ã€ŠPokemon: Hungry for Heavenã€‹


 Chapter 1: Broken Leash

    Angel had dreamed of this moment. The wind blowing leaves across a meadow, trees casting shadows that allowed the light to glow, the scent of unknown flowers tickling his nose. His precious blue bandanna was tied snugly to his neck, the scent of home reminding him just how far he¡¯d already come. Behind him towered his trainer, Haru, his eyes sparkling with intense concentration and excitement while he fiddled with his Gengar-faced hat. Across from them stood their opponent, an Eevee, tense and eager to learn if this human was worthy of him. This would be Angel¡¯s and Haru¡¯s first capture, their first entry into history. This was where their legend would begin!

    ¡°Angel, use Headbutt.¡±

    Angel glanced back at his trainer with a confused trill. ¡°[What move¡¯s that?]¡± he asked, despite the fact that humans couldn¡¯t speak Pokemon.

    Something slammed into him, sending him skidding back across the grass. The Eevee hopped back to where he¡¯d been, laughing to himself. ¡°[Having problems, are we?]¡± he chided.

    Shaking it off, Angel wriggled back into position, sparing an angry glance at his trainer. Come on, I¡¯m trusting you here.

    ¡°Earthquake!¡±

    Really? Thankfully, this time he was paying attention and dodged the Eevee¡¯s Tackle, pushing off with his tail and sliding away, fluttering his tiny wings to spin himself around. ¡°[Uh Haru, you do know my moves, right?]¡± he chirped.

    ¡°Come on Angel, dodge and use Dig.¡±

    Okay, I can do that. As Eevee went in for another charge, Angel spooled up his drill tail and dug his way backwards into the ground. Once enclosed in that comforting darkness, the Dunsparce leaned his jaw against dirt and listened for his opponent above. Initially, all he heard was his heartbeat.

    Then a pat. Then another.

    Grinning, he curled up and pointed his drill directly at the source and shoved with all his might.

    A hearty smack rippled up his spine as he erupted into the sunlight, Eevee sent sailing skyward. While his opponent landed hard in the grass, Angel looped back around and came down for a smooth landing. Now that¡¯s more like it.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Haru grumbled.

    Angel glanced back at him. Excuse me? Who¡¯s the one doing the work here?

    Meanwhile, the Eevee got to his feet with a grunt, ¡°[Cheap shot.]¡±

    ¡°[You hit me when I wasn¡¯t looking]¡± Angel fired back, wriggling and excited to continue.

    ¡°Alright, hit it with Pursuit.¡±

    The blue and gold serpent raced in, using his wings to pick up speed, kicking up a cloud of pollen and dust as he raced in. At the last second, as Eevee dodged away, Angel spun himself around and landed hard on his tail, and with a heavy grunt lunged out at the mid-air mammal.

    He nicked Eevee¡¯s tail but missed most of his target, sliding across the grass on landing. Guess I need practice on that one.

    Eevee, meanwhile, landed with perfect poise, even giving himself a little bow and wagging his tail playfully Angel¡¯s direction, ¡°[Aw, what¡¯s wrong? Afraid to hurt pretty ol¡¯ me?]¡±

    ¡°Come on, Angel, try Dig again.¡±

    The Dunsparce gladly did as told, diving back underground and launching back out. Again, Eevee was sent flying, though this time he landed on a tree branch.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try Pursuit again, knock him back down.¡±

    There we go, now we''re getting it.¡°[You got this got this got this got this¡­]¡± Angel coached himself as he dug his tail into the ground and perched on it. With a heavy grunt he hurled himself as hard as possible at his opponent, flapping his wings as hard as possible. His scaly skin tingled from the speed of the wind whipping over him, the edges of his vision darkening. Eevee tried to repeat his previous dodge, but this time Angel¡¯s head landed square in his gut.

    But Angel didn¡¯t stop. He pushed himself skyward, bursting through the canopy into the golden sun. For a brief, beautiful moment warmth washed over his scales and he basked in the view, Viridian Forest stretching to the horizon on two sides, and that wonderful Indigo Plateau calling him skyward. His bandanna flapped in the wind, making him feel as if he could truly fly.

    Then he plummeted back through the trees, crashing gracelessly through the branches and landing hard on his belly. It stunned him, to put it mildly.

    Eevee was already getting up, working his joints and clearly working past the pain.

    After shaking his head to clear the stars from his eyes, Angel flashed a smile and said, ¡°[I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m having fun.]¡±

    ¡°[Fun is for pets,]¡± Eevee snarled, ¡°[I¡¯ve been one, and I won¡¯t return to anyone but the most worthy. You. Aren¡¯t.]¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°[Ooh, I¡¯m scared,]¡± Angel teased then glanced back eagerly at his trainer, wagging his tail. ¡°[Ready when you are, partner.]¡± Guess Haru just forgot my moves. That¡¯s okay, we¡¯re still new at this.

    Haru turned his hat backwards and commanded, ¡°Time to finish it, use Thunderbolt.¡±

    An exasperated sigh left Angel. Okay, what move would be good here? Maybe¡­

    Oh, Eevee¡¯s charging.There wasn¡¯t time to dodge. He let the hit come, grunting as he took it on his heavy head, but used his tail as a brace to keep from being pushed back. Before Eevee could retreat, he lunged and bit him on the leg.

    ¡°[OW! Lemme go lemme go lemme go lemme go,]¡± Eevee yapped, struggling and kicking.

    With a heavy swing Angel hurled his opponent away, winding up and psyching himself to get nice and angry. Surprisingly, the Eevee managed to land on his feet, though he immediately stumbled, holding his foot awkwardly and whimpering softly.

    Angel immediately cooled off. ¡°[You okay, bud?]¡± he asked, fluttering his wings and floating over slowly, ¡°[I didn¡¯t mean to bite that hard.]¡±

    In a flash, the Eevee regained his concentration and hurled himself at Angel. The Dunsparce gasped as he rolled across the meadow, wincing as he settled on his belly. A truly livid Eevee stood across from him, panting and shaking. ¡°[I. Won¡¯t. Lose. To you,]¡± he growled.

    Angel shook the pain off and cracked his neck. Lesson learned, don¡¯t get distracted. ¡°[Come on, buddy, we¡¯re gonna win, I don¡¯t wanna hurt you too bad,]¡± he said, not as a taunt but out of real concern. Eevee looked horribly unsteady on his feet. Angel must have bitten harder than intended; he wasa pretty big Pokemon by comparison. He didn¡¯t dare look away, but he hoped beyond hope that Haru could see just how rough a shape their opponent was in. Now was the time to catch him, or at least give him a minor slap to put the fight out of him.

    Instead Haru said, ¡°Not what I wanted, but it works. Now finish it with Rollout.¡±

    Well, at least it¡¯s a move I know. Sorry, little buddy.He wound up and sprung forward, somersaulting and grabbing his tail in his mouth mid-roll. Grass and dirt sprayed behind him as he sped towards the Eevee. He narrowly missed on the first pass, the brown-furred pokemon leaping out of the way. Then Angel bounced off a tree and continued the attack.

    Eevee tried to jump away, but stumbled in place. Angel hit him with all his weight and sent him flying. With a heavy smack, Eevee hit a rock and collapsed to the ground in a pitiful heap.

    Even as Angel came out of his roll and flopped back onto his belly, Eevee tried to stand back up, groaning with monumental effort, only to flop down. ¡°[Ah¡­ F-f-fair p-play,]¡± he groaned.

    Finally, Haru got the message and shouted, ¡°Poke¡¯ball go!¡±

    His human watched intently as Eevee disappeared inside and the ball rocked, but Angel knew it was over.

    Sure enough, a gentle ping announced their victory and Haru raced forward. ¡°Woohoo! Oh my gosh I caught a pokemon. I caught an Eevee! I actually caught an Eevee! I can¡¯t believe it.¡±

    Angel cheered along with his trainer, bouncing on his tail so excitedly that he wound up falling onto his back. Naturally, he just laughed it off, rolling back over and shaking the worst of the dirt off. Though, as he was inching towards his trainer, a massive growl shook his stomach. ¡°[Wow, I¡¯m starved. What¡¯s for second lunch, Haru?]¡± he chirped, starting to inch his way forward.

    Eventually, Haru finished celebrating and put the ball on his belt. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. I think I¡¯ll name you¡­ Comet,¡± he muttered, ¡°Now I¡¯m ready for my journey.¡± Then, to Angel¡¯s shock, he started walking back towards the main trail.

    Uh¡­ hello?Angel fluttered his wings and floated after him, trilling, ¡°[Don¡¯t leave without me!]¡±

    Haru looked back and laughed, ¡°Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.¡±

    Angel slowly floated back to the ground. What?

    His human turned around and held out Angel¡¯s pokeball, ¡°Dunsparce, return.¡±

    Angel dodged the beam. He refused to return. In that moment, all the noise and smells of the forest seemed to evaporate. All he could see was his trainer. All he could feel was boiling rage.

    ¡°I said, ¡®return¡¯.¡±

    Again, Angel dodged. ¡°[What do you mean you forgot?]¡± he muttered.

    ¡°Stupid Dunsparce,¡± he grumbled, gripping the pokeball with both hands, ¡°Why won¡¯t you do anything I say?¡±

    ¡°[Are. You. Serious?]¡± he squawked, starting to flutter towards his trainer, ¡°[You think I was intentionally ignoring you?]¡± For a moment, he forgot that humans couldn¡¯t understand.

    Another return beam narrowly missed as Haru continued, ¡°Dang it, what¡¯s wrong with you? When I said I didn¡¯t want a Dunsparce this wasn¡¯t why.¡±

    Angel dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. He¡­ he doesn¡¯t want me?Another missed him. Tears leaked from his eyes. ¡°[W-why? What did I do wrong?]¡± he whimpered.

    ¡°Oh great, you¡¯re crying now,¡± Haru groaned, rolling his eyes, ¡°Come on, just get in the pokeball. Please?¡±

    Even with his heart eating its way out of his body, Angel dodged. ¡°[I tried my best, master,]¡± he continued, ¡°[We won! W-we won. Right? We can work on things together. Right?]¡±

    Finally, Haru managed to get a good aim with the pokeball and hit Angel, but as he was disappearing back into the ball, he heard one last comment, ¡°Stupid Pokemon. This is why I wanted a Charmander.¡±

    The ball burst back open immediately and Angel hovered in his trainer¡¯s face. ¡°[What did you say?!]¡± he screeched. Surprise, anger, and pain poured through Angel¡¯s tears.

    Haru fell onto his butt with surprise, ¡°Ah! Why¡¯d you do that?¡±

    Despite all his rage, Angel realized what he¡¯d done and slowly floated back down, taking long, deep breaths to cool himself off. This wasn¡¯t right. He was supposed to look after his trainer, not scare and hurt him. Okay, maybe¡­ maybe Haru didn¡¯t want a Dunsparce, that was okay. Everyone had dreams and not everything goes exactly as planned. But they could work through it.

    Angel sucked up his pride and wriggled over, rubbing his head on his trainer and chittering, ¡°[I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it.]¡±

    For a moment, it felt like they¡¯d made up. A warm hand rubbed his head and Haru said, ¡°Oh yeah, I guess I shouldn¡¯t have said that. I¡¯m sorry little buddy.¡± Arms wrapped around Angel and he gladly fluttered his way into a more comfortable position, closing his eyes contently. ¡°That was mean of me. You did well.¡±

    I understand. There are other Pokemon you¡¯d rather have. But I¡¯ll show you what I can do. We¡¯ll become champions together. We¡¯ll learn to love each other.

    Then Haru said, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault you¡¯re useless.¡±

    Angel snapped awake and looked up to see Haru holding his pokeball, ready to return him to it. For a single heartbeat, a single twitch of muscle, a wildfire of anger, shock, and pain lanced through Angel. In that spasm of reaction, he lashed out and snatched the pokeball from his master¡¯s hand¡­

    And shattered it in his jaws.

 Chapter 2: Lost in Viridian

    There was no telling how long Angel and Haru just stared at the pokeball¡¯s remains, dumbfounded. The Dunsparce gaped like a beached Magikarp, totally shocked with himself. I¡­ didn¡¯t know that was even possible.

