elite, especially those looking to rent the roof for a party that overlooked the park. Glamorous, expensive parties with plenty of excess, and our roof was fairly popular, being one of the shorter ones downtown. Maybe someone with better self control wouldn't have gotten enamored, but us? It was so easy to have someone wearing more than I made in a month rent out the roof for half of what I made in a month and grow jealous.

  People like to tell themselves they would rise above temptation, and I guarantee that many can and do. My wife and I weren't one of those people, though. Initially it was little things, just making friends, of course. We had to be more than 'the owners of the bookstore', we had to be someone they cared about. Not that we intentionally made friends intending to deceive them, I still think that… most of them are real friends despite that girl Alex's comments… Those friendships led to slight discounts on shipping, stationary, little things that really didn't make a difference but established ourselves. We fancied up our main home to entertain guests, rented out an apartment for even more income, even made a few investments, investments that we had luckily broken even on…

  By that point Patricia had been twenty two, working at a dead-end sales job, and it had seemed so… simple. We wouldn't have forced a marriage, but it really had seemed so… obvious. It just made sense. Have her go on a date or two, see if she… clicked with one of them. It wasn't exactly an arranged marriage, right?

  Of course, I think we had never truly known our own child. No, that wasn't exactly accurate… We never tried to know our real child, just the expectations we had for her. There are many I won't feel regret for, like our desire for her to grow up strong and independent… Looking back, however, it was easy to see how we had failed.

  Some people couldn't be controlled, and we had been so… Tauros-headed, honestly. So sure of ourselves, so certain that we had life figured out. After all, we built ourselves up, right? We had done well! We must have something figured out!

  It was so easy to fall, though.

  Freddie Rhodes had been our friend almost from the moment we opened the bookstore, and a good friend at that, so when he asked for monetary help with a small project, well… We weren't idiots, we still read the contract over thoroughly, but it was basic. We had actually declined, because we didn't have enough money… and I guess that's what he really wanted to know.

  A small debt, one supposedly waived away by Freddie, was called in, one that had sat there collecting interest for years by that point. We hired a lawyer, but there was nothing to do. Legally, we owed him the money… Of course, we didn't have the kind of money he was asking for, and he knew that. He took half of our bookstore, and before we could even reopen, the legal fees drove us to make a harsh decision, one Freddie also knew we would have to make. It was easier to sell him the rest and have enough to retire off of than it was to continue to fight someone who had claimed to be a friend, only to probably lose anyway, and with less money to show for it…

  Honestly, Freddie may be a cold-blooded Sharpedo, but he wasn't a cheap one. We could have lived in comfort for the rest of our lives if we had been smarter with our money, but for the first few years, well… Nothing changed. We didn't buy anything excessive, but we didn't really cut back on our spending, either, ration our limited money, out of a desire to not address our new situation. By the time it became too obvious to ignore anymore, we had burned through a significant chunk of our money.

  We had been able to recoup some of the cost for being… idiots, but not everything was able to be resold, and it would only be a matter of time… Public housing wasn't horrific, of course, but it was still… the worst housing you could get without camping… The apartment was already bad enough, as we lost the drive to even… care about keeping it clean, airing it out occasionally. Cooking real food, even if the cheap frozen meals were still more expensive than cooking…

  We had 'lost', and despite it not being our 'fault', it absolutely was. Freddie conned us with friendship, certainly, but he used our own inept fumbling to ensnare us. That debt had come from right after we opened the bookstore, and we should have made sure it was cleared, no matter what our 'good friend' Freddie said, but we hadn't… So now, thanks to our own stupidity, we got to fade away for a few years before going to public housing. I knew public housing wasn't… bad, sure, but it still wasn't… nice.

  Then we hear that our daughter, the one we had driven away with our Tauros-headed ways, was dating the Champion! That had been a surprising call, but not as surprising as the one from Todd a few days later, telling me Patricia was down at his son's Contest Hall.

  We had made a mess of the whole experience, but they had all been… rather understanding, honestly, despite their obvious… annoyance with us.

  We really hadn't had anything specific in mind when we went to see Patricia again. Some vague hope that she could help us out somehow, sure, but more than anything we had just wanted to see our only child again. When she was off in Pallet Town it was easy to justify maintaining our distance, our silence, to put it out of mind. It was easy to hide behind 'I don't want to bother her with a call' and other excuses, and to say 'Next year we'll head over there', year after year. Easier to avoid the shame our own actions had brought… But she shows up in the city? We had to take the chance to reach out.

  Of course, Patricia was an entirely different person than the young mother with a baby that I remembered. She was confident, strong, and more than anything, she had a presence! It wasn't aura, because I now knew exactly what that felt like, thanks to her Pokemon!

  Unfortunately!

  We had certainly made a… few mistakes talking to them yesterday, but it had been… nice, despite everything.

  Erin was almost easy to deal with. Almost. A fourteen year old with a kill count was not normal, even if they were Team Rocket. Still, it was easy enough to tell she loved my daughter and granddaughter, and I certainly felt a little bad with her whole 'not having a family or home to go back to' situation, so it was… easier to deal with her than I would have expected. Leaf was my granddaughter, and seemed to be a happy, cheerful young girl… I guess Alex was going to be one of our grandchildren one day as well, but we had barely talked.

  Still, three young girls were easy to deal with overall.

  Their Pokemon, though?

  It was absolutely insane to me that so many people were fine just… just playing with a creature that could so easily kill you, to say nothing of actually battling! Journeying around as a child! We had tried to stop Patricia, but she insisted, and after a week of fits pitched we finally gave in… We were very grateful when she returned home alone, though…

  Martha had the same feelings as me about Pokemon, and our feelings weren't exactly that rare, but even for someone that liked Pokemon, the display I had seen yesterday was enough to badly scare anyone. Those girls had no right having Pokemon like that… Patricia either, but those girls!

