12

 Chapter 12: Bird-Bird-Bird, Bird is the Word!

By the time we finished greeting one another, the babies were exhausted and I was getting tired.

So, I determined that it was naptime.

We were awakened by the bright flash of a camera. We craned our necks, only to see Claire looking down at us in glee.

"This is going straight to Lance," she said, grinning like a loon.

I groaned, knowing she was serious. There wasn't anything to do about it, and honestly, I didn't care one way or another. If she wanted to give Lance a picture of me sleeping, fine.

I had other things on my mind.

"Did you know that Lance's egg held a Bagon?" I asked, idly patty Rhaegals back. She was the only girl of the group and reveled in my attentiveness.

"I did," she confirmed. "His Salamence's mate had lain a clutch a few weeks prior to us finding out about you, and she was willing to let him take an egg. Part of the Rite in our family is that you don't get to ask for a specific Pokémon, so I thought it best not to tell you what was inside."

Huh. Alright. Weird, but alright.

"Actually, they hatched at a great time!" She smiled, clapping excitedly. "The Gym received a shipment of new Poké Balls from Azalea Town earlier today, and Kurt gave us some spares. Come on! You can take a handful of them and register them to your Pokédex."

She scampered off, beckoning me to follow. With a groan, I lifted Rhaegal off of me and stood up, my interest piqued. Free Poké Balls? Hell yeah. I could get used to this family thing. Viserion had wrapped himself around my shoulders as I grabbed my Pokédex, Drogon and Rhaegal following after me like ducklings did their mother.

…Huh. That analogy might be a little too spot on. I'd need to make sure they understood I was male.

…There was something even more important I needed to do before doing that. I'd need to make sure they understood what a male even was.

Yeesh, this parenting thing is already stressful, and it hasn't even been a day.

We made our way through the soft wood floors of the gym. Rhaegal made a bit of a mess, her awkward waddling resulting in a few ruined floorboards. She was too heavy for me to lift, however, so I chose to ignore the destruction she brought about.

Claire was in the middle of the Gyms storage room, a small basement built just below the stadium proper. In front of her was a table of five different Poké Balls, all of which held different characteristics.

"You'll need some new floors," I greeted. Rhaegal whined at me.

She shrugged, unbothered. "We have plenty of replacements in the shed out back. It's more common than you would think."

If you could call that thing a shed. It was almost as big as the Gym itself was, holding so much random clutter that I couldn't look through it. Which was a disappointment, since that was the only place left that I hadn't had the chance to explore.

"Anyways," she began, gesturing to the table before us. "These are the spares that you can have, the rest of the shipment are meant for my Gym Trainers and the other clansman. From left to right, we've got a Heavy Ball, a Heal Ball, a Friend Ball, a Luxury Ball and a Premiere Ball."

The Heavy Ball was grey, with four spherical extrusions coming out of its top, colored blue. The Heal Ball was pink all around, with stripes of yellow going vertically down its middle. The Friend Ball was green, red markings surrounding the center of the device. The Luxury Ball was black all around, with stripes of red, gold and white horizontally circling the ball. The Premiere Ball was an uncolored, purely white Poké Ball.

"Do you know what they all do?" She asked, noting my interest.

"Some of them," I admitted. "I know the Heavy Ball makes it easier to capture heavier Pokémon, and the Friend Ball makes Pokémon more trusting. I don't really know much about the rest."

"Right! Well, the Heal Ball will bring a Pokémon caught in it back to full health, and even helps a Pokémon heal quicker after a battle or exercise. The Luxury Ball is meant for larger Pokémon, the extra space expansion inside of it giving them more room, while also acting like a weaker Friend Ball. Finally, we have the Premiere Ball. Honestly, it doesn't do anything, but they're used to commemorate an event or an occasion. If a trainer see's that you caught a Pokémon using one, they'll know it's special to you."

I hummed, bringing my Pokédex up to the Poké Balls, a holographic shimmer of light scanning them. Doing this allowed me to register them to me personally, making so if they were stolen somehow and then used, the Pokémon caught would be noted as my own. It's a safety measure to ensure that theft was as managed as much as it possibly could be.

I then looked over my babies. I captured Rhaegal with the Heavy Ball, because she was a big girl, and Viserion with the Heal Ball, just in case he had further pains due to the nature of his birth. Drogon, being a Shiny, was a special boy, which meant he was caught using the Premiere Ball.

