Erin

  —

  It had taken me more than a few minutes to calm down my huge adopted mother, and only prolonged contact did any good. After a few minutes of irritation I pushed the couch out of the way, convinced her to curl up there, and I quickly threw the mattress over. It was soon followed by the cushions from the couch and all the sheets and blankets, and as I settled in to watch TV with the comforter wrapped around me the rest of my team came over.

  Their panic had quickly gone away once I had shown up, and they were all relatively carefree now as they continued to watch more Pokemon matches. Well, Deino listened, at least. All except for my poor little nightcap, that was. She had stopped crying entirely, but she still shook every so often as I held her. I stroked her head as gently as I could while the rest of my team snapped, growled, and hissed to each other, their eyes glued to the TV.

  I was sooo glad Pokemon didn't just say their species name all the time, preferring to growl or make, you know, normal noises for their species! Or their equivalent, I guess. I don't know if I could have taken my new mother seriously if she went 'Ty-Tyran! Ty- Trum!'... Like, at all! They still could, from what I had seen, but it took real effort to make it sound clear. I mean, pretty sure they did that because it was a kids cartoon, hard to remember every Pokemon when you're six, but still. Actually, how would something like a Metang work? Just dings and pings? Dial up noises? Still…

  So glad!

  The thudding heartbeat behind me was a bit distracting, but at the same time it was peaceful and soothing just like it had been the past two nights, and without meaning to I had drifted off. I would deal with Raihan later.

  Of course, later came not much later, as I was awoken from my slumber by a light growl vibrating my body momentarily before my overprotective Pokemon stopped. I looked up, only to see Nurse Joy standing there, wariness in her every movement, but a soft look on her face as she looked at me.

  Me and the cuddle pile.

  She held up her PokeNav for a second while raising an eyebrow, and I nodded, softly as possible not to wake the Salandit on my head. Her front paws were stuck to my forehead, and I dearly wanted a picture of this moment.

  A few seconds later a flash rang out, and I started wiggling my body, trying to get out of my Pokemon cocoon. A few scrambled moments later I was free, Salandit still stuck my head, tail wrapped around my throat as I walked over. Somehow, she was still sleeping. I gave a soothing nod to my Tyrantrum, and she put her head back down with a huff.

  We quickly exited the room, and the second I closed the door I was turning to her in excitement. She handed me the PokeNav and I let out an embarrassingly loud aww as I saw the picture.

  My adoptive mother was curled almost in half, her giant head and eyes staring at the camera. In the curve of her body I leaned up against a cushion I had laid on her chest, the baby Tyrantrum's head laid across my lap. The Deinos laid right next to it from the opposite direction, while the Skrelp was in his favorite spot on my left arm. The poor little Hatenna looked calm for once as it slept on top of the baby's snout, and the Salandit was of course draped on top of my head, her tail curled around my neck.

  It was the most adorable thing I had ever seen, even the slight glare from the Tyrantrum at the camera.

  "Thank you so much, oh my g-Arceus that is the cutest picture ever! Look at her little glare too! She's going to love this picture, too! Can you send these to me?" I looked back up at her, and my face grew hot as I saw the expression of vast amusement on her face as she began typing on her PokeNav. Her eyebrow raised at me as she worked.

  "I've very rarely seen a team as close as yours, you know? The young Pokemon adore you, and the Tyrant Queen practically treats you like her child." My face was burning now. I coughed and fiddled with my PokeNav as I mumbled.

  "She does think I'm her kid…" Apparently I didn't mumble quietly enough, because she began to giggle, the giggles turning into full-body laughs as I started pushing her forward. She just got louder as we left my door behind. She was still giggling as I stopped pushing. Stopped and glared at the fool before me.

  Gym Leader Raihan, Dragon Master, selfie addict, social media legend and second strongest trainer in Galar himself. He stood talking with Bird and Cole, the poor Preserve employee looking extremely nervous next to the famous Gym Leader.

  I didn't care, however, as I stomped my way over. Raihans eyes met mine and for a split second I thought I saw fear, but even as he opened his mouth in an easy smile I was there, pointing at his face as I began.

  "Is the title of Dragon Master just something you tacked on? Was there a certification, or a qualification of some type? Because if there was, they need to be investigated! What the fuck were you doing trying to go into my room like that? My locked room!? You have one chance to not ruin whatever respect I might have held for you, so I'd think very hard before you answer!" My eyes were wide, and I was practically snarling by this point. "If you had been the cause of me losing her, you'd have been grateful to be dead, I swear it by Arceus himself!"

  To his credit Raihan looked ashamed as he ducked his head down, but Bird was giving me a very unimpressed look. Poor Cole looked like he was going to pass out, though. I spared a second to glare at Bird before sliding over to Cole. I let my anger drop for the moment, reaching out to pat the supremely nervous man on the shoulder.

  "Cole, buddy, lighten up. Wanna see something cute?" I pulled my PokeNav back out, and the way his jaw dropped was more than a little satisfying. I wasn't hearing an aww yet though…

  "T-that's- you- you were sleeping with them!?" I grinned a bit wider at that, zooming in on my lap with the Pokemon there.

  "Just a little nap to calm everyone down after someone disturbed them." Raihands shoulders hunched a bit more at that as I continued. "Look at them, though! They're adorable!" I dragged the view over to my huge dragon moms glaring face. "Look at her little glare! She's going to love it when I show her this photo!" He tried to pull away from me, but I simply tightened my grip on his shoulder.

