Erin

  —

  "Listen, dude, I didn't plan this! I was talking to Professor Oak and not five minutes later she came bursting through the doors! I'd already put the little shit in his place once, I couldn't just say 'Sorry Professor, but remember that stuff Looker mentioned? She's tied in and I don't want to be involved!' I mean… I can't just leave her alone, now that I've actually met her. She would die. This… place is a lot more brutal than I thought it would be."

  Raihan just continued to frown as we strode down a small road on the outskirts of Viridian City, following Raihan's Rotom phone as it led us to the best furrier in town. The only furrier in town, apparently. His reviews were almost perfect, however, so while I left my Pokemon to train under the supervision of a Champion-level team I had finally decided to get my skins worked on.

  My giant dragon mother had actually changed her mind on the headband, preferring her necklace, so the rest of the Weavile skin was apparently mine to play with other than a nice, neat cord. I was conflicted about that, however. I had killed each Sneasel, even if I didn't do it alone. I hadn't so much as scratched the Weavile, and it felt wrong to use it for something personal. I would hold onto it for now, and possibly get her a cloak.

  The sudden image of her wearing the Weavile skin like a royal mantle, crown polished and bedazzled with gems, holding a giant sceptre and standing on a huge Contest stage made me smile, and I decided right then and there that I would make it happen.

  Somehow.

  "Erin, I'm not saying dump the kid off in the woods and never look back. I'm saying look at who the Gym Leader is here, tell me things are cool, and you're going to do what?"

  I scowled at him.

  "I thought they were defeated! They were the first!" He shook his head as he tried to keep up with my pace.

  "Erin, those were games. Team Rocket was 'destroyed'. We tried not to look at your… past… all that much, but I have a hard time believing that organized crime was a thing of the past or easy to deal with permanently."

  He was right, but it didn't stop me from scowling harder.

  "I don't care. It was my plan in the first place, before I even knew, so if I skip him it will look odd later on when people retrace my path." He let out a loud groan of disappointment.

  "Erin, you can't just challenge Giovanni! He doesn't even take people with less than six badges!" His eyes were mildly frantic now, and I felt my smile grow.

  "Dude, I'm going to challenge every Gym Leader's personal team with her, do you really think I should skip him? He'll accept a challenge like this." He narrowed his eyes at me.

  "Erin, why am I in Kanto?"

  My smile was smug.

  "Because you have no poker face." His glare was withering.

  "And you do?" Well shit, he had me there. I wouldn't be able to keep my scowl off my face if I fought him.

  "I can pretend to be mute." He continued to glare at me.

  "I can act like an asshole the entire time and he won't notice?" His glare intensified.

  "I can… leave Leaf behind for a day, contact Looker and have him watch Giovanni and Viridian City, while I do something reckless out of a sense of personal justice and anger inflated by my aura and a giant dragon in my back pocket?"

  He actually laughed, but then looked intrigued.

  "That may not be the worst idea if Looker is already investigating. If! Such a huge IF! If he mobilizes a cell to capture your team, they would be easy pickings. Your team hasn't been seen yet, or at least not reported online, so he would be the only source of information." I scowled at the thought of being bait, but I wasn't truly scared of Team Rocket. Not the goons, at least.

  "What about Leaf, though? After, I mean. He won't come himself, you know." He didn't have to say what he meant. I knew. I didn't know, though. Looker would know. Right?

  I didn't really want to fight a human for more than a few reasons, however, and the thought brought a new topic to my mind. I slowed my pace to a light stroll, Raihan matching my pace as he looked on in understanding. Guess it was all over my face, huh?

  Might as well get it over with.

  "I'm scared of myself, Raihan." My voice was soft and weak and I hated it. The worst part was I couldn't tell if I hated the weakness because I was admittedly a somewhat prideful person, or if it was my draconic aura bullshit influencing me!

  "I threw down with a Rank 6 dragon multiple times out of almost pure instinct! I would feel proud of myself if it had been my conscious decision, because it was honestly badass, but I can't tell if it truly was my decision, I just… acted! I don't see another method working that didn't involve putting him down, so I'm glad in one respect, my choice or not. I don't regret the results." I looked at my feet as we walked.

  "I… I just feel… weak. Just the thought of being weak enrages me, but it's that very reaction that scares me. Am I even my own person anymore, or am I some sort of messed up dragon-human with an aura of doom?" He tried to speak but I talked over him.