I pocketed the remaining Friend Ball and Luxury Ball, hoping that they would be worthy of future captures.

And then my stomach started to rumble.

Claire heard it loud and clear and laughed lightly before ruffling my hair. "It's a good time for dinner, yeah?"

My belly agreed.

.

It was determined that my stay at the Blackthorn Gym would last up until the start of the next year.

That was three months away. Three months dedicated towards training my Pokémon. Three months ensuring I had the best position possible.

Repetitive and likely to grow boring after a time.

But worth it.

With Thoros and Valyrian in hand, I could now have mock battles of the two-on-two variety. The setting was simple, the Pokémon I commanded had to listen to me, and the Pokémon they fought could do whatever the hell they wanted to long as they were within the boundaries of my makeshift arena. I needed to practice controlling my team two at a time, and they needed to learn how to work with one another as opposed to just beating their guts.

Things turned out well, aside from a few hiccups that need not be mentioned. I chose to randomize who was on what team and who I commanded, a stupidly complex dice roll system that synergized with the style of battling we were experimenting with. My party came to enjoy the frantic style of battle that took place, even if they weren't necessarily great at it, and they gained an added level of community, one that I hadn't realized they didn't possess previously. It was certainly worth embracing.

They began to teach each other their moves. Like, they voluntarily started doing this. I didn't have to ask them to do this, I wasn't even involved in the slightest. It just happened.

It may or may not have brought a tear to my eyes.

Umber was the one to start this off. In a battle in which she was paired with Valyrian against Thoros and Winter, her use of Attract against the boys caught Valyrians attention. She confided to Umber, asking to be shown how to use the move, and my Delibird was elated to do so. In the next battle, in which Umber and Thoros were against Valyrian and Winter, when both of the girls were able Attract the boys into submission, they let go of their pride and asked to be shown the move as well. Valyrian then offered her knowledge of Sky Attack as further compensation, starting this train in full.

An unlikely friendship was struck soon after. Thoros and Valyrian got along smashingly, her more sadistic personality meshing well with his cruel pranks. At some point, they taught one another some of their own moves. Thoros gained access to both Steel Wing and Iron Tail, while Valyrian learned how to use Dark Pulse.

From here, Winter joined in. He learned how to use Rest and Sky Attack from Umber and taught her how to use Double Team in return. They discovered that Winter didn't have many compatible moves to offer Umber, which brought about an interesting response. Umber didn't mind. She didn't consider herself to be much of a battler when compared to Winter and was just happy to offer her insights.

Winter did mind, though. He decided that since he couldn't teach her a new attack, they'd just have to learn one together. From there, they trained together, Valyrian and Thoros joining in a fit a interest, and the group of four Flying types all learned Aerial Ace as one.

At this point, the babies had become jealous. And Umber, being the momma bird that she was, decided that they should be able to train as well.

Now, I didn't mind this. If they wanted to train, they could train. However, while Drogon was raring to go and ready for battling, both Rhaegal and Viserion were slow to develop. They weren't ready to battle, not yet.

Basic training, however, was fine. Umber and I started them off slowly, simple stretches and allowing them understanding of their already known attacks. Umber also took the opportunity to teach them all Attract, adding to their limited move pools.

I was concerned about the ramifications of younger Pokémon knowing how to tempt the opposite gender, but I needn't have worried. Claire helped me understand that even when the move worked, it didn't increase sexual drive. All Attract did at the end of the day was confound opponents with an image they found pleasing and didn't want to hurt.

This pace and training was well taken by Viserion and Rhaegal, who ended up treating it as play more than anything. They were developing at a reasonable pace, according to Claire, and would be able to begin battling before I left Blackthorn.

Drogon, however, was not happy to keep with their pace.

He was a Charmander that was a tad bit more aggressive than the norm. Normally speaking, his line gained their famous aggression after evolving into Charmeleon, so when he started showing this earlier on, I felt it understandable that I grew worried. After calling Liza up for ideas on how to handle him properly, she basically said that the best way for him to calm down was to let him do what he wanted. He wants a battle? Let him battle.

Since Umber was the momma bird and more likely to take things easy on him, and since Drogon had a further advantage over her due to their incompatible typings, I made her his battling partner.

