*Relatively* Harmless - Post Chapter 16

Wulfric's head pounded. Did he go out drinking last night? It wouldn't have been unheard of for him, the lads of Snowbelle knew a bottle of vodka was one of the best ways to warm up on a cold winter night. But with a wife and two kids at home, it had been a while since he stayed late at a bar.

He rolled onto his back, using his hands to push himself up in a seated position. His fingers scrunched, dragging dirt and rock. Was he outside then?

Rather than being near freezing, it felt like he was in a sauna. How far had he traveled?

He blinked the grogginess away and was met with a, sadly, not unfamiliar site.

The first time had been cute but throwing the Ice specialist into a volcano was getting old, the brats could stand to be more original.

Really, he expected this behavior out of Valerie but what happened to the dutiful and respectful Olympia?

Patting his side, he found his Pokeball ball belt still with him. Looking at the waterfall of magma in front of him, he decided he'd scale it and keep going up until he reached the surface.

He laboriously got up, stretching his aging back and being rewarded with a crackling sensation. Wulfric was getting old but when he got back he'd show the two just how much fight he still had in him.

As a matter of habit, he reached into his pocket and was surprised when he felt something. He pulled it out, seeing it was a ticket for passage on an ocean liner. The port of departure told him he wasn't in Kalos anymore.

Those damn brats.

Well, at least he'd be able to see if Candice was keeping up with her training. He'd also have to make a stop at Jubilife City and pick up some presents, he wasn't the type to go home empty-handed.

Bubbles started rising in the river of lava running to his left. He raked his memory, Magmar were native to Sinnoh, right?

A silver dome slowly rose until two beady eyes surrounded by molten irises stared at him.

"Heatran!!!" Its guttural roar shook the cavern, causing stalactites to come crashing down.

Wulfric let out a tired sigh and palmed a Pokeball.

He wasn't ready for retirement just yet.

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Names are hard - Post Chapter 17

Today was an important, and long overdue, day. She had braced herself for the challenges it might bring, she just wasn't expecting this particular challenge.

"Okay, let's try this again."

Tanya was seated on a stump with Ralts on her lap. At her request, the others had given them space and were somewhere deeper in the forest.

There were difficult truths she had to get at and she thought privacy best to share them.

In her left hand was a picture book, designed to teach children how to read. She flipped the page and pointed to the image of a pregnant woman.

"Ralts, can you tell me what this is."

While waiting for a response she absentmindedly brushed the green hair to the side so it wouldn't get in the way.

'Human.' Ralts transmitted and she followed up after seeing Tanya's lack of confirmation. 'Target?'

"No!" Why in the world would she think that? "That's a pregnant woman. That means she's going to be a…"

Tanya trailed off, letting Ralts fill in the blank.

'Parent.'

Progress, not the amount she wanted but she could build on it.

"Yes-"

Tanya couldn't finish, Ralts' curious mind coming up with a question she wasn't equipped to deal with.

'How?'

One would think that someone who had experienced death would be non-plussed in even the gravest of situations.

One would be an idiot and she frantically flipped the page.

"Ask me when you're older. On second thought, ask Mawile." She stopped at a page with a mother rolling a stroller with a baby. This was safer. Probably. "Now Ralts, what is this."

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She pointed to the baby with a great deal of trepidation.

'Societal drain.'

Tanya's grip on the book tightened.

"No," where in the hell was she learning these things? "That's a baby, it's not expected to contribute to society until much later. Can you tell me what the baby would call the woman?"

'...'

Depending on how old it was, that wasn't wrong. It also meant this method was not working.

Tanya wasn't the type to repeat an action doomed to failure so she switched tactics. She pointed at herself.

"My name is…"

'Mama.'

She retained a neutral expression, anything else would be unproductive.

"That's not right." She spoke gently to soften the blow. "My name is Tanya, can you say Tanya?"