    Suddenly, Haru laughed and shoved Angel off of him. ¡°Guess I don¡¯t need to keep you then,¡± he said as he got up, ¡°Later Dumbsparce.¡±

    ¡°[What?!]¡± Angel frantically rolled back onto his belly in time to see his trainer start walking off. ¡°[No no no no no I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m so sorry,]¡± Angel squealed as he fluttered after him. You can¡¯t leave me! We¡¯re supposed to be a team.

    Just as Angel was about to reach him, Haru spun around and caught his head in both hands, holding him at arm¡¯s length. ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re free now,¡± he said, then grunted as he shoved Angel back, ¡°Get lost. You¡¯re not mine anymore.¡±

    ¡°[No,]¡± Angel squeaked, hurrying past his trainer and landing ahead of him, planting his drill into the dirt and ¡®standing¡¯ up straight, almost looking him eye-to-eye, ¡°[Catch me again.]¡±

    Haru scoffed and walked past him, ¡°I said ¡®get lost¡¯. I don¡¯t need your dirty butt.¡±

    Angel attempted to fly after him, only to feel a tug on his tail and flop onto his back. His tail was stuck. As his trainer started fading into the treeline, Angel screamed after him, ¡°[You can¡¯t leave me here!]¡±

    No response.

    Eventually Angel yanked his tail free and got himself flying after Haru as fast as possible. He was pretty sure he could still see him. ¡°[At least take me home,]¡± he pleaded, flapping his tiny wings as hard as he could, ¡°[Please! I won¡¯t survive out here.]¡±

    Haru glanced back, then took a sharp turn and started running.

    No! No no no. Don¡¯t do this to me.

    Angel tried to follow as best he could, but he lost him. Despite that, he kept frantically flying in the direction Haru had gone, hoping to maybe catch him, all the way crying out and pleading for him to stop. His chest hurt from all the work, and he started flying closer and closer to the ground until his tail was dragging.

    Then he saw a human-sized shadow and felt a spark of hope. ¡°[Haru!]¡± he called out and flew straight at him. As exhausted as he was, he barely bumped the figure.

    It felt soft and fluffy.

    Angel immediately dropped to the ground and looked up with fear. Slowly the enormous feathered figure¡¯s crested head turned around and it let out an angry, ¡°[Who?]¡±

    The Dunsparce shuddered and slowly started to slink away from the Noctowl, ¡°[S-sorry. I-I didn¡¯t mean to wake you. I¡¯ll go away now.]¡±

    Its eyes snapped open, glowing a terrifying blue and Angel felt an unnatural touch across his body. ¡°[I agree.]¡±

    Suddenly, Angel was flung into the air and sent sailing over the forest, the trees racing below him. His screams could have been heard from the moon, and it only got louder as he started to fall. His exhausted wings did their best to slow him down, but they didn¡¯t really help.

    He crashed through a tree, hitting every branch on the way down, breaking several of them, before finally landing on his belly. Green worm-like Caterpie rained around him, all shouting in confused panic.

    ¡°[Sky falling?]¡±

    ¡°[Sky rock?]¡±

    ¡°[Monster?]¡±

    ¡°[Monster!]¡±

    ¡°[RUN! MONSTER!]¡±

    They inched away from him as ¡®fast¡¯ as they could to the bushes.

    Angel, meanwhile, watched the stars in his eyes. Someone tell the spin to stop worlding¡­ In his daze, he could have sworn he heard giggling¡­ or maybe that was just his brains leaking out of his skull.

    When his senses returned, the first thing he was aware of was pain. All over mostly, but especially in his right wing. He briefly tried to flap it and was rewarded with stabbing agony. Was it broken? It felt broken.

    Groaning, he slowly leaned back to look around. Where am I? This wasn¡¯t anywhere near the main path of the forest. Oh gosh, he¡¯d been in his ball when they entered the forest. Which way had they walked to get here? His breath quickened and his chest tightened. The trees seemed taller than before, and he was suddenly acutely aware of all the noises around him. All the chirps and cheeps and chattering and were those howls? Oh no, oh no no no. Momma told me to never go into the wilds alone. She said it was dangerous. That wild Pokemon would eat me.

    No. No panic. Deep breaths. It took a while to calm himself down, but eventually he started to consider what he could do. Okay, first thing¡¯s first. Which way¡¯s home? Uh¡­ maybe I can see Indigo Plateau from here?Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Getting back on his tail, he took a second to brace himself, then pushed as hard as he could. He breached into the sunlight and looked to the horizon, but didn¡¯t recognize any of the hills in sight. Without his wings, Angel landed pretty hard.

    Oookay. Um¡­ Haru said Pewter was to the north. Which way¡¯s north? Well, Mount Silver was north of home. But how could that help me here? After several long seconds of thought, he remembered he never saw the sun rise or set over it. Okay, he could work with that. The sun was starting to set a little bit. Uh¡­ which way did the sun set? West? Right, west.

    With that in mind, he started slinking his way north through the forest. Alone.

    Every whisper of the wind, every crack of a twig put him on edge. The light of the sun came and went as he found cracks in the trees, all the while he tried to stick to the shadows. If that Noctowl was anything to go by, there were big Pokemon in Viridian, and he didn¡¯t want to be eaten. Beyond that, Angel was absolutely exhausted.

    A ferocious growl made him yelp and frantically drill into the dirt. Then it happened again and he realized it was his own stomach. Oh yeah, and I¡¯m hungry. Very very very very hungry.

    As he continued he kept an eye out for anything that looked tasty, but he wasn¡¯t seeing much. It was a long, lonely crawl through the undergrowth. He was no stranger to rough land, but he was too tired to drill through the worst of it. It wasn¡¯t just things like fallen trees or giant rocks that stopped him either; an unusually large bush could stop him. If his wing wasn¡¯t hurt maybe this wouldn¡¯t be so bad. But between his injuries, his natural slowness, and especially his hunger, he was starting to wonder if it was worth even trying to find a city.

    Then he spotted a tree, a big beautiful tree covered in golden Grepa berries. It was a gift from Arceus. He scrunched his way to the base of the tree and looked up at the delicious fruits, so tantalizingly close. He couldn¡¯t smell the berries, but assumed it was because they weren¡¯t cut. Thankfully, he was okay at climbing trees. He wasn¡¯t fast, in fact a Caterpie could make it up the tree and down again before he got close. Maybe it would be quicker to just jump for it? Meh, I¡¯m tired. Besides, once I¡¯m up there I¡¯ll be able to eat as many as I like.

    At long last one of those delightful treats were within reach. He leaned back away from the trunk and grabbed onto it. Funny, it didn¡¯t give like a fruit. Or taste tangy.

    Then he lost his grip and fell off the tree, taking the fruit with him.

    Only for them both to stop mid-fall. A long white wire extended up to the branch the Grepa had been on. Then several tan ¡®fruits¡¯ dropped out on similar wires and stared at him with huge black eyes. ¡°[Release her,]¡± they hissed in unison.

    Kakuna. Oh shoot.

    The one he was holding onto gasped, ¡°[Heeeeeelp.]¡±

    A chorus of buzzing erupted from the tree.

    Angel immediately dropped to the ground and spun up his drill, ¡°[Sorry sorry sorry I didn¡¯t mean it.]¡± He started tunneling into the dirt, continuing as he disappeared, ¡°[I thought you were fruit I didn¡¯t mean it I¡¯m sorry.]¡±

    ¡°[It wants to eat me,]¡± the one he¡¯d bitten rasped.

    ¡°[INTRUDER!]¡± thundered a swarm of buzzing Beedrill as they emerged from the tree.

    ¡°[That¡¯s not what I said,]¡± Angel whimpered as he dug deeper underground. He dug until he couldn¡¯t see sunlight, and then dug deeper.

    Furious buzzing continued outside, leaving him waiting for the Beedrill to dig after him. After all, they had drills too, didn¡¯t they?

    His heart formed a furious drumbeat as he sat in hiding, hoping beyond hope that they didn¡¯t come after him. Slowly but surely, the buzzing subsided. Maybe ten minutes later his heart finally stopped pounding.

    Maybe they understand I didn¡¯t mean it. Mustering his courage, he poked his head out of the hole. He was greeted by a chorus of buzzing.

    NOPE!

    So, for a very long time he hid underground, waiting for them to calm down again. He had no idea how long. Then he gradually started digging away from them, listening closely to the world above for any sign that they were following him.

    Eventually he popped back up to the surface and looked around. No Beedrill. Taking a deep breath, he crawled onto the surface and, giving one last glance towards the Kakuna tree, started squirming away as fast as he could.

    Of course, he was still starving. He became slower than ever, inching blindly north, no faster than those Caterpie. The sky turned orange and he continued desperately creeping along. Before long his thirsty throat and mouth joined his stomach in protest.

    As he went, a random acorn fell on him. It didn¡¯t hurt much, but it was just enough to make him sniffle. Though, having his bandanna on did a little to comfort him. If I make it home, I¡¯m giving Grandma Akari the biggest hug I can give without arms. Another acorn hit him. Scratch that, I¡¯m gonna figure out how to evolve just so I can grow arms!

    Then a tiny flicker of hope caught him: the distant rumble of a river.

    Again, when its glistening blue waters appeared it seemed like a gift from the heavens and Angel rushed towards it. However, when he reached the bank, he slowed and reared up, looking around himself and into the water for any sign of danger. I¡¯m not getting jumped by a pack of angry Feraligatr or something. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t see anything.

    Maybe it was just the hunger, but that water was the clearest and tastiest he¡¯d ever had. After that first gulp he dunked his whole head underwater and gulped it down until his stomach was ready to burst. Letting out a satisfied sigh, he flopped against the bank and closed his eyes. That feels much better. Maybe¡­ maybe a little sleep would help me get out. Maybe if I can just think clearly I can fix this. He curled up, tucking his tail up to his mouth.

    A deafening drumroll hammered on his ears and echoed into the forest.

    Angel screamed in terror and started scooting for the woods. ¡°[Whyyyyy?]¡± he whimpered as he went, ¡°[What did I do?]¡±

    More staccato rapping rippled through the forest.

    He ¡®ran¡¯ away until he couldn¡¯t hear the river anymore. By the time he calmed down, the sun was gone. His muscles ached. With a miserable sigh, he drilled his way into the dirt and, after making sure his little tunnel was stable, laid his head down. This would have to do.

    Now that he was secure, though, a deep wave of sorrow and homesickness washed over him.

    This was supposed to be my dream. I just wanted to be part of a trainer¡¯s team. All I wanted was the chance to give it my best shot. I know that I¡¯m not the strongest Pokemon, that even back home there were others would be better for a team. I just thought that maybe I could become strong, or at least we¡¯d have fun trying. We could see new places and meet new people and Pokemon. We could learn from each other and see how far we could reach.

    I just wanted to try.

    Tears poured down his cheeks, turning the soil below his head to mud. Eventually, he passed into a rough, shallow sleep.

 Chapter 3: Adoption Day

    Four days earlier

    Today was the day. Angel couldn¡¯t stop watching the sun, practically counting the seconds as it traveled across the sky. His chores taunted him, every seed he planted took an hour, every row a week. His drill plugged into the soil, a human dropped a seed behind him, slink forward a foot, drill into the soil, drop a seed, slink forward--OH COME ON! Where¡¯s my trainer?

    Living in the shadow of Mount Silver was enough of a tease. The humans called this little patch of boring Argentbrook Town, after the seasonal river that threatened to wipe it out every spring. Most of their work focused around the logging community, cutting down trees and planting their replacements, with plenty of Pokemon help of course. A family of Marills and a Vaporeon watered the trees, a gaggle of Aipom helped keep the trees healthy, a group of gruff old Scythers cut them down, a few burly Machokes lugged the logs around, and so forth. Most Pokemon didn¡¯t technically belong to anyone in town, but they¡¯d fallen into the humans¡¯ lifestyle and worked with a specific family or individual.

    Of course, the most important job went to the Dunsparces. Angel, his mother, and his eleven brothers and sisters lead the way in planting. Actually, they did all the dirt-related work, including digging channels to protect the town from the spring thaw. Tilling was his favorite work, since they hosted races to till as fast as possible; Angel was one of the quickest.

    As they worked, his attention kept going to the little blue bandanna around his neck, as well as his siblings¡¯ differently colored ones. He still couldn¡¯t believe it: they were going to be adopted! Angel was going on an adventure with a trainer! What was his trainer going to be like? Were they nice? Intense? Smart? Oh he hoped they were smart, he had so many ideas but he really needed them to be smart to understand, since humans couldn¡¯t understand Pokemon speech.

