Patricia Greenwood

  —

  I smiled weakly as I watched my little girl play with her new Pokemon from my bedroom window. Disturbing horror or not, she was adorable, so I couldn't blame my daughter, but the sight still made me uneasy. There were always stories of trainers with fairies who just… disappeared, one day. The problem was, how can you be sure it was the fairy? Trainers went missing all the time from aggressive Pokemon.

  I had managed to intimidate the fairy, thankfully, but that was only possible because she had already been bound, and very well bound at that. There was a list of reasons to avoid fairy types, but the primary one was always too loose a binding. To be fae was to be so different that wrong could be right, right wrong. Good could be orange, and Evil a soft mauve two steps to the right. Every fae acted differently, but at their core they were selfish creatures.

  They coveted something that humans had, and they extracted it at any cost. A nice loose binding could be worn like a coat, shed or destroyed at the fae's convenience. Too tight, too controlled and the fae would never accept. One wrong move with a fae, and you had best pray that you could walk away intact. I had seen what could happen to a fae pushed too far.

  I knew my daughter would never do that, thankfully. Which could represent another problem. She had been a bit of a pushover, harsh as the thought was. There were many things I could do for my daughter as a mother, but I had failed there.

  I had failed so many times.

  I should never have let her convince me to enter the Egg Draw for her. I should never have given in to the earnest, tear-filled face that begged me, a million dollars she had somehow managed to save through years of hard work held in her hand. I should never have gone to Goldenrod, and I should never have brought back the Egg. They had pictures of dozens of different Pidgey Egg patterns, I knew it was a dangerous one.

  I should have exchanged it with some unlucky young adult, gotten her a Pidgey, but instead I brought it back to my daughter. I let her keep it, even after we couldn't find any knowledge of it online. That wasn't strange, there were a lot of pattern variations even between the same species. Still, I noticed that it was almost impossible to find out what dragon Eggs looked like. I should have known.

  I should have taken away the baby Axew that hatched the day he did. I should have taken him to Professor Oak. I should have shattered my ecstatic daughter's heart into pieces.

  I should have gotten rid of him after he evolved for no reason. I should have been there when he tried to murder my only child.

  I should have been a better mother.

  "Fraxure, no, stop! You can't fight here, and you know that!" My terrified eyes found her, standing in front of him as he growled at Clefairy.

  I nearly began to run downstairs, despite knowing I would be too late, but with an aggressive growl my daughter, my sweet, soft-spoken, innocent daughter stomped in his direction once. He didn't flinch, but he did stop growling and turn his glare towards her. She glared back at him, but even from up here I could see the fist clenched at her side shake.

  "You think you're more important than any other Pokemon here? Is Leto smashing you right now, like she clearly wants to?" The giant, maneating Tyrantrum was glaring at Fraxure, more than her standard glare. I had relaxed around the surprisingly maternal Pokemon, but the sight of her glare, even directed at another, still sent instinctive shivers down my spine despite days of interaction.

  "This is my yard, my moms yard, and you're not messing it up just to try to prove to everyone that you're a real dragon, and not a weakling. You can spar with Clefairy tomorrow!" She was almost snarling now, and I barely recognized my daughter at that moment. He growled at her, low and dangerous, before turning around and ambling towards the other side of the yard.

  My daughter's face relaxed and suddenly she was back. That had been quite the mask she had just put on. It wasn't her, though, and I think she knew it. That mask was Erin, and while my daughter could certainly learn many things from the rough, semi-young girl, I think she would have to work on her mask. I was still proud of her, however, as she further controlled her rebellious dragon.

  My eyes caught Erin watching the exchange with pride in her eyes from a lawn chair as she browsed her PokeNav. Her eyes rose to meet mine and she winked at me before going back to her device, and I blushed a bit. I wasn't exactly spying on them, I mean, it was my own bedroom window, and I wasn't hiding…

  I still didn't quite know what to make of the not-young, young girl. I trusted Professor Oak, and she did have high recommendations. Not just the Professor, but a Galarian Gym Leader, one who had spent more time with the girl than anyone else. Not to mention the Interpol Agent who had been her temporary Guardian.