Ralts rubbed her chin and then blinked up at her with bright pink eyes.

'Mama.'

Tanya took a breath, willing herself to be patient.

"Say T."

'T'

"Say A."

'A'

"Say N."

'N'

"Say Y."

'Y'

"Say A."

'A'

"That spells…"

'Mama.'

She was getting nowhere fast. It was time to bring out the big guns. Tanya slipped a hand in her pocket and retrieved a picture. It was of a Gardevoir she found in some magazine.

Tanya wasn't given a chance to ask the question.

'Poser.' The Pokemon declared sending a wave of dismissal her way. Her pack, resting near the tent, shook and the Mega Stone lept into Ralts hand. She held it up for Tanya to see. 'Mama'

She reached up, her tiny white arm stretching far enough to poke Tanya on the forehead.

'Mama.'

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Troublesome Families -

Great Fin arched her back, the action loosening her joints. The wisdom she gained with age was welcomed, but the back pain was less so.

Old as she may be now, her power had not dulled. She could still put the hatchlings, juveniles, and full-growns in their place when the moment called for it.

Unfortunately, that was often.

Even as a proud true-blooded dragon, she could acknowledge that in her youth she had been more than a handful.

But it hadn't been this bad. Right?

She sent a silent prayer to the Great Order asking for forgiveness. The hatchlings would have balked at her, the head of their pod, showing remorse. They didn't yet understand how far Zygarde stood above them.

Great Fin had only heard the stories from her mother, who heard it from hers, and so on. It was a proud tradition, this current batch was stubborn with the lesson.

That one was missing was distressing. Moving dens always carried a risk but losing a hatchling was unacceptable. She blamed herself for it, they'd been too lax in their oversight.

The hatchling would be retrieved. That had long since been decided.

How it would be, was not.

She knew the human den was formidable, that was why they struck at the strays. Isolated, they could not stand against the might of a dragon. After defeating them, the pod let them flee to their den. The tales of their might spread day by day and soon the perpetrator would be forced to return their hatchling.

She knew there were champions among the humans, those who could challenge her. But she had not grown this old by being foolish.

To Garchomp, the earth was akin to the sea. And they knew how to navigate her far better than any human. Unless by her decree, the human champions would find naught but sand.

Still, an alternative had presented itself.

Great Fin watched the small one talk with her eldest. It was a rare gift, she'd only heard tell of it. She could see her most problematic child eye the young human.

Great Fin snorted, causing members of her pod to turn her way. She snorted again, telling them to mind their business.

Sharp Fin had thought the girl weak because she was not able to secure food to grow. She failed to see that the girl's continued survival proved her strength.

When the young dragon said the human smelled funny, Great Fin nearly lost her composure.

Yes, she smelt funny because the welp had never smelled a proper predator. It was Great Fin's fault, she'd been too adept at choosing their dens.

Sharp Fin needed more growing. Great Fin had hoped her match with the predator would have imparted a valuable lesson. From the look she still gave the girl, a few more lessons might be called for.

There was a shift in her eldest's demeanor, something the girl had said agitated him. Great Fin began to rise. She settled down as his mate delivered a blow strong enough to shake the trees.

She had always approved of that one.

Great Fin was not the only one to notice the building aggression. The one who saw it fit to challenge her eldest and his mate had been bouncing on her heels, eager to prove her mettle.

The old dragon watched as the girl released an exasperated sigh and rebuked the child.

Great Fin snorted again.

The girl failed to notice her youngest child had moved first, angling the blade in such a way that most would not notice. Great Fin's nature dictated the green hair was not a threat, something deep within her decided otherwise.

It seemed she was not the only one with a troublesome family.

"Chomp!"

She stomped on the ground, alerting her pod that their visit had concluded. They'd imposed long enough and the girl needed her sleep if she were to fulfill her task.

Great Fin's eyes traced over to the juveniles fighting over the shiny one. She released a heated breath.

It was always something.