  "Small Pokemon run from me in absolute terror, Raihan! Have you noticed we haven't seen any Rattata, or Pidgey, or anything?" He started to scan around with surprised eyes, and I kept going. This one hurt to admit.

  "Dude, I tossed Leaf like a rag when she rushed my moms face." His head snapped around and my face grew hot.

  "It was onto the futon, she was fine. That was it. But… I was so mad, Raihan. I've been mad before. I've wanted to hurt people before. Even though I didn't want to hurt her, I've never been that mad, and it wasn't natural. It was anger and fear that I would lose it all in an instinctive snap that I know wouldn't have come, but I couldn't stop myself. It scared me, Raihan. I screamed in anger like an animal."

  I stopped, looking at my feet in shame as I saw what I spoke next.

  "I beat that poor Pokemon unconscious in the most humiliating way I safely could. I destroyed his spirit. It had to be done, because he was turning into a monster fast, but that doesnt mean I like it. And when I say 'it had to be done', what I mean is my instincts were screaming at me to do it."

  "Hell, even the beliefs of dragons I described just felt right, and my mom even agreed with me! For all of it! The Tyrant Queen! That terrifies me. Because it may mean my beliefs, my morals themselves were changed by this shit. Am I even my own person anymore? Am I even human?"

  I held up my hand to stop him from interrupting me. I wanted this all out. Who else could I tell, really? Who else could I confide in? Nurse Joy would break. Well, she wouldn't, but I didn't want to put this on her. Raihan could help.

  Hopefully.

  "I've seen plenty of bullies and suffered from them before, Raihan. I've never been one, but I feel more and more like one as I do this. Even without Leaf's Fraxure. I scared Larry and Cole for no reason other than my own amusement. I enjoy a good prank, a good joke, but those punchlines were just intimidation. Cole deserved it, but I didn't know that at the time. Just… more and more like a monster."

  I looked at his serious teal eyes. My voice was small. Hoarse.

  Weak.

  "What if I snap on Leaf? She doesn't deserve that. On some random idiot that tries to push my buttons? Then I'll probably instantly lose my Pokemon." The prospect terrified me more than anything in the world. They were my new family in this world. My everything.

  I snarled the next words

  "What if someone tries to steal my family and I violently murder them?"

  Finally I stopped. Poor Raihan looked overwhelmed and concerned, and that only made my worry grow. The Dragon Master had been thrown for a loop.

  "Sorry I just… had to get that out." He shook his head in an absent dismissal while frowning, deep in thought as he walked, eyes dark.

  He stayed outside the shop while I went inside, and a long hour later my hands were empty as I exited the store. I would pick my new gear up at the beginning of the circuit, and I couldn't wait. The look on Raihan's face when I exited the shop, however, made me squirm.

  "We need to talk."

  What a lovely sentence…

  —

  We sat on Mount Moon on a plateau near the peak, staring at the vast mountain ranges to the north. It was a majestic sight, endless curtains of peaks and valleys spreading into the distance as far as the eye could see, and I was grateful Raihan wanted to visit the mountain on his 'vacation'.

  Raihan's Flygon was so stupid fast that the trip only took an hour, and thankfully Raihan had spare goggles. Flying was insanely fun, and I couldn't wait for my little Deino to fully evolve. His middle evolution would be hell for everyone, but well worth it in the end, however he turned out.

  Flying was awesome when your chest wasn't being compressed.

  After a few minutes of admiring the view he spoke. His voice was calm and composed, so very much unlike how I felt.

  "You don't need to worry about your new nature, Erin." I scoffed at him and he shook his head.

  "Don't mistake me, you need to remain calm at all times with people, and some meditation wouldn't hurt, but what you have isn't some monstrous curse. It is a gift, and I would take it off your hands if I could. Do you think I don't have issues with my dragons, Erin? They are dragons!" He gestured behind us at Flygon.

  "By their very nature they don't like taking orders from anyone, not even the one who raised them from an Egg! That's not to say they're wild, or that they can't be serious, but they take every chance when not training or fighting to mess with me. They don't challenge me very often, but every now and then they will. Not to the death or anything, but my authority."

  I raised an eyebrow at that. That wasn't what I had seen with him and his team, the opposite, actually. He nodded at my look in confirmation.

