Erin

  —

  I was so happy to be back on the road! Route, whatever! I enjoyed spending time at home, absolutely, and I really enjoyed dive bombing a Wailmer with Dhelmise, sure… Mom getting her present? That was great, especially the radiantly content feelings I could still feel from her Pokeball. The sparring was fun as hell, too! Even if those two devious girls had ganged up on me…

  It wasn't fair that I was this tiny! I mean, come on! I was a year older than them! This body apparently already went through the first major growth spurt, too! I had like… maybe three inches to look forward to… I was pretty ambivalent about my boob size, though, in all honesty. I had them, and they weren't tiny like the rest of me, but not big, that's all I cared about. In fact, I was glad I probably wouldn't get over a B cup at the very most even when I was much older… My old family's women all had huge chests, and I got to hear about how painful they were on their backs… frequently…

  The condescension as they told me to be glad I didn't have to deal with them had sucked, too…

  So yeah, overall I was happy with my body this time around, especially the 'correct gender' part, but… C'mon, I was five foot two! Even if I grew another five inches I would still be… well, not short at least… Three was probably the most I could hope for… With my luck I would get one…

  Still, back on the road? Great! Back on the road with the surprises that mom and Lance had prepared for us? Even better! Mom had heard us all lightly complaining about being carried everywhere, and Route Seventeen was long…

  Bikes were never my favorite mode of transportation in my old world, but I enjoyed them a lot more here. I mean, mountain bikes in the woods? Absolutely, they were fun as hell! Any kind of bike next to a road in my old world, in my old car-centric country? Not so fun. Ignoring the news stories of maniacs running people over for the fun of it, it was dangerous! I'd been clipped by big-ass truck mirrors more than once! Once had been enough, in fact, but I had to go to work… Huh, kind of fucked that job up too, just like I do everythin-

  ""Erin…"" 'Sorry sweetie… It was a shitt- horrible job, anyway…'

  I sighed, but kept pedaling. Summer was finally coming to a close, and apparently here in not-Japan it got cooler faster. Still not cool, not by any means, but nothing like the humid equatorial or near-equatorial summers I was used to from my old hellhole. I didn't have to worry about melting, but with the exertion of pedaling? Even if it was mild, and we were all in good shape?

  I was glad I was back in my clothes… I mean, I still had the outfit Alex had picked out, because I did like it, but I'd had Seraphina burn the Misty outfit… and melt the ashes. I also really liked the dress they picked out, but for biking? Short purple skirt, white sleeveless shirt, headband, pigtails, and my jacket all day! I really had come around on the pigtails, and they kept my neck much cooler. Jacket? Yeah, but I didn't have the inner layer in, with just the top button done up and thrown around my shoulders, so it was far more of a…heat-shedding cloak like the furrier had designed it to be, not a cape. Capes were stupid, and a Lance thing. Cloaks were badass, and an Erin thing!

  I deliberately ignored how he had called it a 'cape mode' when I picked it up. I could lie in my own head, to myself! It was a badass cloak!

  I'd started to skip the detached sleeves, honestly. With my frilly outfit, sure, but at this point I didn't care about people seeing my bracers. They were slightly conspicuous, sure, but so were the sleeves when they didn't match…

  "Erin! Want to take a break?" I thought about Alex's question for a long moment.

  We didn't have to bike, obviously, but we were all getting mildly tired of being carried around like lunch in Leto's 'picnic basket'... Well, for going to new places. Backtracking we didn't care nearly as much, but mom had charged down Route Seventeen last time… Plus we needed a new one, or at least a new handle for our basic one… Still, it was almost noon, and the sun was bright, and even with the almost constant sea breeze it was hot…

  "Next part with beach access sound good to you girls?" I received nods from them and smiled at the sight. Well, not the nods. They weren't exhausted at all, just tired… Sore, too, because even if they ganged up on me, and I was slightly weaker than them, I was still far more vicious and trained. I would accept a punch to throw two back. Them? They still had those reasonable fears of pain…

  Our Pokemon agreed, too. Not that many were out, of course. We all had baskets on the front of our bikes, and Stabby sat in mine. Leaf had Unity with Tinkatink in hers, riding her new bike- apparently her old, smaller one had been donated. Why with her? Well, Tinkatink couldn't go into a ball yet, and her and Unity barely took up the entire basket. Alex was mildly irritated by Morgrem and his… Morgrem-ness, not to mention his sounds of glee, but he was really enjoying being able to see the world!

  Why did we have those Pokemon out?