  I groaned as I rolled out of bed. I had a faint almost-bruise from Martha's elbow, and I knew it would annoy me for most of the day, because getting old was overrated. Actually, getting old just fucking sucked… I grumbled my way out into the hall, barely catching myself on the banister before making my way downstairs.

  I wasn't sure exactly what I expected to see down there, but a bunch of Pokemon baking was not it. A Hypno, a Drowzee, a Meowth, even a Bellsprout using its vines to pass ingredients, all were industriously busy as I made my way downstairs. The Hypno saw me, and after a moment pointed at a cupboard and then the coffee pot.

  I stared back for a second, mildly stunned to see what appeared to be a baking Hypno, coin-string around its neck, before I caught myself and nodded my thanks. A moment later I had a cup of coffee, actually a very nice roast, and made my way to the back door. I could see a table outside in the dim pre-dawn light, but as I drew closer my steps slowed, and I almost stopped in fear.

  I managed not to, but only barely.

  I knew most of the Pokemon out there from the diner, but the cloud of Koffing was more than a little disconcerting, not to mention the Zubat and Murkrow. Especially when every pair of eyes, and Zubat ears I guess, turned to face me when I slid open the back door. I paused, but gathered my courage to find a spot at the table to sit. The only empty seat was next to the Dragonite, Mid-something, with the huge Alpha Fearow next to it, and that chair was… was…

  Was my only choice, and I sat down, but I was very unsteady as I did so. I ignored the huge grin on the Dragonite's face as I gave my daughter a shaky smile. Another Hypno sat out here, an old one drinking coffee, and it grinned at me from across the mug.

  "Morning, Patricia. Do you always wake up this early?"

  She looked almost meditative as she sipped from a cup of coffee, voice quiet and eyes closed.

  "Morning, dad. Ever since I moved to Pallet Town, I've enjoyed watching the sunrise. I bet the view is even nicer on the garden hill, but… I don't feel like walking that far before I finish waking up, honestly." Garden hill? It had been dark when we arrived last night, and we had barely talked before falling into bed.

  "Your… 'garden hill'?" She smiled, eyes still closed.

  "When I had the Ranch built, or at least most of it, the builders brought a full team of Dugtrio to work on drainage and other projects. They can work stone, but they're obviously much better at moving earth, so they brought ten of them to do the work. Then Leto offered to help, which freed up nine of the Dugtrio. Instead of the simple rows of crops I asked for, and like I now have on the flat areas around it, they built me a… three-tiered, self-watering garden hill. You'll be able to see it soon, it's kind of hard to describe…" It sounded ridiculous, is what it sounded like… Also interesting…

  I cleared my throat a little, glancing around at the numerous sleeping forms in the dim backyard. There were more than a few large Pokemon beds, and one covered part of the deck appeared to be nothing more than a huge, twitching pile of Raticate and Rattata burrowed through a tangle of blankets.

  "They won't be… irritable when they wake up, will they?" She sighed heavily, eyes cracking open to give me a weary look.

  "I've never understood your insistence that every Pokemon is dangerous. Sure, don't treat them all as friendly, but most are neutral at worst, and here, on a Ranch? A Rescue Ranch, one where they literally can't hurt you? You'll be fine, dad. You know, you have something in common with most of them, anyway." I looked at her in confusion and she smiled.

  "You all agreed to be here, even if you'd rather be somewhere else, because this was your best option. You all want some form of retirement, and some of them would love nothing more than to have a family, one they can just… enjoy." The flash of pain in her eyes was fast, and while I may not be a great one, I was her father, and I saw it.

  "What's wrong?" She looked at me, and my concern-filled face, for a long moment before she sighed, glancing around. Apparently she saw something in the numerous eyes watching us and she focused on me, eyes serious.

  "The Pokemon of Team Rocket aren't held accountable for what they do while under their… authority, but it all has to be reviewed. Interviews have to be conducted for each one. Erin did it for the first group, and part of the second, but I did the rest… Luckily I had already read the transcript of the first interviews by that point." Her face fell and stiffened at the same time.

  "I wouldn't have been able to do it if I hadn't had time to adjust, honestly. That's why I don't have a problem with what my daughter does." She smiled sadly. "I worry about her, and her tendency to act like the hero she so desperately claims she doesn't want to be. I worry about what will happen if they ever manage to separate her from Leto, from her team, from her weapons… I do not worry about the people who willingly wear that uniform, not after interviewing their Pokemon." She shook her head sadly, glancing around.

  "I didn't open this Ranch just to help Erin. It was certainly part of my motivation, but… these Pokemon deserved to have a chance. A chance to be happy, to heal, to find some joy in life. Some… may never, honestly, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't make the effort. Someone needed to, and we were in a… unique situation to help with our contracts." She looked at me with sad eyes.

  "I wish I hadn't had to interview them, but someone had to. It was worth it, despite the… contents of what I heard…" She trailed off, and I took a moment to digest that.

  My little girl had grown up, it seemed. Even after she'd had Leaf, she had still been a young girl, barely a woman, with a child. Now she was a mother, and a caretaker to… hundreds… I didn't like seeing the pain in her eyes, but I took a moment to look at the eyes watching us. Most of them were sad as well, but a few were looking at Patricia with such gratitude…

  I gave them all a light smile, even if I had to force it a bit. Intellectually, I knew that I should be fine with them, I knew they couldn't attack me, even by accident, so in theory they shouldn't make me nervous… Especially compared to the ones who could hurt me! The Dragonite was bad enough, and his line were known for being kind and gentle, but the Fearow? The Alpha Fearow? The one right next to me… sniffing at a cup of coffee? Patricia noticed my look and barked out a light laugh of amusement.

  "Maddy sips on it, but she prefers the smell of coffee. Midir prefers tea, though." The Dragonite nodded rapidly next to me, his face screwed up in disgust. I couldn't help the small chuckle that made its way out at the sight, despite my fear.

  Patricia noticed and smiled, opening her mouth-

  Then the first rays of sun broke over the horizon.