  "You've never seen it, because they've always been around you or the Tyrantrum, Erin. They look at you like wise, strong, unpredictable bombs. And I'm telling you that is amazing!" I was shaking my head, though.

  "I don't want to terrify my Pokemon! They're my family! I'm not trying to traumatize my Pokemon if I accidentally step on Deino or glare too hard in their general direction!"

  He just kept smiling.

  "Erin, I don't think you could make them afraid of you. I know they adore you, but more than that, they obey you implicitly. Your Deino has never bitten anyone you're friendly with! That's almost unheard of in the species! They look at you like the Alpha, you know that already. That is a boon." He frowned.

  "I… don't know what to do about your cute Pokemon problems, unfortunately. Do you want more?"

  I shook my head immediately. I had no intention of expanding my team any time soon. I didn't even have a badge and I had a full team!

  "No, but I had this…sort of… vague hope that I could walk through the woods like… like some stupid Disney princess and make friends with every Pokemon I saw…" My cheeks were on fire as I mumbled that admission and he snorted a little.

  I was kind enough not to elbow him.

  This time.

  "Now the only Pokemon that might come close to me are going to be challenging me. I'm okay with that, too, and I shouldn't be. That's embracing danger for no reason other than my satisfaction. I'll self-destruct one day."

  He shoved my shoulder playfully and I glared at his wide smile.

  "You do know most people fight with their Pokemon, right?" I started sputtering at that, my mouth rapidly opening and closing momentarily before I managed to shove him back.

  "Y-You know what I meant!" He just kept laughing as the sun rose further into the sky. It was almost time to get back, this was just a diversion. Nothing bad would happen while we were gone, but I had said I was going to do some training.

  "Listen Erin, just… relax and try to accept your new, uhh, disposition. Don't let it control you, obviously, but… this is you, now. You can't lose your aura. If you do? Report it, because that would be a first in history. So accept your aura. If you let this fester in your mind, your Pokemon will pick up on it and stress out, so accept what you can't change about your new self, and move on from there."

  Bastard, that was playing dirty.

  "Fine, I'll…try… I'm not looking forward to beating that dragon's ass again, though. I've kind of set a precedent with him that I would kick his ass." He laughed.

  "Don't change your approach with him now, no, but I would recommend letting your Pokemon do the fighting for your next case. That dragon is Leaf's Pokemon, so eventually she'll have to do it, and she better not try and pull your stunts, you hear me?" I idly waved him off.

  He trailed off and I went back to gazing through the mountain air. I thought I saw large blobs moving far off on the peaks, and wondered idly if Avalugg were spread worldwide. It would make sense…

  "Hey Erin, I think some cute Pokemon might still want to say hi." He didn't sound very happy, though.

  My head snapped around and I saw a pink blob jump momentarily before it continued to creep closer. It was basically just a round, pink bundle of fluff, with a large mouth and small eyes taking up most of its face. Two tiny legs enabled it to hop around, and the large brown ears and swirl of hair on its head were unnecessary for me to identify this Pokemon. One of my favorites since my first team ever, a Clefairy.

  Unbidden, a growl grew in my chest as I saw the Fairy type, but to my surprise it didn't run as its eyes widened in instinctive terror momentarily. I quickly closed my eyes, thinking calm thoughts. Salandit on Deino's head, little Hatenna blasting the brat to the cheers of her new family, her protectors.

  I opened my eyes, only to find her staring at me with a starry look in her eyes, and I somehow knew that wasn't a surprise to her. I smiled at her, maybe a bit tighter than I meant to. Just a bit.

  "You've been listening to us, huh?" She nodded rapidly, beady little eyes never leaving mine.

  They should have been cute eyes. They looked cute. They also looked like an eldritch horror was staring out at me from the shine in her eyes. It was creeping me out, but I pushed the feeling down as I continued to smile.

  After the Hatterene? I could deal.

  "Well, I would have liked to pet you, you adorable thing, but I guess I can't if this is going to happen." I was crestfallen despite the dragon bullshit, because other than the eyes she was adorable, but she shook her head at me.

  "You didn't come to let me pet you? Did you want something?" She pointed to me, then mimed punching, then pointed to the Flygon standing to the side, watching us intently.

  "Oh, the dragon I fought? Yeah? What about him?" She pointed to herself then punched a few more times, and I couldn't help but snort out a laugh. So did Raihan.

