《Cherished Friends (Pokemon Sinnoh SI)》 CH1 ¡°Welcome to the world of Pokemon¡­¡± I grumbled under my breath as I adjusted my goggles to keep my vision clear of sand, not that there was anything worth seeing in this wasteland. You¡¯d think that being reborn into this world would be amazing, right? Pokemon were these fantastic creatures after all¡­If there were any around! Unfortunately for me, Arceus had seen fit to drop me in the middle of Orre, aka the only region in the Pokemon world to not have Pokemon hiding behind every blade of tall grass! Sure there were some Pokemon back in Agate where I lived, but they all already had Trainers! The only ways to get one out here were to be gifted an egg laid by your folks¡¯ Pokemon, buy one from another region, or find a Pokespot and hope there was one there! The first wouldn¡¯t normally be a problem. Both my new Mama and Papa were Pokemon Trainers, Mama was mainly a Grass Trainer and Papa was a complete mono Steel Trainer. The second method normally wouldn¡¯t be a problem either. Sure, it could be expensive depending on what Pokemon you wanted, but Papa made a lot of money doing¡­whatever it was he did when he left the house. The third was perhaps the easiest considering the Oasis Pokespot was located near Agate.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. No, there was only one problem that all three shared¡­I was currently five years old. Being five years old again suuuuucked! Everything was too tall! My body didn¡¯t work right and I kept falling over! And worst of all, everyone treated me like a kid! ¡­Okay, I was currently a kid, but that¡¯s besides the point. The point being that I was too young to be given a Pokemon of my own, at least according to my parents. Note that I said, given which meant that if I managed to find one of my own, I could keep it! They even said as much when I asked about it¡­Well Papa did, Mama was reluctant until he reminded her how rare wild Pokemon actually were here in Orre. Which is why, when I overheard Papa telling Mama he was going over to Outskirt Stand, I came up with the ingenious plan to tag along! Honestly, it wasn¡¯t too hard. Just some puppy eyes to get Papa on my side, then teaming up with Papa to get Mama on board! After a quick stop to fill my backpack up with berries(seriously, Agate was lousy with the things), Papa and I were off to Outskirt Stand! Which was where step two of my master plan came into effect! Now that Papa was away from the family voice of reason, I could finally convince him to let me go out to a Pokespot! I was an evil genius! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Honestly, he seemed pretty happy not to have me in the room with him¡­Wonder what that was about. Anyways, I was now riding out to the Rock Pokespot on the back of Papa¡¯s Metagross, hoping to be able to find something even though I didn¡¯t have any Poke Snacks¡­ CH2 I was torn from my musings as Metagross suddenly stopped, sending me and my backpack flying face first into the dessert sand. For the thousandth time in my new life, I found myself agreeing with a certain edgelord space wizard. Sand was the worst. It was rough and coarse and irritating. And it was currently getting everywhere. Pulling my head out, I shot Metagross a withering glare mixed with a raised eyebrow. It made noises at me that roughly translated as it not being allowed to go any further. Which could only mean that Papa had anticipated my master plan and given Metagross a distance limit! Curses! Foiled again! Grumbling at my Papa''s clear criminal mastermind level planning that totally was in no way just him being a semi-responsible parent, I turn to look for my backback. Only to freeze. Because standing next to it, sniffing away, was a Pokemon. Not just any Pokemon either, but the pre-evolved form of my absolute favorite Pokemon ever: Trapinch. ¡°Metagross, can you grab my backpack for me with Psychic? And please be slow about it? I don''t want to scare that Trapinch away.¡± A moment later, daw my backpack glow red before slowly rising into the air before floating over to me. Luckily, while spooked, the Trapinch didn''t run. As soon as it was in my hands, I pulled a variety of berries out of my backpack and put them in a pile in front of me. Then I stood up and backed away slowly, putting a bit of distance between myself and the berry pile. Then I sat in the sand and waited¡­and waited¡­and waited¡­Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Eventually, the Trapinch''s curiosity and appetite overcame its caution and it approached the pile, sniffed it a bit, and then dug in. Meanwhile, I took the time to observe its flavor preferences. Bitter berries like Aspears were tossed aside after it tasted the first one, while it took particular enjoyment in sweet berries like Pechas. Which meant¡­Naive nature? Lower Defense but higher Speed? I hoped I was remembering that right. As soon as it finished with the first pile, I made a second pile right in front of me, made entirely of Pecha berries this time. I didn''t move away from this one, hoping it would be enough of an incentive to come near me. And so, a second round of waiting began¡­or not. To my surprise, it approached the Pecha pile with almost no hesitation. I didn''t touch it though, forcing contact at this stage could set back my process significantly¡­ Instead, I once again waited until it was done before moving on to step three. I pulled out a single Pecha berry and held it out in my open hand. ¡°If you¡¯d be willing to become my partner, to travel, train, and fight with me, I can give you not just plenty of sweet food in exchange, but plenty of strength too.