It takes a few minutes for us to even begin to separate. Though the first movement makes Min meet my eyes. A huge grin spreads on her face.
“Teach me!” she demands suddenly.
I narrow my eyes.
“Teach you what?”
“How to fight! We’re going to beat the circuit this time!”
“Uhm… I was thinking about doing a speedrun.”
Sara chokes.
“With two Pokémon? No way that’s happening.”
“You’re gonna have to fight for it,” Roark says, “I’m definitely going to use my main team against you.”
“So? I’ve got a month to prepare. Lili alone will crush you by then.”
Min giggles.
“You’ve changed,” Mel comments.
I grin.
“Possibly a little. Anyway, I was thinking about Teleporting so I can join you guys on your trip right after getting the badges.”
Cynthia sighs.
“Don’t underestimate the Gym Leaders, Zoe. You might have Pokémon that match or even beat my own in pure power but you will struggle against all of them. Now that Roark knows, he will tell the others. You won’t have a single fight against less than a main team. And they can decide to have you fight a 6v6 no matter how many Pokémon you have.”
Lili chirps angrily, making me laugh.
“Oh, she’s so ready to break some legs.”
I meet her leaf for a high-five.
The Gym Leader and Champion look at each other.
“Fine,” I relent “I’ll just sign up for here to begin with. I can see how we do, then. Lili has a big typing advantage, after all, so if we struggle I’ll take it slow.”
Roark nods.
“That’s fair. I’m looking forward to it.”
Lili balls her leaf and chirps, making him laugh.
“I’ve got some work to get back to so I’ll see you later.”
We wave as he leaves the Gym, the League Alakazam following him with a glance at me. I push a tiny bit of Psychic Type Energy into his direction and connect to his mind.
“See you,” I send to only him. His eyes widen and one of his spoons drops a tiny bit before he sends back respectful agreement and cuts off the connection.
“So, what now?” Min asks.
Cynthia indicates the exit.
“We’re supposed to leave soon but the arena isn’t used for the rest of the day so there’s no hurry.”
“Then let’s train!” my best friend pumps her fist.
I snicker before slapping her shoulder.
“How about we take it slow? We’ve got a full month before the Circuit. I’ll help you but as I said, I’m not much of a traditional battler.”
“You’re not?” Mel asks “I would’ve thought with Pokémon like that.”
“All trained in the wild. We have strategies to neutralize or even kill threats to civilization. We don’t do much ‘for fun’ fighting.”
“Oh.”
Everyone falls silent. Gligar pushes off Mum and walks up to me. He gently tugs on my shirt.
“Gli?”
“You don’t have to learn all that. You can just grow at your own pace. The Rangers make my skills much less necessary. Though if I do become one, you’ll have to decide how far you want to go.”
He nods and climbs up to hang on my back. His head nuzzles into the side of my neck. I reach up to pet him.
“So…,” Sara says “If you didn’t do fighting ‘for fun’, what did you do then?”
“I was a part of the Survey Corps. I did research on Pokémon in their natural habitat or caught them for closer study. And I helped out defending Jubilife Village.”
“Village? I only know the city.”
“It started out as a village,” Mel says “But that was over 200… years… ago,” she slowly turned to me “Hey. Were you there when it was founded?”
“The city or the village? Because it’s yes for the former and no for the latter. They were there for a few years when I arrived.”
“How big was Oreburgh?” Mel asks.
“It didn’t exist. It was founded a few years before I left.”
Mum claps to get everyone’s attention.
“Okay, everyone. Let’s move this somewhere more comfortable, shall we? Our place is big enough.”
Everyone nods and we get moving. Cynthia excuses herself saying she has something to do and will contact me later.
----------------------------------------
The rest of the afternoon is spent answering a barrage of questions mostly from Mel and Sara. The former has a vested interest in the history of early Sinnoh while Sara wants to know more about what battling was like back then. Min mostly just leans on me. Or lets me lean on her. I am very happy to be back.
----------------------------------------
I sleep in again the next morning. Haven’t done that for a long time so it’s only an hour or so after dawn. I didn’t get enough exercise yesterday.
After taking a shower, I find Mum in the kitchen, yawning deeply. Dad is bustling around in their bedroom. She turns to me with a smile on her face.
“Already up, sweetie? I thought that was Lili in the shower.”
I give her a side hug.
“It’s an hour past dawn. I kinda slept in.”
Mum chuckles.
“Oh, you. Well, I got some time today and your father has the late shift so let’s do something together?”
“Sure. Anything specific?”
Dad takes that moment to stumble into the kitchen.
“Morning ladies,” he mumbles as Mum offers him a cup of coffee.
“Good morning love,” she says.
“Morning.”
“Already up, little Ralts?”