  The metallic, piercing, screeching cry from the roof of the house was so loud and sudden that I nearly fell out of my chair, considering how hard I jumped, but it didn't stop there. As I landed, hand over my chest, a small chorus of tiny, higher-pitched screeches began.

  These did not stop after a moment like the louder ones had.

  I looked at Patricia, but she looked almost more put out than I did, actually. The Koffing, Zubat, and Murkrow were all leaving as well, the pile of rodents slipping through a thick flap set into the wall, fleeing inside the house.

  "We need to do something about this, Alfred! They're adorable, but they do this for almost an hour!" The butler sitting next to her nodded, squinting up at the roof with a frown. I noticed a huge alcove right above Leaf's room, the room I had been sleeping in… and that my wife was still sleeping in!

  Well, had been sleeping in, would be my guess…

  Shit, she was going to be cranky all morning, now…

  —

  —

  "I said I was sorry! I forgot to warn you about the Skarmory's wake-up call… Not to mention their children, who want to be just like their parents, and need to practice…" My daughter looked more than a little put out by the continued noise from the roof, but it was slightly better here inside.

  Martha was downstairs now, giving nervous glances at the Pokemon baking, the pile of Rattata and Raticate on the couch, the Meowstic laying down on a plush Pokemon bed, and out the sliding glass back door at the large forms still outside. I rushed to speak up before she could get started. Honestly, I wasn't comfortable around Pokemon either, but she was a bit more… extreme than me.

  "Is there something we can do to help, Patricia?" That was always a good choice, right? Apparently not, as Patricia shook her head in… exasperation?

  "Honestly, there's barely anything for me to do! The Indeedee take care of healthcare here, Petals and the grass types grow and harvest crops, Maddy and Wukong hunt meat for us… Some of the Pokemon like to bake, as you can see. For some reason the Hypno line loves cinnamon, so we have a lot of cinnamon buns. The Indeedee love to cook as well, as long as it's not meat! Really, all I have to do is butchering and cooking meat! Well, that and paperwork…" Did she just say-

  "Butchering?!" Martha looked pale at the thought, but Patricia just laughed as she poured herself another cup of coffee, then one for Martha that she handed over.

  "I had the option of continuing to buy expensive farmed meat for myself, or process some of the free, free-range meat that I get delivered, and Pallet Town doesn't have a butcher. Well, I'm getting close to being one, I guess? I can't eat all the Pidgeotto and Pidgeot that Maddy brings back, so I give a lot of that away for very cheap. Maddy isn't hunting too much, not by any means, so the Rangers don't have a problem with it. I think it's a territorial thing as avians, too? The town certainly doesn't mind Maddy's feud with the Pidgey line." Now that I think about it… Usually there were plenty of Pidgey cries around dawn, but I hadn't heard many at all…

  "The town buys… Pokemon from you?" She chuckled a little at my question.

  "No, it's more like sometimes I'll sell some excess breasts or wings when the parents come over to drop off their kids. The parents get to have a nice calm, quiet meal at home, and the kids usually get some as well, or Tauros stew… actually, that sounds like a great idea for dinner, considering they're coming over tonight!" We curiously followed her outside, doing our best to ignore the sounds from above. To the side of her large deck was a huge, round metal objec- No. That can't be a pot!

  It apparently was, though, as with the assistance of her butler she set up a large grate, placing a series of logs under it. She looked at the Dragonite with a hopeful smile.

  "Can you light this for me, Midir?" He huffed hard enough to draw irritated glances from the still-sleepy Meowstic couple settling onto the table before ambling over. A wisp of flame shot from his mouth, and a moment later the logs were alight. She looked over and smiled at us.

  "Want to help me with this one? No omnivores want to cook, so it's just me cooking anything that contains meat, even if plenty of Pokemon will join in to eat…" I glanced at Martha, but we both shrugged as we stood up and followed her out of the backyard, her butler following closely behind.

  "It's been a little while, but you never forget how to cook… So, Tauros stew?" She chuckled, opened her mouth to respond-

  Then we all froze as a smell unlike anything I had ever experienced hit us. Patricia just sighed, though, and turned to meet the rush of a huge Muk! The Meowstic on her shoulder leapt off, nose scrunched up as well, but Patricia just laughed lightly and hugged the hideous Pokemon back as it enveloped her!

  "Hello, good morning, Muk!... Yes, I think at this point you should just always assume there's cinnamon rolls being baked, you should have seen the huge container of cinnamon I bought!... Oh, them? My parents, but- hold on, Muk!" The large purple… ooze Pokemon flowed around Patricia and rushed for us with a wide smile. I idly noted how clean Patricia looked, but then my nose died.

  It didn't die easily, though, as the huge purple arms rushed for us, Martha gripping my arm a little too tightly.

  Luckily the arms stopped right before they encircled us, and the sad looking Pokemon pulled them back… into its body. Patricia looked apologetic as she patted the Pokemon.

  "Sorry about Muk! He's really just very friendly, and his smell doesn't stick, thankfully." The herd of jiggling Grimer behind her didn't put me at ease, not at all, but they were almost cute compared to Muk, so…

  I took a deep breath, which I instantly regretted, and let it out slowly.

  "Nice to meet you, Muk! Maybe we can work our way up to a hug? Give it a few days?" He perked right back up, before staring at Patricia for a moment. He then… 'ran'? He moved off at speed, the herd of Grimer following him. Patricia watched him with a wide smile on her face, even if her nose was scrunched up still.

  "He really is the friendliest Pokemon… At least now he has a chance to be… happy here." I rushed to get us back onto lighter topics as her eyes grew pained, but my wife beat me to it.

  "So, you said Tauros? Isn't that very expensive?" You had to hunt Tauros, and they moved in herds, so yes, it was… Patricia was shaking her head, though.

  "Yes, but when the girls went to Fuchsia the Rangers called to ask them for a favor. Well, they called to ask Leto for a favor. You can find the video on the PokeNet easily enough, but Leto culled a Tauros Stampede before it really got going towards Fuchsia, and provided a lot of Tauros for the city. She got to keep as many as she wanted, too, so we got ten. Well, Gyarados is a prideful idiot and forced himself to bring back twenty, but I gave half to Professor Oak. My freezer is still full!" She looked at our stunned faces -a whole Stampede?- and laughed.