  Why she would need an Interpol agent to be her temporary Guardian in the first place was a mystery. The only explanations I had been given were that she had been involved in a 'teleportation accident' that sent her to the Preserve's Lowlands in a younger body. Somehow. Because that was exactly how teleportation accidents went. You got younger bodies, not missing limbs, entombed legs, or freefall.

  Totally believable.

  Still, she seemed… nice? She certainly cared for my daughter, that was easy to see. She might fight with her, but the watchful eye as my daughter dealt with her dragon, and the pride in her afterward, weren't fake. She reminded me a little bit of my old Mankey, actually. Not that I would ever tell her.

  The poor thing had been kicked out of its troop, weak and beaten when I found him. He had never once hugged me back for the six months I Journeyed with him. He was never mean, or rude. He was perfectly respectful, especially for a Mankey, but he never let himself get closer. He didn't let anyone in, not me nor my old team. That's not to say he was disobedient, or unloyal. He had gotten himself seriously injured while willingly saving me from a wild Arbok. He had fought with and for us.

  He just refused to open up.

  Erin reminded me of him, sometimes. Her issues with her lack of agency, and with family (at least of the human variety) aside, she seemed scared to let herself care about more than just Leaf or Raihan. To even entertain the possibility. She was putting up with remaining here, and while she was cordial with me, friendly even, I found myself… uncertain.

  I wasn't going to abandon the poor girl, but I didn't know how to help. Sometimes I couldn't even meet her eyes, and the memory of them glowing made my pulse quicken. She wasn't a bad person, I trusted not just my own judgement, but that of my daughter and the others who knew her.

  She was a good person.

  She wasn't an easy person to be around, though, not by any measure.

  I think my daughter had already gotten used to her intensity, but I knew Raihan noticed. He was what someone expected when you thought 'Dragon Master'. Well, for the most part. I had thought a 'Dragon Master' would have better fashion choices than those shorts, but then again, Lance and his capes…

  His social media had been a bit of a surprise as well, but it was oddly entertaining, if I was being honest. It was quite interesting seeing the various locations and people in the photos, even if most of the pictures themselves were mostly his goofy face. I even had 'fans', now, apparently?

  I had managed to talk to him alone a few times, and while he had never explicitly said it, I knew that she was aware of her effect on people, not just small Pokemon. I itched to give the poor girl a hug at times, and at other times it felt like a hungry beast was staring me down, weighing my limbs for food.

  I hated it, but I would try to never show her that again, not after I had seen her eyes glow, felt danger, and backed away in fear. The look in her eyes, so understanding even as they quivered…

  "Hey mom, wanna see if you can find that herd of Tauros again? I think I speak for everyone when I say we could use some ribs for dinner." My daughter and Raihan both coursed out loud yesses to Erins question, and with a huge sigh that sent a blanket billowing into the air, Leto stood up. She carefully, gently made her way out of the yard, and I marveled at the control she had. Someone that size should not be that graceful.

  Or fast.

  Soon she was disappearing in the distance, shining with the light of Rock Polish as she began sprinting. I tried not to think about how her punishments were just her speed. Inside her mouth.

  And apparently strapped to the top of her head!

  I'd had words with Erin once I heard about that one, but to my surprise she hadn't backed down from my fury. My daughter had apparently agreed to combine three punishments into one in the heat of the moment, so Erin used it as a teachable moment. I actually approved after she had finished her explanation, especially considering her newest Pokemon, but her next words had made me mad for an entirely different reason.

  "I mean, I was surfing on her snout, and the Protect was okay with trees, so we were fine."

  My lecture had gone on for a solid two hours, and while Raihan managed to escape, my errant daughter was also an unwilling participant. She hadn't decided her punishment, surfed a Tyrant, or broken trees with her face, but she had still panicked with a deal like that.

  Neither had been happy with me the entire next day. Both of those girls could hold grudges…

  I smiled as my daughter continued playing with her Clefairy. Despite everything, it was nice to see her feeling more confident, more sure of herself. She deserved it. She deserved that and so much more.