It went better than I could have expected. Better than anybody could have expected, really. Drogon soaked up battling experience like a sponge, having the time of his admittedly short life. Quicker than she realized, Umber had to try more and more against Drogon, until it reached the point that she had to try to win.

Drogons growth caught the attention of my other Pokémon. Still in a teaching mood, Drogon was given more and more moves and techniques and strategies and ideas than he knew what to do with. He learned Iron Tail and Metal Claw from Valyrian, Sunny Day from Winter, and figured out Bite on his own.

It was little wonder that he evolved so quickly.

None of us were expecting it. Thoros was tutoring him, trying to teach him how to Dig. Drogon struggled mightily with the Ground type move, and in a fit of rage destroyed a boulder with Metal Claw. Then, his body was bathed in the light of evolution, and a Charmeleon with golden scales emerged.

He still never learned how to use Dig, but his evolution granted him understanding on how to access Dragon type energy in the form of Dragon Rage and Dragon Claw. His evolution also increased the potency of his flame, allowing him to use Flamethrower properly.

Viserion and Rhaegal realized then that they were being left behind by Drogon and didn't like it one bit. It was a surprise to discover them having a mock battle against each other one morning.

The battle was as uncoordinated as could be expected, but wasn't horrible. At the end of the session, Rhaegal figured out how to transform her Heabutt into a Skullbash, to Viserion's detriment.

Viserion, being the Pokémon that lost the most, entered into a depression. I couldn't get him to do much, and it drove me crazy.

But an unexpected friendship formed. While Rhaegal and Drogon were sparring, Viserion took to napping on the stream bank. There, he met up with the Horsea that Valyrian wailed on, the two becoming close relatively quickly. Close enough to start training together, resulting in Viserion learning how to harness Water type energy in the form of a Water Gun.

Confidence returned, Rhaegal and he resumed their sparring.

Now, this wasn't the only thing we did. It wasn't just isolated training and mock battles. We had proper battles, with the Gym Trainers and with Claire and even with Johnny Kenway, who came to Blackthorn in hopes of challenging Claire.

And then, before I really knew it, my stay at Blackthorn was almost over.

.

Stood outside of the Gyms front door, Claire and I were beginning to say our goodbyes.

It was January 1st. Just as was discussed, today was the day I was to leave. We were both emotional about it. Claire, because she had come to enjoy being an aunt, and me because this was genuinely wonderful. The amount of one-on-one interaction I had with my Pokémon, the people I got to meet from the gym, actually having a relative that was interested in me…

It was nice.

I learned some things I hadn't realized in these past few days as well. Christmas, for example, was a very different affair.

In the Pokémon world, people didn't celebrate Christmas in the manner I was accustomed to. True, there was much holiday spirit and merriment to be found, similar traditions and color schemes and red, green and white, but there were no mandatory church services, no gifts to be given. Here, Christmas was a holiday meant purely to bring family and friends together. A time to celebrate our achievements for the year in the company of those we loved most.

I was warier more than anything. That description meant that it was likely that Lance would be here, and while I didn't want to treat him as anything but a normal guy, our relationship wasn't ironed out and a part of me didn't want to figure that out. I don't want a father, not really. No matter how old I look to these people, I was just a day away from turning nineteen. I was past the point of caring.

My wariness was unneeded. Due to League commitments and his current location, being in the region of Sinnoh, Lance wasn't able to come. Claire knew that this was going to be the case, though never informed me of such until the day of, and the two chose to instead celebrate a late Christmas in the middle of January.

Christmas was a simple affair. We had a lot of food, took the day off as a whole, and ended up having a movie marathon.

And yes, the movies here were just as weird as the ones found in Japan.

It was on my birthday when things went off. I was born the day after Christmas, on December 26th. Normally speaking, my birthday was as lax as this Christmas was. A whole lot of nothing happening, just a day to myself with a few wishes of good fortune.

Claire didn't like that. She was a big celebrator: she liked to party and she liked to throw parties. As in, she threw a party once every month, without fail. Whenever she threw one of these parties during my stay at the Blackthorn Gym, I avoided it like the plague. I spent that time holed away in the Dragon's Den, working with my team and ignoring the scene.

And I had fair reason to avoid it too. The first party that Claire threw when I was here got out of control, reminiscent of what you would expect from a frat house. I don't know the details of everything that went down that night, but the Gym was a wreck and Claire had to make the walk of shame.