  "Wait, you want to beat him up, too?" Her head started bobbing back and forth, and the image of her body-slamming Leafs rebellious Pokemon made me grin widely.

  "Well, I'm not looking for any more Pokemon, sorry." She shook her head, then punched a few more times.

  "You don't want to be a trainer's Pokemon?" No, no she did not. At all.

  "You want to fight dragons?" A shake of the head. "The one I beat up?"

  She nodded so hard she almost toppled over, but even though the thought made me darkly chuckle I held up at hand.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "You'd have to be Leaf's Pokemon, the dragon's owner." She frowned at me, arms crossed.

  "I won't make you choose now, you'd have to meet her first of course, but I'm not going to let a wild Fairy run around a camp full of dragons. If you don't want to be her Pokemon, I promise I'll bring you back tomorrow unharmed, dragon's honor."

  "You may also only come with me if your family or tribe knows and freely accepts that you're coming with me. I won't lead a tribe of angry fairies down on my camp either. Do you agree to those terms?"

  She stood there thinking for a full minute before she looked at me with a serious expression, wiggled her hand back and forth, then held up a finger before bounding off.

  Guess she needed to ask.

  I turned back to Raihan, who was shaking his head with laughter. Even his Flygon seemed amused. I couldn't blame them.

  If this worked out, Leaf would have a solid Pokemon to back her up, not just a rebellious dragon. The thought of a fairy in close proximity made my skin crawl, but I knew that one day my cute, scared little Hatenna would be a Hatterene, and I would not feel disgust for my own Pokemon, my own family. I refused to let that happen, so exposure therapy would work just fine for me.

  I would get used to it.

  That's what I told myself, anyway.

  I had an idea, too. A devious idea, one that I hadn't been confident in getting off the ground for a long time, probably until I had a Hatterene. It wasn't a revolutionary trick, and plenty of teams utilised it at higher levels. It wouldn't be some devastating secret weapon, but it was one I had craved, and there was a TM shop in Viridian. They might have it, if the creepy horror show didn't already know it.

  After all, what was more iconic for training than higher Gravity?

  I let out an evil cackle as we waited for the little Fairy to return, getting worried looks from Raihan and his dragon.

  —

  Leaf

  —

  "Nice job! That one came out a lot faster!"

  The snarl I received in return made me close my mouth with a snap of teeth, and I quickly began to turn around.

  My fault.

  A deep yet short growl from behind me made my spine stiffen, and I turned my gaze back to my Pokemon as he continued trying to unleash a perfect Dragon Claw onto the series of boulders the Tyrantrum had casually summoned with Ancient Power.

  A huff from behind me made me smile even as my hair blew around my face.

  I really couldn't believe what had happened to my life in the past day. I stood there with my Pokemon, my baby, as he unleashed Moves that weren't directed at me! I had a renowned maneater standing over my shoulder, and she was coaching me out of goodwill!

  Well, that, or she had 'probably gotten tired of my ineffective commands and weak spine and decided to do something about it, because I was shaming her as a member of her 'pack'', as Erin informed me.

  That seemed much more likely.

  I was grateful for her assistance either way, but he was making no progress, and deliberately ignored any advice I gave. If I somehow managed to tell him the perfect way to master a Move, he would never do it. He was sabotaging himself out of spite.

  He barely tolerated me, and I couldn't believe the amount of progress we had already made.

  Erin's Pokemon, on the other hand, looked like they were going to war in comparison.

  Skrelp hung from the back of Deinos neck as the happy little guy snarled out Bite after Bite into the air, charging through a boulder obstacle course as he went, bouncing off more than he avoided.

  Erin wanted him to develop some form of crude echolocation, and he was supposedly trying to use the sounds of his footsteps and Bites to map out where the boulders were, all the while exhausting his internal stores of Dark energy. When he could Bite no more he switched to trying to break boulders with small Dragon Breaths until he could no longer, then began to Bite again when he was drained of draconic energy.

  It looked like he was just bouncing his forehead off boulders to me, so we would see how it went.

  Skrelp was trying to get the most pressure possible out of his Water Gun, and Erin had set him the task of continuously using up his stores of water before trying to manipulate the water he had released. So far his Water Guns had grown slightly thinner and more powerful, but he'd had no progress in aquakinesis.