  "You don't keep up with the news, or videos on the PokeNet, so you honestly don't know how… dangerous Leto is. I didn't mention it beforehand, but you can look it up and find it yourself easily enough. Leto's eaten at least forty three people in Galar-" She raised a hand as she cut us off. "Yes, believe me I know, but she chose to come with Erin, with her new daughter who saved her other daughter. She is safe, and Kanto knows that now. She was just in a Contest Hall as a guest judge!" We calmed down a little at that, and she clapped her hands together lightly.

  "The point is, I have a lot of Tauros to eat. I'm saving most of the tenderloins for now, but the legs are actually very good for stewing. They're really tendon-y, but if they cook for hours they just break down… The flavor, too!" Morbid as my daughter apparently butchering a lot of Pokemon was, it sounded like it had some benefits, at least…

  As we followed her down the property line and its tall stone wall I noticed a huge pond, a large building that had to be the Barn, a smaller building with a large overhang, and a… huge tiered hill packed with plants? That had to be the 'garden hill' I had heard about… One entire vertical side looked to be a single huge bush, actually, with more rows of crops on the flat area past the base of the hill. The walls continued on through the treeline, and I knew she had a private forest, essentially.

  I had to steady Martha as we entered the small warehouse, not only because of the sight of the butchering station near the door, blades and saws making it very obvious what it was for, but also the sight inside the huge refrigerator freezer combination. The racks of wrapped flesh were… visceral, but the huge legs hanging from hooks were worse. They were dry, they didn't seem… bloody like I had feared, but I supposed that made sense, you 'drain' meat… right?

  Patricia strode over and turned to me for a moment before shaking her head.

  "Never mind, I don't want you to hurt yourself. Can you get this, dear?" She looked at her butler, and though he frowned even harder than he appeared to normally, three entire Tauros legs lifted from hooks and floated over. What the…

  "Three legs?" She turned and gave me a wide, amused smile.

  "You saw my pot, right?"

  —

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  —

  Patricia had been slightly inaccurate when she said the cooking Pokemon wouldn't help her. They would happily help her prepare vegetables for the stew, just not the meat. That shouldn't be an issue, right?

  Considering the huge slabs of meat in front of me and Martha, as Patricia wielded a very thin, sharp blade with scary speed, breaking down the second leg? It would still take quite a long time. She wasn't narrating the recipe, it was a stew, but she was happily chatting about… her life as we chopped meat.

  "We only have communal meat dishes once or twice a week, but it's worth it. Everyone, or most everyone eats to their hearts content, then Gyarados cleans the rest up. One of these days I'll make him his own pot, but… that's a lot of one Pokemon to feed, honestly." She caught our questioning looks and grinned.

  "He hunts for himself normally, and for us. Well, for the Pokemon. Gyarados doesn't bother with bringing back smaller Pokemon, and I have no desire to eat a Wailmer, so I leave that for the aquatic species. According to Erin they're delicious, but chewy…" She noticed our looks, again, and smiled.

  "Erin's Dhelmise Ahab hunts them, and he only eats lifeforce, so Erin and the rest of their teams get to eat them as well, but she only tried once. Although, maybe if I bought a meat grinder it wouldn't be too bad…" She trailed off with an intrigued look, and I exchanged a look with my wife.

  The uncertain young girl who had left us was gone, and now there was a confident, commanding woman standing here in her place, calmly slicing meat off of an enormous bone as she casually talked about her adopted daughter's ghostly Pokemon killing Wailmer! Wailmer were adorable! I still wouldn't want to get anywhere near one, of course, but they were supposedly gentle and kind!

  We paused as we heard the sound of a key being inserted into the front door, but Patricia just looked up with a smile.

  "That would be my… employee, technically? Mrs. Maple is the human in charge while I'm not here, but really, the Ranch runs itself for the most part." Employee?

  I certainly wasn't expecting the older woman that walked in. She was older than Martha and I by at least a decade! Her eyes found us and she froze for a moment before her eyes narrowed very slightly, especially at the sight of Martha…

  "Oh, I didn't know you had guests, Patricia…?" Patricia looked up from her work with a sigh.

  "They're my parents, Mrs. Maple. They'll be moving to Pallet Town soon, and staying here until then." I didn't miss how Mrs. Maple's eyes narrowed a bit more, but a moment later she was all smiles as she came over to help.

  Honestly, we could use it! Chopping up meat for a stew wasn't exactly hard, sure, but there were pounds upon pounds still waiting to be cut from the first leg alone, and Patricia had been right! It was actually kind of hard to cut through even with a sharp blade, what with all the tendons…

  —

  —

  Apparently not all of the omnivores were without cooking skills, or really, the size and strength necessary to help cook. The Dragonite, Midir, was stirring a huge metal spoon in the even huger pot out back, now sitting on a rack over a nice layer of embers, tossing the excessive amount of meat around. He honestly looked very slightly exhausted by it, so I knew I would have collapsed by now in his position. Patricia smiled into the pot.

  "Okay, they all have some color and the starch set, veggie time!"

  There was a procession of Indeedee, Hypno, Bellsprout, and even Wukong from inside, carrying huge trays and pots full of cut up vegetables. A handful of various herbs followed them in, along with a huge bit of salt and pepper, only for more vegetables to flow in. This was a lot of food…

  "How much does it cost to feed them a day? This must be so expensive!" Patricia just laughed lightly, however.

  "I get paid by the government to run this Ranch, considering the rescues. However, I barely have to dip into that, mainly just for power and stuff. Well, household necessities, seasonings, everything else, sure, but we're self sustaining as far as food goes. With the number of Grass types helping with… 'nutrient redistribution' and Growth, not to mention our hunters, we have more than enough to eat. I don't do this every day, but I try to let everyone who's interested have at least one hot meal a day, if not more. The Indeedee have their own cooking area where they make non-meat dishes, too, sort of like a buffet that's always open…" She smiled happily as another pot of vegetables was dumped into the huge pot that came up to my armpits. Was it more of a cauldron, now that I think about it?