  "They're cute. Right?" He gave me a bewildered nod so I let him go. Poor guy was so freaked out by Raihan he couldn't even appreciate my Pokemon's cuteness!

  I snorted in the privacy of my own mind at my snark. It wasn't nice to pick on him. At all, actually… Kind of mean…

  It was funny, though.

  Raihan finally turned to me, a serious expression on his face. He gave me a short bow, barely more than a head nod, before he looked into my eyes as he spoke slowly.

  "I apologise for any distress I may have caused you or your team, and you are correct. I was… hasty, when I arrived. I saw the video of you catching the Tyrant Queen with a Great Ball of all things, so I rushed here as fast as I could. I'm also helping Interpol now by remaining here for your own protection, as well as the towns. When I arrived I felt her presence, and might have opened the door a bit too hastily. I assure you, however, that it was unlocked." Wow, I didn't know he could talk all formally like that. Did I seriously forget to lock the door? I guess I could see that happening, but still, he-

  "Excuse me, what video of me?!" Cole froze, and my glare shifted to him. "Was there security footage at the gate?" He nodded, almost whimpering as I drew closer. I felt Raihan move behind me, while Bird actually reached for a Pokeball on his belt, but I ignored both of them.

  "Did you post it?" Another nod, and I had a very hard time not grabbing him.

  The sound that came out of my chest, however, was more than enough for him to start backing away, hands raised in a pleading gesture. I didn't follow him, but I did continue to glare as I let myself be pulled to a couch. I slammed down on it, glaring at the floor for a moment before I looked up at Ryhan.

  "How bad is it?"

  I really didn't like the look in his eyes as he sighed. His Rotom phone flew out, and I spared the case and the Rotom itself a brief glance before focusing on the screen. It looked like some sort of Poke-twitter, if slightly outdated looking.

  "#BarbarianGirl tames the #TyrantQueen!"

  "World first as human rides in Tyrantrum mouth and lives!"

  "Young girl survives The Crown Tundsa's Lowlands, interest soars as area considered 'easier' now."

  "Top ten easiest ways to die, and why this video is number 1."

  "#TyrantTamer visits local tanners!"

  "What was up with that #CorpseBag?"

  "Freezingpoint residents warned to exercise caution as the Tyrant Queen stays at local Pokemon Center, locals reportedly terrified."

  I looked up at his face in horror as the feed moved on. There were pictures of me almost everywhere I had gone. There was even a shot of me slamming into the automatic door, but luckily they hadn't caught me on camera assaulting a Gym Leader. My eyes narrowed as I turned to glare at Cole, who was intently studying the top of his shoes. Raihan spoke up before my glare could worsen.

  "Yes, Cole here decided to bypass a few regulations when he released the video, which of course started trending almost immediately. Leon almost came, but we couldn't be sure he'd actually make it here in time, or ever, so they sent me to check out the situation. Both for the town's safety and yours, but I see that's not necessary." He sat back on a chair as I stood and started pacing.

  "You've been blowing up the whole PokeNet, girl! I'd bet that in a week the whole world will have seen that video!" He was back to his usual self, it seemed. "I mean, the Tyrant Queen? Imagine that selfie!"

  I glared at Cole as I paced, thoughts racing. Thanks to him, the entire world would soon know my face, and sooner or later my team would be revealed. I had multiple Alphas of rare species and a shiny. I already knew I would have a huge target on my back, but I was hoping for the reveal to come after I had finally gotten out of Galar, not the moment I got to civilization!

  I was pretty ambiguous about the comments on my first appearance, however. I mean, I did look like a wild barbarian girl. Riding in the skinned remains of an animal. With a protective Alpha Tyrantrum looming over me. I mean, I was filthy, but I had looked kind of badass, too.

  Fuck it. Can't take it back. I stomped over to Cole, who finally looked up in fear.

  "I assume you're here to ask forgiveness on behalf of your company?" He nodded rapidly before speaking.

  "They are prepared to offer you a million dollars to let the issue slide, and enforce whatever punishment you want on me. I am sorry. It's just… Nobody would have ever believed me…" His voice trailed off and he returned to examining his shoes. I sighed as I backed up.

  "Two million, but I don't want you fired. Let them decide your punishment. If I'm being honest, I might have done the same thing in your situation. I'm not paying you back for the Great Ball, though."

  I really would have, too. My new life was insane, and probably looked even more insane from the outside. I also knew that the million dollars was far less than I assumed, if 100k would supposedly only support me for a month, and considering how much meat my team could eat I would take all I could get.

  He looked up in gratitude before he began to thank me. I dodged his attempts at a handshake with a murderous scowl and he scurried out of the Center.

  I dropped onto the couch next to Raihan, looking over at his feed. A flash, and the Rotom phone had taken a selfie, Raihans stupid grin taking up half the screen while I glared with my arms crossed in the other.

  "There we go! Do you mind if I post this? My fans know I'm here, and they're going crazy for an update!" His eyes were so hopeful. So full of joy.

  I glared at the phone, meeting the eyes of the ghostly Rotom on the screen. It froze as my glare intensified.

  "Delete. That. Now." I watched the picture shred itself, to Raihans dismay.

  "I wouldn't have posted it if you said no!" I turned my glare to him before a devious idea came to mind. My grin became wide and genuine, but for some reason he seemed suddenly paler.