  —

  I had known, intellectually, that Erin's mother would be hunting. She had brought back several Mankey and a Primeape for the other dragons the night before, but those had been small. Even the Primeape had seemed tiny in her jaws. I had found the sight disturbing, but I had found it less disturbing than Erin gutting them all and setting up a large meat spit in our fire pit area.

  I tried not to think of my old Pokemon as she did. I knew none were him, I didn't see the scar from the Arbok, but still… I should ask Leto to watch out for him. I don't think I could handle seeing him brought in.

  Erin thankfully hadn't eaten them, however, leaving them to the dragons. Her adorable Deino had actually taken over the job of slowly turning the meat, and none of the dragons seemed to begrudge him his extra-large portions.

  I had been startled, to be sure, but it wasn't that surprising.

  Erin's mother returning carrying a huge Tauros by the neck was certainly surprising, though, even if I had known she was hunting them specifically. It was almost six feet tall at the shoulders!

  Erin whooped in delight, followed by my daughter and Raihan, and I had to wonder just how good these ribs were. I'd taken Leaf to The Viridian Plate once, one of the finest restaurants in Viridian City, and I wasn't sure just how much better these could be than those delicious, tender Miltank ribs.

  I watched in disgusted fascination from my back deck as Erin quickly ran inside, coming back with a Storage Ball that contained a large tarp, metal basin, and a rolled package. I felt my stomach churn as she set the basin on top of the tarp, and as I saw her unroll the package, revealing a series of different blades, I paled. Her eyes shone with a gentle purple light as she pulled out a short, stubby knife with a hooked edge and one with a long, thin blade. Her smile was soft, gentle, and all the more disturbing for it.

  "Ribs, ribs, ribs, here I come ribs!" She was practically singing as she muttered to herself, and my daughter just nodded along! Raihan too!

  "Okay, most of the blood is drained… wait, if you were holding it by the head, how did you drai- Okay, rock spike to the neck, thanks for not ruining the meat, but… that spray pattern… No! Did you really throw this Tauros at another Tauros, like I'm imagining!?" Her giant mother viciously nodded, grin massive even for her, and I desperately tried to expunge that mental image from my mind.

  I failed.

  "Okay, well… Can't say I've never wanted to beat a motherf- dude with another dude before, so good on ya… Well, grab the back legs, let's get the rest out…" I turned away as blood slowly poured from the corpse, but Erin had apparently been onto something, because it only took a brief time (and a few huge shakes!) before it was… empty enough.

  I had to look away as she had her mother flip and hold the corpse up, but the sounds as she sliced into the skin, and the splashes, nearly broke my self control.

  "Oh, Arceus! He was full, eww!" She gagged a little as she pulled the now-full basin away. "Fu- Screw this, you guys don't want this, right? There's more grass than guts." At the headshakes she grinned, looking over at her little Salandit.

  "Seraphina, sweetheart, you feel like deleting some… stuff?" The little gecko glared at her trainer, but ambled over and began to unleash rapid-fire Acids and Embers into the basin. I was worried for a moment, but Erin had apparently done her research, and the basin didn't melt. I did have to wonder how she would get rid of the acid that didn't burn, though…

  That smoke couldn't have been healthy… I mean, they were all far away from it, except for Seraphina, but still.

  "Kallen, water that down for me please, bud. We'll go dump it and water it in as soon as I finish getting them ready." I guess that worked. The acid certainly looked less dangerous now, and I knew that was an approved disposal method for most Move based acids, but still…

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "What do we think, we need another Tauros skin? At this rate we might be able to make our own dam- darn tent! Like a giant lean-to of skins!" Where had she stored the others, actually? She began to confidently slice at the skin, and despite my disgust I found myself fascinated.

  It was terribly, horribly interesting, the way she slowly peeled the huge bovine like a vegetable, and she got faster and faster as she went. By the end her blade was practically dancing as she finally separated the tail. The bloody, meaty skin flopped to the ground as the Tyrantrum held the skinned corpse in her arms. Leto seemed to have no issue holding the huge Pokemon in her (comparatively) small forearms.