  Salandit and Hatenna were having a very low-stakes match as they sent out weak moves at each other. Salandit was working on Fake Out, but was having trouble with it. She'd apparently never had the chance to fight before, just to be fought. Her Embers were more consistent, but nobody wanted to test out Poison Moves while Erin wasn't here, so she refined her Scratch when she ran out of Fire energy, instead.

  The adorable little Hatenna would let out a few wailing Disarming Voices on the dodging Salandit, before her poor mobility inevitably led to a Scratch or Ember landing. Then they would huddle close together while she used Life Dew, repeating the Move until they felt better, and then made trips together to the others to heal them up as well.

  Salandit actually used her tail to lead the little pink Pokemon forward by the… hair? Either way, it was ridiculously cute, and I snapped a few pictures for Erin when I saw them walking around. She had already shown me her mothers 'adorable little glare', so this would be much appreciated.

  Tyrunt, on the other hand, was being watched closely by her mother. She was allowed to attempt a few Tackles and pitiful Rock Throws, but both attempts were the efforts of a baby. A determined baby, but she wasnt fully grown yet.

  She also had a temper, and would throw tantrums each time her mother made her stop. They were surprisingly contained and restrained, but I couldn't say it didn't startle me a bit when they first started. She had been so calm with Erin.

  I wasn't worried, however. She still terrified me on an instinctive level, but I didn't think the Tyrantrum was going to eat me anymore. She also wouldn't let me get hurt like that by her own daughter. She just didn't care about the tantrums as long as they were contained, so without Erin to calm her down the Tyrunt acted much wilder.

  Then she would nudge me for head pats with a smile. It was a bit exhausting, honestly.

  Raihan's team stood off to the side, having already imparted their wisdom to the young Pokemon. They called out instructions to them every now and then, but they seemed more focused on munching on the crispy Pidgeot the Goodra had brought down with an overpowered Thunder. The herbivorous dragon looked on in amusement, snacking on some of Erin's fruits the Tyrantrum had allowed it to take.

  I stood there amongst it all trying to project strength and confidence, and as I began to sweat under the sun I thought about our temporary companion.

  I had known Erin knew the Gym Leader, and there were more than a few selfies of them and her team out there. They were practically the only way to find out about her online, actually. She had come out of the Crown Tundra in skins, having 'tamed' the Tyrant Queen (even in my own mind I wouldn't make the mistake of saying that in seriousness again, not after the first and only time), of course they would send Raihan. He was a Dragon Master, and the top authority on the type in his home region.

  And he was going to help me become a true Dragon Tamer while he was here.

  The sudden reversal in my fortunes was more than welcome after the past two months of pain. Actually, it was welcome after almost three years of pain.

  I thought back to the look of sad disappointment he had given me as I failed a test without even knowing I was taking one. A simple question and I had quaked. Erin had done it to me, too.

  "Are you a Dragon Tamer?" Disappointment.

  "You know he despises you, right?" Pity.

  I knew what they were doing. I wasn't stupid. I had seen them both just… flip a switch, and stop being happy, nice people and become hard, brutally honest people in an instant. I thought that they were trying to show me what I had to be. Neither had told me what or how to change, not yet at least. Raihan had just gotten here, at the very least.

  They just acted and expected me to follow.

  Was it because they were Dragon Masters, or was it because they were natural leaders? Raihan obviously was, it was part of his official title, even, and Erin didn't seem like the kind of person to be led by anyone but her giant Tyrant of a mother, and I wouldn't blame her for that one.

  They seemed like good friends, from the selfies and the easy way they interacted. They seemed to respect each other enough to argue and forgive immediately at least, not that I'd had any clue what they were talking about earlier.

  Or why they looked at me strangely sometimes.

  I mean, why had Raihan looked scared when he heard my name? I didn't have the faintest idea what it meant, but one thing was sure. Erin did. She seemed too… knowing, around me. Professor Oak had trusted her with me, however, and I wouldn't say anything yet, but something was going on.

  I wasn't stupid.

  My thoughts were cut off by the brief sound of wings before Flygon slammed into the ground with a Protect, moving so fast there was a sonic boom as he impacted. The impact site was far from any Pokemon or the tarp, so I wasn't worried, just slightly stunned.

  To my absolute delight I was presented with the sight of Erin wrapped around Flygons neck and torso with all her limbs, face pale as a laughing Raihan took selfies. I began walking over with the rest of the Pokemon, mine included, as Raihan tried and failed to release Erin's grip from the poor Pokemon's neck. It was looking increasingly more uncomfortable as Erin's strength seemed to grow greater over time.