  "How about we get you a better selfie, then?" His eye twitched for a second before he took a deep breath. When he looked back to me he was calm, like the fear had never been there.

  I had seen it, though.

  "Lead the way, Tamer of the Tyrant!" I reached out to stop him with wide eyes.

  "Do not say that in there. I didn't tame her, and she'll get all pissy for hours if you say I did." He frowned at me.

  "Then how the hell did you get her to come along? She seems to care for you, but enough to go into a Pokeball?" He was incredulous, and I couldn't blame him. My face began to warm as my embarrassment grew.

  "She… adopted me, after I saved her baby. In her mind we are the same, if different species." He seemed stunned before he spoke slowly.

  "I understand that you're waiting on Interpol for some reason, but… just one question?" I nodded at him. One, if I could.

  "Why do you feel like a dragon? Like her?" His eyes were full of wonder and hope.

  I shook my head at him, genuinely sorry I couldn't talk about that yet. That tied into my probable aura, how I got here, too much.

  "Sorry, Interpol. Maybe they'll let you join in on the link? I would actually like your opinion on the whole… ordeal." Idiot he may appear to be, he was probably the best expert on dragons I'd find in Galar.

  Thankfully it seemed that safely viewing someone's mind was possible, I had asked. It was just highly illegal to do it without a warrant for all but the worst of terrorist groups and other criminals, practically a war crime, but there were those who wished to have their memory read to solve a legal issue. It was considered a war crime because if you weren't actually willing, it just might destroy your mind. The agent I requested would have an experienced psychic capable of the feat when he finally got here, so I wasn't too worried.

  His eyes lit up at the invitation and he nodded before starting towards my door again.

  "That would be great! Now, let's go get the world's most impressive selfie!"

  He was smart enough not to touch my door, this time at least, so I opened the door wide before striding inside. My team was apparently mostly awake now, and aside from the Tyrantrum and the somehow still-sleeping Salandit on my head they all rushed to greet me. Maybe Salandit hung off their mothers a lot? Like opossums?

  I braced myself for the Deino's blind charge, catching his head before the baby Tyrunt joined him, looking up to roar joyfully at me while pointing wildly at the TV. My Skrelp buddy took the chance to slam into my arm, of course, while my little Hatenna remained curled up on the Alphas head, still sleeping.

  There was a Pokemon Contest going on, a man in formal wear doing some sort of routine with an Altaria under bright lights. The flying cloud dragon's wings were emitting a spray of ice that it formed into small, controlled twisters that the man appeared to be juggling.

  The light show was dazzling, and as I turned back to the baby I noticed the Tyrantrum of all Pokemon watching intently. The thought of her in a contest brought a huge smile to my face, but I got the feeling she may also just want to eat the Altaria.

  "Hey, so remember that idiot from earlier?" She lightly nodded at me, eyes never leaving the screen.

  "Well, I already kicked his ass and showed him who's boss, so he's cool now? Is it okay if he comes inside?" She grinned as I mentioned kicking his ass, and nodded while shifting her head toward the doorway.

  "Come on in Raihan!" I called as I dropped back onto the couch I had turned the Alpha Tyrantrum into.

  He poked his head inside with a great deal more caution this time, and when he saw the cuddle pile he froze for a second. I patted the mattress next to me and his smile slowly grew as he walked over, carefully eyeing the Alpha the entire while. When he got close enough to sit the Tyrantrum peeled her lips back in what was definitely not a smile, smirking at him as he jerked. He finally leaned backwards onto her chest carefully before he relaxed.

  "Well, wow, this is an experience right here!" I couldn't help but giggle at that.

  It was something else, being almost literally surrounded by an apex predator like her, hearing and feeling her huge heart beating. His Rotom phone froze when it came out of his jacket, but the poor thing got over its fear soon with a flurry of photos. I tried to smile. I think.

  "So, can I post one of these?" He said, looking through his phone with glee. I had to hand it to his Rotom, it took great photos. Some of them even made me look normal as I struggled not to bare my teeth.

  "Yeah, go ahead I guess. Not like I'm going to stay anonymous… What's my most trending nickname yet, by the way?" My morbid curiosity was rewarded, unfortunately.

  Damnit, me.

  "It's either the Savage Trainer or Barbarian Girl, right now. Want me to tag you as one?" I grimaced at that. That's bad and worse. Fuck it.

  "I guess I'm the Savage Trainer now. Joy."

  He just laughed as he posted the picture, and I settled back to watch the Contests with my team. Skrelp and the baby Tyrantrum seemed interested, and also the Tyrantrum, but the Deino had already laid back down on me. He couldn't see the show, and unlike a Pokemon tournament there wasn't any fighting yet to listen to.

  I still had a few days for Interpol to get off their asses, so I grabbed my PokeNav after a moment's thought. I found the local equivalent of a food delivery service and smiled evilly as I met Raihans eyes.

  "I'm going to order as much food as I possibly and legally can that isn't charred Sneasel, you in?" The Dragon Gym Leader looked back at me with an equally savage grin.

  "Mind if I bring my team out for that?"

  —

  The next two days went by quickly, and me and my team rarely left the comfort of that giant room, and never the Center. The locals were far too scared for me to let anyone out, and none of my team enjoyed the cold. So instead of training or something, I did something much more important.

  I spent the time getting to know my suddenly-acquired team, now that I wasn't about to die at any moment.