  "Okay, finally, shi- nasty part done! Nastier part! Time for the tenderloin, ribs, then the rest is the dragons!" She cheerfully dropped her blades on a small tarp, had Kallen blast her hands briefly with water, and retrieved another blade, this one long and curved. It looked almost like an ancient, exotic sword, except it was only a foot and a half long.

  A few minutes later Leaf was rushing to store the largest, richest looking tenderloin I had ever seen in my life, and I seriously began to question my choices when it came to farmed vs hunted meat. I had always found it cruel to take an intelligent Pokemon out of their natural environment, but the sight before me was tempting. Not that I could afford Tauros, but still!

  Not to mention Erin's words around our farmed Pidgey Noodle Soup last night. I couldn't stop thinking about them.

  "I understand your position, but here's mine. I want my food to have had the best life it possibly could. A wild Pokemon may be smarter, yes. They were also happier, and healthier. They felt joy in their lives, in nature. I may orphan Pokemon to eat meat, but do farmed Pokemon not have family?"

  "They do, except their family is dumb, just like them. Bred to be that way. An intelligent, sapient being, bred to be a better, dumber food source… The very thought is just so repugnant, so vile, so abhorrent on a fundamental level to me. They had no choice, and no chance. At least the wild Pokemon have a chance. Theoretically, you know. Not much is getting away from my mom."

  "I've come to the conclusion that unless I want to go vegetarian or vegan, I'll be eating people. I'll deal with that, just like the rest of the world. I honestly like meat too much to quit, aura nonsense aside. I'd rather eat free, happy people than… lobotomized slaves. As horrible as that sounds, saying it out loud. Even for me."

  I wish she hadn't put it that way. I knew Pokemon were intelligent, but the thought didn't dissuade her. It just… existed, to her. I… tried not to think about it, honestly. Most people who ate meat tried not to.

  The look of that tenderloin had done a lot to change my mind, however, and as Erin grinned and gleefully picked up a saw I couldn't stop my own small smile. Raihan grew excited as she picked it up. More excited.

  "Ribs, here we coooome!" Raihan was grinning as he waited to catch the huge ribs as they fell, Leaf returning with another large plastic sheet she laid on the ground nearby. She smiled up at me when she noticed me watching her.

  "Sorry mom, the kitchen counter is way too small to actually prep these! Erin, I got your spice storage!" My daughter held the Storage ball like a precious treasure, and I saw Raihans eyes follow it as he laid down the first section of ribs Erin had cut free.

  "Perfect, wanna get the fire pit going, Leaf? I need some nice embers, please! Cerberus can help you drag some deadfall back if we're running low." Erin didn't even look up as she sawed, bloody hands steady as she cut.

  My daughter cheerfully saluted her new mentor as she idly called Cerberus to her side, the oversized, eager Deino already halfway there. He had been quite a pleasant surprise, a Deino that didn't bite everything. I had heard terrible stories… His stubby little tail was wagging with force as my daughter practically skipped her way to the woods.

  I smiled at the sight. It had been years since I had seen her this happy, and it was more than just the ribs. Although, considering the looks Raihan was giving the growing stack of ribs, maybe it wasn't all that much more.

  Erin finally finished dismantling the carcass, or at least our parts of it. She quickly pulled out a huge cleaver and began to sever joints on top of a rough, stained wooden block, the nauseating sounds thankfully over quickly as she loaded the rest of the carcass onto a suddenly small-looking meat spit. A meat spit that bent slightly as Erin's giant mother carried the rod back on its stand.

  "Okay, cool, cool! Could you get the door for me, ma'am? I need to wash my hands something fierce." She was smiling, but her forearms were covered in flecks of blood and meat and… bits. I gave her a weak smile as I rushed to open the door for her.

  "Let me get the faucet for you too, dear!" I hurried to stop any future bloodstains as she hustled to the sink.

  When Erin returned outside and opened her Storage Ball I nearly choked on my own tongue. It looked like she had taken some of every spice and stored it, along with multiple larger jars full of what were obviously spice mixtures. There was even a small notebook. Variety aside, the reason she had what looked like every spice Pallet Town sold aside, that was a lot of money right there. She looked at Raihan.