¡± I spoke slowly, hoping it understood what I was trying to get across despite my stupid five vocal cords having trouble with certain sounds. It stared into the yellow pupils of my eyes, before asking a question. I wasn''t fluent in Trapinch just yet, but I got the gist. It was asking for clarification that I was offering food and power. I smiled back at it and nodded ¡°That''s right, buddy. Food and power.¡± It nodded back at me in agreement before snapping up the Pecha berry as I pulled a certained Pokeball out of my pocket. Though it looked brand new due to how meticulously I had taken care of it, I had actually bought it about a year ago from a traveling merchant that had stopped by Agate. Well, Papa had bought it for me, but I had to forgo my allowance for months afterwards so it still counted! And it had been worth it, too. Because it was my absolute favorite kind of Pokeball: A Cherish Ball. It had been my absolute favorite design in my pervious life and had even more significance for me in this one on account of my new name. It was a special Pokeball meant for my first partner. And as my new companion disappeared into the Cherish Ball, I felt my smile widen. Because with this Trapinch by her side, Cherish Harmonia was gonna take the world by sandstorm. CH3 As Metagross carried me and my new pal back to Outskirt Stand, I hummed the OG Pokemon opening, Trapinch chattering along to it in my lap. Ehehehe~ I was already bonding with my new friend! I was on cloud nine as Metagros pulled up to the train turned gas station/diner. And as luck would have it, Papa was finishing up his business at the same time! Only¡­He looked a lot less excited than I did. His expression looked kinda worried actually¡­ ¡°Ah! There you are, Cherry! What would you say to¡­to¡­is that a Trapinch¡­?¡± He asked, incredulously. ¡°Yup! He¡¯s my new partner!¡± I said, stroking the top of its head, which it leaned into, clearly enjoying the attention. ¡°...Shit, Aria¡¯s gonna kill me¡­¡± Papa muttered something under his breath that I couldn¡¯t quite make out, but I¡¯m pretty sure I heard Mama¡¯s name¡­? Before I could try and figure out what was said, Papa turned his attention back to me. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that later. Anyways, as I was saying, what do you think about moving to Sinnoh?¡± I blinked ¡°We¡¯re moving to Sinnoh?! When?!¡± I asked excitedly. ¡°That was easier than I thought...Just hope Aria is as willing to go along with it¡­¡± Papa was muttering again but I didn¡¯t care to even try to make out what he said this time! We were going to Sinnoh! ¡°Papa! When are we going?¡± I asked again. ¡°Ah, if everything pans out, we¡¯ll be leaving in a week!¡± He said, hoping up onto Metagross¡¯s back behind me. ¡°Hold on tight, Sprout! We¡¯re going to be in a bit of a rush!¡± Papa pulled me into his lap and hugged me close. Instinctively, I did the same for Trapinch.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Metagross! Hurry back to Agate! Go all out!¡± Papa called out to his Pokemon, which responded with a mighty ¡°Meeeetaaaaaaa!¡± and suddenly I felt a lot lighter¡­just before we rocketed across the desert! Fast! Way too fast! What the Distortion had happened in there to make Papa in such a hurry?! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°What was that?!¡± I asked Papa when had finally reached the village entrance. ¡°Oh that? Just a little combination of moves your Papa cooked up for high speed travel!¡± He laughed proudly as he returned an exhausted Metagross to its ball. ¡°Magnet Rise and reversed Gravity to make us lighter, Aerial Ace to reduce the wind resistance, and finally Extreme Speed to propel us forward. Oh, and can¡¯t forget the triple Agility to raise Metagross¡¯s base Speed! It takes a lot out of the poor thing, but it¡¯ll get me where I want to go in a hurry¡­ Speaking of, let¡¯s hurry back to the house.