“It’s pretty late isn’t it?” I say as I look out the window.
He rubs at his eyes with a yawn.
“Not really, no. Morning shift just started half an hour ago.”
Mum gives him a kiss and makes for the shower.
“You two figure out what we’re doing today while I get freshened up, alright?” she says.
I grin and make myself a cup of tea as Dad sits down, slowly sipping his black poison.
“I still don’t get how you can drink that,” I say.
“Looks like those 20 years of experience didn’t make you grow up any,” he grins.
I put a hand in front of my chest and look at him with mock outrage.
“I’m a growing girl, alright?”
After a few seconds we both break out laughing. Once we calm down I take a few berries from the satchel on my hip and start dicing them. I split them into three bowls and add a little yoghurt from the fridge before taking them to the table.
Dad gives me a look.
“Berries for breakfast? I didn’t raise a snob, did I?”
“What do you mean? They’re free. You just have to pick them.”
He glances at my satchel.
“How long have they been in there?”
“Not a moment. There’s no time inside. The space also isn’t really there but I don’t understand the details of that.”
He grunts and picks up a spoon, slowly tasting the food. I dig in myself and quickly finish up. Dad hasn’t even gone through half his portion yet. He looks like he’s enjoying it.
“So, any ideas for what to do today?” I ask.
“I swapped shifts so we have until around two p.m. We could go watch some battles?”
“Battles again?” I groan.
“I haven’t seen you fight since you came back.”
“Mum told you about yesterday, right? Lili and Lulu would trash anyone we can casually find and Gligar has absolutely no training. Normal battlegrounds aren’t really a good place for my Pokémon right now.”
“Hmm… The museum?”
My phone rings in my bedroom.
“Who could that be this early?” Dad asks.
I shrug and go to pick it up. It’s Cynthia.
“Good morning Zoe,” she greets “Did I wake you up? I didn’t know if you’re up yet.”
“No, no. I already had breakfast. What’s up?”
“So, I was talking to Professor Rowan yesterday and he wants to meet you. He’s interested in your Pokédex. We can also get your DNA test done there. Do you have some time today? Or tomorrow?”
“Maybe in the afternoon but I was planning to meet my friends again. Tomorrow is better.”
“No problem. Meet me at the Oreburgh Gym. We’ll have one of the Alakazam Teleport us to Sandgem.”
“Sounds good. Text me the time later and I’ll be there.”
We say goodbye and I get back to my dad in the kitchen. I can hear Mum finishing up in the bathroom.
“Who was it?” Dad asks.
“Cynthia. Professor Rowan wants to meet me. We’re going tomorrow via Teleport.”
He stares blankly.
“Alright. How are you getting back?”
I blink.
“The same way?”
“Do you need money to pay for the transport?”
I laugh.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“No, Dad. Thanks. I can do it myself.”
He looks at me strangely.
“Look!”
I focus for a moment and suddenly sit on the chair next to him. Mum comes in right at that moment.
“No Teleporting in the house, young lady!” she chides.
I laugh at Dad’s expression. He’s looking between us with wide eyes.
“So that thing with… ‘You can use Moves’ was real?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not just a psychic?”
“Nope.”
I channel a tiny bit of Rock TE into my hand and form the beginnings of a Rock Throw. Dad stares. His eyes grow bigger when I crush it between my fingers and it vanishes.
“It’s a neat party trick,” I say.
Mum hugs me from behind and pats my head.
“That it is. Looks like we won’t have to worry about your journey. At least not as much as last time.”
“I’ll be holding back on using it around strangers. It’ll just cause annoying questions. And I need that PSIL-ID so the Rangers don’t get angry. Or the police.”
My parents share a glance before smiling softly.
“You really are all grown up, huh?” Dad says.
I pat my chest and grin.
“All the way up,” I agree.
We share a laugh. When everyone calms down again, Mum speaks up.
“So, have you decided on what to do?”
“Not really. Cynthia called and interrupted our planning session. I’m going to see the Professor with her tomorrow.”
“Ah. That is a good idea. He can help you out with that ID. I think between Professor, Champ, and League Management, two of them have to speak in favour.”
“They changed it, then. Back then it was the Galaxy Expedition Team Commander, and the heads of the two Clans.”
“We’ll have to have a long talk about what Sinnoh was like in its early days,” Mum grins. She’s a real history nut. I don’t mind because it lets us spend a lot of time together in the near future.
“Well, I suppose we could always go for a hike in the tunnel?”
My mouth flopped open and I quickly closed it with a smack. The wave of nostalgia smacked me like a Drain Punch. I shuddered just a tiny bit.
“Yes!” I say, interrupting whatever Dad was talking about.
They look at me and nod with a grin.