Alas, I could not avoid a party dedicated to my own person. At least Claire understood that I didn't want to deal with a bunch of people, especially not her people, thus making it a relatively small affair.

She naturally invited herself, along with few clan members, most of her Gym Trainers and surprisingly got Jasmine Ironside and Johnny Kenway to attend, their fathers coming along because they could.

Games were played and congratulations offered, and before I knew it we were eating cake while going over gifts.

From Jasmine, I got a new watch. From Johnny, I got a Focus Band, an item that made it so that my Pokémon couldn't be KO'd in one hit. Very useful, but seeing as how it was situational, I just tied to my wrist for now. From their dads, I received nothing. That was to be expected, all things considered; they were only there to make sure nothing happened to their kids, not to celebrate a kid they barely knew.

Similarly, because they didn't really know me, the Gym Trainers didn't get me anything either. And the clansman, well… Yeah, the less said about them the better. They didn't like that I was Lance's son, bastard or no. My existence muddled who the next head of the clan would be, casually ignoring the fact that I don't want to become a proper Blackthorn. I received nothing from them, which suited me just fine.

Claire, though. Claire knew me well.

She knew that I was obsessed with getting my Pokémon as strong as I could. I didn't tell her why I wanted to do this, and she just assumed that I was planning on the challenging the Elite Four at some point. Which was true.

So, keeping that in mind, she got me two items of interest to me. One for now, one for a possible future.

Inside her gift, sat on a pillow, was a Dusk Stone and a Razor Fang.

Dusk Stones are used to evolve a Murkrow into a Honchkrow, while a Razor Fang is used to evolve a Gligar into a Gliscor. As I've stated before, I stopped playing the Pokémon games with Fire Red and Leaf Green, and never really kept up with the new Pokémon species introduced in the later games. The discovery of their evolved forms was quite a surprise. A welcome surprise to be certain, but a surprise all the same.

Thoros, when he caught sight of the Razor Fang, snatched it before I could understand what was happening and then flew off. Knowing he would come back, I did nothing and simply thanked Claire as best I could.

When Thoros returned, it was the next day. More than that, he didn't return as a Gligar.

From tail to head, he had grown to an even six feet. His pink skin turned blue-purple, dark enough to be considered grey. Sharp fangs and yellow eyes, he was a sight to see.

Especially when he used Sandstorm on accident.

I was going to have my work cut out for me getting him to control his newfound attack, but I didn't mind. His ability, Sand Veil, made it so he could see through sandstorms easily and somehow increased his mobility and evasive capabilities inside of the storm. With that move and that ability, along with the power that evolution offered, Thoros just became one of my strongest. I genuinely didn't know who was stronger between him, Winter and Valyrian.

I couldn't wait to find out. Neither could they, come to think of it.

"We're going to miss you, Jon." Claire gushed, patting down my ruffled hair. I should probably get it cut, it was getting shaggy.

"I'll miss you too, Auntie." I offered, smiling. The change in title took a bit to offer but Claire had been nothing but kind to me and acted like a proper aunt.

"Are you sure you want to go?" She asked. "You could be a Gym Trainer if you wanted. Hell, you could take over the Gym one day!"

She'd made this offer a few times already. My being the trainer of Viserion, Rhaegal and Drogon met the requirements of being a Gym Trainer here, and since I was her nephew there was additional opportunities to be found.

I was tempted. Of course I was tempted! Gym Trainers were scouted on a very strict basis, and to become a Gym Leader afterwards? A secure job, League funding, the ability to take advantage of my circumstances and becoming one of the leaders of a still developing city? Beginning at the age of ten? I don't think anybody wouldn't be tempted.

And yet, I couldn't. While it would be a good opportunity, a fantastic opportunity, it would also be the wrong opportunity to be had. To be a Gym Trainer is to tell the world that you are a specialist of that Gyms own specialty. If I were to be a Gym Trainer for her, I would be expected to be a Dragon specialist.

While this could be circumvented in the future, the reputation I intend to hold would suffer.

I shook me head, just as I had the other times before. "You know I can't, Auntie. I'm going to become a Flying Master, not a Dragon Master. I can't be your Gym Trainer, and I definitely can't run the Gym. I want to be a member of the Elite Four, and they can't be represented by two Dragon Masters."