  My poor little Hatenna slowly got used to the constant assault of feelings surrounding her, but while I was worried and wanted to help her somehow, Nurse Joy had stopped me. She had already checked with my Hatenna during her checkup, her distress obvious to anyone, not just Nurse Joy's. The little thing wanted to stay with me, to Journey with me. She would have to get used to it eventually, and with her already getting better by the day, we decided to stick it out.

  She was a trooper though, and in the few calm moments she managed she seemed to be in awe of her surroundings. Her face shone with joy, even as her eyes crinkled in pain. The rest of my team babied her despite her psychic and future fairy typing and their natures, probably because they had seen the monster she escaped from, been terrorized by it as well.

  No more thing and it's… entertainment, just kind people, fun times in the future, and a new, lovingly loud family. My team may be rambunctious, but none of us were evil like that. I would have warned the authorities about her, but for the moment all movement into the Lowlands was restricted.

  The Preserve had no idea how the balance of power would shift with my new mom gone, and there were already fears of Stampedes up the mountain as the Tyrantrum population fought to develop a new pack structure. My big ol' dragon mom had ruled the entire area south of here like the Tyrant Queen she was, and hadn't permitted a pack larger than hunting or mating pairs to form unless she had led it.

  Interpol and Bird would know about that monster soon enough, anyways.

  My Deino was the easiest to understand. He was a big puppy with me and those that I designated friends and family, who never bit but loved to lick, but anyone else was in bodily danger if he wasn't restrained. He never charged anyone, though. Rather, he guarded me instead.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  He was a little dumb at the moment, unfortunately, but I knew that when he was a Hydreigon he would be much smarter. My big happy attack puppy. I wasn't looking forward to his Zweilous phase, however.

  My Salandit was depressed. There was no other way to put it. She was a runt, had been bullied her entire life because of her white coloration, and had known she was endangering her mothers entire line by being there. Nobody let her forget it either, from what she managed to pantomime to me.

  She was slowly getting better, but I knew from firsthand experience that depression isn't just fixed overnight. She did seem genuinely happy to come along on a journey, however, and was looking forward to it. Hopefully I could help her self esteem issues, but I wasn't going to push her.

  I would help her as much as I could, however.

  My Skrelp armband was almost always with me, although he occasionally hung out on Deino or the Tyrantrum. He was easygoing for the most part, seemingly just along for the ride, but a bit of a prankster. His favorite prank, unfortunately, was a tiny stream of water straight into my ear when I was intent on the TV or distracted by something. I had taken to bouncing the side of my head off his head each time, just to knock the water out if nothing else. The small spikes there couldn't poke through my hair, and he would never poison me. The rest of the team wasn't exempt either, except for my new mom, of course.

  Me and the baby Tyrunt? I think she actually thought I was her big sister, as she once asked me to show her a cool Move. I had grabbed my knife in confusion, which I still had, but she shook her head. She had darted forward in a weak Tackle and had looked up at me, waiting for me to pull out a Pokemon Move.

  She was also excited to go on a Journey and grow strong, but had started to throw a tantrum when I told her she would have to grow up a bit more before she could fight. A stern 'Stop' had ended that, but I had remained firm in the face of her following tear-filled wails.

  I couldn't get the image of her torn flank out of my mind, her tear-filled eyes, or the sight of blood trickling from her mouth as the Sneasel tried and failed to escape. Her mother agreed with me, so she really didn't have a choice in the matter.

  Finally, my new adopted mother. The Tyrant Queen, Terror of the Land, an Alpha Tyrantrum that stood almost as tall as a two story house. She was overprotective, but I began to see more of her personality after a while. She was regal and vicious, yes, but she was also playful.

  Viciously playful.

  I found the one reason she would pick me up in her arms. It was to restrain me, allowing her daughter easy access to cuddle with me as I had tried to escape the sleeping pile one night, desperate to use the bathroom. She had been awake, too, smiling the entire time as I thrashed in her arms, whispering to her frantically, pleadingly. She had laughed while I scrambled my way to the bathroom in a panic, the cheeky bitch.

  I loved her so much already.

  Surprisingly, I might be doing some Pokemon Contests, as the Tyrunt, Skrelp, Hatenna, and the Tyrantrum showed interest. I had grilled her about that, and she had managed to pantomime that she wanted to look as regal as possible, and fighting elegantly was a nice handicap.

  Personally I would adore seeing that, but I got the feeling most Contests wouldn't.

  They all wanted to get stronger, however. Once we had landed wherever we ended up, and I had bought plenty of supplies, we would probably go train far off-Route until the Circuit started. Since that was off the table for now we just enjoyed the luxuries of delivery food and TV in a warm room.

  Nurse Joy also managed to make me sit still long enough to get a full checkup and some shots. My stump had finally been bandaged, basically my entire body sprayed with some sort of healing mist that would speed up the healing process, and the giant network of light scratches and bruises all over me from my encounters and rides were given some light treatment.

  The scar from the Hatterene was treated, but it would never disappear. I was disfigured. Not horribly, and it kinda looked badass if I was being honest, but I had a permanent mark from that bitch now. If the Rangers didn't put her down, I would. I had sworn it. Declared it to my entire team while still in her domain. I would need to be stronger when I did it, but I would put that thing down if she wasn't dead by the time I had gained that strength.