  "I'll actually be buying your house with purely my money, and not the… donations I've received. I make plenty of money these days. Too much, honestly, and I'm thinking about asking the Professor for some good charities to donate to… I already have a decent bit saved up just in case, as well." It was still kind of stunning that our little girl was on casual terms with Professor Oak of all people. Then again, Pallet Town was more or less his, so there was that…

  "I wonder if he'll want some stew?" The question stunned me, even as more pots of vegetables were tossed in. She just… wonders if-

  Patricia pulled her PokeNav out and tapped at it a few times, idly pouring a pitcher of oil into the huge pot. Midir just kept on stirring, looking almost bored. He was grunting slightly now, though, and I didn't blame him… There was basically no liquid in there yet, and it had to be a hundred pounds of vegetables already, not to mention the meat! I'd think that this place couldn't have that many omnivores, but I guess leftovers don't exist with a… Gyarados of all Pokemon around…

  "Good morning, Professor!" Our gazes both snapped over to the device in Patricia's hand, the one with the image of the most famous scientist and researcher in the world, not to mention his strength as a trainer, sitting at a desk… He gave her a wide, distracted smile, and it was easy enough to see why.

  "Good morning, Patricia! Is this a lunc- Come here!" His hand reached out to snatch the small Pokemon that had been doing its best to get his attention by annoying him. A Skitty, and considering the size, probably a baby one. He snatched it up, but gently, to his chest, and he began to stroke its head as he looked up in exasperation.

  "Sorry, one of my sponsored trainer's Pokemon had a litter last night, and for some reason this one has decided he has to have attention at all times. He's quite good at getting away from the other Pokemon as well..." It was purring contentedly from his chest, eyes tightly closed. Patricia laughed lightly.

  "That sounds like such a horrible problem to have, Professor! It's not like Pallet Town has plenty of children who would love to play with a baby Rank One Pokemon, right?" He barked out a laugh before noticing us in the background.

  "Guests, Patricia?" I didn't miss how Patricia's face grew tight momentarily, but I hoped it was a good sign that it didn't stay tight…

  "My parents actually, Professor, for that house I had Dexter ask about yesterday?" His eyes widened momentarily before the same look came over them as Mrs. Maple'd had. He was evaluating us, and even through a tiny camera, it was intimidating. Then his gaze relaxed and he smiled.

  "Well then, that certainly explains that request! So, I assume food is involved in your call?" Patricia laughed and nodded.

  "Of course, Professor, what else do I call you about? Wait…" She trailed off for a moment, looking worried. "That actually is all I call you about, other than questions, and I guess watching Erin and Leaf's matches against Janine…" Professor Oak barked out another laugh, though.

  "Patricia, stop worrying over nothing. Now! I can't make lunch, but dinner is doable." Patricia perked back up and turned the camera momentarily. The Professor's face looked wryly amused, now.

  "Ah, stew. I assume the children are coming over tonight, then?" A nod, and he sighed. "I'll be there, yes… Charizard really loves eating her fill, and I know there'll be more than just stew… Maybe I should bring some cute Pokemon to distract them?" Patricia broke into laughter.

  "Professor, you love kids, though!" She had a knowing look in her eyes even as she laughed, one that he returned.

  "I do, I love kids! I prefer kids in small doses, not a dozen or more at once!" So did I, now that I thought about it…

  "Well, the offer's open, Professor. Good luck with your little… situation, there." The Skitty was struggling to get away, now. Away, towards the keyboard…

  Professor Oak sighed, before his eyes found us again. After a long moment he smiled, and I didn't like the look in his eyes.

  "Actually, I have an idea! How would you two like a Pokemon?"

  —

  —

  We could have said no, of course! In fact, we did! What did he say to that? 'Nonsense!'! That was it, just 'Nonsense!' and he decides we need a Pokemon! I was trying to balance my anger with my 'Don't piss off the former Champion' sense, but… still!

  Martha was oddly calm about the whole thing, but Patricia? She thought it was hilarious! When she finally finished laughing, however, she had something else to say.

  "I think it would do you two good, honestly. I know you have some fears about Pokemon, many of which are reasonable, but look Skitty up. They are ridiculously dependent on humans, and I'm not actually sure if there's ever been a case of a Skitty attacking out of anything other than extreme self defense… I think you should do it. That's just my opinion, of course, but Professor Oak gave you the look, so he's also testing you for whatever reason." She shrugged as she peered into the huge pot.

  "Anyway, it looks like it's time! Water team, go!" She stepped away from the huge pot, and I expected some sort of Pokemon Move… but no, a moment later a long hose came floating from an open window, and I saw it hooked up to the sink inside, an Indeedee maid waiting to turn it on. Patricia smirked at my look.

  "Yeah, it takes a while to fill the pot, honestly…" There was a huge whumph of steam as the first bit of water hit the pot, and for a moment Midir leaned in, scraping the insides of the pot as it contracted from the thermal shock.

  It took almost half an hour to fill the gigantic pot, but once it was full enough for Patricia's liking the water was cut, the hose rolled up, and we once again found ourselves with… very little to do, honestly. We sat down at her outdoor table, and after a moment a maid brought out a tray of tea! There was even a small plate of fancy cookies! I heard a sigh and tore my incredulous gaze away, only to find my daughter with her face buried in a hand.

  "I told them to stop doing that! I mean, it's thoughtful and appreciated, sure, but… I feel like some rich person!" The maid just smiled, shrugged, and bowed deeply to Patricia, causing another sigh to erupt. She looked over at us as the maid retreated inside.