She sighed, expecting the answer. Eyes moist, she brought me into a final embrace, one that I happily returned.

When she let me go, I knew it was time. Any longer and it'd be even harder to leave.

I released Winter, hopped on his back, fastened my straps, and took off

We flew for six hours straight. By this point, the sun had already set and we were relying on the full moon overhead for lighting.

But I was back. Back where it all started, where everything that had occurred up until now truly began.

Shamouti Island.

I'd decided long ago, before I became a courier even, that the start of my Journey would be in the Orange Archipelago. Not only would that let me show the people I'd come to know my skills, it would also give me a chance to attempt a Gym Circuit without the stress of League pressures.

The Orange League wasn't a real League in truth. The Pokémon League didn't acknowledge it as its own branch of their workings. There were two reasons for this: the way the Gyms here were structured and the territorial issues of the Archipelago.

The Pokémon League liked their cookie cutter model of a Gym that focused on one type of Pokémon. The Orange League did not like this model of Gyms, and instead chose to use various challenges as opposed to a standard battle system. This brought about some major disputes, resulting in the Archipelago essentially telling the Pokémon League to fuck off.

But even if they adjusted their Gyms to what the Pokémon League wanted, there were still the territorial disputes to think of. The Orange Archipelago is located directly to the south of Kanto and Johto, and due to this, much of Kanto and Johto consider the Archipelago to be part of their territory. This mindset was further legitimized when Kanto purchased the rights to Cinnabar Island from the Archipelago's chain seventy years ago.

To them, the Orange Islands are just extensions of their own land. And that means that they already have a Pokémon League.

So, the Orange League is considered illegitimate to the officials of the Pokémon League. In response to this, the Archipelago decided that if they weren't going to get funding anyways, they weren't going to ask.

Drake, the leader of the Orange League, is pretty baller if you ask me. He just decided that if nothing was gonna get done, he'd do it himself. He grabbed four trainers that originated from the islands, convinced five islands to construct gyms according to their specifications, and let the ball roll.

My musing ended when Winter, in a move that was quite unlike him, went down for a dive. Startled, I tightened my hold on him, craning my body to see what caught his attention.

It was the Shamouti temple. Right there, in the middle of its stone pillars, was a blob of pink that we knew all too well.

Slowking.

He was pacing, face animated as he spoke. It took me a moment to realize what he was speaking to, a green speck located on his shoulder. Circular and small, I barely noticed it from up here. But I did, and I wanted it.

Winter landed about ten feet away from the Royal Pokémon, certainly catching his attention, as well as the attention of his companion. As the first part of his name suggested, it took him a bit to reach us.

"Ah, our most recent Chosen One," he began. "You've arrived at a curious time."

I hopped off Winters back, patting my Pidgeot's flank. "Winter here just wanted to say hi. I also wanted to thank you for your help at the festival. We might not have made it if not for you."

He waved me off. "It was of little issue."

Then he craned his neck, looking at the creature on his shoulder. He rose a brow, waiting.

Roughly two minutes passed, and it huffed. "Fine." The Natu squeaked. "Hello, meatbag."

Not only is it a Natu, a very useful Pokémon to have, but it speaks.

Call me meatbag all you want, buddy. I'll just call you mine in return.

"I don't remember there being a Natu on the island," I began.

"There was not one before my friend arrive." Slowking allowed.

"Arrived?" The Natu scoffed, voice highly pitched. "I was abandoned here. By another meatbag, a waste of a life that I was fool enough to be caught by."

"Has your time really been that bad here?" I asked, eyebrow raised. "I mean, you can talk. I doubt you could have done that before."

"A new skill learned does not negate my being here," Natu groused.

Shrugging, I said nothing else.

More time passed. Winter, bored from our interactions, chose to fly off on his own.

Natu narrowed its eyes at me. "Why do you not leave?" It asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking."

"Do so elsewhere, human."

"Ooh! I'm human now, huh?" I snickered, to his further annoyance. "But I think I'm good here. I was thinking about you, anyways."

Somehow, its eyes narrowed even further. "…I know what you ponder. I will not become your Pokémon. I will not be captured again."

Humming, I took a seat on the stone. Slowking, like the lazy Pokémon he was, didn't sit, he flopped. Laying down on his belly as he was, Natu had no choice but to perch on the top of his crown, putting us at eye level at an even closer vicinity.