  They were small enough to fit into our baskets and not break them, and could save us from at least one attack with Protect if needed before the rest of our teams made an appearance. I hadn't forgotten Janine's warning to me, nor the bounty I had… not to mention my friends and family! I would murder him! Painfull-

  ""Erin nice! Bad guy, yes, you nice!"" 'You're right, Hecate…'

  I was trying to be a nicer person, not a bully, not a raging vengeance monster… I could maybe do with less vicious thoughts, sure… It wouldn't stop me or my witch from annihilating him in very painful, drawn out ways! I felt Hecate agree as well and laughed. Oh yes, if I wanted to be vicious? I would just pull a Leto! Or an Indeedee! I could be vicious and kind at the same time!

  After another ten minutes of biking the Route dipped towards the ocean, away from the damp, almost swampy forests up here on Route Seventeen. Must be the almost constant ocean breeze pushing inland that made everything so damp… Really glad there wasn't some stupidly long bridge to deal with! There was a nice large beach down here, too! Not a sandy one, well, most of it. Most of it was pebbles and rocks, but it was still a beach! Still a great view of the huge bay!

  Still not empty!

  There was a decent sized group of trainers down here at a large, rough pavilion. It kind of looked like one you would find at a park, honestly. Plain and sturdy with some benches and tables, meant to keep the sun off you more than anything, with a detached pair of restrooms. It looked like a great place to spend lunch, and apparently everyone else agreed. There was even a food stand! Well, that made sense, I had seen a road branch off from the actual Route above, and there was probably a town there… They had probably built this to attract trainers and profit off of them, actually…

  I tried to ignore the stares as I got off my new black and dark pink bike, because mom had a sense of humor even if I actually liked the combination… but it was hard. I knew I had a reputation on the PokeNet, but I didn't give a shit! I still kind of… hated the attention being thrown my way. I ignored them all as we approached the water, though.

  They certainly had a reaction to Dignity coming out with a loud roar, though! It almost prepared them for Kallen to latch onto her head… They grew very nervous when all ten feet of Dhelmise came out with a crash, though. I smiled at Dhelmise even as they wrapped my hand up, pulling a little life force out. It wasn't pleasant, not at all, but it didn't hurt, so I let them have their little 'snacks'.

  "Okay, maybe an hour or so? Dignity, Kallen, think you could drive something in for Dhelmise to munch on? Well, for everyone to munch on?" I got happy nods, even as Dhelmise was launching their anchor high into the sky at an angle. Their wheel could actually float like Kallen, but not their huge anchor… Their compass-eye seemed to squint at me in happiness momentarily before their wheel was yanked after the rest of them, Dignity and Kallen following closely behind.

  I turned, only to find most of the group of almost ten trainers staring at me. At us. I scowled at them and most looked away, but not all… Screw it. I ignored them as I followed Leaf and Alex towards the food stand. It had been hours since breakfast, and I didn't feel like cooking. I would if I had to, sure, but now that I had… adjusted? Now that food tasted normal? Hell yeah, food stands! I didn't want to cook just for lunch!

  The older lady running the food stand was eyeing me a little, but she didn't feel hostile, so I ignored her as I ordered. She had a few things for sale, but I went with a nice, huge salad. I didn't see any meat, but that made sense. If she was from a small town, I doubt they had any Miltank farms, at least those of the meat variety, or even Pidgey farms, just like Pallet Town… Unless they specialized, I guess. I ordered last, and as I took the oversized salad from her I smiled. I tried to smile gently, but I don't think it worked…

  "Could we also get six fruit bowls, please?" She gave me a strange look, but added them to the total. She gave me a stranger look when Dexter flew out to pay, but I was ignoring her by then. I mean, sure, I was kind of… infamous, but it was rude to stare!

  I smiled as Hope came out and there were startled sounds from behind me. Not sure why, I mean, Morgrem was out and about! He had been getting looks, of course, but the sight of him joyfully riding in a bike basket may have muted the usual, expected fear… That or his obvious shiny nature. Still, I grinned as I handed Hope four of the bowls for her, Tinkatink, Morgrem, and Indeedee. We moved over to a corner of the pavilion, the other trainers giving us wary looks. They should be wary, honestly…

  Especially as everyone else but Cerberus and mom crashed out in a huge wave of red.

  I started giggling at the sight of a boy my age frozen in fear. I think literally! Like I could tip him over and he would just sort of rattle on the ground like a piece of metal, not flop! Dexter poked me, but I poked him back! It was funny, Dexter! He must have agreed, because I didn't get another poke.