  "I-I… A-am… A G-GROUND t-ty-type d-dragon! T-that wasn't v-very f-f-funny!" The dragon began to keen lightly in amusement and Raihan doubled over in laughter as the dragon's mirth became choked.

  I began to giggle, then laugh, and finally I was laughing so hard it hurt, and I wasn't alone. The entire group of Pokemon was laughing at Erin, while my Pokemon looked on in vicious delight.

  I couldn't help myself.

  "What happened, Raihan? I thought Erin was a badass?" He began to laugh so hard he started coughing, causing Erin's piercing gaze to slowly slide over to me. Her face was still pale, eyes still wide and panicked.

  "Y-Your next w-when we go for c-clothes, k-kid." I paled a little bit myself as Raihan regained control of his breathing long enough to talk.

  "She- Ha! She said 'I've been in the world's fastest airplane, this will be nothing!' when I said we needed to hurry back. My buddy here took that as a personal challenge!" He bent over and continued to laugh as Erin's arms grew ever tighter around Flygon's neck.

  World's fastest airplane?

  "I-I w-w-was i-inside something! N-Not just- Just there!" Her face was regaining a bit of color now, but her arms didn't loosen immediately.

  "I-I... I also didn't w-want to lose our passenger, y-you devious dragon. I n-noticed your plan." The Flygon perked up in amusement even as Erin's arms squeezed tightly one last time. When she leaned back a pink blob fell out from her chest, only to be caught by Raihan. As he placed it on the ground the pink creature began to shake itself out wildly, glaring at Erin.

  The small pink Pokemon was unmistakable. I had always thought they were super adorable, and would have loved to have a Clefairy on my team, but I knew that was a horrible idea with a dragon type. Much less a dragon that actively despised its trainer.

  My fault.

  The dragons, which were the majority of species here, all growled at her in anger, all except the Tyrantrum. The little Hatenna, however, jumped into my arms, face buried in my stomach as she shivered. I looked at her in confusion for a moment, slowly stroking her head as I watched the Clefairy give the Tyrantrum a fearful, surprised look.

  It barely glanced at the smaller dragons, and that only made them madder as they stomped in place. They didn't charge, however, not even mine. He clearly wanted to, but he kept throwing looks at the Deino and Tyrunt stomping in place and restrained himself. I hoped that was a sign of good things to come, but I didn't want to get my hopes up.

  I'd had enough of that.

  Erin finally let go of the poor flying dragon, and she touched her forehead to the ground for a long moment before she looked up, eyes flashing as they hunted for the Fairy. Her eyes locked onto her and she whistled to get her attention.

  "Not a word, fae. You know the rules." The Clefairy jerked from her fearful stare and looked at Erin with wide eyes.

  "I said my mom was an Alpha. I didn't say what species."

  Her grin was wide and feral, and I felt bad for the poor fairy. Her grin faded and she peered over at me, her face falling as she saw the Hatenna, and she nudged Raihan. He followed her gaze and almost rushed over to me, gently pulling the terrified Hatenna from my confused arms.

  "It's okay, little girl. You're fine. You're safe. It's okay. Listen to my voice, you know me. It's me, Raihan. I have that annoying ghost phone and all the dragons. I slipped you an extra Poffin a few times while we watched Contests."

  She continued to shiver in his arms as he stepped far away from the Clefairy, and my confused gaze met Erin's. She was staring me down like she would hunt me, and I didn't feel any better about that mental comparison as she stalked forwards. She stopped directly in front of me, and her voice was stern as she searched my eyes for something.

  Probably weakness.

  "Leaf, what do you know about fairies?" Oh no!

  "W-Well, I know they have a type advantage against dragons?" I had really let my studying habits go, I realized, as she gave me a disapproving glare.

  I should brush up on some things.

  "Listen to me, Leaf. This Clefairy might want to travel with you. You have to convince her, but I think it would be an amazing opportunity for you." My lungs felt heavy.

  "She's interested in your situation, and possibly helping you. Well, really, I think she just wants to fight the brat for her own amusement, but I made it clear that she would only be allowed to be here if she was your Pokemon." The Clefairy nodded at me from behind her, and my mind raced.