"Why won't you let me catch you?" I asked, bluntly. A Pokémon that could communicate with me properly was invaluable.

This was a Pokémon that made full use of its intelligence, a Pokémon that could debate and correct me as easily as it could enter a battle. I couldn't treat it like the members of my team or like the wild Pokémon that teamed the island.

Consequently, this meant that I couldn't capture this Natu in the same way that I did my other Pokémon.

"Do I need a reason?" It asked in turn. "You humans offer nothing but struggle. You would have me battle, but I am not large or strong. And yet, I would still be made to battle."

"You're right, I would have you battle," I acknowledged. It nodded shortly at my admittance. I carried on. "But do you think I'm stupid? Every Pokémon has its strengths and weaknesses, and your stature can be both."

I paused, thinking. What was the best way to get its attention? To make it interested?

Obviously, this Natu is smart. Any Pokémon that can learn to talk is in the top 1% on the intelligence scale of a Pokémon. I couldn't just talk about making it stronger, it would shut me down fast. There had to be other things that would hold its interest, though.

I've just got to think.

…Wait. Thinking. That could bring me somewhere.

"I have seven Pokémon to my name," I began. "I've trained them individually and I've trained them together. They are all different. They all battle differently. But you? You wouldn't battle anything like they do."

"Because I am small and weak. Yes, I know, human." It bit out. "What of it?"

"You are small. And because of it, you'll never win in the way they win. But you don't need to win their way."

My mind went to an interesting place. I looked at this Natu and I saw another person. A small, unassuming person, one that knew they were weak and took advantage of it.

"That's their game," I continued. It looked to me, curious. "Their game, their rules. But you… You don't need to fight them, you're not going to fight them."

"Then what's the point?" It demanded.

"You're not going to fight them," I quoted. "You're going to fuck them."

It reeled back, surprised by my language. Then, it squeaked out a chittering laugh of surprise.

"Fine," it laughed. "Let us ride this current of thought. Why not? Say that I join you, what would you have me do with the anger I hold? Make peace with it?"

Ah! Another fine line for me to quote from. "And why wouldn't you make peace with it? We only make peace with our enemies, that's why it's called making peace. To make peace means that you have an enemy, and no peace lasts forever."

Natu narrowed its eyes, considering me. "So, you would have me ignore my plight?"

"Nah," I waved off. "Not ignore. That's a bad word for it. Let's say you're just… preparing. Yeah, preparing."

It scoffed. "You do not even know what my plight is."

"I can guess." My body chose that moment to belt out a yawn. It was late. "You said you were abandoned here. I'm guessing you've got a bone to pick with your old trainer, right?"

"Damien," Natu growled, nodding. "He left me here for a mistake of his own making."

"What mistake was that?" I asked.

"I was soon to evolve, yet he did not wish for me to do so yet." Natu spat. "So, he purchased an item known as an Everstone, and forced me to swallow the foul rock."

Ohhhhhhhh, shit. Yeah, that'd do it. That'd explain why Natu's so pissy.

Everstones are held items; they're not supposed to be consumed. Everstones naturally block the energy of evolution from affecting the Pokémon holding it. But to eat an Everstone means that the Pokémon in question will never evolve.

"Then preparing is definitely the right word for it," I said. "Become my Pokémon. We'll find this Damien guy and we'll wreck his shit, together."

"You do not know him! Not like I do." Natu exclaimed. It sighed then. "In any case, I have had months to come to terms with my inability to evolve. I am… content."

"Being content isn't the same as being happy. You say that I don't know this guy, but you do know him," I said, grin starting to form. Even if it was hard to tell, my words were reaching him. "And he doesn't know me. He doesn't know us. And what he doesn't know is what will end him"

And I meant this literally. To force a Pokémon to eat an Everstone was worse than forcing one to evolve. This Damien guy, if we found him then he'd be boned. A report to the local Officer Jenny would have him lose his Trainers License.

I grabbed the empty Friend Ball from my belt and placed it before Natu. It looked at the device warily.

"I'm not about to force you to do anything, not like you were forced to eat that Everstone. If you want to join me, the choice is yours."

I really, really wanted this Natu. Yeah, he'd never be a Xatu. So, what? Xatu aren't even that great. But a Natu? They're small stature and this one's intellect offer unique opportunities.