    ¡°Uh, Angel, buddy, didn¡¯t you hear the bell?¡± the human behind him asked, patting him on the back.

    Angel jolted and glanced up at him with a confused trill.

    ¡°It¡¯s lunch time.¡±

    Sure enough, his family were all fluttering towards the cafeteria. Ah. Right. Yeah. Food. That¡¯s import0ant. Come to think of it, I think my stomach¡¯s trying to chew its way out to find something.

    Then, just as he was starting to head over, he noticed a Houndoom and Houndour leaving the town¡¯s charcoal shed. Normally, he would¡¯ve just met the black and orange hounds over there, but then he noticed a green bandana around the Houndour¡¯s neck.

    ¡°[OH MY GOSH! DAISY GOT ADOPTED! DAISY DAISY DAISY DAISY¡­!]¡± Angel squealed as he raced towards her, kicking up a plume of dust as he flew.

    The Houndour¡¯s gaze was firmly fixed forward, oblivious to him.

    Angel dropped to the ground and kicked up a wave of dirt as he stopped. Daisy yelped with surprise as she disappeared behind the dust.

    She reappeared a deep, rich brown. She shivered in place and stared at Angel with eyes wide with panic.

    ¡°[Uh. Oops. Sorry,]¡± he said, wincing sheepishly, ¡°[Uh¡­ congratulations?]¡±

    She whimpered pitifully.

    The Houndoom, Trigger, chuckled deeply and nudged his daughter with his snout, ¡°[Oh shake it off. A little dirt never hurt anyone.]¡±

    ¡°[W-we¡¯re fire types,]¡± Daisy squeaked, but managed to take a deep breath and calm down a little. She even managed a fragile smile as she replied, ¡°[B-b-but, uh, yeah. I-it¡¯s really exciting.]¡±

    ¡°[I know!]¡± Angel chimed, fluttering his wings, ¡°[I can¡¯t wait to meet them. What do you think your trainer will be like?]¡±

    The Houndour tucked her ears back and ducked her head. ¡°[I-I hope they aren¡¯t a trainer,]¡± she whispered.

    Angel gasped in abject horror and started to blabber, ¡°[What do you mean you don¡¯t want a trainer? That¡¯s the dream! That¡¯s the life! That¡¯s--]¡± Grrrrroooowwwwl. ¡°[Sweet Arceus I need food.]¡±

    The Hound¡¯s chuckled a little and Trigger used his paw to turn him around. ¡°[It¡¯s that way, son,]¡± he rumbled.

    Angel laughed at himself, then turned to Daisy, fluttering excitedly, ¡°[Race?]¡±

    That finally perked her up and she crouched playfully, ¡°[You¡¯re on.]¡±

    Naturally, Daisy blew him out of the water, leaving him eating her dust, but that was okay. Angel liked challenging himself, and if he one day caught up to her that would be a real achievement.

    Regardless, they skidded into the food yard, falling into line alongside Angel¡¯s siblings. Those who¡¯d been picked out for adoption immediately started jabbering at them, talking over each other in their excitement. Again, Daisy got anxious when they collectively asked, ¡°[What adventures do you want to go on?]¡±

    Despite his own excitement, Angel noticed his friend and answered himself, ¡°[Well I want to challenge the Mountain Master.]¡±

    ¡°[Well, duh,]¡± one sister scoffed, ¡°[You¡¯ve been wanting to do that since you ¡®saw¡¯ him.]¡±

    ¡°[I did! I saw him fighting!]¡± he insisted, glancing up towards Mount Silver. Near the peak he spotted a rock that had once been snow white and was now scorched the darkest grey. He could still picture the flames. ¡°[It would be so much fun to see how close I can get to his level.]¡±

    ¡°[You were just dreaming, the Master¡¯s a myth,]¡± another Dunsparce countered.

    ¡°[I mean¡­ Ho-oh¡¯s real,]¡± Daisy pointed out, coming to his defense.

    The siblings collectively groaned, but let it go as one of them said, ¡°[Well I want to go to Kalos and eat aaaalllll the fancy food,]¡± and continued jabbering about their own ideas. Mostly involving food.

    It all stopped the instant the cafeteria doors swung open and several carts loaded with food came flowing out. Both people and Pokemon helped, and at the head of the group was an elderly woman with fiery blue eyes and a huge mane of white, curly hair. Despite her obvious age, she moved with a bounce in her step and wore what looked like an old ranger uniform, jokingly leading the procession like a band major with her gnarled oak cane as a marching baton. A similarly old Ampharos quietly pushed one of the trays, the big yellow Pokemon¡¯s black stripes turned a dark grey.

    Of course, Angel and his siblings knew better than to play too hard with Grandma Akari and Bo, but the Azurill, Aipom, and other smaller Pokemon eagerly raced at them. Not that Akari seemed to mind, happily picking up any Pokemon small enough and giving them a big hug, and everyone always reciprocated. Bo was a little more careful, but that was because every move he made was met with crackling electricity.

    Regardless, pretty soon the elders and their helping hands started passing out bowls of homemade pok¨¦chow and stew, the humans all heading for picnic tables and the Pokemon basically gobbling it down on the spot.

    However, when Angel and Daisy reached the front of the line, Grandma Akari spotted them and lovingly patted their heads, ¡°Well hello darlings! And how are my stars of the day doing?¡±

    They barked and chirped happily, respectively.

    ¡°Wonderful! I¡¯m sure you two are hungry, but I¡¯m gonna ask you to be patient for just a liiiittle bit longer. Bo made you something extra special for your extra special day.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    The Ampharos looked over and blinked slowly, then continued handing out food.

    Angel pouted a little bit, his growling stomach already getting the better of him, but Daisy yipped, ¡°[Yes ma¡¯am!]¡± and pranced in place.

    Akari gave Daisy a big, warm hug, then moved along to finish dishing things out. As expected, she was keeping food from the other Pokemon slated for adoption, but that didn¡¯t stop him from whining, ¡°[Oh come oooooon! I¡¯m starving here.]¡±

    ¡°[You¡¯re always starving,]¡± Daisy pointed out with a smirk.

    ¡°[You would be too if you missed second breakfast,]¡± he countered, another deafening roar erupting from his gut. Doing his best to focus, he asked her, ¡°[So seriously? You don¡¯t want a trainer?]¡±

    She tucked her ears again and gulped, looking away nervously. ¡°[I-I don¡¯t know how to explain it. B-but it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m happy here.]¡± she told him, shuffling her paws and staring at the ground, ¡°[What if we never come back? What if I don¡¯t like my trainer? What if I get badly hurt on the journey? What if¡­]¡±

    As Daisy continued rattling off her worries, Angel calmly fluttered overhead, then dropped onto her with a soft plop.

    She yelped and flattened under the weight. After a few seconds of clawing at the dirt, trying to get out from under the serpent, she flopped her head down and let out a tired sigh. ¡°[Why?]¡±

    ¡°[Stop worrying,]¡± he told her, nestling his chin on her crest, ¡°[I¡¯m not moving until you stop.]¡±

    ¡°[Easy for you to say.]¡±

    ¡°[Hey, the unknown is what adventure¡¯s about,]¡± he soothed, ¡°[You think all the people and Pokemon who made champion knew where they¡¯d wind up? You think Bo wasn¡¯t nervous when he got adopted? Don¡¯t you get bored just making charcoal every day?]¡±

    She grunted, refusing to dignify his points.

    Angel wagged his tail in the air, playfully casting shadows ahead of her. ¡°[Just think, maybe you¡¯ll meet one of the legendary birds. Or Entei! You might get to go in a submarine or meet a ghost. And don¡¯t forget, you get to evolve.]¡± He looked up towards Mount Silver, its peak seemingly eternally capped in snow. ¡°[Man, I wish I could evolve.]¡±

    Finally, Daisy relented, ¡°[Okay, you win. Please get off, you¡¯re crushing me.]¡±

    Angel obeyed, fluttering to look back at her. ¡°[I¡¯m not that fat, am I?]¡±

    ¡°[You kidding?]¡± She groaned and stretched, cracking her joints noisily. ¡°[You¡¯re the biggest Dunsparce here.]¡±

    ¡°[Really?!]¡± he said excitedly, jabbing his drill into the dirt and rearing back to look over his siblings. Pretty sure I¡¯m not that much bigger. Jager at least looks bigger. Though, he was on the north end of Dunsparce sizes.

    Before he could say anything, Akari came back and told him, ¡°Okay dearies. Come inside.¡±

    Angel fell back down with a flop and squealed with glee, ¡°[FINALLY!]¡±

    By this point she¡¯d gathered a pretty serious trail of five Dunsparce (including Angel), two Azurill, an Eevee, Daisy, and a Scyther, plus Bo. Angel had been in Grandma Akari¡¯s house plenty of times, especially during winter, and he always loved it. It wasn¡¯t really a typical human house, more like a kitchen with a bed and rocking chair attached to a gigantic greenhouse. Fruit trees and bushes from all across the world bloomed inside, a handful of Roselia quietly humming to themselves as they tended to the plants.

    Near the center of the room, several dinner domes had been set up, each with a different color tag in front of it. Behind them waited the parents of the various adoptees, including Angel¡¯s dear mother, Honey. In unison, the parents all lifted up the dinner platters (with the help of some Roselia), Honey and the Scyther both fluttering their wings to blow the smell towards the kids.

    The Pokemon couldn¡¯t have charged any faster. Each meal looked to be specifically picked out for the individual, and when Angel saw his mountainous pile of fruit pastries he literally flew into it. Fruit and bread smothered him and one of the delicious treats disappeared down his gut before he¡¯d stopped, the sweet and tangy bite of Wacan berries sending an electric tingle down his spine.

    ¡°[So, can I tell Bo you liked your meal?]¡± Honey teased.

    ¡°[Mmhmm. Ish ¡®mazhing,]¡± Angel replied, still buried in bread.

    When he finally escaped his sweet sweet prison, he saw Daisy snout-deep in what smelled like her beloved Occa berry curry. ¡°[Man that looks good,]¡± he commented to her.

    She gasped as she came up for air, her snout stained bright red as she declared, ¡°[It¡¯s delicious!]¡± then dove back in again.

    The rest of the Pokemon were similarly dramatic across the garden, parents and Roselia all giggling at the children¡¯s antics. Before long, everyone had massacred their platters, Angel for his part winding up flopped onto his back amid the carnage of crumbs. Not a single pastry was spared. His stomach was ready to burst.

    ¡°[Would this be a bad time to dog-pile you?]¡± Daisy teased, daintily cleaning her snout.

    ¡°[Mercyyyy¡­]¡± he moaned.

    ¡°[¡®Cause I could do it.]¡±

    ¡°[Nooooooooo.]¡±

    Throughout all of this, the parents were contently chatting with each other alongside Akari and Bo. Eventually someone piped up, ¡°[What do you say, kids?]¡±

    A cacophony of thanks erupted from the group, several actually rushing over to thank Bo with licks and nuzzles, Daisy included. Angel tried, but all he could muster the energy to do was to inch over and bump into him. Though, the smile he gave the Ampharos was warm enough to melt anyone¡¯s heart.

    Bo never said anything, instead just happily petting his fellow Pokemon, his touch sending a slight electrical tingle across Angel¡¯s skin.

    A few Pokemon tried to play, but everyone was too full. Angel, for his part wound up nuzzled up against his mother and siblings, the Dunsparce collectively huddled up in a nice beam of light and sunning. Once the food was cleaned up, the garden¡¯s natural sweetness filled the air, lulling Angel into a peaceful rest. The other Pokemon also joined their parents, nestling up against them. Daisy walked the greenhouse with her father, peacefully sniffing the flowers and enjoying this moment of calm. It was downright idyllic, and as his stomach settled Angel felt truly at home.

    It¡¯s the only home I¡¯ve known.

    A weight dropped into his heart as he realized just what that meant. For a tiny instant, he understood what Daisy was so worried about. He looked around at all his siblings, at his mom, at Daisy¡­ he might never see them again. His new life would be with his trainer. He¡¯d be carried away on the first wind away from Argentbrook, never to come home.

    ¡°[I¡¯m so proud of you kids,]¡± Honey suddenly said.

    Angel and his siblings collectively reared up to look at her.