  "The Indeedee are amazing, and I will be forever grateful to them, but they can be a bit… much sometimes, what with their serving. Probably the best Nurse Pokemon in the world, especially for rescues, but they serve you, if that makes sense. Good luck telling them 'No, I'm fine picking vegetables, that's why I wore my dirty clothes!', oh no!" She sighed heavily, but she was smiling as she did. So Patricia basically had a bunch of maids to go with her butler… It sure seemed like a rich person's house, despite her insistence otherwise… Well, household, the house itself was average aside from Erin's huge room.

  For hours we had nothing to do other than talk, so that's what we did. We sat there in our daughter's backyard talking for hours over the course of the morning, while a procession of different Pokemon wandered through, greeting Patricia and occasionally stirring the huge pot.

  We found out that our daughter had been doing much less well earlier in the year. Before Erin came into the picture, our fears had been relatively accurate. Patricia had barely been keeping herself afloat, considering her limited hours, and Leaf… Leaf'd had some true issues with her first Pokemon. I had seen her hug him yesterday, so it didn't worry us more to hear, but to know that she had almost died before she even left home to Journey?

  It hurt, but… nothing had happened, and Hazard was… better these days. Really, if we were going to have issues with her Pokemon, we'd have them with her multiple fae first! She had a Morgrem! Of course, Patricia simply showed us a brief clip of Morgrem battling for her, returning a hug in the Pewter Gym, and it was… better. I don't think I would ever not be terrified of him, or the multiple Clefable, but… our granddaughter was apparently a Fairy Master!

  That was insane! Leaf was thirteen and already a Fairy Master! Erin was fourteen and a Dragon Master! Alex… wasn't, yet, but according to Patricia, and through her Lance, the Champion, it probably wouldn't take much longer. Leto's aura alone was forcing their auras to grow, and neither of them saw Alex dying her aura something other than draconic…

  Patricia also adored Pallet Town. Her face lit up each time she had some little story to tell us about her life here, and it was clear that while she may not have… been given many choices, she certainly didn't regret the one to move here…

  Mrs. Maple didn't seem to actually work, simply watching dramas with the Pokemon in the huge Barn here, but that made sense. She was just the human in charge if Patricia had to leave, and she was old… We only encountered her a few times, really just when she came through the backyard for something to drink, and she continued to give us a look… The same look that Professor Oak had given us.

  It was obvious they cared about Patricia, and were worried that we would… hurt her, I guess. Cause her distress…

  Not that we would try to… We hadn't had a chance to talk alone, but I knew Martha wouldn't want to ruin this… chance either. Our financial and living situations aside, we had missed our daughter…

  —

  —

  We had heard Patricia talk about Wukong and the children at the diner, but it in no way prepared me for the scene that afternoon.

  Wukong had disappeared early in the morning, off hunting apparently, and we didn't see him until the afternoon… Leading a procession of children and their parents towards Patricia's… visitors center? She should come up with a name for it, honestly. Now, we had heard about the children, of course, and how they played with Wukong…

  I really didn't expect him to be practically covered in children, though! They hung off his shoulders and arms, and he didn't look mad! Well, he looked mad, but a normal mad for a Primeape! Martha and I had followed Patricia into the visitors center, and stood off to the side awkwardly as Patricia greeted the parents. There was no official handing over of the children, they simply followed Wukong out back, into the Ranch.

  I saw a maid and butler both break off from the smaller building to follow them, and I noticed a large, covered area next to it with what looked like a buffet, roughly twenty Pokemon there at the moment. That must be the Indeedee's clinic, then…

  I turned back to find Patricia handing out packages wrapped in thick paper from a refrigerator.

  "Maddy brought in another Pidgeot this morning, so go ahead, take as much as you want… No, I really don't need more for it, I just can't get her to stop! Well, I could, but only if it was an actual problem, not 'You're giving me too much food.'... No, it's a territorial thing, from what I understand. Maddy's claimed the surrounding areas, and the Pidgeot are stubborn… True, though, I'd fight back, too…"

  The parents were mostly around Patricia's age, a few younger or older, but they certainly seemed to like my daughter. That was easy enough to see why, though. Not only do they get an afternoon and night of peace, but they get cheap hunted food…

  We got a few glances, but they usually saw Martha and put two and two together. Patrica barely had any of my features other than the eyes, honestly, and the two still looked very similar even with the age difference. We didn't get the same kind of looks that we had from Professor Oak and Mrs. Maple, but they still seemed almost… wary of us. Once again, worried we would hurt our daughter…

  Still, we were here, so that was progress. Eventually the parents departed, an empty fridge in their wake, and Patricia turned to smile at us.

  "I wouldn't know what to do with all the food Maddy brings in without them, honestly. Well, other than feeding it to the rescues, I guess. Now, I don't have to monitor the children, the Indeedee are more than capable of that by themselves, but I still like to be available…" We followed her back outside with small smiles of our own. It was clear she absolutely loved having so many children over, even through the tensed, prepared-for-a-mess shoulders that every parent knew.

  That had been a lot of children, though…

  —

  —

  "I told you they played with the Pokemon here, this can't be that shocking to you?" She had, yes, but hearing and seeing were two very different things!

  Most of the girls and a few boys had followed Petals and one maid towards the forest earlier to go see the Murkrow nests, but the rest of the children had a different plan. It wasn't hard to figure out, either. The second the children split up like that, Muk and his herd of Grimer had rushed the other children, children who shrieked and ran… but not very quickly. They were playing tag, and I noticed that the Grimer were actually oozing around each other to get away, so it wasn't entirely one sided…

  "I heard, yes, but… How can they stand the smell?" Patricia snorted in amusement.

  "Dad, they are children. They can handle it for a little while, and Muk and the Grimer love playing with someone. Understandably, most people don't want to, or even most Pokemon. Some of the Grass types are okay with the smell, though, especially the Gloom and Vileplume, so they still have plenty of others to chat with, at least…"

  —

  —

  "Once again, I told you that they played with them occasionally!"

  Sure, but the two large packs of canines were intimidating. The Houndour and Poochyena were cute, sure, but their Evolved forms were more than slightly terrifying… even if most of those didn't play with the children. Patricia noticed us watching the adults and sighed.