  I thought that you shouldn't mix the types? Dragons and Fairies were supposed to be like oil and water! Now I have a Dragon Master suggesting it? Raihan wasn't opposed either, it seemed!

  Erin caught my eye as I looked over her shoulder.

  "Now listen, Leaf. If you want to talk to her, I am mediating this discussion. No arguments. I am technically your temporary guardian right now since you have no trainers license, according to Oak. I called to confirm it, actually." That was a strange restriction, but not as strange as her calling Professor Oak just Oak!

  "I will not repeat this, so listen to me closely. The Fae are not something to mess with. They are dangerous, and that's not just my… type specialty talking. Don't thank her. Don't give her anything. Never promise her anything. Be polite and never apologise. I swear to Arceus if you screw up, I'm calling this off. I won't blame you for it at all, the fae are tricky, but you only get one chance at this."

  "You can get to know her once she's psychically bound to you through a Pokeball, but until then you treat her like a live wire, Leaf. Do you understand me? Her species are generally playful and kind, tricksters at the worst, so I'm not truly worried. However, this is the same level of danger as a dragon, just in a very, very cute package." She smiled briefly before her serious look was back.

  "Do you understand?" I stared at the tiny pink Pokemon, who looked upset, hands on her hips. Erin glanced back and smiled viciously.

  "Yes, I know what you are, fae. I told you that. I will happily let you spend the night in a Pokeball and take you back home tomorrow, breaking the ball, but you will not run wild in my camp."

  The wild Pokemon crossed its tiny arms and glared at her, but Erin just snarled at her before turning back to me.

  I nodded at her. I hoped it might have been a firm nod, but I was barely calm as we all retreated to the campsite, Raihan as far away from the adorable Pokemon as possible still. The little Hatenna was watching the proceedings now, or I thought she was? It was hard to tell with the hair.

  As I settled back on the pile of blankets the Clefairy hopped over to sit across from me. She looked inquisitive as she stared between me, Erin, and finally Riahan before her confused face turned my way once more. I could figure that out easily enough.

  They're incredible.

  I obviously wasn't, even at first glance.

  Erin cleared her throat and sat down hard in between us, off to the side. She glared at the fairy, and it glared right back at her in a brazen display that set her younger Pokemon to growling. She raised a hand and they grew quiet, Deino soon quieting as well after Salandit slapped his head.

  "This will be a verbal exchange between two equals, mediated by a third party. Do you, Leaf, and you, Clefairy, both agree to hold no grudges that may be produced from this conversation? To speak only the truth as you know it? And finally, do you both agree that there will be nothing exchanged during this discussion other than words, including debts or promises, until I call the discussion to an end?"

  I boggled at her odd words, but the Clefairies face was practically thunderous as it glared at her. It gave her a tight nod, and Erin's shoulders actually seemed to relax as she turned to me. I also gave a confused nod before she spoke one more time.

  "To review, she wants to join you and get strong while kicking your dragon's ass. She thinks it will be funny, and the strength she'll gain is just a bonus. You need more than one unruly Pokemon, but he would eat a Pidgey or some standard, common beginner Pokemon alive." I saw my Pokemon nod from the corner of my eye and I couldn't help but smile a bit at that.

  He would, even as an Axew.

  I turned to look at the Pokemon and chose my words carefully. Erin was deadly serious, so I thought long and hard as it stared back at me, adorable tiny little black eyes looking at me curiously. I tried to make my voice as steady as Erin's or Raihan's when they flipped that switch, but I don't think I got it quite right.

  "I guess I don't have to tell you my situation, then. I'm a failure."

  I saw Erin and Raihan both wince sadly at that, but I ignored them. The fairy was looking at me, expression intrigued. If she liked brutal honesty, well, I might as well go for it.

  "I failed my Pokemon, and I failed myself. The only reason you're even interested in joining me is for a funny punching bag."

  She eagerly nodded her head with a smile, eliciting a growl from behind me. I looked at her with what I hoped was steel in my eyes. Bronze, at least?

  "Well, that won't be the case forever, you know. Raihan and Erin are teaching me to be better. What happens when me and my dragon turn the tables on you and start winning? Will you leave the team? Because I don't need another failed relationship with a Pokemon, thanks." I thought there might be respect in her eyes as she thought. She shook her head eventually.

  "You won't leave the team over something like that?" She nodded.

  "Do you have any intentions of deceiving me in the future?"