  I may have laughed when Hecate launched herself over to me to get her own fruit bowl and he twitched, though. She was kind of intimidating… Stabby grabbing his barely got a reaction from anyone compared to the rest of our teams, honestly.

  We ignored the stares as we ate, and it was good! I'd never exactly been an herbivore in my previous life, and I certainly didn't lean that way here… Still, it was one of the best salads I'd had in a long time, and the dressing was light and citrusy…

  We made it through most of our food before a group of three trainers found their spines and approached us. I didn't even really acknowledge them other than a glance, just continued to stuff my face. Leaf did as well, so this time it was Alex who got to shut them down.

  "Would you three be interested in a match?"

  Alex looked very eager to politely talk down to them, smiling widely.

  "We're all at least fifth badge, even if I only have four, and most of our Pokemon are as well, if not far stronger. If you have some weaker Pokemon us two will fight." She pointed at herself and Leaf. "But if not, fifth badge minimum."

  The girl frowned at us, but the two boys behind her smirked at us! At me! Wait, was that one a boy?

  "Actually, we're all fifth badge! We were wondering if the Tiny Tyrant and her lackeys wanted to have a triple batt-" She cut off, because I gave her no other choice.

  I had gotten a lot defter with my aura, and kept it tightly leashed most of the time. This wasn't a wide club of aura or a net like I had used for groups in Saffron. This was a spear of aura, straight to her head. I didn't even look at the others as her terrified eyes met mine.

  "Only warning any of you get. Insult my family again and I won't kill you, but I will make you wish for death, while remaining completely within the bounds of the law. If you want to try being intimidating, sure, go ahead and fail miserably. Do it without insults, though. You don't see me telling you that you apparently have the intelligence of a particularly dim Gulpin, right? Because if you know who I am, and had any form of higher intellect, you'd have realized that insulting either of them was a bad idea." I released my aura, letting the idiotic girl breathe again.

  Her companions looked mildly scared, but more confused as they looked at her pale face, and I couldn't help the huge laugh that burst from me, even as Alex spoke up, voice sharp.

  "So, fifth badge, and a triple battle, huh? That's a bit unusual, but sure, why not? I wouldn't mind working off my meal with a bit of idiot destruction." The two boys' glares shifted to her, but Alex wasn't about to be intimidated by two thirteen year olds, even if she was one, too, so she just smiled sweetly at them.

  Leaf was glaring at them as she stood up.

  "Yeah, it seems like some people could use a lesson in judging your opponents. Me? I've judged mine, and found them all weak." Leaf was taking after me a bit too much… maybe. That had been pretty funny, though.

  I inhaled the rest of my salad before we moved off to the side, to a large open area of beach, and I paused briefly.

  "Wait, let's let everyone out, see if the others have found some food." I glanced at Dexter inquisitively. "Is this a city or town zone?" Probably not, but I hadn't broken a law yet… He shook his head and I smiled extra viciously.

  Then I released my aura in a wave towards the ocean. I didn't get an actual response this far away, but they had heard me… probably. If Dhelmise was still close to shore, at least… In the meantime I turned my smile to the three trainers on the other side of the makeshift 'court' out here.

  "Don't worry, you won't be fighting either of these two!" I nudged them both, and as they came out I let myself recline on Cerberus as his heads snaked underneath my arms, as usual. He was a pretty nice recliner, honestly, especially as he settled down and I could use his knees as a seat.

  Mom? Well, she came out and moved off to the side, grinning at them the whole time. Still, there weren't any panicked screams these days. Leto was known, and aside from being a trainers Pokemon, she was known to be courteous here in Kanto… I mean, she didn't torment random people, but if she rescued you? Well… Mom had her fun with Maxx even as she saved his life, helped his career, and found him a helper and friend. She didn't now, of course… but if Maxx ever needed a 'ride' again? One hundred percent, mom would absolutely torment him… She found it funny…

  Kind of like me, a little? Damn aura-tinted mind! I didn't want to find enjoyment in others' misery!

  Dignity and Kallen came flying in, Dignity's flight still slightly erratic, but not unstable anymore. Dhelmise flung their anchor again, landing next to me with a crash, what looked like an entire school of dead Magikarp in its net of kelp… Did they school? Probably, considering the amount of them…

  I didn't even flinch at the huge anchor carrying almost twenty corpses that crashed down next to me, of course, and I greatly enjoyed the slightly shaken looks on the three fools faces. Fools, because I was still kind of irritated by their existence! If they had been nice? Or at least polite? I would have been nice and polite, as well!