¡± Papa said, rushing off towards our house by jumping over rooftops, eliciting shouts from our neighbors¡­again. Leaving me no choice but to follow him, albeit via the actual winding pathways. No seriously, there was nothing else to do here for me. There were no other kids here in Agate besides a bunch of babies and toddlers. I couldn¡¯t wait to leave, even if there were a few grannies I¡¯d miss. As I walked home, I caught sight of my reflection in a puddle, and far from the first time, I mulled over just how different I looked. I was definitely Mama and Papa¡¯s daughter, that was for sure. Papa had white spiky hair, piercing red eyes, and olive skin. Total edgy main character energy, which wasn¡¯t helped by the fact that he dressed in all black. Mama on the other had dark green hair, ocean blue eyes, and pale skin. Nothing normally out of the ordinary for this world¡­except for her pupils. Unlike the black pupils that most people had, hers were sky blue, which admittedly matched well with the ocean blue of her irises. Then there was me, who looked to be something in the middle of both of them. My green hair wasn¡¯t light enough to be called ¡°light green¡±, but it was definitely much lighter than Mama¡¯s. My skin wasn¡¯t as dark as Papa¡¯s, but it definitely had a natural tan quality to it. And most strikingly were my eyes, having inherited both Papa¡¯s piercing gaze and Mama¡¯s dual colors, though mine had orange irises and yellow pupils. No wonder some of the babies cried when I looked at them¡­ Trapinch squirmed in my arms, grabbing my attention by chattering its teeth at me. I picked up¡­concern? Was it asking me if something was wrong¡­? ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Just checking my appearance. It¡¯s a human girl thing¡­Actually come to think of it, are you are boy or a girl? One click for boy, two for girl.¡± Two clicks. So a female. Neat. With that fundamental mystery of the universe solved, I started making my way to the house. Only to be met with an open door and a Papa laid out in the yard. Looks like Mama kicked him out again. Not as in evicted him or anything. No I meant, she *literally* kicked him out. Mama was scary when she got mad. I sighed. My new family was kind of crazy¡­but it was mine and we loved each other. Smiling at the thought, I stepped over the groaning Papa and into the house. CH4 ¡°Mama!¡± I called out. ¡°Come meet my new friend!¡± ¡°Hmm? A new friend? Your father hadn¡¯t mentioned any new fr-¡± Mama stopped short once she came out of the kitchen and saw the Trapinch in my arms. ¡°H-Honey, I don¡¯t think-¡± ¡°Nope! You promised I could keep one if I caught it¡± I interrupted her attempt to talk me out of keeping it, jerking my head towards a framed piece of paper on the foyer wall. It was a list titled ¡°Harmonia Family Rules¡± and the very first rule was ¡°Always keep your promises.¡± With a heavy sigh signaling her defeat, Mama relented! Victory at last! Now all I needed was to win 78 more arguments and the score would be even! ¡°Ooof, your kicks are as strong as ever, my lovely Aria!¡± Papa said as he came through the door behind me. Mama wasn¡¯t having it though. ¡°Save it, Dante. First thing you do after getting home is break rule #7, in front of our five year old daughter by the way, burst through the front door, and yell about how we¡¯re moving to Sinnoh. I nearly covered myself in tonight¡¯s stew. Now explain yourself before sic Lily on you.¡± She growled, causing her Lilligant to poke her head out of the kitchen as well. ¡°W-Well, you see, the wonderful and merciful love of my life¡­¡± Papa started, crouching behind to hide from Mama¡¯s wrath. Not that I blamed him, we all knew while Mama had no qualms literally kicking Papa¡¯s butt when she felt he deserved it, she¡¯d never touched me nor would she. Wouldn¡¯t save him though, in fact, it clearly made her even angrier. ¡°Cherish, please go up to your room and get your partner settled? I need to have a word with your father.¡± She said with a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. I simply nodded, gave Papa a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, and bolted clear of the strike zone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It wasn¡¯t until the next morning when Mama and Papa came to talk to me about moving. They¡¯d been too busy last night with their usual method of settling arguments: Pokemon Battling. After which, they¡¯d had their usual post-argument cuddle session. The two of them never could stay mad at each other for very long. ¡°So¡­Are we moving to Sinnoh?¡± I asked them, clearly excited. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll be leaving in less than a week, so make sure you have your room cleaned for whoever will move in after us.¡± Mama informed me and I let out a groan. No kid wanted to clean their rooms! The fact that I was an adult at one point was irrelevant! ¡°No backtalk young lady, I have to clean the entire house.¡± She shot back with her arms folded. Which in all honesty was a pretty fair point¡­ ¡°As for you, dear¡­¡± She continued, turned towards Papa. ¡°You¡¯ll head over to Elder Eagun¡¯s house and tell him what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡­You know, suddenly I didn¡¯t feel so bad about having to clean my room. The old fart could talk someone¡¯s ear off. At least he wasn¡¯t as bad as some of the other villagers¡­ ¡°And you¡¯ll have to go around to all the villagers afterwards to inform them as well!