  Raihan was a constant presence, though he rarely had the time to just hang out like he clearly wanted to. The only time he wasn't in the room was when we slept, but we only managed to hang out and not just idly talk a few times. He had actually made a tiny office in the corner of my room and was working most of the time, which really threw me for a loop, while his team told mine stories about Tournaments and Gym battles.

  They were actually worrying me a bit, with how they were working up my new mom. She was way too strong to fight in our actual circuit battles, at least until the last badge, but maybe I would ask the Gym Leaders if she could fight their personal teams?

  She'd like that.

  It was a productive time for me and my team, and when Interpol arrived we would be ready to go. I hadn't expected the interest in Contests, but we would play that by ear.

  —

  Two days later I received my furs, and I had laid them on the unused couch for now. I would get something made from them, but not yet. Whichever region I ended up going to, I would be making an immediate stop somewhere to get them turned into something to wear. They were just too nice, too comfortable, too… sentimental? For now, though, I eagerly tried to put the room in something resembling order.

  Interpol was here.

  My adoptive mother refused to be excluded from the memory dive, and I didn't have the heart, or courage, to press the issue. She despised mind reading after hearing of our encounter with that thing, and refused to let me do it alone.

  I was grateful, but that meant the meeting would happen in here, so I had quickly borrowed a table and chairs from an understanding Nurse Joy. She had finally managed to convince my overbearing protector to go get healed, and actually had a glowingly positive review when she was done. My mother had been the ideal patient.

  I could see it, actually.

  It would be a truly cruel Pokemon who could hurt an earnest Nurse Joy trying to heal them, and while my new mother was a Tyrant, and a confirmed maneater, she was also a Queen. True Queen's knew how to repay the kindness they were shown.

  "Okay, remember gang, just relax, okay? This guy isn't going to hurt us. He's one of the most trustworthy people I know of in this world, and I requested he come. Be nice." They responded with a chorus of calls, the Tyrantrum simply nodding as she did her damn stare.

  I should really get them some names soon. Maybe after this.

  A knock on my door brought my train of thought up short, and I hurried to the door. Bird was there as a local Ranger representative, Raihan as a friend and regional representative, while Nurse Joy had volunteered for this as my personal Welfare Advocate. She would stop this if I got too 'distressed'. I didn't look full grown, I looked like a kid, so they were covering their bases just in case, plus she looked worried.

  Not that they would ever be able to figure out my exact age somehow. Nobody could.

  I only had eyes for the trenchcoat-wearing man who had knocked, however. He looked like he hadn't slept or shaved for days, messy brown hair spilling from his head, and I could smell the scent of tobacco in the air as he put a hand forward, not even flinching at the sight of the giant Tyrantrum behind me.

  I respected that.

  "Miss Erin? Agent Looker of Interpol. I believe you requested me specifically, yes?" I shook his hand eagerly, almost pulling him inside as I stepped out of the doorway.

  "Yes, it's good to see you! Come on in everyone, nobody bites. Well, watch for Deino, but he's usually just fine!" I practically skipped over to the table, almost bouncing in my seat as the others gave me confused looks.

  I was so tired of being the only one who knew about the impending threats of the various teams. Or Rose, at the very least. I hadn't wanted to use my probably-tracked and monitored PokeNav to look up basic world information, so I had no idea where we were in this timeline, but it didn't look good for Galar if Leon was already the Champion.

  Looker pulled out a chipped and faded Pokeball, releasing the Alakazam I knew he had. Its eyes widened as it saw me, and I winked at it. I thought about Giratina's Origin Forme, and the faint sense of his mind disappeared in an instant. Looker sat down with a frown as he glanced at his partner, but turned back to me with a neutral expression.

  "Before we perform this, I would like to hear, in your own words, what we are going to see. It can help with the shock of viewing another person's memories, so the more detailed the better. I would rather sit here for an hour than be in a mind read when it snaps. Again." He had a notepad and pen out already, looking at me intently.

  Hoo boy, here we go. The Tyrantrum, my new mom, was staring at me. I was unsure how much the younger members of my team would understand, but we would see.

  "Well, we can talk about the past couple days, but once we begin, I want you to look through my memories from before that for a term, actually." I stared into Looker's eyes.

  "Pokemon. You will find a series of games, cartoons, and movies, not to mention the rest of the franchise. What you won't find is any Pokemon in real life. It was a different world." His eyes widened in disbelief, with an almost pitying expression on his face. I understood that reaction, honestly. He thought I was insane.

  "I was a big fan of the games, and watched some of the cartoons when I was younger, but they were fiction. A few days ago I was laying in my bed, about to replay Pokemon Shield, the game set here in Galar, when I had a heart attack." I paused for a moment, taking in the wide looks on everyone present. Except for Looker, he just looked intrigued. My Pokemon were all frozen as they stared at me.

  "I died, and woke up on the western slopes of the Lowlands, as far away from civilization as you can get in Galar." I saw them all gaping at me now, though Nurse Joy seemed to be concerned for me rather than flabbergasted, but it was my new mother who reacted the strongest.

  The entire room vibrated as she snarled, and I quickly rushed to her face, trying to forcefully close her mouth.

  "Hey, I'm alive now! Look! It's okay!" I hugged her face, her glare lessening as she settled back down. The humans had all frozen in fear, but as I turned back around I noticed the look in their eyes. They all thought I was about to die, about to be eaten. I grinned at them, taking my seat again.

  Time to blow some minds.