  "What do you think, girls? Personally, I think these three need a handicap! How about we send our Pokemon out first instead of at the same time? Let them try to have the opportunity for an upper hand. Try, because they will fail." The fools' faces grew angry again and I grinned at them, even as Leaf and Alex gave their own enthusiastic responses.

  "Good idea, sis! Both Noibat are right out with this many people around, unfortunately, Hazard is Hazard, Tinkatink is a baby, and Morgrem…" He glared at her and she smiled briefly at him. "Morgrem is new, so I think I might have to let Indeedee have some fun!" Indeedee walked onto the field, glaring, and I could see when she slapped the hell out of them! It was glorious!

  "Well, for a fifth badge, it has to be Dignity. Honor just Evolved, so he's still a bit unsteady on two legs, and Unity is still too…" Alex trailed off, because yeah… Don't call the very unamused apple dragon closely watching you weak! He would prank you with his stickiness! Again!

  I reached out with my aura and poked Kallen, enjoying the way his red eyes lit up.

  "Well, Kallen, looks like it's your first fight since Erika!" He floated over to join Dignity and Indeedee on our side of the field.

  "You're all going to regret your… your… arrogance?" I laughed at the boy who was trying to be intimidating.

  I laughed harder when their Pokemon came out.

  The girls Wigglytuff actually looked competent, eyes vicious behind the wide-eyed innocence there. One boy sent out a Kingler, and that made me smile, Kingler were awesome… Then the… boy? They chose death.

  The Weavile that came out was happy and healthy… For a moment. Then my aura hit it, with moms rushing out a split second later even as she growled. Its eyes met mine, saw the Sneasel feathers and my jacket, and it flinched. Hard. Then it glanced at mom and began to shake as it saw her Weavile mantle. I very deliberately licked my lips, and I knew most of my team was glaring as well.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Its trainer apparently had a slight bit more spine than I had given them credit for, though.

  "Stop glaring at my Pokemon! She didn't do anything to you!" Okay, they were a boy, just a very effeminate one, even with the super short hair. My grin never dropped, and my eyes never twitched from the Weavile's terrified ones.

  "Okay then, three on three. Kallen, I know you want to kill that Weavile, but she is a trainers Pokemon… So don't even maim her. In fact, I see a pink fluffball that would love to fight a dragon! One that doesn't even have the typing, yet!" I poked mom with aura, and we both pulled it back in.

  I didn't glare… but I did sneer at the Weavile. Just a little… okay I was being mean… I stopped my sneer, because I didn't judge individuals based on their species or what they had done to me… Look at Hope and Stabby…

  "Dignity, follow Indeedee's lead." That was all Alex said, but we had done a few double spars, so if Kallen kept that Wigglytuff occupied they should be fine.

  "You three have some way to protect against a stray attack?" The kind of girly-looking boy shook his head.

  "Not all three of us, no." I groaned briefly before I glanced behind me at Hope.

  "Think you could make sure they survive? Maybe get their side, Hecate can shield the crowd's side, and Stabby can get us?" I didn't want any stray attacks to hit the rest of the trainers, who had of course come over to watch. Not that I blamed them, obviously. I'd have been watching, too…

  Hope nodded at me and leapt across the field, doing her awesome floating crap even as Hecate launched herself to the side. The three only looked slightly worried, but they traveled with a Wigglytuff… one who looked terrified of Hope, actually… Yeah, that made sense. That line was barely fae-touched, but they still were. It could see Hope in that communion-space, and it wasn't happy.

  It still turned to face its doom as I once again forgot about my little witch's habits…

  ""Battle ready?""

  The crowd winced, but to my surprise the group of trainers didn't, so they must have a psychic of some sort, even if it couldn't shield all of them… They nodded their heads, and we did too. With a wide smile Hecate thunderously clapped her ponytails together.

  ""Battle begin!""

  "King, Ice Beam the Dragonair!"

  "Wigglytuff, focus on the little one!"

  "Ice Beam the Dragonair, Snazzy!"

  I… didn't know how to feel about those names, but they weren't my choice… I enjoyed the look on their faces when none of us gave a command, though.

  I really enjoyed the look on their faces when Kallen launched himself straight at the Wigglytuff with an overpowered Water Gun, reorientated himself in midair with another tiny one even as he flew forward, then seemed to inflate briefly as he built up his newest Move.

  The Sludge Bomb that hit that poor Wigglytuff wasn't as strong as the one Janine's Dragalge had used, sure, and Seraphina's would put Kallen's to shame, honestly… Not that she had learned it from him yet, but she was working on it.