¡± Oh¡­Oh no. Papa looked like he was going to argue at first, with both he and Mama grabbing one of their Pokeballs¡­But after a few minutes his shoulders slumped as he acquiesced. ¡°Yes, dear¡­¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ All in all, the week went by pretty quickly. Before I knew it, my parents and I were standing at the entrance to Agate Village, saying our final goodbyes to the rest of the villagers. I know I complained about it a lot, but I had to admit I¡¯d miss this village. It¡¯d been my home for over 5 years at this point. Though considering the surprising amount of trouble I¡¯d managed to cause, I doubted the feeling was mutual. To my surprise, Eagun approached me just as the farewells were wrapping up. ¡°You know, young Cherish, from the moment you could walk, you¡¯ve certainly been a handful¡­¡± He started, stroking his beard as he spoke. I winced but said nothing back. It was only fair that he gave me one last lecture before I left. ¡°From the time you somehow managed to climb into the hole in the giant tree on top of my house and get yourself stuck¡­to the time you nearly drowned in the river trying to see if there were any Pokemon at the bottom¡­Yes, you¡¯ve certainly caused no end of stress to both myself and your parents.¡± He reached into his robe for something. ¡°Looking back, I suppose it was only natural. It makes sense that such a small village could hardly contain your adventurous spirit, considering what your parents got up to in Unova.¡± He said with a chuckle. Eh? Old Man Eugan knew what happened in Unova? Mama had told me that¡¯s where she had met Papa, but adamantly refused to tell me much more than that! I looked back at Mama, who was looking at Eugan in shock. Apparently, it was as much a surprise to her that he knew as it was to me. I turned back to Eugan to ask about it, only to be met with a Cherish Ball that he was holding out to me. ¡°The entire village pooled together some funds to get you a present. We almost didn¡¯t make it, but an old friend of mine managed to find this one just in the nick of time.¡± He said. ¡­What? I looked past Eugan to see the villagers smiling at me¡­at least until my eyes started to get blurry. I wasn¡¯t crying, I just had some sand in my eyes! Accursed sand, even now you continue to assault me! As I frantically tried to get the wretched sand out of my eyes, Eugan just laughed like a kindly grandfather and patted me on the head. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s not as if this will be our final goodbye. Your home by the great waterfall here in Agate will always be open to you should you need or want it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±¡°Good luck, Cherish!¡±¡±The Sinnoh League won¡¯t know what hit em¡¯!¡±¡±We¡¯re rooting for you, future Champ!¡± and other such shouts came from the crowd behind him. Dang it..After all the stress and panic I¡¯d caused, these people were just too darn nice! No wonder Celebi liked it here¡­ The tender moment was interrupted when I heard the sound of a ball opening and felt a weight on my shoulder. ¡°Vee!¡± Said the newly arrived blotch of brown. ¡­I knew that Pokemon cry! I quickly finished getting that totally real sand out of my eyes to get a clear look at it. It was another of my favorites, Eevee! ¡°E-Elder Eugan! We can¡¯t accept such an expensive and hard to come-by Pokemon as a gift!¡± Mama shouted, but Eugan only shook his head. ¡°We must insist, I¡¯m afraid¡­But if it¡¯s any consolation, we were only able to get this one because of an apparent genetic defect. For some reason or another, she is seemingly unable to evolve.¡± He replied, sounding a bit guilty at having to break the ¡°bad news¡± to me, but my mind was racing as I looked at my new Eevee¡¯s eyes. Purple. Oh my Arceus, this was a Partner Eevee. ¡­I didn¡¯t even know where to begin to explain this or even how I knew it, so I just tucked that away for now. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be a powerful partner, evolution or not!¡± I assured him, which earned me a smile from the old man. I could tell by the way his beard moved. ¡°Good answer! Now¡­listen closely. Of all the wisdom I¡¯ve ever shared with you, young Cherish, this is by far the most important. Never forget: The key to true strength lies in the bonds between Trainer and Pokemon. You may not understand what that means just yet, but you will someday.¡± ¡°...But, isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± I asked back before I could stop myself, and Eugan began to laugh uproariously. ¡°Oh, I look forward to hearing of the terror you¡¯ll inflict on the Leagues once your Journey begins. Now go on, you don¡¯t want to miss your ship to Sinnoh, do you?¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right! Thank you, Elder! Thank you, everyone! I¡¯ll come back to visit someday, I promise!