[Ra POV]
Finally, we were free from the dreadful plane of existence known as the Distortion World. How such a depressing place could be called a utopia by anyone was beyond me. Then again, Cyrus was certified insanity, a term uttered by the main man himself during our training.
The main man, Marco, was something else. He proved to me that even the kind and honorable could be strong, something my previous Trainer could never understand. Through our training, I came to understand Marco on a level I was never able to grasp before. That was why I knew he would intervene in the Lairon’s vicious attack.
The hunk of metal was barely worth my time. Just one Heaven Piercer and he was out of the picture. I looked over to the Psychic-type, whose species I didn’t recognize. I could tell that she was definitely in shock.
“Are you ok, fair Psychic?” I asked her. She turned to me, her eyes glazed over. I wonder if she was under some sort of illusion. That might explain her odd beha-.
“You were AMAZING!” she squealed before tackling me into a hug. For a small little creature, she had a strong grip. She looked at me with eyes of admiration and… Something else I couldn’t quite make out.
“You are so strong! And your muscles! Holy crap, do you work out a lot? How old are you? Are you into Fairies? You single? Would you-.” I returned back to my Pokéball. I couldn’t handle such a rambunctious personality. I hope the main man will be alright out there without me. We don’t need someone like that on the team.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[Marco POV]
‘That’s funny,’ I thought to myself as I watched the wild Hattrem gush over Ra. It was an obvious case of love at first sight, even though it was definitely one-sided. The amount of confusion on Ra’s face as Hattrem gripped his body in a bear hug was priceless. I’m so glad I got a picture of it.
Ra recalled himself in order to escape his new admirer, leaving a heart-broken Hattrem crying and hugging herself. This was a much more intense version of Ra and Tetsu. Like, Overly Attached Girlfriend intense.
I had to get her on my team. Not because I wanted to cause chaos for Ra, definitely not that. There was definitely a role she could play.
I turned to the depressed Pokémon, who was silently sobbing at the not-so-subtle rejection.
“Hey, you were really taken with Ra, the Pokémon that was just out here, weren’t you?” I asked Hattrem. She looked up with her gleaming eyes, which were very red and holding back many tears. With a slow nod of her head, she confirmed the crush that was just developed.
“Well, I’m his Trainer and would like to know if you want to join us on-.”
Hattrem rushed forwards and tackled me into a hug, sending both of us rolling around in the dirt. I guess she doesn’t know what gentle is. After a few moments of struggling with her, I separated us and held her up.
“Alright, you can join us Hattrem. But-.”
“Ha! Hattrem, trem tre. Attrem,” she cut in angrily. From the pout on her face and angry tone, I knew she did not agree with something.
“Alright, so what’re you angry about? I know Hattrem-.”
“Trem!”
“Can ya not interrupt? I just wanna know what’s making you upset. Most Hattrem-.”
“Hat!”
“...” Does she not like being called Hattrem?
“Do you want me to not call you Hattrem?”
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“Ha,” she said with a vigorous nod.
“What’s your name then?” I asked.
“Hattrem?” she asked with a confused tilt of the head. I guess she doesn’t have a name, great.
“Can I call you Luna?”
“Trem,” she replied with a flat tone.
“Celeste?”
*shakes her head*
“Hecate?”
*more vigorous shaking of the head*
“Mitski?”
*groan*
“Hattie?”
*facepalm*
“How about Hestia?”
“Ha? Hattrem, Hattrem,” she said enthusiastically. I guess I found a good name.
I took out a Pokéball, once again confirming she wanted to join before pressing the button against her forehead. It shook once before dinging and going still. I checked her PokéDex info to find a more than pleasant surprise.
—-
Hattrem (Female): The Serene Pokémon
To this Pokémon, strong emotions feel like loud noises. It uses the braids on its head to violently pummel and silence anyone with strong emotions, even happy ones.
Abilities: Healer, Magic Bounce
Moves: Confusion, Play Nice, Life Dew, Brutal Swing, Aromatic Mist, Heal Pulse, Protect, Reflect, Light Screen, Thunder Wave, Mystical Fire (Egg Move), Nuzzle (Egg Move)
Condition: In Love, Stressed
—
Oh, sweet fucking Jesus. Healer, Magic Bounce, Heal Pulse, Life Dew, dual screen… Hattrem was definitely a great addition to the team. She could play healer and special attacker, both roles I needed. Now, I needed a flier to really round out the team dynamics. With good special stats, Hattrem could really do well. Add Healing Wish to the first two healing moves and I had a great way to keep the team fresh in prolonged battles.