But I wouldn't catch him by force. Not like I did Thoros or Umber.

Natu looked to the ball, then to me. It kept doing that, for a good few minutes. Finally, Natu hopped from Slowking's crown and onto my own head, circling around before plopping down.

"If I were to accept," it hesitantly began. "There would be conditions."

"Name them," was my instant reply.

"First, you must uphold both of your statements. That you would help me gain strength, but not force me to do so. That you are to help me find a different way. How not to fight an enemy, and…" It coughed. "Instead, how to fuck one."

Ah, music to my ears.

"Of course!"

"Last," Oh good, only two conditions. I was prepared for way more. "I despise Poké Balls. Those vile contraptions offer a distorted view of time, one that muddles my mind. You have a comfortable scalp however, plenty of padding…"

I couldn't help it. I groaned.

He wanted to be a Pokémon kept out in the open. Socially, there was a statement to be said about doing that. A statement I didn't fully understand, to be perfectly honest, but a statement all the same. There was a level of favoritism involved in being an open Pokémon.

But I wanted Natu on my team. And so, I sighed out my acceptance.

At least he's light. Likely not even five pounds to his name. No matter how annoying it might be having the super-circle-bird outside of a Poké Ball, it won't be too aggravating. Not like it would have been to have Rhaegal out.

It hopped off of my head, landing next to the Friend Ball on the floor. Natu looked at the Poké Ball, body language screaming hesitation, and then poked the sphere with its wing. The Friend Ball opened its maw, red light encompassing Natu, absorbing the Pokémon into the ball, closing with a decisive click.

There was no shaking. Natu allowed itself to be caught in the fullest of ways.

I grabbed the ball and stared. That was easily the weirdest capture I've had to date. I've saved my Pokémon, hunted my Pokémon, ran into my Pokémon and hatched my Pokémon. I've never had to wear them down in the form of a debate into becoming my Pokémon.

In any case, the deal was struck and Natu was mine. And I already had a name picked out! From the moment I started quoting Game of Thrones, the person I found myself quoting appeared to match Natu with a striking sort of resemblance. Both were frighteningly smart, both small, both spurned and based on the anger it displayed towards this Damien kid, both had the capacity to be vicious fuckers at the end of the day.

Natu, your name is now Baelish.

Winter/Pidgeot – Male

Moves: Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack, Agility, Double Team, Whirlwind, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Twister, Fly, Hyper Beam, Sunny Day, Heat Wave, Attract, Rest, Sky Attack, Aerial Ace

Ability: Keen Eye

Valyrian/Skarmory – Female

Moves: Steel Wing, Wing Attack, Fly, Cut, Peck, Screech, Metal Claw, Metal Sound, Slash, Night Shade, Steel Wing, Icy Wing, Sky Attack, Iron Head, Attract, Dark Pulse, Aerial Ace

Ability: Sturdy

Umber/Delibird – Female

Moves: Present, Icy Wing, Peck, Rest, Attract, Ice Beam, Hail, Blizzard, Sky Attack, Double Team, Aerial Ace

Ability: Hustle

Thoros/Gliscor – Male

Moves: Sludge Bomb, Slash, Poison Sting, Metal Claw, Dark Pulse, Dig, Guano, Attract, Steel Wing, Iron Tail, Sandstorm

Ability: Sand Veil

Viserion/Dratini – Male

Moves: Leer, Wrap, Thunder Wave, Water Pulse(Egg Move), Attract, Water Gun

Ability: Shed Skin

Drogon/Charmeleon – Male(Shiny)

Moves: Growl, Scratch, Ember, Ancient Power, Attract, Iron Tail, Metal Claw, Sunny Day, Bite, Flamethrower, Dragon Rage, Dragon Claw

Ability: Blaze

Rhaegal/Bagon – Female

Moves: Rage, Headbutt, Ember, Dragon Rush(Egg Move), Attract, Skull Bash

Ability: Rock Head

Baelish/Nate – Male

Moves: Peck, Leer, Night Shade, Calm Mind, Protect

Ability: Synchronize

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Jan 1

Badges: N/A

Pokémon: Pidgeot, Skarmory, Delibird, Gliscor, Dratini, Charmeleon, Bagon, Natu

Currency: 19670