¡± I called back to the villagers as Mama let out her Venusaur. He wasn¡¯t as fast as Papa¡¯s Metagross, but Mama knew how to get Grass types to grow bigger than normal, so unlike Metagross he was big enough for all three of us to sit comfortably. And with her s ¡°So where will we be living in Sinnoh?¡± I asked, practically shaking with excitement as I held the regional booklet Papa had given me. ¡°Jubilife?¡± ¡°Nowhere so grand I¡¯m afraid. The move was so last minute, your father could only find an available house in a smaller town. Twinleaf, I think it was called? Don¡¯t worry, even if there aren¡¯t any other kids to play with there, you¡¯ll be starting kindergarten soon so you¡¯ll be able to make plenty of friends there.¡± Mama answered, though my brain took a moment to process the gravity of what she just said. Twinleaf¡­That¡¯s where Dawn and Barry were from! Trying not to freak out, I settled into a comfortable spot under Venusaur¡¯s flower with my new Eevee friend. And as Mama instructed Venusaur to use Grassy Terrain along with Grassy Glide, a combination she referred to as ¡°Green Road¡±, another revelation came to me. ¡°Wait, if they¡¯re keeping our old house empty for us, does that mean I cleaned my room for nothing?!¡± I shouted, causing the assembled villagers to burst out into laughter that quickly faded behind us as we sped off towards Gateon Port. CH5 Times like this were one of the few times I was glad to only be 5 years old. Papa was unloading boxes from a moving truck into our new house. Mama was inside arranging the interior of the house. I was currently sitting in the shade of a tree in our new front house eating an ice cream cone and watching, with Trapinch on her back receiving belly rubs from me. As for Eevee¡­she''d disappeared somewhere when I had my back turn. I was a bit worried about that¡­not that I was worried something would happen to her. No, I was worried because she had shown herself to be a bit of a prankster on the ship ride over. My worries were soon proven to be accurate, as a rock fell from the tree above me¡­directly into my ice cream! The nerve! Wiping off the ice cream splatter from my face, I glared at the Eevee perched on a tree branch laughing at me. Seeing as my ice cream was already ruined, I stood up and threw it at the offending fluff ball. I missed, but the sudden projectile startled Eevee enough to cause her to fall, allowing me to catch her midair so she couldn''t run away. ¡°Divine retribution!¡± I yelled as I started tickling her. ¡°Repent! Repent for the sin of wasting ice cream!¡± Eevee retaliated by using her tail to tickle my side, causing me to drop her. The second her feet hit the ground, she leapt backwards and took a stance. As our eyes met, both of us knew what came next. It was time¡­for a tickle fight. The sound of Trapinch rolling over onto her feet signaled the start of our epic battle for dominance. We rushed at each other and soon we were rolling around on the grass trying to reach each other''s sensitive areas. I have no idea how long the struggle last, only that it ended when a third party intervened. I mean¡­they didn''t do anything other than stand over us casting a shadow, but it was enough to cause a ceasefire so it counts! As soon as we realized we had company, Eevee and I were on our feet in an instant, pretending nothing happened. At which point, I realized that I recognized the newcomer. It was Johanna, Coordinator extraordinaire and Dawn¡¯s mother¡­which meant¡­ Looking downward, I saw a tiny Dawn standing behind her, looking at me like I was crazy. Which was totally wrong! ¡­Okay, maybe I was a little crazy, if I was being honest with myself. But still! Rude! ¡°Hello there, sweetie!¡± Johanna spoke in that overly sweet tone used for small children, which was kind of annoying but I let it slide because I was, in fact, a small child. ¡°I heard we had some new neighbors so my daughter and I came over to welcome you all to Twinleaf! Are your parents around?¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Ah, they''re over there.¡± I told her, pointing to the house, where Papa had stopped unloading and was watching us talk, just in case. ¡°Thank you, dear.¡± She said, before pushing Dawn forward and whispering to her ¡°Play nice okay?¡± As I watched Johanna head towards the house with a cake I only just realized she was carrying, Dawn finally spoke up. ¡°Hi! My name is Dawn, what''s yours?¡± ¡°Ah, Cherish.¡± Well, apparently, this was now happening. Now¡­how to overcome my initial impression¡­ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ¡°..and I''ll live in a castle with a moat full of Milotic!¡± Dawn said as we sat under the tree, with Eevee in her lap and Trapinch in mine. Offsetting that Eevee fight in Dawn¡¯s mind turned out to be surprisingly easy. I just asked her about her dreams and then listened to her go on and on about being a top coordinator like her mother¡­as well as somehow becoming princess. She had been talking for so long that I was honestly kind of at my limit. Thankfully, Dawn had just given me the perfect opportunity to finally change topics. ¡°What kind of castle?