  It still slammed into the stunned Wigglytuff… or not, as a quick Protect stopped the sludge… then broke a second later as it continued to eat at the energy. It still gave Wigglytuff the chance to throw itself backwards, mouth open as it probably prepared to Sing. Unfortunately for it, Kallen hadn't only charged up a singular attack, and the second, smaller Sludge Bomb smashed into its face. I let my eyes slide away from Kallen's fun towards a slightly more interesting fight.

  Dignity was curled up tightly, Protect shining around her and starting to badly crack as she blocked the two Ice Beams directed at her. Not the worst idea, honestly. Focus one down, then it's a two vs one… Indeedee wouldn't let that happen, of course. Her Psychic Terrain was in full effect, and she was already gliding towards the Kingler. Gliding slower than usual, what with the pebbles and rocks, but I saw her eyes close briefly as she leapt and floated five feet, Calm Mind taking hold.

  The wall of Psybeams were actually blocked by a Metal Claw, but even as Kingler continued swinging its huge claw to smash into Indeedee, she twirled out of the way, a Dazzling Gleam slamming into the Weavile's head as it attempted to strike her back with a dark claw… not sure what Move that was, but I would never know. Indeedee continued to glide right past the Weavile, erecting a brief Protect to block the Ice Beam that shot at her from Kingler.

  Of course, Dignity wasn't idle, and as soon as the Weavile had disengaged she was charging up a Dragon Rush. A Move that she loved to use, and used effectively, in fact… She charged Kingler and slammed her entire body weight into it, before she leapt into the air… but not much. No, she leapt and spun in place, driving Kingler into the ground with a Dragon Tail… She wasn't an Alpha, but she was big, so I wasn't surprised when that poor Kingler didn't move after that…

  She still took an Ice Beam straight to the face, but by then Indeedee had closed in on the Weavile, tiny fists already glowing with the pink energy of Play Rough. Indeedee wasn't the best close-range fighter, despite all her formal training in Galar, but now that it was two vs one? Why not get some practice in?

  Not that she got much, as the Weavile only took three strikes to the head before falling unconscious, a singular large gash down Indeedee's front…

  I turned my attention back to my little trickster and found him having too much fun.

  Kallen was rapidly shooting himself around the confused, possibly Confused Wigglytuff, and I couldn't help but feel bad for it… especially when it opened its mouth, presumably to Sing, and received a pinpoint Water Gun straight into its mouth… I felt really bad when it tried again and he gave that poor Pokemon an Acid to the face…

  Still, Wigglytuff were… tough Pokemon, and with a high-pitched growl its fists also glowed pink, bounding towards Kallen with fury in its eyes… also burns on its face. Kallen, though?

  Kallen laughed at it and spun in place, poison energy radiating from his tail… and his entire body. Wigglytuff actually managed to land two punches that hurt him, even as his Acid Armor burned its hands, but then Kallen completed his spin with his Poison Tail. Right into its face, because Kallen was a vicious kelp dragon… It didn't rise, and was quickly returned.

  I looked up, enjoying the looks of shock on our opponents faces… not to mention the faces of the other trainers… Also the food stall lady, who had actually left it to come watch.

  I smiled at our beaten, defeated opponents, savoring their expressions… Insult my family, huh? Well, family and friend… Nah, family. Alex was family, even if she wasn't legally, I don't give a damn. Found family is the best family, fight me.

  "If you'd like, Indeedee can heal your Pokemon after she's done with ours…" I glanced over, and of course, she was already done. "She's free, actually, our Pokemon barely got hurt!"

  Aww, they thought they could glare at me! So cute! Also completely useless, but look at that! They thought they could intimidate any of us! Still!

  Idiots.

  —

  —

  We actually had a few more quick battles after that, the other trainers somehow less intimidated by us now. Most were weaker than us, however, so Unity, Seraphina, and Morgrem got to have some fun. Well, Unity and Seraphina had fun, even if Seraphina had to go easy on her one opponent. Morgrem had fun about half the time… the other half the time he was getting his ass kicked. I would have felt bad, but nah… Evil little shit didn't deserve to get his face kicked in, sure, but…

  Okay, even with his promises, he gave me the… Well, how do I even describe it? I didn't judge species as a whole… They did have predispositions, however. His entire line enjoyed the torment of others… Still, he was bound by promises for now, and Leaf was already working on him. She was a fungus, I swear, and considering he didn't fight the hug she gave him after his first loss? Well, he didn't fight her much, really? I was confident he would be a lot different by the time the Conference rolled around.