    ¡°[I always hoped a few of you would follow in my footsteps. I never thought it would be so many,]¡± she sounded genuinely choked up as she inched out and looked back at them, ¡°[My little warriors. All going out there to protect a trainer and help them become better humans. You¡¯re all going to shake the world, you know that?]¡± A few tears escaped her. ¡°[You haven¡¯t even left and you¡¯ve made your mom so proud.]¡±

    Of course, Angel and his siblings all dogpiled her in a huge full-body hug, cooing their reassurances to her. As he did so, all those doubts faded away. Yeah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m not just leaving. I¡¯m going out there to make mom proud. To make the whole town proud. I¡¯m coming home a hero. You hear that world?! I¡¯M COMING HOME A HERO!

    Okay, maybe you can¡¯t hear inside my head. Unless there¡¯s a psychic type listening¡­

    Suddenly Grandma Akari whistled and waved everyone over. As they came over, Bo pushed up her rocking chair. ¡°Okay kids, your trainers are all waiting outside,¡± she began, sitting down with a grunt, ¡°Before you go, though, I wanted to give you a last piece of advice.¡± The kids all ¡®sat¡¯ up straight and listened. ¡°It¡¯s not gonna be easy out there. It¡¯s hard being a trainer and Pokemon, and your first few days especially will be a trial. You and your trainer might fight, might not do well in your first few battles.¡±

    Angel noticed Daisy shrink and tuck her ears back.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Akari reached back and rubbed Bo on his neck, looking up with some memory in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all part of learning. Part of growing.¡± She leaned back down to look across the field of young Pokemon. ¡°Not everyone can become the greatest; that¡¯s not the point of going on this adventure. It¡¯s about the journey. It¡¯s about the friendships you make. It¡¯s about growing with your trainer and making each other better and wiser for it.¡± She glanced back at her Ampharos again, ¡°Bet I¡¯ve learned more from you than you from me.¡±

    Bo rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Point is, what makes someone great is sticking with it. Getting up when you¡¯re knocked down and keeping your eye on whatever goal you and your trainer set.¡±

    Most of the Pokemon collectively cheered at that, but Angel saw that Daisy was still downcast, eyes firmly fixed on the grass. He grimaced in thought, but then he made eye contact with Bo.

    The Ampharos gestured at Akari and winked at him.

    Smirking, the Dunsparce got behind Daisy, then gave her an almighty push to the front of the group.

    ¡°[Hey! What are you--?]¡± she yelped, only to realize she¡¯d interrupted Akari and immediately tucked her ears back.

    Not that Akari minded; she reached down and pulled the fire type into her lap. ¡°Just remember, no matter what happens and how far you go,¡± she continued, scratching Daisy behind the ear, ¡°We¡¯ll be proud of you, and you¡¯ll always be welcome home.¡± With that, Akari reached up and pulled a flower-shaped amethyst stud off her own ear and placed it on Daisy¡¯s.

    To call the Houndour surprised was an understatement. She stared up at Akari with shock for several long seconds. Then she showered the town grandmother with licks, wagging her tail happily.

    Grandma Akari laughed and petted her back for a while, then gently set her down. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough, baby. Now go get ¡®em.¡± She got up and looked out at the group. ¡°All y¡¯all. Time for you kids to face your destiny.¡±

    While the group followed Grandma Akari out of her house into the yard, Angel fluttered up next to Daisy and gave her the biggest smile he could muster.

    She was positively beaming. For the first time that he could remember, she looked confident.

    Then they made it outside where a group of young trainers were waiting. Some Angel recognized, some he didn¡¯t, but all of them were wearing bandannas to match their Pokemon¡¯s. Daisy¡¯s trainer was none other than Akari¡¯s own granddaughter, Sakiko.

    Angel didn¡¯t recognize his trainer, he was a pretty normal looking kid with dark brown hair and equally dark eyes, but had a certain fire to him that the Dunsparce felt in his soul. The serpent flew at him with an eager squeal and accidentally tackled him to the ground, landing on top of him. ¡°[Oh my gosh oh my gosh it¡¯s so good to meet you!]¡± he trilled, ¡°[I¡¯m Angel, we¡¯re gonna be best friends!]¡±

    If he only knew¡­

 Chapter 4: Unlikely Heroes

    Present day

    When Angel awoke to the smell of berries, he assumed he was still dreaming.  It nagged him, made his homesickness a needle in his heart.  Worse, it clawed and gnawed at his still-empty stomach.  Yet it lingered, enough that once he stirred and stretched he could still smell it, practically taste it.  Curiosity got the better of him and he cautiously poked his head out of his hole.

    A massive pile of berries was waiting for him, a beam of sunlight shining on it.

    Angel abandoned all caution and rushed for it as fast as his exhausted body could carry him.  A small gust wafted the sweet scent into his nostrils.  These were real.  Not Kakuna, not some hallucination.  Real, genuine, actual berries.  With a happy squeal he took one in his mouth and ate the thing in one bite.  It was the sweetest, most delicious food he¡¯d ever had.  It was just a Pecha berry, but it might as well have been crafted by a chef.  One by one he demolished the pile, eager to refill his gut.

    Rapid hammering snapped through the trees above him.

    ¡°[AH!  SORRY SORRY SORRY!]¡± he screamed as he burrowed back underground.  For several long seconds he cowered there, expecting something to come after him.

    Then wicked cackling filled the air.  ¡°[Ahahaha.  You--you should have seen your face.  You were like, ¡®EEEEEE DON¡¯T EAT ME!¡¯  Bwahahahaha!]¡±

    Angel squirmed his way back out and looked up towards the source.  A purple Nidoran was flopped onto a tree branch, laughing its butt off.  ¡°[You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me,]¡± he groaned, ¡°[You¡¯re the one from the river last night.]¡±

    ¡°[Hehehe.  Really, ya just figured that out, pet?]¡± the Nidoran taunted, still grinning ear-to-ear, ¡°[Gotta ask, how is something so comically fat afraid of everything in this forest?]¡±

    He grumbled under his breath and started slinking back to the berries, but when he reached them he realized something and looked back up at it.  ¡°[Wait, where¡¯d this food come from?]¡±

    ¡°[Hmm?  Oh, a human put some poison on ¡®em and left ¡®em there.]¡±

    Angel squeaked with horror.

    ¡°[Ahahaha, nah bro, I¡¯m just messin¡¯ around.  I got it for ya.]¡±  It hopped between branches, strutting vaguely towards him as it talked.  As it got closer, he noticed that this Nidoran looked a little small for a male.  Also, its horn looked like it had been rounded off or chipped.  ¡°[See, after watching you fall out of the sky like a dang Geodude, I wanted to see what happened if I scared ya,]¡± it rapidly kicked the tree trunk for demonstration, making that same hammering sound.  Even as Angel narrowed his gaze, Nidoran sighed in disappointment, ¡°[But seeing you snivelling and whining was more tragic than funny.  Figured I owed ya something.]¡±

    ¡°[Jerk,]¡± he grumbled, then turned back to the food, ¡°[But thanks.  I was really hungry.]¡±  As he resumed eating, he examined every fruit in case she hid a spicy Petaya berry in there or something.

    After a few seconds, Nidoran asked, ¡°[Soooo¡­ what¡¯s a pet doing out here anyways?  Get separated from your owner?]¡±

    Angel winced, trembling slightly.  ¡°[Something like that.]¡±

    ¡°[Get your fat butt abandoned?]¡±

    He looked up with surprise.  ¡°[How--?]¡±

    ¡°[Oh, don¡¯t be so dramatic,]¡± it groaned, laying down across a branch and swinging its legs, ¡°[You ain¡¯t the first pet left out here, won¡¯t be the last.  Them humans are real evil butts, huh?]¡±

    ¡°[Hey!]¡± he protested, digging his tail in and rearing up towards her, ¡°[Not all humans are like that.]¡±

    ¡°[Sure, just most of them.]¡±

    Angel hissed and flicked out his forked tongue.  ¡°[Don¡¯t be stupid.  Just because we got abandoned doesn¡¯t mean that¡¯s normal.]¡±

    ¡°[Oi!]¡±  The Nidoran leaped to its feet and kicked the tree, dropping a nut onto his head.  ¡°[I¡¯m no pet, and ya¡¯d better remember that,]¡± it snarled.

    After a few seconds glaring at each other, Angel huffed and returned to eating.  ¡°[You¡¯re still wrong about humans.]¡±

    The Nidoran let out a long sigh and hopped to the forest floor.  ¡°[Listen, pet, you¡¯re better off without ¡®em,]¡± it continued, ¡°[All they¡¯ll do is make ya fight, then when you¡¯re not good enough they boot ya to the curb.  Ya really think that¡¯s not evil?]¡±

    You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.  He wasn¡¯t in the mood to argue though.  After all, this Nidoran had gotten him food; it would be rude of him to get snippy.  However, now that his belly was getting full and he was able to stop panicking, he was able to think rationally about his situation.  It was still just as bad as he thought it had been.

    Once he¡¯d cleared his metaphorical plate, he gave her a fragile smile and said, ¡°[Well, thanks.  You really saved me.  Um¡­ you know how to get out of here?]¡±

    ¡°[What, ya wanna go back?]¡± it asked, jaw on the floor, ¡°[Ya hit your head on the way down or somethin¡¯?]¡±

    ¡°[I hurt my wing,]¡± he said, fluttering his good one for emphasis, ¡°[You know how to fix broken bones?]¡±

    It trotted over to him and looked at the injury, inspecting it for a few seconds.  Then it suddenly piped, ¡°[I sure can¡¯t, but there¡¯s a Shiftry out here that might be able to help.]¡±

    ¡°[A¡­ Shiftry?]¡±  He knew what they were, but he only ever saw them on Grandma Akari¡¯s TV shows.  Last time he checked, they were kinda mean.

    ¡°[Mmhmm,]¡± Nidoran confirmed, ¡°[He¡¯s the forest¡¯s protector.  Real nice fella, has a little refuge he keeps for hurt and weak Pokemon.  If anyone here can help ya, it¡¯s him.]¡±

    Huh.  Well, it¡¯s not a Pokemon Center, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers.  ¡°[Could you bring me to him?]¡± Angel asked, trying to muster some excitement.

    ¡°[Weeeellllllll¡­ I suppose I can,]¡± it replied playfully, hopping onto a nearby rock and looking back at him, ¡°[Follow me, chubster, if you think you can.]¡±

    Unsurprisingly, trying to keep up with Nidoran was a pain.  Even if Angel¡¯s wing was working it would have been tough, the darn thing was just so quick.  It hopped over fallen logs, boulders, and babbling brooks with ease, leaving him to launch himself exhausting distances.  Not to mention that if he fell behind it would throw rocks and nuts at him, chiding, ¡°[Oh come on, you can do better than that.]¡±

    As they reached a particularly awkward stream that left him carefully extending from one rock to another, he tried to make small talk, ¡°[Ssso.  What¡¯s your name?]¡±

    ¡°[Names are for pets, pet,]¡± it replied, hopping onto an oak branch overlooking the water.

    ¡°[Don¡¯t be silly,]¡± he countered, awkwardly curled up on a rock and looking around, ¡°[They make things easy when you¡¯ve got siblings.  Okay, could you have chosen a harder route for me?]¡±

    ¡°[Not my fault you¡¯re slow as a Snorlax,]¡± it countered, flopping onto the branch and kicking its legs out, ¡°[But yeah, what¡¯s wrong with calling me Nidoran?]¡±

    ¡°[Well nothing, but¡­]¡± he paused to launch himself at another rock, grunting at the hard landing, ¡°[A name adds character.  Makes you feel less like ¡®Dunsparce Seventy-Three¡¯, you know?]¡±

    ¡°[Ya need a human to give ya meaning?]¡± it sputtered, cackling and laying her head down with a lazy sigh, ¡°[You pets are funny.]¡±

    ¡°[Actually, my mom picked mine out.  Said I reminded her of my dad.]¡±

    Nidoran¡¯s eyes snapped open and it stared down at him.  The silence that followed made Angel think that the conversation was dead; he made it across the stream without another word from it.  Then, as he landed in the gravelly mud, it hopped down in front of him and said, ¡°[Call me Rio.]¡±

    Wow, that¡¯s a nicer name than I would¡¯ve expected you to come up with.  ¡°[Cool!]¡± he replied cheerfully, ¡°[I¡¯m Angel.]

    ¡°[Okay,]¡± it replied coolly, turning to lead again, ¡°[Let¡¯s keep moving, not much farther.]¡±

    As he followed, though, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°[Soooo, what happened to your horn?]¡±

    Rio immediately stopped and kicked him square in the nose.