¡± I asked, interrupting her rambling. She looked at me confused. Obviously, she had a specific image of a castle in her head and had yet to realize there were other kinds of castles. ¡°Well, is it a stone castle in a forest? Maybe it sits on the branch of a giant tree? Or maybe it''s made of ice and on a mountain surrounded by snow?¡± I elaborated and then watched as Dawn¡¯s eyes went wide. Heh, I could practically see her mind expand as she began considering all kinds of fantastical castles only a child could dream up. ¡°Oh, what kind of castle would you live in?¡± She asked with stars in her eyes, unintentionally turning the question back on me. Luckily, I already had the perfect answer. ¡°A sky castle, obviously! I''d be built on top of a floating island and it''d take me anywhere I wanna go!¡± I answered, which wowed Dawn further as she imagined it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dawn and I debated the pros and cons of different castle types for a while before moving on to designing the perfect flying castle for both of us to live in. It wasn¡¯t until the sun started going down on the horizon that we were called in by the three parents. I was a bit disappointed, but nonetheless I waved goodbye to Dawn as she and Johanna left to go home. ¡°So did you have fun with Dawn?¡± Mama asked as she dished up that night¡¯s dinner. ¡°Yup! We had a bunch of fun talking about castles!¡± I replied and started telling them about a lot of the ideas me and Dawn had come up with about the perfect castle. I¡¯d gotten about halfway through when Papa piped up. ¡°Sorry, Sprout, but as fascinating as this is, you need to go to bed soon in order to get up early tomorrow.¡± ¡°Whaaaaaaaaaat?¡± I whined like the kid I was. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because if you want to be able to take your Pokemon with you to school, we¡¯ll need to take them to a Pokemon Center to be given a clean bill of health. And since the nearest Pokemon Center is in Sandgem, I¡¯d like to get that done before we get too settled in and forget about it.¡± CH6 As Papa and Mama did the usual lovey dovey parting rituals despite the fact we wouldn''t even be gone for a day, I found myself perplexed by a mystery as I rubbed the cool metal of Metagross''s leg. It was somehow hot and cool at the same time. Maybe I hadn''t noticed before because of the heat of the desert climate we had lived in, but Metagross seemed to have an underlying heat to it. It was faint, but the more I felt for it the more clear the feeling became. ¡°What''s up, Sprout? You''ve been fussing over Metagross for a while now. Want one of your own?¡± Papa laughed as, having finished up his rituals, strode over to me and patted my head. ¡°Well obviously I want one, Metagross is awesome after all¡­but that''s not what''s bugging me. Has Metagross been sitting out in the sun?¡± I asked, thinking I might''ve simply been feeling the leftover heat from that. ¡°Not that I know. Why do you ask?¡± He replied¡­rather stiffly. Suspicious¡­ ¡°It''s strangely warm. It feels¡­¡± I paused, trying to put words to what I was feeling. ¡°It feels¡­like the leftovers¡­the embers of a big fire¡­¡± As I spoke, I looked back at Mama and Papa, hoping to catch the reaction. And boy, was I not disappointed. They shared a *look*. Which told me they knew exactly what was going on and weren''t keen on telling me just yet. ¡°Maybe it''s leftover heat from the desert sun?¡± He suggested as an excuse. ¡°...Maybe.¡± I replied, my tone and glare making it perfectly clear that I didn''t buy it for a second. ¡°Well, we may never know. Now hop on or we''ll be late!¡± He deflected, climbing up on Metagross and pulling me up. ¡°Late? Pokemon Centers don''t work like thaaaaaaat!!!¡± My objection trailed off into a yell as Metagross took off at top speed towards Sandgem. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Papa refused to answer any further questions about the mysterious heat as we traveled, not that there was much time to actually ask them at the speed Metagross was moving. Before I knew it, we were at the doors of the Sandgem Pokemon Center. ¡°Come on, if we get this done quickly enough, we can check at the school you''ll be going to!¡± Papa said as he hopped off, using the Parent Type move Topic Change to counter my Child Type move Pouty Glare! It was super effective Continuing to try and inflict the Guilt status with my pouting, I followed Papa into the Pokemon Center¡­and almost immediately found myself being offered an egg by a Blissey. Guess a pouting child would be certain to attract its attention, huh? I wasn''t really hungry¡­but I also couldn''t bring myself to refuse when Blissey was just trying to help. Accepting the egg, I took a bite out of it. It tasted¡­weird. It wasn''t unpleasant, but it didn''t really have a conventional taste. It was more like I was tasting the concept of comfort itself. It was like eating a meal during winter¡­only a hundred times stronger, making it very hard to feel anything other than contentment. Her job done, Blissey gave me a pat on the head and a hug. A very warm hug¡­with a hint of coolness underneath. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to muse on that, I was much too comfy for that at the moment. ¡°Welcome! How can I help you?¡± The Nurse Joy behind the counter asked as she watched the scene unfold. Papa simply handed her the Cherish Balls with Trapinch and Eevee. ¡°Need a full check up on these two.¡± He grunted. ¡­I had forgotten how disinterested he tended to be about people other than Mama and I. Sometimes, I wonder how Mama had gotten him to warm up to her. ¡°Ah, it would be my pleasure! This may take a while, so would you like to wait here or come back later?¡± Nurse Joy asked, surprisingly unperturbed by Papa''s intimidating glare. Guess when you deal with Trainers all day, you see it all. ¡°We''ll come back later.¡± Papa replied before I could tell her I wanted to stay, obviously wanting to check out the school in the meantime. Unlike his earlier cold tone, there was now a hint of respect in his voice. Maybe that''s how Mama did it? Blissey gave me a final pat on the head before Papa ushered me out the door. As I waved to her, I remembered a little tidbit about Blissey eggs being able to bring good fortune. Wonder if there''s any truth to that? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We had almost made it to the school building when I seemingly got my answer. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Dee! Deedee!¡± A pokemon called out behind us. I turned around to find a female Indeedee running towards us carrying a Carbink, eyes locked onto me. Only to stop dead in her tracks when she noticed my eternally glaring father. ¡°Hey! Get back here!¡± Another, rougher voice yelled, startling the Indeedee out of her uncertainty and causing her to hide behind me as a large man in a trench coat and fedora charged towards us angrily. I reached up and stroked the fun on Indeedee''s head to comfort her. ¡°It''ll be alright. We won''t let the big bad bully hurt you. Right Papa?¡± I assured her, looking up at Papa with every parent''s bane: the puppy eyes. ¡°Right¡­Let''s get this over with¡­¡± He said with a heavy sigh, stepping forward while cracking his knuckles. I found myself getting excited in spite of the situation. What kid wouldn''t like seeing their dad taking down baddies Crobatman style? Contrary to my expectations, however, instead of comic style action I got¡­comic style mystery? The thugs eyes widened as he took in Papa''s features. ¡°N-No freaking way¡­He''s supposed to be dead! You can''t be Dante Au-MMMPH?!¡± In an instant, Papa had closed the distance between them, grabbed the thug''s mouth with his hand, and lifted him with one arm. He was currently holding the thug in air by the bottom half of his face! Holy distorting Giratinas, Crobatman! Papa casually reached for his Pokeballs like he wasn''t holding a grown man like a ragdoll and let out Lucario, handing it¡­a piece of paper? ¡°Lucario, please escort Cherish the rest of the way to her school. I need to have a¡­talk with this gentleman.¡± As insanely tempting as trying to stay and eavesdrop was¡­I let myself be herded away. Indeedee was clearly distraught by the man''s presence, even if he was currently as threatening as newborn Magikarp, and her feelings took priority over my curiosity. Not to mention even if I tried to stay, Papa would probably just have Lucario physically carry me away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unfortunately, the only person at the school that day was the vice principal, who was the spitting image of a frumpy old woman who hated her students as much as they hated her. She didn''t believe me when I told her what happened, though I honestly couldn''t blame her. Maybe I should''ve downplayed it a bit? But I didn''t really like lying if I didn''t have to¡­ Thankfully Lucario and, surprisingly, Indeedee stopped her from marching me down to the local police station to report as a lost child. So she settled for calling for an Officer Jenny to come to the school and having me wait outside with her. Which is how I found myself sitting on a bench outside, holding a Carbink while Indeedee stood behind me grooming the tangles out of my long, unkempt hair. It felt surprisingly nice to be honest. Between that, the lingering fluffiness of the Blissey egg, and the fact that I had gotten up much earlier than usual that day, I found myself struggling to stay awake. I must¡¯ve dozed off at some point, because the next thing I knew not only was Officer Jenny there, but also Papa, Looker of all people, and an older gentleman in a butler¡¯s uniform. And for some reason, Papa and Looker were staring each other down. ¡°Ah good, she¡¯s awake! So sorry to disturb you, my lady, but we need to have a word.