  I was glad to put that beach behind us, though. Back to biking… down this extra long Route… It was a nice view, honestly, the Route running parallel to the ocean for this stretch… It was late afternoon, almost dusk, when mom and I's training to constantly reel our aura's in really showed its effect.

  Why else would the swarm of Yanma not flee?

  I had always liked the look of the flying bug Pokemon, and that hadn't changed in reality. They were cute, and so cool! I still poked Seraphina, just in case… I would rather they get Incinerated if they attacked us… They were more vicious here in reality than the Pokedex entries made them out to be, though usually not actually aggressive… They preferred to intimidate or flee rather than attack random humans.

  These didn't seem to be aggressive, but they still buzzed up in a large cloud near the Route…

  We stopped a decent distance away from them, and when we didn't come closer, they settled back down… Still very close to the Route. What the hell? I mean, I think the woods around here are wet enough to almost count as a swamp, and they dwelled in forests, too, so their presence here didn't startle me, but… I had no idea why they were just… sitting there?

  Alex apparently decided to investigate, though. That would explain why she was off her bike and already moving towards them! Shit!

  "Alex, what are-" She turned and frowned at me! Me!

  "Erin, I'm going to go see what's wrong!" I was so stunned I didn't respond immediately, just looked at Leaf… who looked unworried?! She noticed my look and laughed a little.

  "Erin, look at them. They aren't aggressive, and they aren't defending a spot… They're waiting for us to come to them!" She gave me a bright smile and followed, bike propped up… Towards the calm Yanma swarm…

  The hell? Am I just stupid? Did I rely on my aura too much?

  ""Tiny Tyrant got taught!"" 'Very funny, Hecate…'

  They appeared to be correct, though, and we were able to walk right up to the leading edge of the swarm. Alex crouched down in front of one, a wide smile on her face.

  "Hey there! Did you all need help with something?" The one she was talking to nodded, even as the others buzzed their wings for a moment. Alex looked up at me with a smile, and I didn't need to hear her question. I pushed my aura out towards the one she was talking to, and after it jerked it gave me a surprised look, its cute little blue eyes widening.

  'Danger. Forest. Elder! Devour!' 'There's danger in the forest, and it… ate your elder?' It shook its head at me.

  'Elder. Danger. Devour!' 'Your… elder is the danger?' A nod.

  Well, shit.

  "There's a Yanmega out there devouring them. If my knowledge is correct, they eat almost everything, and are very dangerous… Also huge!" I looked around and knew what was going to happen just based on the faces. Not that I was opposed to helping, but…

  "If we're going to help, we need to keep Tinkatink with Hope. I think they can create shock-waves that can damage internal organs…" Hope was already out by the time I finished. Well, everyone started to come out, actually. Not mom or Cerberus, but the rest popped out.

  The Yanma were nervous at the sight of our teams, but they weren't hyper-aggressive Pokemon, so I wasn't worried. I looked back at the one who talked and extended my aura again.

  'Help? Save?' 'Yeah, we'll help you, little guy. Can you just point us in the right direction?' 'No. Hunt! Follow!' 'It's going to follow you? It's hunting you?'

  The confirmation was full of dread, and I didn't blame it one bit…

  —

  —

  We decided to just camp there on the other, non-wooded side of the Route since it was already getting close to dark anyway… A campsite that was quickly covered in Yanma… They were cute as far as Bug-types went, dragonflies were awesome, and I'd never had a fear or disgust of insects, so I was pretty happy about the entire thing, honestly.

  Indeedee and Hecate certainly didn't enjoy the Bug types that surrounded them, but they were keeping quiet. They could probably also feel the sheer terror these Pokemon were experiencing…

  Leaf was mildly enthusiastic about helping, of course, and so was I, but this was less… urgent than a Team Rocket situation? I mean, I felt bad for them, sure… I wouldn't have given their deaths a second thought if I saw them attacked, though. Nature was nature, and Pokemon ate other Pokemon… and some Pokemon asked for help from humans.

  Alex, though?

  "I mean, yeah, why wouldn't I? I highly doubt I'll be getting another dragon in Kanto, even with all your requests, and Yanmega are badass!" Stabby flicked her for that one, and I grinned a little. It was funny… when it wasn't me!

  "Alex, but… It's going to be aggressive!" Leaf wasn't too happy with Alex's plan to capture it! I kind of wasn't either, but… I wouldn't let her get hurt, so it was… We would see.