  "They don't dislike children, but for some of the rescues, it's… hard. Hard to relax, hard to… heal. Hard to enjoy themselves. The Indeedee are all qualified Pokemon Psychologists, but some things don't heal easily or quickly, and they have other duties. I really need a dedicated, human one. I've been looking, but even with the contracts, finding someone that is willing to work with rescues in Indigo is hard, and that's not exactly a large, highly-populated profession."

  I frowned at the information. I knew they couldn't hurt us, so intellectually I should be fine with it, but the reminder that these were former Rocket Pokemon, some with issues, still injected some nervousness back into me despite my own compassion for them.

  Still, this was almost relaxing, watching over a dozen children play with a bunch of Pokemon… almost. I was still nervous about Pokemon and children playing together, but it was once again basically just tag…

  —

  —

  It was adorable how Petals had gently lifted the children with vines to let them stuff themselves with blackberries from the gigantic, heavily-pruned bush, not to mention a very sweet scene. The ring of fruit trees on top of the hill would apparently start producing next year, but the grapes and Berries growing down the vertical sides were also nibbled on, though not nearly as much as the blackberries. I had seen some planks of wood up there, and apparently Patricia was hiring someone to build platforms to access the bush… which made sense, actually. I had never heard of one so large, not that there had been many in a city like Saffron, and it was somehow almost devoid of thorns! When I mentioned it, my mouth full of blackberries, Petals had chimed and given me a thumbs up, or something close to it at least, so that was one question answered…

  They were really good blackberries, too…

  It was far less adorable when Gyarados came roaring out of the pond to give some rides when they went for a swim afterwards, though, not to mention Midir's family… or the Houndoom drying the children off with huge walls of flame! The Indeedee had been directing them, though, and nobody even got singed, so… It was still startling!

  —

  —

  Most of the day had been idle, sure, but over a dozen children… Even with the Indeedee, Wukong, Midir, Patricia, and us, wrangling over a dozen children into a meal was not easy. The Drowzee and Hypno helped, actually, but more than anything else I think it was Professor Oak who imposed the most order.

  The man had a presence to him, one that was calm and fierce at the same time. He was approachable enough that he was almost mobbed by the children when he came flying in on a Charizard, but intimidating enough they asked questions in turn, and not all at once… for the most part. I noticed the Charizard frowning in concentration and realized the aura I expected to feel battering me wasn't there. Maddy and Wukong were bad enough, but I knew this Charizard was strong. It looked almost pained, though…

  The number of Pokemon that were going to eat stew was simply too many to bring them all through the backyard, so we were shown a demonstration of the Meowstic's power. Watching just the female casually lift the huge pot more than twice her height and who knows how many times her weight was not a comforting experience, but it was brought out back to a small set of stairs, obviously intended for the Indeedee. The huge amount of steel bowls were all a bit chipped and dented, but nobody cared as two Indeedee got to work doling out the stew, a few Bellsprout helping to place bowls down for those lacking hands.

  Gyarados was in the pond, rising from the middle, intently watching the pot… He was frowning a little, and despite myself I couldn't help but feel mildly bad for the behemoth. He was actively watching his portion shrink… Maybe Patricia should hire a full-time cook? Then again, Patricia liked having something to do, and so did many of the Pokemon…

  Our first proper dinner at our daughter's house, not just some quick leftovers before falling into bed, was… different.

  Thankfully for my sanity the children ate in the visitors center with the Indeedee and the Drowzee and Hypno. Unluckily for my sanity, Professor Oak had joined us at the table out back, and with the children gone his Charizard had finally relaxed. She looked relieved, like a heavy burden had been lifted from her, but Martha and I were much less relieved.

  It was strange enough to share a meal with Pokemon after a lifetime of avoiding them for the most part, but it was expected considering the day so far. Mrs. Maple had joined us for a brief lunch, but this time she was joined by Professor Oak, and I was mildly stunned to be around the man. I might not be comfortable with Pokemon, but I didn't deny their impact on reality, and this man was The Pokemon Professor.

  The Pokemon Professor who had brought a tiny, adorable Skitty with him in a small carrier.

  It was in Martha's lap now, idly batting at her hair with its tail, and she was… stiff. Stiff with nerves. Terrified, actually, and I didn't blame her. I was more than slightly terrified, myself. Not of the Skitty, of course. We had looked them- and their natures- up, and while I was still irritated with the man for his insistence, I knew he wouldn't just dump it on us and leave… It was adorable, too, and harmless…

  No, Charizard felt like the literal, physical incarnation of Death sitting at the table with us. My body was screaming at me to run, but even if I had wanted to, I was far too stiff to make the attempt… Nobody else was affected, though, and Martha and I both twitchily looked at Mrs. Maple in confusion, and she smirked at us around a spoonful of stew.

  "I was right where you were earlier this summer, but I spent plenty of time around Leto and Charizard, not to mention Wukong and Maddy. I eventually adjusted. You haven't passed out, though, so you're doing well!" She was getting some satisfaction out of this, and Professor Oak joined her.

  "Oh yes, many people find it most unpleasant! Especially those who were never trainers, I imagine it must be beyond terrifying to them…" Kind of, yeah!

  Patricia frowned at them both, though.

  "Look, I get it, but be nice to them. We all make mistakes, me included, and they've done well today with everyone… Charizard, dear, you're just too impressive!" Charizard huffed out a laugh before going back to her bucket of stew.

  The Skitty moved into my lap and reached up to paw at my face with its tail. I idly rubbed its head, still trying not to hyperventilate, and Professor Oak smiled.

  "I think he likes you two! Luckily Skitty are very easy to raise." I nodded absently, finally remembering the bowl of stew in front of me. It smelled great, and I leaned forward to take a shaky bite.