    Stars rippled across his vision.  ¡°[OW!  What was that for?]¡± he whimpered.

    ¡°[I¡¯m a girl, ya blind butt-munch!]¡±

    ¡°[Sorry, I thought purple Nidoran were guys,]¡± he soothed.

    Another kick shoved him until his drill was in the water.  ¡°[Well I¡¯M a girl,]¡± she snapped, glaring back at him blazing red eyes, ¡°[Got it?]¡±

    ¡°[Owww¡­]¡± he groaned, squirming slowly back up the bank, ¡°[Yeah, got it.  Didn¡¯t have to boot it into me.]¡±

    She made a high-pitched ¡°[Humph]¡± and trotted off ahead.

    Thankfully, she didn¡¯t just leave him behind, but any attempts at conversation stopped.  Not that the forest was silent.  As before, Angel was acutely aware of all the sounds around him, all the different rustling in the branches and calls of other Pokemon in the distance.  Rio didn¡¯t seem to mind them, hopping from object to object bold as could be.  She probably knew what every last one of those sounds meant and how far away it all was.

    Guess he could learn too.  Thing was, Angel didn¡¯t want to be a wild Pokemon.  I guess I could present myself to the first trainer I come across.  Or maybe I¡¯ll get lucky and find someone from Argentbrook on the road.  Or or I can head down to the Pallet Town Pokemon Ranch, I hear they adopt out to trainers a lot.  But¡­ it¡¯s just not the same.  I¡¯ve already started my journey.  Sure I didn¡¯t get far, but that special moment of starting with a new friend is already gone.  Darn it Haru, why did you leave me?

    He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he wound up running right into Rio when she stopped.  ¡°[Sorry, sorry,]¡± he reflexively said as he backed up.

    She didn¡¯t say anything, her ears twitching as she stared into the distance.

    ¡°[Uh¡­ Rio?  You okay?]¡±

    She shushed him then whispered, ¡°[Do you hear that?]¡±

    Angel frowned and dug his jaw spikes into the ground, listening closely.  At first all he noticed was the distant sounds of the forest.  Then a strange rumble rattled up to his ears.  It almost sounded like an approaching earthquake, but seemed to be getting more distant.  ¡°[What is that?]¡± he thought aloud, ¡°[A truck?]¡±

    Rio whirled around and stared at him, literally trembling, then spun right back around and sprinted into the distance, kicking up a trail of leaves and rocks as she went.

    ¡°[Hey!  Don¡¯t leave me!]¡± he called as he chased after her.  Not that he had a hope of keeping up, but she was easy to follow.

    When he finally caught up, he was treated to a fantastic sight.  A positively gargantuan cherry tree with snow white bark dominated a sprawling glen with a crystal clear brook flowing through it.  Sunlight filtered through the flowers and tinted the world a warm pink.  Long grass and flowers made a meadow that, by rights, shouldn¡¯t have existed in the shadow of such a tree.  There were even a few small bushes that looked fruit bearing.  It was, without question, the single most beautiful place he¡¯d ever seen.

    Except something had clearly been through it.  Clumps of flowers were trampled, bushes were ripped open, and even the great tree itself bore gashes in its bark.  Also, besides Rio standing on the water¡¯s banks and shivering, it looked strangely empty.  No Shiftry, no Seedot, no Pidgey, not even the ubiquitous bugs.  In fact, besides that distant rumble Angel couldn¡¯t hear anything.

    As he crawled forward, he whispered, ¡°[What do you think happened?]¡±

    Rio just shook her head, seemingly paralyzed as she stared at the damage.

    Frowning, Angel crawled around the broken haven, trying to find some hint about what had happened.  Then he heard a weak, ¡°[Chuuuuu.]¡±

    He snapped his attention to a bush and found a Pichu curled up inside.  At first Angel thought the little fella was just scared and told him, ¡°[It¡¯s okay buddy, we¡¯re friends.  We¡¯re here to help.]¡±  When the electric mouse didn¡¯t respond or even flinch, he realized that the little guy was sleeping.

    Now, why would he sleep in that?  It looks pretty uncomfortable.  Then he slunk closer to try calling a little louder and bumped the bush slightly.  A strange blue powder rained around him.

    He instinctively recoiled away.  Sleep Powder.  Taking a deep breath, he went back in and gingerly pulled the little guy out with his mouth.

    ¡°[Angel¡­]¡± Rio muttered, her voice getting very high-pitched.

    ¡°[Mmon Shmecont,]¡± he mumbled, struggling to get the Pichu out.  The poor fella was stuck but good.  Angel extended his tail out and dug it into the dirt, trying to get some more leverage.

    ¡°[Angel!]¡± Rio continued.

    ¡°[MMON SHMECONT!]¡±

    Then, just as he thought he had the Pichu clear, something grabbed him by the tail.  Angel dropped the Pichu instantly as he was hauled bodily into the air and dangled upside down.  A bulbous wooden body filled his vision along with feet like geta shoes.

    Looking ¡®down¡¯ just a little he met two furious yellow eyes set to a sinister-looking scowl amid an enormous mane of white fur.  It was the Shiftry.  A terrified chill fell over him as he squeaked, ¡°[I can explain.]¡±

    ¡°[Did you do this?]¡± Shiftry whispered, his voice seemingly coming more from the wind than his mouth.

    ¡°[N-n-n-no,]¡± he replied, squirming to look up at the tree guardian, ¡°[Rio--uh, the Nidoran and I just got here.  I-I was looking for help.  See I¡¯ve got a broken wing and--]¡±

    ¡°[WHO HURT MY TREE?!]¡± the wind howled as Shiftry¡¯s eyes seemed to pierce his soul.  Flower petals flowed through the air like a tornado.

    Thankfully, Rio piped up, ¡°[Humans did it, Shiftry]¡±

    It instantly dropped Angel on his head, frozen in place.  ¡°[Humans¡­?]¡± it grumbled, seemingly tasting the word as it stared into the distance, then whirled to get into Rio¡¯s face, ranting, ¡°[There were many of this forest¡¯s strongest Pokemon resting here.  Are you telling me humans overpowered them all?]¡±

    To her credit, she stood her ground, staring back at him defiantly, but every inch of her was trembling.  Righting himself, Angel came to her defense, ¡°[They were trainers, probably had someone who knew Sleep Powder.]¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    The hurt on the Shiftry¡¯s face was palpable, its voice cracking as the old guardian whispered, ¡°[Why would Pokemon do this?]¡±  It slowly stepped away from her and towards its tree, running its leafy hands over it and listening.  ¡°[I grew this haven as a place of peace and rest for my brothers and sisters.  It¡¯s supposed to be my gift to this forest.  How could anyone bring themselves to harm it?]¡±  Its touch landed on one of the scars, tears appearing in its eyes, ¡°[Oh, my dear child.  What have these brutes done to you?]¡±

    It pained Angel¡¯s heart to see the old man so torn up, but as he looked at the sleeping Pichu and the area around, a deeper fear seized him.  ¡°[Where are the others?  Did the people take them?]¡±

    Rio looked at him like he was stupid, ¡°[Well, no duh the humans took ¡®em.  What do ya think they did, give ¡®em massages?]¡±

    ¡°[Well we¡¯ve gotta get after them then,]¡± Angel countered, leaning up a bit and looking in the direction where that rumble was growing more distant, ¡°[If we go now then maybe we can--]¡±

    ¡°[Ahahaha, I¡¯m not going after something that could beat that many Pokemon,]¡± Rio protested, backpedaling away from him.

    While her words stung, Angel had been referring to someone else.

    However, the Shiftry was still staring at its tree, its hands beginning to glow softly as it tended to the wounds.  When it glanced back at him, Shiftry sighed and shook its head, ¡°[I¡¯m sorry child, my greater duty is to this forest; the loss of this haven would cause far worse harm.  I must tend to my child.]¡±

    ¡°[B-b-but WHAT?!]¡± Angel sputtered in shock, quivering with barely restrained rage.  Rio¡¯s trying to be all high and mighty while leaving them out to dry?  This one¡¯s pretending to be a protector while leaving the people he was protecting to fix a tree?  He squirmed into Shiftry¡¯s line of sight, ¡°[Uh uh, uh uh.  Nobody gets left behind.  No way!  We¡¯re going after them.]¡±

    ¡°[I¡¯m not stopping you,]¡± Shiftry countered, not even looking at him, ¡°[Go, child.]¡±

    Angel stopped and lowered himself down.  ¡°[I-I can¡¯t,]¡± he said, wincing with shame, ¡°[I¡¯m too slow without my wings working.]¡±

    Finally, the Shiftry glanced down at him and leaned to look at the injury.  Angel inhaled sharply with pain at the touch, but the older Pokemon was incredibly gentle.  ¡°[It is just a sprain,]¡± he reported, then darted over with frightening speed to a bush.  When it returned, it had a peculiar white-and-red berry in its hands.  At first Angel¡¯s eyes lit up and he leaned forward to take it, but the Shiftry held it back, looking down at him with a severe glare, ¡°[Will you use this to save my charges?]¡±

    A tiny shiver lanced up Angel¡¯s spine, then he reared up and looked him eye-to-eye, ¡°[Either I¡¯m coming back with them, or not at all.]¡±

    There was a long second as the wind howled around them, the Shiftry seeming to stare straight into his soul.  Angel didn¡¯t dare flinch.  Then Shiftry abruptly shoved the berry at him.  Angel took it without a second thought.

    It.  Tasted.  Horrible.  Spicy and bitter and sickly¡­ he very nearly puked it back up as it slithered down his throat.  Then there was a sharp jab in his wing that made him even sicker.  Angel gasped at the first jolt, but within a heartbeat it was fading.  When he caught his breath, he tentatively tested that wing.

    It felt good as new, maybe even better.  Angel let out an excited trill and fluttered into the air, just the tickle of dust against his belly earning a gleeful laugh out of him.

    Then, in an instant he was back to business.  He dropped down and touched his jaw to the ground, listening for the rumble¡¯s direction.  Once he had it, he looked back and said proudly, ¡°[I won¡¯t let you down,]¡± and took off at full speed through the forest, leaves rippling through the air in his wake.

    Behind him he heard Rio mutter, ¡°[He¡¯s serious¡­ By Ho-oh he¡¯s serious!]¡±

    As trees flew by him and Shiftry¡¯s sanctuary disappeared into the distance, a lump of purple slowly caught up with him, running alongside him.  ¡°[Ya really did hit your head on the way down!  Why would ya throw yourself at these humans?]¡±

    ¡°[I said I would, didn¡¯t I?]¡± Angel pointed out, swerving between oaks.

    ¡°[That doesn¡¯t make it a good idea!]¡± she protested, jogging alongside him, ¡°[Come on, there was a Ninetales hanging out at the sanctuary.  If they could beat her, you¡¯ll be eaten alive.]¡±

    Angel, however, didn¡¯t pay her protests any mind.  Nobody got left behind under his watch.  Not if he had anything to say about it.  Never again.  Instead he flashed a grin at her, ¡°[Well, nobody¡¯s making you follow me.]¡±

    She glowered at him, then she grumbled, ¡°[Someone¡¯s gotta make sure ya don¡¯t hurt yourself, pet.]¡±

    A huge part of him wanted to tease her, but he was just glad to have help.  Besides, he was straining to keep track of where he was going.

    Before long they wound up on what looked like an old hiking trail, only barely kept clear enough for a vehicle to trundle along.  A long pair of tracks led North.  Angel didn¡¯t stop, banking and drifting through the air to keep going.

    ¡°[Okay¡­ how does¡­ something¡­ so fat¡­ move so fast?]¡± Rio asked between breaths.

    ¡°[I¡¯m not fat, I¡¯m beefy,]¡± he grumbled, only to hear an engine growling in the distance, ¡°[Quiet, we¡¯re getting close.]¡±

    Before long a lump of shining metal appeared on the trail, along with a cloud of dirt and wood chips.  In their final approach Angel and Rio slowed down, moving through the trees and bushes as quietly as possible.  A heavily modified cargo truck with big off-road tires and reinforced slabs of armor plating sat on the trail, its wheels spinning in the dirt as a pair of humans and a Machoke tried to unstick it.

    ¡°How did you even manage that?¡± the female human grumbled.