  "Because, Leaf, this is the perfect chance! I don't need a type advantage over Sabrina, but it couldn't hurt! I also love the look of Yanmega, I just hadn't thought I would see a wild one any time soon! They aren't super rare, but we're in Kanto right now! Just finding Yanma over here is… not that strange, actually, they fly, but still!"

  I frowned at her. Lightly, but it was a real frown.

  "Describe how you're going to get it to obey you in the first place, Alex. Please?" She glared at me for a second before she sighed.

  "I plan on having Dignity kick its as- butt, restrain it, and then I'll lay out what will happen. I'll let it choose between being food or being captured. If it prefers being captured, I'll let it choose between going to the Rangers for relocation, or being my Pokemon. If it refuses to be captured? Well, I don't want to eat one, but I doubt Dignity will care! Honor certainly wouldn't! His line lives in badlands, they eat everything!" Honor nodded at her words, even as the surrounding Yanma lightly glared at her.

  "Sounds like you're going to force it?" She glared at me again, and didn't break it off.

  "No, I'm not! I'm just giving it the option between being food or friend! If I didn't want to capture it, we would probably just be killing it and letting our Pokemon eat it, anyway!" I sighed at the look in her eyes. Fine, she had a bit of a point… Screw it…

  I tossed her an empty Ultra Ball from my bandoleer.

  "Fine, but when it-" The Yanmega apparently decided that now was the time to hunt.

  That would explain the huge wave of sound that hit our camp. It hurt, even through the Protects, and I saw Joy and Noibat both flap into the air and scream at a dark shape hovering over the campsite. It disrupted whatever move that was, possibly Uproar, and the shape screeched before dropping towards the siblings. They quickly retreated into the Protect, and it was a good thing they did.

  Yanmega were fucking scary! Yanma had cute faces, for all they were giant bugs. Yanmega had nightmares and bloodlust for faces, apparently. They were also apparently almost eight feet long! I could ride it!

  It slammed into Hope's Protect, badly cracking it, and before it could begin to recover Dignity had lunged with an overpowered Dragon Rush that smashed it into the ground in an explosion of draconic energy. It didn't look very hurt at all, though… Especially not as it bit into Dignity's… stomach, chest, or tail, I had no idea where they started or stopped on a huge noodle dragon.

  Dignity apparently didn't care about the blood flowing from her, and just Wrapped it up… then squeezed. Alex stood near the edge of the Protect even as the Yanma swarm retreated, hovering far behind the campsite.

  "You are a predator, right?" Compound eyes made it hard to tell, but I had to assume it was glaring at her.

  "We don't judge you for that. Most of our Pokemon are predators, in fact. We've been asked to stop you, unfortunately, so that's what's going to happen." It screeched again, and Protects didn't do much for sound… Alex spoke up again, voice tight with pain.

  "You have two choices, Yanmega! You can be food, or you can be captured! You chose poorly, feeding on your own, unevolved swarm! I mean, I know plenty of Pokemon do that…" It was silent as it continued its 'glare', and I almost reached out with aura… but this was Alex's capture, not mine.

  "Would you like to be food?" It was silent for a long moment. I could see it flex once, but Dignity just tightened her Wrap. It finally shook its head sullenly.

  "Okay, that's what I expected. Most living beings don't like being food… Would you rather be captured?" It shook its head again and Alex laughed.

  "Well, sorry, but that's your only other option! So, food it is?" It frantically shook its head again, even as Dignity tightened her Wrap one more time.

  "Well then, if I capture you, you have two options. I can leave you in stasis, take you to the Rangers. They will release you back into the wild somewhere, but you'll almost certainly run into similar problems in the future. You're kind of huge and deadly, so eventually something will gang up on you. There is another option, however." It seemed intrigued, but still seemed to glare at her.

  "Will you be my Pokemon? I don't treat my Pokemon badly at all! I help them grow, I take care of them. You will never go hungry with me, with us! You would have opportunities to grow, to become powerful! You aren't powerful right now, are you?" It was for sure glaring at her now.

  "Don't glare at me! My dragon had no problems doing this to you, restraining you! Sure, you could do some real damage to her right now if you used a sound-based Move of some sort, but it wouldn't kill her. She would kill you, though! I can't imagine that any Yanmega, including you, is less than a year old, right?" It shook its head.

  "Well, Dignity has been with me… what, a month and a half now? She's already Evolved once, and fought in Gym Battles! She has grown! Wouldn't you like the chance to grow?" It was silent as Alex crouched down next to its head. Still inside the Protect, of course, but close enough to look into its… compound eyes. Maybe she was just looking into a single 'lens'?

  It cautiously nodded.