¡± The older gentleman said with a noticeable Galarian accent. ¡°We could¡¯ve talked to her and been long gone if you or her father had let us wake her up¡­¡± Officer Jenny grumbled. ¡°And as I said before, her Indeedee would not have looked kindly upon that, Miss Jenny.¡± ¡­ Wait¡­ ¡°My Indeedee? I mean, I wouldn¡¯t mind having her around, but-¡± I started to correct him, but he cut me off. ¡°Oh not to worry, I know her situation quite well. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sebastian Black of Galar, Professional Butler and Pokemon Breeder, at your service. Both the Indeedee currently braiding your hair and the Carbink in your arms just so happen to have been bred by yours truly.¡± He said, giving a bow. ¡°Oh! Nice to meet you! I¡¯m Cherish Harmonia of¡­Orre? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve lived here in Sinnoh long enough to claim it as my home just yet¡­¡± ¡°Oho?¡± Sebastian¡¯s eyes lit up with interest. ¡°The Harmonia Clan still lives on? If the texts I¡¯ve read have any truth to them, then it¡¯s no wonder Indeedee took a shine to you so quickly.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but notice Papa stiffening up¡­and then he nudged Looker. ¡°Ahem!¡± Looker cleared his throat. ¡°As pleasant as all this is, we still need to take back that Indeedee and Carbink. They¡¯re an important part of the SPI program.¡± ¡°Well, if you wish to try and separate Indeedee from her chosen trainer, you¡¯re welcome to try. I would not recommend it, however.¡± Sebastian said with a chuckle. Indeedee certainly didn¡¯t seem to find it funny. In fact she seemed rather heated about the whole thing. ¡­No, that wasn¡¯t heat I was feeling¡­It kinda felt like the Blissey egg. Like a concept turned into a feeling that was merely similar to heat. Was this what I¡¯d been sensing all morning? ¡°As an alternative, why don¡¯t you simply include her in the program? If I recall, you have a spot since that Paul lad refused, do you not?¡± Sebastian offered to the hesitant Looker. Paul? It couldn¡¯t be the same one I was thinking of, could it? ¡°Well¡­She does meet the minimum qualifications¡­¡± Looker said, looking over at Papa as he rubbed his chin. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go with that.¡± Looker pulled some kind of rectangular device with two Pokeballs slotted into it and an empty slot for a third. ¡°Welcome to the Support Pokemon Initiative, kid. Keep this on you when you go out on your journey. Doesn¡¯t matter where as long as it¡¯s on your person. There¡¯s this long speech the higher ups want me to give, but the simple explanation is that the Sinnoh League wanted to come up with its own version of Alola¡¯s Ride Pokemon. But because governments will be governments, they wanted to be original about it. So instead of implementing Alola¡¯s tried and true system, they came up with their own. You can designate three Pokemon as ¡®Support Pokemon¡¯ by slotting their Pokeballs into the Support Device at any Pokemon Center.¡± Looker said, handing me the device. ¡°Support Pokemon can¡¯t be returned to their balls, can¡¯t be used in Gym or League matches, and can¡¯t stay too far from the Device without alerting the authorities. But they don¡¯t count towards your six Pokemon limit, so you can have three helpers without sacrificing spaces on your team. Of course, it¡¯s still an experimental system, so incentives were cooked up to give to Trainers who agreed to test it. Yours being that Indeedee and the Carbink.¡± Well that was certainly something¡­and the Paul I was thinking of definitely wouldn¡¯t have been interested. ¡°...And you¡¯re giving me this? Just like that?¡± I asked. ¡°Like I said, you met the qualifications to be a test subject. You were actually on the waiting list for when more units were made, so you just got one ahead of schedule. Saves me some time and lets me get back to my actual job.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t your job?¡± I asked, already knowing the answer. I¡¯d played both Platinum and Sun&Moon after all. ¡°Not even in the slightest. I¡¯ve been stationed here in Sinnoh to keep an eye on some¡­people of interest you could say. It¡¯s been slow and boring work, so the guy who was actually supposed to be doing this decided I had time to do his work for him too.¡± Looker grumbled. I opened my mouth to question him further, but Papa cleared his throat. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been¡­fun. But my daughter and I really should go collect her Pokemon and get home. My wife is probably worried sick.¡± ¡°Right¡­Well, I¡¯ll be off then. Oh and Dante? ¡­Thanks for your help in Orre.¡± ¡°...Hmph. Just make sure the IP keeps up their end of the bargain.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s already been wiped if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡± ¡­Well that was cryptic.