I released her once again, planning to introduce her to everyone. But I froze, something Hattrem noticed. I turned to face southeast. Something was coming. A powerful Psychic aura was quickly approaching and I couldn’t help but smile. My boy had found me.
Sure enough, within a minute I could see a cloud of dust being picked up. The Psychic energy grew denser, putting Hattrem on edge. I could see a Pokémon approaching, his squid-like appearance completely detracting from the terrifying power he was exuding. Once we could clearly see each other, Nautilus stopped.
We had a staredown for what felt like an eternity. Hattrem gulped audibly, and we both dash toward each other. Nautilus went for a left hook feint, a feint I took advantage of when Nautilus sent a jab from the right. I caught the jab with my left hand while punching out with my right.
Nautilus dodged the hit and used his tentacle to send a barrage of attacks, attacks I was easily able to block or dodge. We continued for several minutes of relentless attacks. Finally, Nautilus used his Psychic-abilities to stop me from moving and bring me closer to him. Without letting me go, Nautilus punched and slapped me to his heart’s content. As he slowed down, I could see the pained expression on his face.
It was a look of pure relief and worry, joy and hurt. An end to his pain and everlasting memory of what it felt like to once again be torn away from his family. As his hits lost the little strength he was putting into them, he let me free from his Psychic hold.
We hugged each other, all of the others releasing themselves to join the reunion. We stood there, simmering in the cheery attitude that was quickly building. Tetsu and Kippie released their hugs first, excitedly telling Nautilus what he missed.
As we were catching up, I heard a growl from behind the group. I turned to see Hattrem glowering at all of us. Before I could ask what was wrong, she hopped forward and began to pummel us with her braided hair. An uppercut for Kippie, bitch slap for Ra, a mean left hook just for Nautilus, I got clocked by an overhand punch, Colada was introduced to the RKO, and Tetsu got…
Wait, is that? By God it’s Hattrem with a steel chair!
The chair bounced off of Tetsu, whose eyes gleamed with vengeance at the little menace. I guess it wasn’t super-effective.
Before Tetsu could wail on Hattrem, I grabbed the Psychic and lifted her into the air. She looked at me with large, watery eyes, her bottom lip quivering as she waited for me to say something.
“Quit the cute act, I’m not going to let you off easy,” I said curtly. She dropped the act and pouted, crossing her braided hair as I would with my arms. This little shit…
“It’s not my fault! All of you were being so loud and it was starting to hurt,” she complained. God, I missed being able to clearly understand Pokémon. Thanks, Nautilus.
“You’re welcome.”
“That’s no reason to start beating us. Where the hell did you get the steel chair from anyway?”
“I’m just glad I didn’t hurt anyone too badly in my most grievous offense,” Hestia the Hattrem said with exaggerated guilt.
“You’re avoiding the question,” I responded flatly.
“And you’re asking too many questions. Why you asking all them questions?” Hestia asked with sass. Oh, I think I made a mistake in capturing her.
“I’m starting to regret letting you join the team.”
“And I’m regretting not hitting you with the steel chair,” she sighed. I could feel a vein near my right eye bulge.
“Wait, I was just joking. Calm down, it was just a prank bro. Don’t get near me! Get away! My love, help me! That hurts!”
0-0-0-0-0
[Team Scene 2]
"So, where did you get the steel chair from?" a confused Kippie asked Hestia.
"A good magician never reveals her secrets," she replied with a sly grin.
"I thought fake magicians kept their secrets close to them," a clueless Ra joined.
"What?" Hestia asked with a dejected look.
"Yeah," Colada interjected, "good magicians are happy to show how they do it because they know others can't replicate it."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"That you're a shitty magician, even with Magic Bounce," Nautilus said coldly.
"That... That was mean," Hestia choked out, tears beginning to form.
"Why are you crying, sweetie?" Tetsu asked as she hopped over to Hestia with a tissue. "It's not like your magic trick was very good anyway. I mean a steel chair against a Steel-type?"
"..."
"I hate all of you. You're all rotten!" Hestia cried out. She then looked at Marco, an evil smirk quickly replacing the tears. "I'm gonna tell Marco that you're all being meanies!"
As she hopped over to the Trainer, the rest began to place bets. Tetsu placed several berries on the floor. Kippie and Ra both placed some of their treats, while Colada dropped her favorite toy. Nautilus looked everything over and confirmed their bets.
"Is that it? Go back and let me finish cooking before I slap the tears off your face."
"You're an asshole!"
"Yeah? Then eat me, you ungrateful shit-stirrer."
Everyone but Nautilus and Colada groaned in annoyance. Colada collected all the snacks and split them with Nautilus, much to the others' displeasure.
"Thank you for another business venture gone well."