  "In that case, would you like to try out being my Pokemon?" It silently glared at her for almost a full minute, and right as I began to push my aura out it nodded at her. Alex smiled so widely as she lifted the Ultra Ball and pushed it through the Protect. She tapped it on its head, and with a flash of red, it was gone. The ball rocked a few times, then went still.

  She turned to us and smiled radiantly!

  "I finally caught a Pokemon! A bada- awesome Pokemon!" I laughed a little as the Protects dropped. The Yanma swarm came back in, and the 'leader' flew up to me.

  'Safe. Gratitude!' 'Not a problem, little guy. Is anyone injured? Indeedee can heal you if you are.' 'Healthy. Safe. Gratitude!'

  Then it zipped off, followed by the rest of the swarm… I should probably report them to the Rangers, shouldn't I? Or have Dexter do it… In fact, yeah.

  "Dexter, go ahead and let the Rangers know about the Yanma swarm, please? I doubt they're completely unaware, but we might as well." He nodded at me, eyes closing.

  "Erin?" I looked over to see Alex giving me a hopeful look, and I sighed.

  "Yes, I will…" I pushed my aura towards the Ultra Ball in her hand.

  'Captor! Food! Devour!' 'Buddy, you haven't even seen us eat yet. I'm not asking you to like Alex, or even to be nice, but will you behave?'

  'Maybe! Gift! Food! Now!' 'I will ignore your tone this once, because I haven't unleashed my aura yet… Now I have. Anything to say?' I felt it shudder a little inside the ball.

  'Apologies. Anger. Fury! Hunger!' 'My dude… okay, are you actually just fucking hangry?!' The positive impression I got was very amusing.

  'If you attack anyone, you will die. Understood?' 'Acceptance. Food! Hunger!'

  I sighed as I looked at Alex.

  "He won't attack, but he is hungry! Very, very hungry… Also very, very angry, but that might just be him being hangry?"

  Alex smiled as she released him. All eight feet of him! Okay, not scared… but wary is a good way to describe my feelings.

  "Good to meet you in a calm moment, Yanmega! You're hungry, apparently?" He stood there on the ground, wings idly fluttering, and nodded. Alex smiled widely as she pulled out a refrigerated Storage Ball from my backpack.

  "Well, we still have plenty of Tauros… See how much of this you can eat, and we'll go from there." She pulled a Tauros leg out and gently placed it in front of Yanmega. He didn't hesitate even a moment to start devouring the limb as soon as she pulled her hand back. His mouth parts were… unsettling, honestly, but then again, so were most insect and Bug-type mouths…

  He finished in almost no time at all, and he looked much calmer as he did. He glanced in… well, he didn't shift his head or anything, but I felt his attention shift to me.

  'Better. Hunger. More?' 'Will you attempt to flee if we let you go hunting?' He took a long moment to answer me, but eventually he did.

  'No. Return. Trainer.' 'She's a very good trainer and caretaker of her Pokemon. You will enjoy your life with her… If you don't want to stay after a while, she will release you to the Rangers, though, and they can relocate you.' The feeling of shock was extreme, and I laughed a little.

  'My dude, you were hyper aggressive towards not only the Yanma, but us as well! You're lucky she wanted to give you a chance! I would have just eaten you! Well, not me, but my team would have. Actually, maybe you'd taste good if I boiled or deep-fried you…' Maybe like a huge shellfish or something? Weren't big spiders supposed to be good? Crabs were basically water spiders… At least the legs…

  He shuddered a little as my look grew intrigued.

  'Green. Madness! Acceptance. Blue. Better!' 'I would feel offended… but I don't. Fine, I'll tell her, but only leave when she gives you permission, understood? I am not your trainer, she is, I can just interpret between you two.' He nodded at me.

  Everyone was still staring at me, so I smiled and plopped back to the ground near the campfire.

  "He won't run off, so he's trustworthy enough for now. Just don't attack any more Yanma!" He looked away from me. Theatrically, because I was still in his field of view with those eyes… Alex was ecstatic though as she crouched in front of his face and hugged him! I barely had time to panic before she released him, smiling so brightly!

  "Well then, it's good to officially welcome you to the team, Yanmega! Now, if you want to hunt you can, but if you'd rather just eat…" He perked up and I chuckled a little as I met Leafs amused eyes.

  Enormous food motivated murder dragonfly? Awesome! Even if he wasn't my Pokemon, still awesome!

  Now we all had a… murderous Pokemon, too… Dhelmise, Hazard, Yanmega… Morgrem remained to be seen…

  Ehh, it's on theme at this point, I guess?