  "So, I woke up there. My guess? Maybe Arceus sent me here for some reason, Jirachii granted me a wish, or some other Legendary or Mythical did it. Maybe Xerneas, because I was brought back to life, maybe Yveltal because I died, hell, maybe it was Zygarde as Order?" Looker was making a strangled sound. His Alakazam was trying not to look at me, eyes covered.

  Poor guy.

  "Hoopa might be able to but almost certainly wouldn't have, but I think Dialga would only be able to do it if our planets were in the same universe. Which they might be for all I know, but I get the feeling they're different. Maybe parallel, or my universe is just one of Arceus'. Maybe the guy who invented the Pokemon franchise just tapped into the Creator Pokemon somehow. Maybe Arceus is the totality of all our universes, and he's just a speck in a greater multiverse. Maybe there's a Multiverse Pokemon out there?" His Alakazam whined as I had the meta-reality encompassing thought. Also as I envisioned it in my mind.

  A universe in a speck of dust…

  I smiled at the pale faces around the table. Looker would probably do the memory scan now, safety be damned, but I wasn't done. This was my chance to tell my team as well. Our time from my perspective. I'd already gotten this far.

  "When I woke up here I was naked and alone. I tried to get down the side of the mountains, but on a plateau I heard a little roar, then a squeal of pain." I looked at the baby as I spoke.

  "Something about the sound made me start running, and I found that cutie over there being tortured by a Sneasel. And because I was an idiot, I lost a finger." They all stared at my finally-wrapped stump as I spoke.

  "If I had been smarter, I wouldn't have tried to throw the rock. It just pissed the thing off, and before I knew it I was on the ground, down a pinky. Then it ate it in front of me while smirking at me, the sadistic fuck." Poor Nurse Joy. She looked so distraught right now, staring at me with wet eyes and a horrified, sad expression.

  "So when it went back to attacking the baby, I picked up another rock. Me and her kind of met eyes, and I went in. I slammed its head with just my right arm and it stumbled. My little girl over there snatched its arms up. That way that fucker couldn't disembowl me. I was so pissed I actually managed to use both hands to grab that rock, and then I beat its head. Over and over until it dropped, then over and over and over… until it didn't have a head anymore." I refused to look up any longer, my forehead resting on the edge of the table as I spoke.

  "This big lady behind me came along, and when she growled at me I kind of… snapped? I guess? I snarled in her face and told her to fuck off." I heard a gasp from Joy, but a hearty laugh from Raihan at the admission.

  "She took her baby and left, and I thought I was going to die. I accepted it, too. I mean, I'd already died once, you know? I think I passed out for a few minutes, but eventually she brought me back an Oran Berry. Then she made me get in her mouth to travel." Joy kept gasping, but Raihan actually whistled at that, even though I was sure all of them had seen my videoed admission.

  "She refuses to carry anyone in her arms, not even her kid, so I did. Spent the night with them, skinned my first Sneasel and ate my first sapient being. Sneasels taste pretty good, if you're wondering. They would make an excellent roast with some potatoes and carrots. She agreed to take me to humans, so the next morning I went to get water." I was going faster now, desperate to just be done.

  "Skrelps parent decided that I was taking his kid, so he just dropped him off. Right after that, the Alpha Weavile attacked, with two more Sneasels. It threw a giant ice spike at my face. I managed to throw myself backwards, but the velocity of it picked me up and dumped me in that damn lake next to the Dyna Tree." I heard more gasps and I couldn't help but chuckle.

  "Bunch of Araquanids lunged at me, but my little kelp buddy over there had thankfully latched onto my arm. I was actually trying to get him to let go before they attacked, and I was lucky he didn't, because he slammed into my ribs and shot us out with a Water Gun." I looked back up.

  Looker was disbelieving, but calm as he took notes. Raihan was hanging on my every word like it was a fucking campfire story, while Nurse Joy looked like she wanted to hug me. Bird just looked stunned, alternating glances between me and the Tyrantrum as his mouth hung slightly open.

  "I had my Pawniard blade, so I grabbed another rock and ran at one of the two Sneasels that were once again tormenting my little girl over there. Skrelp took a Scratch for me, and helped me knock one down. Smashed the blade through its spine, which made the Alpha Weavile go berserk. She Screeched and charged me, but MY Alpha Roared at her before she could get me, and bit her head off." My grin grew even more savage as I spoke next.

  "Tyrunt had managed to bite this Sneasel's hands, too, so I stomped on her jaws. She was fine, it wasn't. I put it out of its misery, and then… well, got to work. Made that horrible contraption to ride in and we set out."

  "The Terror of the Sky literally air-dropped his kid off on me to get stronger, then my special little Salandit's mother cared about her enough to keep up with a charging Tyrantrum and convince them to take her along." I looked at my depressed Salandit with a soft look, her eyes a little wet as I spoke.

  I turned to the humans, taking in their eyes as I spoke.

  "Are you aware you have a monster living in the woods down there?" I didn't let them speak as I lifted a hand. "I'm done talking. But if you're going backwards, be ready. That thing will die. I'll do it myself if I have to." I turned to the Alakazam, who was staring at me with wide eyes. "Let's get this over with."

  Looker cleared his throat with a disturbed expression.

  "Thank you for the details, Erin, that will… help. As an Interpol agent I authorize my Pokemon to perform a mind reading, which will be shared with all present adult parties." Looker said, glancing at my younger Pokemon. Yeah, they don't need to watch me die. I looked at the Tyrantrum with a plea in my eyes, but she shook her head. She was watching.