    ¡°Look, we came up this road without issues.  Whattaya want from me?¡± the male snapped back.

    The Machoke had one arm in a sling and was pinching its brow with the good one, ¡°[I can¡¯t believe I got captured by this idiot.  Just grab a log, drag it into place, and reverse over it.  It¡¯s not that hard.]¡±

    Now, Angel considered himself pretty knowledgeable on the weird things humans liked to wear, but he was pretty sure he¡¯d never seen these wackos.  They were dressed in dark grey catsuits with a needle thin golden cursive E on their chest, along with strange porcelain masks which were mostly blank except for some curly inlaid gold.  A few pokeballs sat on their hips along with some assorted pouches and a coil of rope.

    As Angel and Rio snuck into viewing positions, the Nidoran whispered, ¡°[What¡¯s the plan?]¡±

    He worked his jaw thoughtfully, looking over the truck.  ¡°[Well¡­ I only see four Pokeballs on them, so that means all our friends are in the car.  It looks pretty well stuck, lucky us.]¡±  A lull in the humans¡¯ arguing made him pause, then he continued, ¡°[I say we wait until they¡¯re not looking, then you pop the tires with Poison Sting.  Meanwhile, I go ahead and dig under the truck and stick my drill into the floor.  One of us goes in, frees the Pokemon, and everyone escapes back down the hole I made.  Easy.]¡±

    A soft scoff escaped her as she turned back to them, ¡°[You¡¯re not as dumb as you act.]¡±

    ¡°[Thaaaaanks.]¡±

    Just then, the man said, ¡°Oh wait, this thing¡¯s got a low gear.  Silly me.¡±  With another grunt from the engine the truck lurched forward and left its ditch with a heavy clunk.

    While the woman returned her Machoke, Angel and Rio stared at the situation dumbfounded.  ¡°[Uhhh¡­ pet?]¡± Rio whispered.

    ¡°[New plan!  Hop on-board and figure it out from there!]¡±

    The truck was already moving by the time Angel took flight.  He was only barely able to move faster than it, and then only thanks to the cruddy road.  After a solid hundred feet of chasing, he managed to land on its slick, metal surface.  Meanwhile, Rio sprinted past the truck and up a tree overlooking the trail.  She managed to jump onto the car, but the momentum sent her skidding towards the edge, panic in her eyes as her legs headed off the side.

    Angel quickly lunged out and grabbed her in his mouth, doing his best not to bite too hard.  She still winced a little, but didn¡¯t cry out as they hauled her back on top.  ¡°[Thanks,]¡± she panted once aboard.

    It was still very unstable, the jostling of the car doing its best to throw them off.  Despite all the noise, Angel could hear the woman talking to someone from inside the car.  ¡°Hey boss, Squad Fourteen here, got a full load of Pokes headed your way.  Mostly common critters, but we found a Ninetales you might be interested in.¡±

    A heavily roboticized and obviously modified voice replied in a sinister growl, ¡°Excellent work.  Bring it to Base Seven.  Await my debriefing there.¡±

    Oooookay, that¡¯s not creepy or anything.  The fan of mystery stories in him wanted to investigate what this base was, but at this point he didn¡¯t want to try to battle anything worse than they already were.  Slinking away from the cab, he told Rio, ¡°[I¡¯m gonna try and drill in.  Once there¡¯s a hole, you get in and break stuff until your friends are out.]¡±

    ¡°[Not my friends, but I getcha.]¡±

    Taking a deep breath to brace himself, he spun up his drill and got to work.  It was¡­ unpleasant to say the least.  He liked to think of himself as a good digger, but metal was a totally different proposition to dirt, tending to get extremely hot very quickly.  Stop, start, stop, start¡­ each time only a little bit of the metal giving way.  But, he was making progress.

    Then, when he punched a tiny hole in the other side, it let out a loud squawk.  Immediately a hatch opened from the top of the truck¡¯s cabin and the woman poked her head up.  Angel and Rio froze in place.  ¡°[Uh¡­ hi?]¡± Angel trilled.

    ¡°Aw dangit, we¡¯ve got stowaways,¡± she groaned.

    ¡°Want me to stop?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve got this,¡± she replied, bringing up a Pokeball, ¡°Clean this up, Cassidy.¡±

    A chill entered the air as the ball opened and dropped a bright blue¡­ Sandshrew?  It sure looked like a Sandshrew, though it was wearing a masquerade-style mask similarly engraved to its owner, and was, as mentioned, light blue.  As it landed, it stood up on its back legs, seemingly unbothered by the shaking car.  ¡°[How undignified,]¡± she complained, dusting herself off, ¡°[I do hope you plebeians will do me the favor of losing quickly.]¡±

    Oh come on!  Couldn¡¯t you guys at least stop?  Putt his tail back to work, he told Rio, ¡°[Hold her off while I drill.]¡±

    ¡°[Uh¡­ ooookay,]¡± she replied, awkwardly shambling into a position between them.  Between all the Pokemon, the top of the truck was getting very crowded.  Despite her misgivings, she stepped up and spat a burst of poison needles at her opponent.

    They pinged harmlessly off Cassidy.

    The woman promptly scoffed and said, ¡°This¡¯ll be quick.  Cass, use Ice Shard.¡±

    A panicked squeak escaped Rio as the Sandshrew held its hands in front of its mouth for a second, then flung a hunk of ice at her.  It sent her skidding backwards, shaking her head for second, then shouting back.  ¡°[Angel!  Ice type!]¡±

    ¡°[The poison didn¡¯t hurt it?]¡± he asked in disbelief.

    ¡°[No!  HELP!]¡±

    The Sandshrew giggled shrilly and lunged forward, going for a Scratch.  Rio managed to leap over it, landing on the truck¡¯s cab, only to wind up having to duck an attempted grab from the human.

    For its part, the Sandshrew looked back at Angel and muttered, ¡°[You ruffians dare harm my master¡¯s property?]¡±  Then she tried to Scratch him.

    Angel took the blow, using the closeness to swing his still-burning tail into her.  It landed not with a smack, but a hiss of steam, sending her reeling back with a screech.  After stumbling to a stop, she stretched out her talons and snarled, ¡°[How dare you even touch me, you insignificant beast!]¡±

    ¡°[We¡¯re both Pokemon, dude,]¡± he pointed out.

    Before she could attack, though, her human attempted another swipe at Rio, only to prick her hand on the Nidoran¡¯s spines.  ¡°Ow!  Cassidy, focus on this little nuisance.  The grub can wait until--¡±

    ¡°[NO TOUCHY!]¡± Rio squeaked in rage and kicked her in the face.  The mask let out a hearty crack and the human instantly dropped back into the cabin.

    The Sandshrew let out an enraged scream and hurled another Ice Shard at her.  It connected with a heavy thud and sent Rio skidding off the cabin¡¯s edge, only barely holding on.  ¡°[How dare you hurt my human!]¡± Sandshrew snarled and started winding up another throw.

    ¡°[Help!  I¡¯m slipping!]¡± Rio cried.

    Angel immediately stopped drilling and bit onto the Sandshrew¡¯s tail.  It was shockingly hard.  Thankfully, he still surprised her enough to get her to swing around and throw the ice cube right into Angel¡¯s face.  It hurt.  A lot.

    Regardless, he stuck his tail into the divot he¡¯d created in the truck and, with all his strength, tried to throw the Sandshrew sideways.

    He only managed to get her to the edge, leaving her teetering and flailing her arms.  Perhaps he could have pushed her over, but Angel raced right by to grab Rio.  He actually overshot the end of the cab, leaving them both dangling over the road just ahead of the truck.  Rio screamed in terror while the driver looked out at them in disbelief.  Groaning at the effort, Angel flapped his wings and let the car get back under them before dropping down.  Rio dug her claws in and screeched to a halt, panting and whimpering.

    Angel wound up skidding back along the roof and smacked into the Sandshrew.  Again, it was like hitting a brick wall.

    Or a steel one.

    Waaaait one ice-breaking second!  ¡°[Rio, you know Double Kick?]¡± he called out, squirming to get away from their opponent.

    ¡°[Yeah?  What about it?]¡±

    At that point, the Sandshrew stepped on his tail and pinned him down, giving him a Scratch across the back.  ¡°[Ooh, what¡¯s this tattered old rag?]¡± she said, yanking on his bandanna.

    After a few seconds of trying to turn around and bite her, Angel looked to Rio and barked, ¡°[KICK HER!]¡±

    Rio immediately got the message and came flying in, delivering a savage punt to the Sandshrew¡¯s face, sending the icy mouse stumbling backwards.  Then, just as Rio landed, Cassidy snarled and curled up, starting to glow.

    ¡°[Watch it, she¡¯s using Bide,]¡± he warned.

    This time Rio was ready, tense and waiting.  As the Sandshrew barreled across the truck, trampling over Angel, Rio leaped into the air.  Cassidy passed under her and, on her way down, Rio gave her a firm two-footed boot to the backside.

    Cassidy¡¯s trainer chose that exact moment to pop back out of the hatch.  She was greeted by a Sandshrew flying into her face, sending both of them dropping back inside.

    For several long seconds, Rio stared at the hatch and panted with exertion.  When nothing came, she made a sharp ¡°[Humph!]¡± and kicked the top of the truck.

    A cacophony of cries for help came from inside.

    On hearing that, Angel quickly got his tail back to work, telling her with a smile, ¡°[Way to go, Rio!]¡±

    She let out an exhausted laugh and told him, ¡°[Now you do your job, ya lazy worm.]¡±

    Thankfully, the worst of the work was done, and at this point he was just trying to widen it enough to let her through.  ¡°[Ooookay.  Aaaalllllmost¡­]¡±

    Suddenly, the man announced, ¡°Get out there Butch!¡±  A Pokeball leaped from the open hatch.

    A Butterfree wearing a plaid bandanna over its mouth appeared and immediately drifted alongside the truck.  ¡°[Oohoo, you boys¡¯ve done it now.  I¡¯m gonna whip ya so good yer grandbabies gonna come out red as a cherry.]¡±

    Angel immediately yanked his tail up and said to Rio, ¡°[Get in there.  Get in get in get in!]¡±

    She promptly squirmed and squeezed into the hole, only needing a quick slap on the backside with his tail to finally pop into the truck.

    With that done, Angel reared up and let out a threatening scream.

    The Butterfree laughed.  ¡°[Get a load o¡¯ the big bad snake,]¡± Butch taunted, flying alongside the truck, ¡°[Whatcha gonna do next, varmint?  Sneeze at me?]¡±  With that it dove sideways and rammed into Angel with all its weight.

    The impact actually sent Angel sliding off the truck, but he managed to flutter himself back into place, narrowly managing to stay on.  Okay, so¡­ I need to work on my battle Screech.  Good to know.  Of course, now that he was in the fight, he realized that this was a bad situation.  Angel didn¡¯t know any ranged attacks.  Even if he did, the Butterfree had the advantage, what with flying and all.

    About that moment the truck slowed down and started to take a sudden hard turn.  Seeing his chance, Angel coiled up and lunged at the Butterfree, slamming him with his head.  Even as his opponent was sent higher, Angel came back down, going through the hatch and landing right in the truck¡¯s cabin.

    In the female trainer¡¯s lap, squeezed right up against Cassidy.

    ¡°[What in the world¡­]¡± the Sandshrew groaned.

    ¡°[I bet yo momma told you to wear that mask to stop scaring the other kids,]¡± he trilled, then bounced back outside.

    Only to feel some force grab him by the body and slam him headfirst into the truck.

    The stars cleared from his vision just in time to see the Butterfree¡¯s eyes stop glowing.  ¡°[Boy, you better run yo happy tail off, or I¡¯m gonna turn yo yellah belly into some corrrrrn bread.]¡±  Its gaze briefly turned skyward, obviously fantasizing.  ¡°[Awww yeah¡­ with some gravy.  And mashed taters.  Mmm¡­]¡±

    ¡°[Do you listen to what come out of your mouth?]¡± Angel asked playfully.

    A twig slapped the Butterfree across the head and it glared at him.  ¡°[You wouldn¡¯t get it.  Anywho, this is gettin¡¯ a mite dangerous, so I thinks I¡¯m just gonna end it,]¡± Butch announced and got ahead of the truck.  The occupants slammed the hatch shut, which warned of what was coming.