  "I think the second ribs weren't as good, right? A little too much kick, not enough savory?" He nodded at her, eyes never leaving her hands. She looked over at me with a smile.

  "Wanna learn my spice mixtures?" Her smile was open and easy, and I could recognise a peace offering when I saw one. She hadn't been rude while here, but she was trying to be nice now. Honestly, she had handled her situation better than I probably would have, if I was being completely truthful with myself.

  "I would be delighted, dear!" I wasn't lying, either. The sheer spread of spices on display, not to mention the way my daughter almost drooled as she returned with a dead tree, was enough to intrigue me. I might even learn a thing or two.

  I was sadly mistaken. Instead, I learned too much! I began to actually take notes as she explained her testing process, copying some of her own notes, and after a taste of her rib mix I was suddenly impatient.

  I needed ribs, and now.

  Unfortunately, Erin's method of cooking ribs took hours! We rinsed them off, carefully dried them, and applied a lot of Erin's spice mixture. We then wrapped them in huge foil packets to begin, but near the end Erin finally let us remove them, placing them directly on the grates she had set up to finish them off.

  The smell, oh Arceus above!

  Before the food was done, Leaf pulled me inside, looking back to make sure we were alone before she turned to me with a mischievous smile on her face. I was instantly wary. A mischievous teenager was usually up to trouble.

  "Mom, I haven't mentioned it, but wait for everyone to take a rib first. Watch Erin and Raihan." I gave her an odd look at her phrasing (a rib?) and her directions, but she just smiled at me.

  "Trust me!" I nodded, still kind of confused, and she grinned before pulling me back outside.

  I began to see what my daughter had meant as Erin pulled a huge, rough wooden platter from her storage and began to slice each rib, using that Pawniard blade of hers. I frowned at the sight, but she had actually sealed the rough, hide-wrapped handle by now. It was still a barbaric weapon, but it wouldn't be spreading germs, so I held my tongue.

  Still, Erin had pre-sliced the ribs like it was natural, instead of, you know, giving us our own platters, and as we sat around our small outdoor set of furniture she placed the large, rough platter in between us. I kept Leaf's words in mind, and I watched as Erin took a rib, followed almost immediately by Raihan, then Leaf. I grabbed my own as I gave my daughter a weird look, but she wasn't even looking at me. She was tearing meat off the bone like a wild Pokemon, and I frowned at the sight as I lifted my own rib.

  Really, I spend all those years wiping her mouth and teaching her how to eat properly and one bi-

  One bite was all it took for me to understand. I began to tear meat off the bone with similar fervor, in fact. It was the best meat I had ever had in my life, and my tongue almost seemed to spasm at the complex, almost-burnt spice mixture mixed with tender, succulent meat. I actually moaned a little.

  I can't believe I thought those Miltank ribs had been tender! Or flavorful!

  I looked up after I finished to find the rest of them watching me with knowing smiles. I blushed a little, but smiled at Erin.

  "This is the best meat I've ever had in my life, Erin dear!" Her face lit up at the compliment, even as she twitched a bit at the 'dear'. Too bad, I call everyone dear.

  "Thanks! Tauros are really high quality meat, so it's mainly that. The spices aren't that exotic either. From how Leaf described those Miltank ribs, they probably just cooked them in an oven or over an open flame even, eww. You need to lock the moisture in and break the connective tissues down before you sear the outside for flavor." Her face was beaming as she reached for a second rib. Raihan quickly followed, then Leaf, and then I got it.

  They had a pecking order between the two of them, and judging from their faces, they didn't even realize it. I exchanged amused glances with my daughter, who managed to make eye contact briefly before savagely digging into her second rib.

  I'd have reprimanded her, but I was doing the same.

  —

  "I don't think I ever got the chance to thank you for this, Ms. Greenwood." I shook my head at Raihan as we drank some tea out back. Leaf and Erin were off training, and Raihan had taken the chance for an actual bit of relaxation on his supposed 'vacation'.