  She shook her head, then drew a line on the ground before stepping over it, then looked back at me and nodded while wiggling her little arm. I sat there confused, but Erin spoke up.

  "You have no intention of that at the moment, but if Leaf crosses a line, you might?" The Clefairy beamed and nodded at Erin.

  I was more than a little nervous about that, and the insinuations, but Erin spoke before I could, voice light.

  "That's more than fair. I wouldn't expect you to agree to something so open ended. So long as you let her know well before she crosses that line." An easy nod from the pink ball of fluff. "Good, then."

  I spoke up again.

  "Would you actually put in the effort as a proper teammate?" She nodded again, slower this time, and I could see Erin beaming at me for the question. Was this another test?

  Was I going to pass this one?

  "Do you want to follow my lead, help me with my goals?" She thought for a moment and frowned, before pointing at Erin and then me before walking in place.

  "Are we traveling together?" She nodded, and I looked at Erin questioningly. At my raised eyebrow her expression finally loosened. She was frowning murderously at the fairy, but gave me a warm smile as her frown mostly disappeared.

  "Yes, we are. Will you continue to travel with her when me and Leaf eventually stop traveling together, until you both agree to peacefully part?"

  A more hesitant nod, but I stretched my hand out before she had finished the motion.

  "I guess this doesn't technically count because of Erin being weird, but it's good to work with you." I gave the girl a mock glare as I shook the Clefairies hand, and she grinned at me before speaking.

  "I declare this discussion between equals over. Catch her, Leaf."

  I panicked as I realized I didn't actually own any spare Pokeballs, certain that I could never handle one Pokemon, much less two, but Erin tossed me an Ultra Ball without a word. I looked at her, the small pink Pokemon, and the ball meant for Class 8 and 9 Pokemon in confusion.

  Clefairy were Class 3.

  She gave me an unamused glare and hurried me along, so I turned and, with an elated smile, poked the Clefairy on the forehead. The ball rocked a few times, but with a click it stilled. I had done it.

  I caught my second Pokemon!

  I caught a Clefairy!

  I gave Erin an odd look as she practically collapsed next to me, relief on her face. I turned to Raihan in confusion, but he also looked relieved. My tension grew as I kept glancing between the two, before my curiosity got the better of me.

  "Why are you two so relieved? She's just a Clefairy, right?"

  Erin's eyes popped open, and all of her young Pokemon shuddered as she spoke.

  "Because fairies are one of the most dangerous types in the world for a damn good reason, Leaf." Her eyes bore into mine.

  "They will save your life one minute and torment you the next. They are capricious and inconsistent. They are tricksters. That one seems fine, though, and I've done more than a little research on caught fairies."

  "The psychic connection makes it impossible for them to use their powers on you without your consent, but be careful what you agree to with her. If you can extract some absolute promises to behave and such it would help a lot. Be very specific when you do, though, but not too restrictive, or she'll just leave." Her eyes got a bit soft as my mind raced. Was she that dangerous?

  "She might not be that dangerous." Oh, good.

  "She might become your closest ally. She might take a liking to you and spend her entire life devoted to your wellbeing, or she might just be along for the ride for a Circuit. She may grow to despise you, and desire to end your life in horrendous ways. If you're lucky." I shivered at her voice. That was experience talking. What the hell happened to her?

  "She's a fairy, and right now she's harmless." She gave me a serious look.

  "I know you want to baby your Pokemon, and if you're careful she might love it. Treat her right, treat her cautiously, and you'll be fine. But trust us when I say you don't want a dangerous fae anywhere near you."

  Her whole team and Raihan all nodded, slobber flying out of Deinos mouth that barely missed Raihan as he dodged.

  "You can release her now. I'm wary of wild fae, but I'm not scared of her. She knows just how bad an idea messing with me would be now. It was you I was worried about, but now, she's your Pokemon. Good job, Leaf."

  She leaned in and gave me a one-armed hug before she plopped back on the blankets with an exhausted sigh, gently plucking the Hatenna from Raihan as she did.

  I grinned in pride as I looked at my new Pokeball. With a flash she was there, staring up at me with a complicated expression on her face. She squirmed as I picked her up and began to hug her, and she was so soft I gasped in delight. My smile was wide and my whole body felt light as she squirmed around in my arms to glare up at me, arms crossed.

  "Welcome to the team, Clefairy!"

  Her scowl was adorable!