  It tasted amazing, and more than that, it was warm, the kind of warm from hot, heavy, rich food. Comforting food, and I felt myself relax a little as I took another bite. Not much, not at all, but enough that I didn't think I would die in the next moment. The one after that, though…

  "W-well, we'll have plenty o-of free time, and h-he is adorable…" I glanced over and Martha had managed a bite as well. She still looked pale and shaky, but a smile flickered across her face.

  "Y-yes, he is adorable… I guess we could give it a t-try. If he doesn't w-work out, though…" Patricia smiled at that.

  "I'll take him in if you don't click. I had been thinking about how stunning Delcatty were just yesterday…" The Meowstic couple glared at her from their spot on the table and she smirked at them.

  I went back to my food, feeling… better. Not great, not even close, but… change is rarely comfortable…

  —

  —

  I was dead tired when I finally laid back down that night. I had been up to see the sun rise and fall, and I was exhausted even if I hadn't actually done more than walk around some. Even the constant pressure from Patricia's team when they were around had been exhausting!

  Yesterday we had woken up in… depression, honestly. Not the bad kind, I thought, just… dejection. We had failed as parents, and we had failed as a business. We had squandered our limited wealth, and screwed ourselves… Yesterday we woke up with no hope, just a future where we dwindled away.

  Today we had woken up in a new environment, been subjected to a… way of life we had never experienced, or wanted to. Surrounded by Pokemon all day? It sounded like insanity… Contracts, yes, but still! Yet we had been fine all day, of course…

  Today we had spent an entire day with the daughter we had driven away.

  Patricia seemed genuinely open to the idea of us being in her life, and we absolutely wanted to be, but it was still… new for both of us. Still, she had put herself out there in more ways than one, inviting us into her home, buying us a house! We had actually gone to see it today. It was a tiny little one-bedroom single floor, sure, but it was actually kind of nice! It was also one of the closer houses to Patricia's Ranch…

  We would do our best not to screw it up, though. We certainly weren't going to try to dictate how she should live her life again… Not that we could, of course! Her team aside, Patricia herself had a presence, one that almost made us feel like the children! It was odd to compare them, but it was almost like Professor Oak's presence in a way. They both had that same… certainty, I guess. That same… steel underneath the surface.

  I was saddened by the obvious scars my daughter had, though. Not physically, no, but from the rescues and their situations. It was clear that she didn't regret helping them, of course, but whatever those interviews entailed… they had left a mark on my daughter. One that she seemed to not bother hiding very hard, but I guess with multiple Indeedee around she would get a talking to if she did…

  That was an intimidating species of Pokemon, size and combat ability aside. Alfred was Patrica's personal Pokemon, and Grace was Leaf's, but the other four Indeedee? They ran the Ranch from what I could tell. Two Pokemon arguing? Even if they can't escalate it physically? A maid glaring at them was usually more than enough to de-escalate the situation, not that I blamed them…

  I worried for Patricia, but at the same time she seemed so happy! The Ranch wasn't a huge, stress-producing monstrosity, it was still on the smaller side as far as a normal Ranch went, and it was more or less self-running. She got to help the community with the whole sleepover and cheap hunted food situation, even as they helped her with her dream-eating requirement. She was on casual terms with a man like Professor Oak, and frequently invited the man over for meals! Apparently that was both Patricia's own obvious affection for the man and Charizard's request. Who would have thought that The Pokemon Professor had a bad habit of skipping meals to continue his work…

  She was beyond happy to be a mother as well. I hadn't seen them interact that long, of course, but I knew that look. The look of 'I would do anything for you, and I'm scared I won't be able to'... I doubt she would make the same mistakes we had with her daughter, though… With her three daughters, and hadn't that been a shock!

  Leaf was one of the nicest, happiest girls I had ever met, despite her annoyance with us, while Alex had seemed a good deal… calmer in her niceness. Erin, though…

  There was a lot to that situation that we weren't being told. Patricia had happily told us about the past few months, but certain things made her pause, and it was almost always related to Erin. Erin, and the contracts. I was smart enough to connect the dots, and so was Martha, but I really didn't know how to feel about the thought. It had accomplished something good, sure, but what kind of bargain had led to the contracts? To Leaf's named Clefable being able to mediate them?

  Still, I could deal with Erin, and even her team, considering the obvious affection they all had for each other. I'd heard that a good trainer saw their team as family, but I had never seen the like from Pokemon like that. A Skitty, Growlithe, or even Rattata? It was very easy to imagine them as a family member, even for me and my… wariness of them. The Alpha Tyrantrum that had eaten humans?! The affection for my daughter and her family had been easy to see, considering how large her eyes had been. The Alpha Zweilous? One of the most dangerous species of Pokemon in the entire world, even more so than their other Evolutions?

  There were no eyes to see the affection in, and one head hadn't participated, but one head had been more than happy enough to lick Patricia's hands and receive hugs. It had to growl at the other head after it got irritated, but everyone had been watching for a snap, so nobody had been terribly worried…

  On top of all that, Patricia was dating, and her affection for Lance was obvious to see. He didn't get brought up at every opportunity, but she was more than happy to gush about him when it fit. Not that she gushed about Champion Lance. No, she was happy to relate the smaller, more personal things. Poor Lance… Champion he may be, I don't think he'd had a chance against my daughter after the first ear flick, which Patricia had gleefully shown us. No explanation for why they were around a fire in the woods, but maybe eventually they would let us in on some secrets. We certainly weren't going to push…

  I was almost asleep when the baby Skitty forced its way under the covers and burrowed towards my neck. He curled up there, sighed deeply, then seemed to instantly go limp. That made sense though, human babies were the same way… Skitty were easy enough to… adjust to. I think a Rattata would have been more intimidating with those teeth, honestly, but Skitty were so unassuming, on top of this one being a literal baby…

  I felt myself drifting off again and I smiled. Change was never easy, but this change was already kind of nice, getting to reconnect with the daughter we had foolishly pushed away… It would be even better when we got our own house, and more importantly, a larger bed so I could avoid the elbow I could even now feel creeping closer…

  Then Skitty's tail-paw idly slapped my face, and I sighed.

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