  ""This will be easier if you direct your thoughts to when you entered the Pokemon Center for the first time. You will feel my mind envelop yours, you will panic, and you will struggle. You will feel overwhelming terror. Do not worry, this is natural. It will pass soon if you do not fight it. After you calm down, we will begin. Do you consent to this memory scan of your free and willing volition?"" The Alakazam sounded like an exhausted old man, and as I agreed I felt his amusement at my thought.

  Then the terror began. I was right back in front of the Hatterene, paralyzed in front of an unfeeling monst- Nope! Nope. Calm down. He's a friendly old man, who now looks terrified. Oh he saw her, huh? Sorry.

  A few moments later I was calm, and before I could even brace myself we were beginning. I watched my past couple days play out in reverse, but I felt the emotions as it happened. My intense relief at seeing another human, the blind terror of the charge up the mountain as I felt my extremities grow colder the entire time, desperately huddling with my Pokemon in a raw skin.

  The Hatterene, and I felt the mental connection almost snap as the mental space rang. The terror as her claw slowly dragged closer and closer to my eye, splitting flesh as it did, the feeling of her claw about to poke through my eyelid. The impotent fury drowned in mind-numbing horror at what had been done to that poor child. The terrified determination I had felt, dealing with an inhuman force beyond my reckoning. The horror I felt riding in the pouch, the agony that I had gotten so used to from not just my finger, but my bruised and battered body.

  The bloodthirst as I quickly dispatched the Sneasels, the absolute, sheer pant-shitting terror I felt as I watched those giant spiders leap for me, and the shock of nearly dying to a chunk of ice moving faster than the speed of sound.

  The hopeful feeling as we first started out, the warm comfort of my new mothers heartbeat, the horrible feeling of wrongness as I ate a sapient. The disgusting feeling of being carried on a Tyrantrum's tongue. The horrendous itch of my stump scabbing over. The taste of the Oran berry, so bland and covered in the Tyrunts saliva.

  Then came what I had really dreaded.

  The complete acceptance of a second death as I watched the valley sunset, agony laced so strongly through the memory that it vibrated with it. The complete lack of fear due to my overwhelming rage as I screamed in a giant red T-Rex's face.

  The vicious satisfaction as I reduced the Sneasels head to paste, the terror of charging the Pokemon, and finally-

  The very moment I felt my horror transform into rage, and decide to end a sapient life for the first time.

  The absolutely unfiltered terror and pain as I watched a sneering maw grind my pinky down, blood staining its teeth as agony shot up my arm.

  The first ice-cold shock of agony, before it throbbed with my pulse.

  The dread I felt as I realized where I was in this new world.

  Waking up on a plateau, and my joyous confirmation of my gender.

  Then a pinprick of light, and I was staring at my blank white ceiling, peaceful and calm as I accepted my death.

  Then I was actively dying, hearing the dreadful absence of a beat I had always heard, so scared, so regretful even as I hoped for something, anything, even as I knew it was hopeless and began to relax, at peace for once.

  The mental connection almost shattered, but I could feel the poor exhausted Alakazam brace himself, before my knowledge of Pokemon began to flow. I had never been the most invested in the anime, so much of what I knew was from the games. The games, and the admittedly endless wiki dives I had done while doom scrolling later in life.

  I may have played the games a lot, but I think I might have spent almost as much time just… looking up stupid trivia. I hadn't watched the series for long, or many of the movies, but I had seen enough, read enough summaries. It was fun to find something I had somehow missed in a game as simple as Pokemon, like Bea!

  WHY!?

  Why did I have to buy Shield!? Allister was a cool little ghostly kid, don't get me wrong, but I missed out on a female martial artist who spars with her Pokemon?! What!? Arceus!? Why did you do such a thing!?

  Why didn't I look it up!?

  Still, by the time we got back to me unwrapping a GameBoy Color with Pokemon Red, so overwhelmingly excited to play with the Pikachu like I saw on TV, I could feel him about to snap.

  In an instant the mental connection was gone, and I reached out to steady the poor Alakazam as he stumbled. A glance around showed that nobody looked good, even the Tyrantrum frowning in pain. Nurse Joy was silently weeping, while Bird and Raihan just stared at their hands on the table. Looker, however?

  Looker looked pissed.

  He jumped to his feet and rushed towards the door, throwing out an arm to stop his partner from following.

  "I need to make a few calls, stay here. All of you. What we've learned here tonight is now top secret, understood? I will bring the full weight of my organization down on anyone who shares this." He got nods from the others before he looked at me. I looked back at him in confusion.

  "I literally waited to tell you, I'm not going to blab!" He shook his head.

  "No, I was just thinking. You can't stay here, and I know you don't want to. Think about where you would like to start your journey, because you can't be in Galar much longer." He left, and I walked over to try and soothe the poor nurse. Before I made it there, I was interrupted.

  "Your new mother would like to tell you something." The Alakazam was looking at me, eyes still a bit wild.

  I looked at the psychic Pokemon and he continued.

  "This is as close as I can parse it: You are a problem child, but you should be proud. You handled the forest bitch without anyone getting hurt. You protected the pack. You are vicious in battle, and you will lead us to greater hunts in the future." He trailed off for a second before he grinned. "And hurry with the glory headbands."