  "You don't have to thank me for anything, dear. I worry that I have nothing to really help with, actually, beyond just being a point of contact. She was an adult, right?" I raised an eyebrow at him. She could certainly have her moments, but it was still hard to believe she used to be just five years younger than me. He laughed.

  "Trust me, I know it can be hard to believe sometimes. I met her on her third day in her new body, and she was still quite a bit more mature. Still… her, but she was certainly calmer." He smiled. "She might hate it, but she's a kid again now. Moods and all." I smiled, still questioningly.

  "Yes, but you sound sure about her age." He frowned at me for a long moment. His face looked troubled when he finally spoke.

  "There was a… memory reading that I sat in on. I know for a fact she was older, because I saw it." I couldn't stop the open look of shock on my face.

  Mind reading!? It had to be voluntary, obviously, but there was a very good reason that it could easily be considered a war crime! He must have noticed my rising ire because he held a hand up.

  "It was me, Looker, the local Head Ranger, and a Nurse Joy as her Welfare Advocate! We did everything by the book! She just wouldn't talk!" I calmed down a little at that. A Nurse Joy would have stopped something too harsh. Still, I frowned.

  "What was so important that she demanded a memory reading?" His face closed like a book, and I sighed before he even spoke.

  "Talk to Looker, ma'am, not me. Sorry." I waved a hand at him idly.

  It was frustrating. My new ward didn't seem to actively be involved in anything, but she certainly had been. I trusted Professor Oak, but it still grated at me. I knew that those secrets were hers, not mine, but I knew that my daughter knew.

  Leaf was very easy to read.

  Erin's… disposition aside, she had seemed responsible when it came to my daughter, so I knew she wouldn't have volunteered that information. I just knew that my darling child had eavesdropped, and to my frustration I could find no way to confirm it or punish her.

  At this point I would probably eavesdrop as well, honestly.

  "Would it be too much to ask for… something?" He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I struggled to put my thoughts into words.

  "I don't even know what I'm asking for. I know you won't just tell me her life story, but…" His eyes were troubled as he digested that. Not that there was much there. I didn't know what I was asking for, truly.

  "There's plenty she wouldn't mind me sharing with you, honestly. That she would be more than happy to talk about… I understand what you mean, though." His eyes met mine, and suddenly I felt like I was being weighed and measured. His eyes bore into me like drills.

  "I could tell you something, ma'am, but I'm honestly unsure of your reaction." I raised an eyebrow at him. "You either believe me, or you don't. And are horrified, or are relieved beyond all measure. Possibly both." I sighed and rolled my hand at him. He winced a bit before speaking.

  "Your daughter will be more safe than you could possibly imagine for her first Circuit." His eyes were hard as they stared me down. Like a dragon's eyes. "I know that every year dozens of young trainers are maimed or killed by wild Pokemon here in Kanto. Assaulted by the remnants of Team Rocket. I can assure you, if your daughter runs into any trouble, that trouble wont exist for long." My eyes got wide as he nodded at me.

  "Erin has a Rotom Phone coming specifically to record evidence before her mother eats the evidence. She'll accept their surrender, but if they don't? Well, Leto eats a lot." My face was drained dry of blood at this point.

  "Leaf already heard Erin say all that, as well." I began to frown, but he rushed to continue. "Leaf decided to play Salandit and sneak up on a private conversation. She got her punishment already." That girl! I knew it!

  "How is that supposed to make me calmer around Erin?!" I mean, really! His eyes were serious as he responded.

  "She's going to protect your kid like her own, is what I was saying, Ms. Greenwood, and so will Leto. She might be vicious, and they might call her the Savage Trainer online, but she's not wild." He frowned. "I'd rather the… eating not happen either, but Team Rocket are a Global Terrorist group. Anyone with the uniform on already gave up their inclusion in the Global Humanities Accords, and the entire world knows it." My eyes widened at the brazen statement.

  It was true, yes. Those branded Global Terrorist organizations relinquished their rights as humans, legally. That didn't mean it was right to feed them to Leto! I was about to continue when he sighed heavily, weary eyes looking at me over his cold cup of tea.