    Angel held his breath as a light blue powder started pouring off the Butterfree¡¯s wings and over the truck.  Uh uh, you ain¡¯t catching me with Sleep Powder.  However, he also saw a chance, so after a few seconds of pretending to resist, Angel flopped back to the deck and laid his head down.  He didn¡¯t bother closing his eyes though; nobody except other Dunsparce could tell when they were open.

    His chest ached as he waited, his lungs begging for air.  Below he could hear lots of clangs and noise.  Then, after a few seconds, the hatch came open and the Butterfree came down over it to squeak, ¡°[It¡¯s all good, boss.]¡±

    Seeing his chance, Angel coiled up, then charged forward into a somersault, performing a textbook Rollout at his opponent.  He slammed heavily into the Butterfree, sending it spiraling through the air and flopping to the ground.  Angel landed right behind him, still rolling and running over the Butterfree again.

    Of course, as he uncoiled and looked behind him, he realized that he¡¯d momentarily forgotten that the truck was moving.  Oh no!

    Brakes squealed and a cloud of dirt sprayed both of them.  When the dust cleared, the truck had only barely stopped before hitting the dazed Butterfree.

    The male trainer jumped from the driver¡¯s seat and sprinted to his downed Pokemon.  ¡°Butch!  Butch are you okay!  Say something to me!¡±

    ¡°[She¡¯ll be comin¡¯ round the mountain when she coooomes hehehehe,]¡± Butch mumbled deliriously.

    Both the human and Angel let out a sigh of relief, but then the human brought out a new Pokeball and snapped, ¡°Time to send you packing, you pest.  Come out Joule.¡±

    A Magnemite promptly appeared in the air, its eye fixed on Angel.  ¡°[RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.  AND INTERNALLY NOMINAL.]¡±

    Angel whimpered and gave an awkward smile, looking between the trainer and his Pokemon.  ¡°[Maybe we got off on the wrong foot?]¡± he suggested, then muttered, ¡°[Wait, neither of us have feet.]¡±

    Then, as the human inhaled to give an order, a gout of flame erupted from the top of the truck, engulfing them.  When it cleared, Magnemite was down and the human coughed a pained, ¡°Ow.¡±

    A majestic Ninetales stood atop the truck, Rio strutting into view alongside it.  ¡°Leave our forest, invader,¡± she declared, psychically speaking to the human, ¡°And never return.¡±

    A small army of assorted local Pokemon came around the truck and gave their own warnings, a few even firing some Poison Stings his way.

    Terrified, the man looked up at the Ninetales, then at the Pokemon he¡¯d just captured, then slowly turned to stare wide-eyed at Angel.

    ¡°[Boo.]¡±

    The man screamed, returning his Pokemon and leaping into the truck, slamming the door and mashing the pedal.  Naturally, the Ninetales and Rio hopped off.  As the vehicle careened down the road, the back doors slammed wildly, revealing the busted cages inside.  Not long after it was out of sight, the tell-tale clunk and growl of it getting stuck again filled the air.

    A huge grin split Angel¡¯s face as he slunk on up to Rio, looking around at the collection of Pokemon they¡¯d rescued with pride.  ¡°[Well, I¡¯m no expert--besides all the crime shows I watch--but I think that was a successful jailbreak.]¡±

    The Nidoran groaned and laughed in disbelief.  ¡°[Don¡¯t.  Make me.  Do that.  Again.]¡±

    Almost immediately, the younger Pokemon all dogpiled Angel and Rio, bombarding them with thanks.  Not that he minded.  Amid the collective hug, the Ninetales strode up and said, ¡°[Thank you for saving us.  I don¡¯t know what those villains wanted with us, but we all owe you.]¡±

    Angel just laughed nervously and replied, ¡°[Figured it needed doing, so I did it.  Nothing fancy.]¡±

    She gave him an odd look, then smiled and said, ¡°[Come along everyone.  I think our stay at the sanctuary might be longer than expected.]¡±  Then, as they all started to trot off, leaving Angel somewhat awkwardly looking around, the Ninetales stopped and looked back at him, ¡°[Are you honestly going to make me invite you?]¡±

    He let out a cheerful trill and floated in among them, winding up at the head of a little impromptu parade through the forest, with Rio very nervously pushed to his side.

 Chapter 5: The Fire is Lit

    Angel could genuinely say he¡¯d never seen a rebuilding party before.  Whenever a fire or electric type accidentally damaged something back home, the general mood of the repair party had been ¡°Uuuuuuuugh.¡±  However, the Viridian Pokemon seemed like they¡¯d been dying to rebuild the sanctuary.  They threw themselves at the work, planting new seeds, digging fresh ground for them, and even very carefully tinkering with the little stream to siphon off a little water.

    Of course, Angel was glad to help; after all, this was his specialty.  Shiftry helped where he could between making sure his tree was healing properly and profusely apologizing to the others.  In fact, he probably spent more time apologizing than actually working, the surreal sight of him bowing to a Weedle or Pidgey becoming just a normal part of the day.  The Ninetales was particularly helpful; she might not have technically been a psychic type, but she was more than good enough to haul around and plant cuttings.

    There was only one person conspicuously missing: Rio.

    Occasionally Angel caught a glimpse of purple in the trees and a fruit would ¡®mysteriously¡¯ roll into the glen, but he never caught a good look at her.

    As everyone was winding down, Angel went to the edge of the glen with some of the others and looked out on their work.  The scars of the day still lingered, barren soil sat where flowers once did, cuttings sprouted where bushes were, and the great tree had enormous bandages of leaves woven together covering its injuries.  However, even now there was a pleasant sense that everything would be okay.  The tree seemed fine, the new saplings looked healthy, and the river seemed clear as ever.

    ¡°[It¡¯s so pretty,]¡± a Weedle said as he crawled onto Angel¡¯s head.

    ¡°[Not as pretty as before,]¡± a Seedot countered a little somberly as she hopped onto Angel¡¯s back.

    ¡°[Yeah, but this time we made it,]¡± a Pidgey added, landing on the Seedot, ¡°[That means it¡¯ll be even better.]¡±

    More Pokemon wound up joining the unintentional dogpile-on-Angel party, and as they jabbered with each other he figured he had around a dozen of the little guys on him.  ¡°[Uh¡­ guys.  Getting hard to breathe here.]¡±

    ¡°[I know, isn¡¯t it just breath-taking?]¡±

    Then Shiftry started sniffling and patting his eyes.  It was like someone had rung a dinner bell and they all rushed off of Angel to comfort the old guardian.  ¡°[Oh thank you my friends,]¡± he said tenderly as they swarmed him, patting one of them, ¡°[I truly can¡¯t thank you enough for your kindness.  I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t come for you.  I swear, I¡¯ll become the protector you deserve.]¡±

    After coughing and cracking his back, Angel scooted over and commented cheerfully, ¡°[My momma had a saying, ¡®A day where nothing¡¯s learned is a day wasted.¡¯  Just make sure today isn¡¯t wasted.]¡±

    The Shiftry chuckled softly, the wind seeming to stutter with him, ¡°[Well said, child.  I¡¯ll make the most of this chance you¡¯ve given me to make things right.]¡±

    Of course, the Pokemon didn¡¯t understand what Shiftry and Angel were on about, they just hugged and comforted him.

    About that moment the Ninetales walked into view, seeming to almost glide across the ground with unnatural grace.  ¡°[Well, if we¡¯re talking about traditions, I had one to suggest,]¡± she said, psychically picking up the berries that had fallen around them, ¡°[A toast to commemorate the rebirth of this sanctuary.]¡±  With that she floated the fruit up to the other Pokemon, including Shiftry, as well as another floating up into the trees.

    While everyone else seemed eager to join in, the Shiftry cradled the fruit in his hands thoughtfully.  ¡°[A human tradition?]¡± he hissed.

    ¡°[One I¡¯ve kept longer than you can imagine,]¡± she countered coolly, raising the fruit towards him, ¡°[To a new beginning, a beautiful land, its wise guardian,]¡± her ruby eyes flicked to Angel and she smiled, ¡°[And to the heroes that made it possible.]¡±

    Angel laughed and replied, ¡°[I¡¯ll eat to that!]¡± and immediately took his fruit down in one go.  The others took their own bites, and even old Shiftry finally raised his berry and bit into it.  A drop of something fell onto Angel; when he looked up, he caught a glimpse of Rio finishing off a small berry.  Then she made eye contact with him and darted away.

    Once everyone was done, the Shiftry declared, ¡°[Come my friends, there¡¯s more food in this sanctuary should you need it, and we must make better beds for us.]¡±

    Most of the Pokemon followed him, but Ninetales and Angel remained where they were, the former calmly grooming herself.  Also, a Caterpie scooted up to her and asked sweetly, ¡°[M-Miss Ninetales, can I sleep in your tail?]¡±

    ¡°[Pick your favorite, darling,]¡± she replied, laying her tails down.

    The Caterpie immediately crawled into and curled up within the gigantic mass of fur.

    Now, as much as Angel wanted to eat and rest--this day was exhausting--now that he had the not-quite-psychic type alone, he figured this was a good chance to talk.  ¡°[So, Ninetales, I was wondering,]¡± he began, crawling closer to her, ¡°[if you can use psychic abilities, does that mean you can--]¡±

    ¡°[Read minds?]¡± she asked, glancing up at him with a playful grin, only to shake her head, ¡°[No.  I¡¯ve just had plenty of experience trying.  What troubles you?]¡±

    ¡°[Well, I was wondering why Rio--the Nidoran--is hiding like she is,]¡± he explained, sliding over to a nice flat rock to bask in the setting sun, ¡°[I mean, she did as much work as I did.  And I know she¡¯s not shy.]¡±

    ¡°[Ah no no, darling,]¡± Ninetales assured him, laying down, ¡°[You just embarrassed her.  It can be jarring when you think you¡¯re better than someone, only to find yourself looking up.]¡±  The surprise must have shown on his face, because she snickered and commented, ¡°[You don¡¯t spend much time around wild folks, do you?]¡±

    ¡°[Sure I did, I lived up in the mountains,]¡± he protested mildly, ¡°[My town was surrounded by forest.]¡±

    ¡°[My dear, that and the deep wilderness are two different things.]¡±

    Angel sighed.  She probably knew better than him on that front.  Argentbrook was all he ever knew.  Though, now that he was thinking about the difference, he noticed something odd.  ¡°[You sure don¡¯t talk like you¡¯re a free Pokemon.]¡±

    ¡°[Freed,]¡± she corrected him, closing her eyes thoughtfully, ¡°[Once upon a time, I was a family guardian.]¡±

    Ooh!  That¡¯s kinda neat.  What with her being a Ninetales, she must have looked after a lot of humans.  Though¡­  ¡°[Why are you out here then?]¡±

    ¡°[Ran out of family.]¡±

    Angel winced sharply.  ¡°[I-I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to bring up anything.]¡±

    She opened an eye, only to smile daintily, ¡°[Relax.  I¡¯ve had my time to grieve.]¡±  With a content sigh she looked up at the orange dusk sky, ¡°[Life has too much to offer for us to dwell on pain.  A universe of voices call, each more beautiful than the last, a web of paths all leading to new and fantastic places.  My humans gave me a fantastic gift, one of a long life with which to enjoy myself and spread that joy to others.  I couldn¡¯t bring myself to disappoint them.]¡±

    Even with everything that had happened, Angel couldn¡¯t deny a strange peace falling over him as he followed her gaze skyward.  ¡°[Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right.  Tell ya what, that unknown is what made me want to come out here in the first place.]¡±

    For a while they just basked in the peace of the sanctuary, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the sweetness of the air.  It was a perfect, quiet moment of rest that he¡¯d been sorely lacking.