  I laughed as I nodded at her over his head, before finishing my step towards Nurse Joy. I put a hand on her shoulder and tried to soothe her.

  "Hey, it's over, you don't have to cry, I'm sure Looker is going to deal with… it…" I said, trailing off awkwardly.

  She had seen my visions and predictions of the Darkest Day, and the thought of an insane, Dynamaxed, Alpha Hydreigon was enough to make me pale. She shook her head, trying to wipe her eyes as she spoke.

  "I'm not crying about that! You! What you went through was horrible! You almost died! A few times! You accepted it! You did die!" My new mom began to growl and I quickly spoke up.

  "Yeah, but I got better! Look at me! I'm perfectly fine with what happened before and after I died, as long as it means I'm alive and with my team, Nurse Joy! I'm fine. Promise. Cheer up." I looked up at Bird, his face still pale.

  "See why you wouldn't believe me?" He dully nodded, still staring at his hands. He looked up at me for a second, his eyes haunted.

  "We will… We'll do something about that fairy. Interpol may want to help, even..." I gave him a single, tight nod before his eyes dropped back down.

  I reached over and poked Raihan, causing him to jump a bit. I met his eyes with a wide smile.

  "Think we can have that brainstorm about what's going on with my aura? You already know my theory, now." His eyes got a bit clearer and some color came back to his face, but he was obviously distracted.

  "Your theory was mostly correct, in my opinion." He nodded at me. "However, your new body probably didn't start with dragon-typed aura, it most likely started with a large amount of pure, untyped aura. When a specialist grows close enough to their type, many will gain some of their traits as their aura dyes itself. A skilled water specialist can breathe underwater, for example."

  "Yours was untyped, but my guess is that when you snarled at an enraged Tyrantrum, which we need to talk about by the way-!" He gave me a mock glare before continuing.

  "When you snarled at her your aura began to dye itself draconic in response as you mirrored her aura, and when you slept with her and her child that first time, your heartbeats most likely synchronized a few times during the night. By the morning you had fully reflected her aura, and likely the Tyrunts as well. To most Pokemon, you are an Alpha Tyrantrum in human form." He gave me a weak smile.

  "Congratulations, by at least one metric you're considered a Dragon Master."

  This wasn't really news, but rather confirmation. What was fascinating was how Pokemon viewed me. I guess it was a good thing I didn't get to choose my team, kind of? I was probably going to send most weak Pokemon running unless I could suppress it. But I'd have the exact same aura from a Pokeball too, I suspected, so… fuck it.

  "Well, that's cool. Do you think I could get super strength?" He laughed at me, shaking his head. Damn.

  "Probably not, but I'm not an aura guardian. Not even you will find one of those to train you, or even at all. They're all dead. If you ever do, somehow, come pay me a visit. That would make some sick selfies, you picking up a car." All dead? I mean, I think there had only been a handful, so that makes sense… screw it, I guess, no super strength for me…

  I chuckled at him as he gave me a serious look.

  "You should be aware of a few things, Erin. Your aura isn't just good for working with Pokemon. I don't think you've even noticed it, but it affects how you interact with people. I've seen what you were like, and trauma aside, you're too aggressive sometimes, now." He paused as I listened, already knowing what he was going to say.

  "You act more like a dragon than a Dragon Master, honestly. The Savage Trainer might be all too accurate, if you don't keep an eye on yourself. You could become cruel all too easily, without even noticing it in your fun." I winced as he said that.

  I had already felt that a bit with Larry and Cole. At the time, I hadn't known what he had done, but I had picked on him anyway. Larry had just been quiet and ignored me, not exactly a horrible offense. That wasn't me, but it had been so amusing.

  Wildly amusing.

  "You also stalk like a Tyrantrum when you get mad, and your eyes glow, too." What.

  "My eyes glow?" I don't know if that was excitement or horror in my voice, honestly.

  He gave me an easy nod, pulling up a picture on his phone. Me, stalking towards Cole, my eyes lightly glowing a deep, royal purple. I looked… savage. Kind of badass, but I looked like I was about to hurt him. I didn't look like a kind person by any means. I may not have been a great person, but I hadn't been a mean person before…

  Well, shit.

  Raihan watched my face fall with a sad smile, before he coughed into his hand. I looked at him questioningly and he spoke slowly, hesitatingly.

  "You seemed to really dislike me in that… game… but not now?" I gave him an honest smile, one with as little edge as I could as I responded. He was a good guy, and I was proud to call him my first human friend here.

  "The game just turned you up to 11. If you had only acted like the Raihan from the games we wouldn't be friends. Trust me." I reached out and gave him a one-armed hug, which he returned. "Thankfully, everyone seems to be more than just a stupid video game character. Even if you're still a little bit dumb sometimes."

  He laughed just as the door opened, Looker rushing to the table as the door slammed shut. He was still on the phone as he towered over me.

  "Where would you like to go? We can get you citizenship in Indigo, Hoenn, or Sinnoh, but you need to be gone, and soon." He dug into his pockets, coming back with six beautiful black Pokeballs, each with a vibrant red ring around the top.

  "Here, I figured you'd prefer Luxury Balls with how you dote on them, and that little Hatenna certainly deserves it. Get them captured and be ready to go in twenty minutes." He didn't even look as he grabbed his Alakazam's shoulder, disappearing in a flash of light. I stared at the others in the room.

  Time to leave Galar, I guess.