  "Ms. Greenwood, this is as much as I can tell you before you need to talk to Looker: Erin is a force for good in this world. Sometimes you have to amputate an infected limb, but you don't call the bonesaw evil. It just is. If she runs into terrorists that abuse and torture Pokemon?" His eyes flashed in fury, and I flinched back. Because of his… him-ness, it was easy to forget he led a Gym and one of the largest cities in Galar, but that had been an angry, defensive dragon in those eyes.

  "There's a reason Looker gave her the go-ahead, Ms. Greenwood, and that I haven't argued with her about it. She might be a kid now, but she's adult enough to make the decision to end a sapients life in defense of another. She's already done it with Sneasels. I honestly don't know how much difference she really sees between humans and Pokemon…"

  I managed a strangled-sounding bark of laughter at that.

  "She ate those." He laughed.

  "She wont eat a human, I swear!" He began to laugh harder as I frowned at him. This was serious.

  "I don't appreciate the fact that my new ward intends to commit war crimes, Mr. Gym Leader!" His laughing face met mine.

  "Terrorists aren't covered! It's not a crime!" He waved away my followup, stopping his laughter.

  "No, sorry, but they aren't. She also doesn't want to do it, but she's worried she might let it happen if she sees a bunch of caged, bloodied, abused Pokemon in front of her." My throat tightened up as I heard him say that so matter of factly. Team Rocket was another topic most people tried not to think about too frequently. He continued, a knowing look in his eyes as I quieted.

  "This is pushing my limits, but honestly? I'm so glad she met Leaf." I looked at him in confusion and he gave me a weary smile.

  "Erin's actually very responsible, believe it or not." I snorted a little despite myself, but he was shaking his head.

  "Truly, she is. Before she met Leaf? I know for a fact she would have gone after Team Rocket's remnants all on her own." My mouth was hanging open as he nodded sadly.

  "She would have, yeah. From her own mouth… She didn't see the problem with using… using her own 'worthless life' to provoke a response from them. She would have done it, no doubt in my mind." I managed to close my mouth as he continued.

  "The worst part? She probably would have succeeded. She certainly has the drive. The thoughts of those caged Pokemon keep her up at night, and she wouldn't have stopped until Team Rocket was ripped out by the roots." He sighed. "She might even have survived her campaign against them."

  He leaned back and chugged his cold tea, looking at the sky as he slowly spoke.

  "You see, she suddenly found herself powerful. Leto is the closest thing to a Mythical Pokemon, while not being a Mythical species I've ever personally encountered. It would take…" He frowned in thought. "Half of my Pokemon to take her down, all of them to do it without a huge risk of death." My eyes opened wide at that. I knew who Raihan was by now. He might as well be a Champion himself!

  "She's found herself powerful, and now she hears that Team Rocket is still around?" That was a weird way to put it… "She felt like it was her responsibility to do something where nobody else would or could. She wasn't going to turn away no matter what anyone said, not me, not Looker, not Joy." He smiled at me, a warm, relieved smile.

  "Then Professor Oak tricked her into dominating Leaf's Fraxure, tricked them into meeting. Now she's got a young girl as a responsibility. Now, instead of my new friend rushing off to a noble, lonely death, she'll take a slow and steady route with your daughter. She's too responsible to abandon her, especially not now." His eyes were calm as he looked at me.

  "I'm relieved, because Erin needed a reason not to play hero, and Leaf needed a mentor. The fact that they both get a friend out of the deal is just a bonus to me." I felt my tension leave me a little at that.

  That certainly put Erin in some important context. Feeding Team Rocket to her mother was still a bit far, and I would have my own talk with Leto, but for now I took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before I released it. When I opened my eyes, his were knowing.

  "Thank you, Riahan. I'm… honestly still unsure, after hearing that, but you've given me a lot to think about." He nodded at me.

  "Don't worry about it ma'am. She's… a lot to take in. Trust me, I know." He chuckled and I couldn't help but join in.

  She certainly was a lot.