    Then Ninetales quietly asked, ¡°[So what path are you on?]¡±

    Angel kept his gaze skyward, thinking aloud, ¡°[I dunno.  I wanted to give it my best for the championship.  Ya know, even if I didn¡¯t make it, just to say I tried.  I want to go as far as I can go.  But now¡­ I know that there are good trainers, but I might not find them if I try again.  What if I just wind up starting over again?]¡±  He glanced back down at her.  ¡°[What if I get captured by one of those weird masked people?]¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Ninetales inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.  For a long while she was still as a statue, seemingly replaced with stone.  ¡°[I can¡¯t answer that for you,]¡± she eventually told him, ¡°[What I can tell you is that there is no Pokemon that unwillingly follows their human.]¡±

    Angel recoiled away, tilting his head in confusion.  ¡°[Uh¡­ I¡¯m not sure about that.]¡±

    ¡°[Oh, there are bad relationships,]¡± she conceded, ¡°[Those who obey their trainer just because they think they¡¯re trapped.  But so long as you are out of a cage, the door is open.  The ball is just a leash; anyone can escape it.]¡±  Her red eyes seemed to bore through him, ¡°[You simply need to choose to.]¡±

    He stared back at her for several long seconds.  Did she¡­ know what he did?  Well, regardless, could anyone do that sort of thing at any time?  If he had just started drilling away, would he have been able to leave then?  He guessed it didn¡¯t particularly help his debate of what to do, but that knowledge that he could just leave if things got bad was comforting.  After a while, he shook off his bemusement and said, ¡°[You¡¯re good at giving advice.]¡±

    ¡°[Live long enough and it comes naturally,]¡± she replied with a giggle, then looked back at the Caterpie nestled in her tails, ¡°[Mmm¡­ poor darling.  I think the others might need my tails too.]¡±  With that she gingerly got up and headed over towards the others gathering at the base of the tree.

    Angel deeply wanted to join them, just eat and enjoy the warmth of the day¡¯s victory, but his thoughts turned up towards the branches.

    Before long he¡¯d crawled his way up the tree and spotted a glimpse of purple settled amid the canopy.  It took a little searching, but he found some stronger branches near Rio and fluttered his way up to join her.

    A gorgeous sunset greeted him.  The sky was painted a deep orange, distant clouds turned scarlet, and the now-distant mountains he¡¯d become so familiar with became an alien purple.  The occasional bird Pokemon flew across his vision, unrecognizable in the strange colors of dusk.  Rio was watching it from the branches, a content smile splitting her face.

    They enjoyed the scene together for a while, just them, the wind, and each other.  Then Angel commented softly, ¡°[It¡¯s so beautiful.]¡±

    ¡°[What the--!]¡± she yelped loudly and kicked him.

    ¡°[Ow!]¡±

    ¡°[How¡¯d you sneak up on me!]¡± she demanded, breathing heavily and standing off with him.

    ¡°[Oh come on, how did you not hear me?]¡± he countered, rubbing his cheek on a branch, ¡°[I must¡¯ve woken up half the forest on the way up.]¡±

    She huffed and puffed for a long while, shaking slightly as she glared at him.  When she finally calmed down, she sat back down on another branch slightly further away from Angel.  ¡°[Still shouldn¡¯t scare people.]¡±

    ¡°[You¡¯re one to talk,]¡± he countered lightly, intending it as a joke.  Though, after he said it, he realized he might have sounded bitter.  Well, she did just kick me again.  Taking a deep breath to ignore the stinging, he gave her the biggest smile he could and reassured her, ¡°[You did good today.  That was a weird situation and you took charge really well.]¡±

    Rio huffed softly, shaking her head as she turned back to the sunset.  ¡°[Don¡¯t make fun of me,]¡± she grumbled.

    ¡°[I¡¯m not,]¡± he assured her, ¡°[Why would I?]¡±

    A strange shudder shook her and she looked away from him.  ¡°[You say that so naturally.  Like it¡¯s just second nature.]¡±  A soft sniffle escaped her.  ¡°[Did your trainer teach you that, pet?]¡±

    Moving slowly, he reached over to the next branch, trying not to shake hers.  ¡°[Being polite?]¡± he asked in confusion, ¡°[I mean, I guess my whole town did.  But it¡¯s not like--]¡±

    ¡°[Oh cut the whole ¡®sweet innocent me¡¯ routine,]¡± she snapped, glowering at him, then starting to prance across her branch, ¡°[¡®Look at me, I¡¯m so brave.  I¡¯m so perfect.  I go running off into danger so well I left my legs behind.¡¯  Stop trying to shove my nose in the dirt.]¡±  She stopped with her back to him, nose in the air.

    Ooh.  Right.  Ninetales said she was embarrassed.  With a heavy sigh, he fluttered over and landed very carefully next to her.  ¡°[I wasn¡¯t talking down to you, was bein¡¯ honest,]¡± he encouraged her, still keeping a smile on, ¡°[You were brave, braver than me.]¡±

    ¡°[How do ya figure that?]¡±

    ¡°[I¡¯m used to the idea of being captured,]¡± he elaborated, ¡°[But I bet to you it¡¯s your idea of a horror story.]¡±

    Rio¡¯s eye flickered towards him for only an instant.

    ¡°[Am I wrong?]¡± he asked rhetorically.

    For several long seconds, Rio kept her head high, refusing to make eye contact.  Suddenly she deflated, slumping in place.  ¡°[Ya did what I wanted to do,]¡± she whispered, ¡°[I mean, I don¡¯t know how to say how much I wanted to help.  Some of the folks that got taken are my friends.  I just¡­ just didn¡¯t think I could.]¡±  Finally she looked straight at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.  ¡°[Then you just say, ¡®fix my wings and I¡¯ll be back in two shakes¡¯.  Ya didn¡¯t even know ¡®em, heck I¡¯m guessin¡¯ ya¡¯d just had the worst day of your life.  But up ya jumped anyway¡­]¡± she hung her head in shame, ¡°[Meanwhile I just cowered and gave excuses.]¡±

    Angel bit his lip a little, trying to think of something to say.  Then out of nowhere he blurted, ¡°[You were right behind me.]¡±

    She chuckled bitterly.  ¡°[Sure, after you led the way.]¡±

    ¡°[Sometimes we need a pull,]¡± he encouraged her, then gently nudged her chin, ¡°[Hey, everything turned out well.  You kicked some serious Sandshrew butt and staged a jailbreak, all while riding a truck like a runaway Tauros.  You were a hero.]¡±

    Rio¡¯s eyes sparkled and lip quivered, desperately fighting back those emotions.  Then, out of nowhere she hopped forward and jabbed her head up against him.  Her horn dug in a little bit, but he didn¡¯t dare complain.  If anything, it brought a warm, fuzzy feeling to him.

    When she finally pulled away, she¡¯d stopped crying, even if her fur was matted.  Suddenly she hopped on his head and gave a playful kick.  ¡°[Stop making me feel things,]¡± she joked, then ran across him to the branch on the other side.

    ¡°[Nope.  Ya gotta deal with it,]¡± he teased, fluttering himself around to find a new spot.

    ¡°[Butt-munch,]¡± she grumbled, then looked back up towards the mountains, where the sun was visibly starting to disappear, ¡°[So, guess you¡¯ll be off soon?  Try to find a new owner?]¡±

    ¡°[Wellll¡­ I dunno,]¡± he said, landing heavily and shaking the leaves below him, ¡°[I mean, I do want to continue trying to get better at the battling thing.  You know, get stronger, see the world, meet new people, make new friends.  But¡­ at the same time, what¡¯s the point if I wind up with someone who doesn¡¯t want me?  Back home I had humans who loved me, humans I¡¯d gladly do this with if they wanted to, but they just don¡¯t.  If I make it to Pewter, I dunno if I¡¯ll find someone who wants me.  Even if they¡¯d be interested, some of them already have Pokemon.  I don¡¯t want that.  I want it to be a special relationship, not just one more member of a team.]¡±

    ¡°[Someone¡¯s picky,]¡± she teased.

    ¡°[I mean, not like I¡¯ve been fantasizing about this my whole life,]¡± he pointed out, scoffing, ¡°[I¡¯m not sure with all the head injuries, but I think I remember things differently.]¡±

    They both chuckled softly, then watched the sun as it continued disappearing behind Indigo Plateau.  Just as the last hints of sun disappeared, a little flash of green erupted from the top.  Rio immediately hopped with excitement, ¡°[Woah!  What was that?!]¡±

    Angel, on the other hand, frowned and reared up.  ¡°[I thought the flash was only a thing on the ocean,]¡± he thought aloud.

    Then, as the sun disappeared the green lingered¡­ then got higher and higher.  It curled and twisted through the sky, moving incredibly quickly, faster than anything Angel had ever seen before.  Squinting, he realized that it had a shape, a looooong serpentine body that curled around itself as it flew.  A very distant roar touched his ears, barely louder than the wind.

    ¡°[Is that a Pokemon?]¡± Rio asked, ¡°[I mean, it¡¯s gotta be one of us, but I¡¯ve never seen ¡®em before.]¡±

    ¡°[Yeah, me neither,]¡± Angel muttered, ¡°[They¡¯re flyin¡¯ real high though.]¡±

    Then, as his words rattled around his own head, an idea hit him.  Something so obvious that he felt stupid for not coming up with it earlier.  ¡°[That¡¯s it!  That¡¯s what I should do!]¡±  He fluttered his wings, laughing gleefully.  ¡°[Hahahaha!  Who said you needed humans to be a trainer?]¡±

    ¡°[What are you babbling about now?]¡± she asked, still watching the mysterious traveler.

    ¡°[They¡¯re called Pokemon trainers.  Not ¡®humans who train Pokemon¡¯.  If a human¡¯s not gonna join me on this journey, why not just do it myself?]¡±

    Rio flinched so hard she nearly fell off her branch.  ¡°[Ah!  No no no, come on, leg up,]¡± she whimpered as she got back on, then gave him a glare, ¡°[Now run that by me again.  A Pokemon¡­ being the trainer?  I don¡¯t think it works like that, bud.]¡±

    ¡°[Why not?  All the trainer does is teach their friends how to do these battles and look after them during their journey,]¡± he chimed, fluttering over to her side, ¡°[I told you how to take down the Sandshrew.  I¡¯ve helped raise some of my brothers and sisters.  I¡¯m already on the journey.  And I¡¯ve watched enough about Pokemon trainers to know the other stuff like the badges I¡¯d need.  I¡¯m not just gonna become a trainer, me and my friends will become champions!]¡±

    Rio was in shock, gaping like a beached Magikarp as she tried to come up with a response.

    Meanwhile, ideas danced across Angel¡¯s mind and he turned to look back out at the emerald Pokemon, ¡°[I don¡¯t know who you are, green-y, but you¡¯ve lit a fire in my mind and I¡¯m gonna glow bright enough that you can see me all the way up there.  YOU HEAR ME?]¡± he called after them, bellowing at the top of his lungs, ¡°[I¡¯M GONNA BEAT THE MOUNTAIN MASTER, THEN I¡¯M GONNA CHALLENGE YOU!]¡±

    For the tiniest split-second, he could have sworn he saw the green serpent turn towards him, then it continued on its journey, disappearing over the horizon.

    Then, as he was still riding the high, even more good news landed as Rio begged, ¡°[Take me with you.]¡±

    He spun around with surprise, ¡°[Seriously?]¡±

    ¡°[What, you think I don¡¯t dream of adventures too?]¡± she demanded, mocking being offended, then prancing across her branch, ¡°[Showing off what Pokemon can do when we ain¡¯t tied down by a human?  Making fools of ¡®em at their own game?  I love that idea.]¡±

    Angel couldn¡¯t believe his excitement.  Here it was, his second chance.  ¡°[So is it a deal then, partner?]¡± he asked, fluttering down to Rio.

    ¡°[On one condition,]¡± she said, hesitating momentarily, ¡°[No Pokeballs.]¡±

    He stared at her in disbelief.  ¡°[Rio¡­ I don¡¯t have any hands.]¡±

    A massive cackle erupted from her and she nearly fell off the branch again from laughing so hard.  ¡°[Ehehehe, okay, okay, alright.  Good point,]¡± she relented, then flashed him a much more genuine, heartfelt smile, ¡°[Then yeah.  Yeah, we¡¯re partners.]¡±

    They sealed it with a gentle headtap.  Together, their eyes turned North, to the edge of Viridian Forest where their future waited.  I may have had a false start, but you know what?  This feels better.  This feels like me.  I¡¯m gonna reach the top of Indigo Plateau, then I¡¯m gonna face the master of Mount Silver.  I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll beat them, but I¡¯m not coming home until I can say I¡¯ve pushed myself as far as I can go.

    ¡°[Oh, can I add one more condition?]¡± Rio suddenly interjected.

    ¡°[Uh, sure.]¡±

    ¡°[Please don¡¯t grab me with your mouth again.]¡±

    Angel frowned and looked back at her with exasperation.  ¡°[I.  Don¡¯t.  Have.  Hands.]¡±

    ¡°[YOUR HEAD IS AS BIG AS I AM!]¡±

    ¡°[What was I supposed to do?  Grab you with my wings?]¡±