“Then let’s get ready,” he says.
“I’m having breakfast first,” Mum says as she sits down. I’m already halfway to my room when she shouts in surprise.
“Where did you get the berries, dear?”
I hear Dad start explaining as I rush through the door. Lili turns her head from her spot on the windowsill. She just barely fits after taking all the odds and ends from it and sits cross-legged in the sun. Gligar is lying behind her on my bed with Lulu still snoring on the ground. There’s barely enough space to get from door to bed and back.
“We’re going hiking!” I shout making the lioness jump and knock her head on the ceiling. She yelps in surprise and carefully lays back down. I nuzzle her face with my body at her annoyed look.
“Gligar?” the flying scorpion asks.
“Oh, um… I often went hiking with Mum and Dad on the weekends. Sometimes Rob came along as well. It’s just been so long… I might be overreacting a bit.”
Lili chirps encouragingly.
“Thanks,” I say “I was going to prepare but I don’t really need anything with my satchel, huh?”
Lulu growls into my stomach and I scratch behind her ear.
“Yeah, it’s not a problem for you to come along. But you need to stay close so you don’t scare other people. At least not too much.”
Gligar looks a bit hesitant and turns away when I look at him.
“...gar,” he says.
“You don’t want to come? Don’t like caves?”
He nods meekly. Lili turns and pats his head gently.
“That’s no problem. We can see what it’s like and if you don’t like it you can just stay in your Pokéball. What do you say?”
He pushes his head into my pillow and mumbles something.
“Hmm?” I grin “I can’t hear you.”
His head shoots up and he glares at me.
“Gli!” he shouts.
I nod.
“Good. Then that’s settled. Let’s get you guys fed and then we’ll get going soon. Probably.”
----------------------------------------
It takes almost an hour for everyone to get ready. Rob gets up about halfway through and Mum has to push him to get ready for school, delaying us further. I give him a hug as he leaves which peps him right up. Mum and Dad are right behind us with their backpacks ready. They have some food and water as well as a basic first-aid kit. I know Dad also has some potions for Machop just in case.
We're all wearing sturdy clothes and hiking boots. It felt very nostalgic to dig through my closet for my old stuff. Though it’s only a month older than the last time I’d seen it… Still, I can’t shake the grin. I almost put some things into my backpack as well before deciding it was unnecessary. I wouldn’t leave without my satchel and with it, I need nothing else. I can probably feed the city for a day or two with everything I have in there. Okay. That's an exaggeration but I have a lot of berries.
After we wave Rob goodbye, we make our way to the Oreburgh Gate, the tunnel you should not confuse with the East Oreburgh Gate which is the actual entrance to the city a few hundred metres in front of us. Next to the building with our apartment are only two more before the city ends. A small Pokémon Centre for emergencies and the Ranger Station with the Checkpoint attached to it.
Gligar is clinging to my back as we start walking with my other two Pokémon in their Balls. Dad’s Machop is also out and about. Small Pokémon are allowed to be out in town around as long as they have a trainer. Someone like Lulu though would cause too much of a commotion so I’ll have to get a permit which, you guessed it, has a badge requirement. I think it’s three or four for letting any one ‘disruptive’ Pokémon out at all times and the full eight to have no limits. At that point the League just accepts your skills as a Trainer and lets you do what you want. And you and your Pokémon are usually famous enough that people take pictures instead of fleeing on sight.
The rangers at the gate tell us to stay safe as we leave the city. It’s about half an hour’s walk up a slight slope to reach the tunnel proper. I let out my other Pokémon as soon as we clear the people leaving the city. There aren’t many this early in the morning but a few trainers are out to get work done.
The Luxray draws a lot of attention as she roars a greeting. I smack her back and she turns to nuzzle me.
“Go on, zip off,” I say “But don’t run too far away. And no hunting.”
“Mrawl!” she nods and blasts off with a burst of static. Lili is next to me looking around curiously. She perks up when she spots the Oreburgh Gate in the distance.
“Yup. Changed a bit, didn’t it?” I grin.
There is a Ranger checkpoint right next to the tunnel entrance and the path looks a lot more stable than I remember it. Though before that, my memories tell me this is how it’s always been. I feel the beginnings of a headache and decide to stop thinking about it.
“Let’s go!” I say, raising a fist.
Lili copies me as my parents laugh. Then we are off.
We usually went on this trip once every month at least. It’s a very safe hike up to the gate and then a slightly more perilous journey through the tunnel. We see a few Pokémon here and there but most of them are keeping their distance from an excited lioness. Lulu is happily running circles around us to get some exercise but regularly stops by for scritches.
Lili and Machop are talking quietly about my parents. My Pokémon is interested to learn more about them and has decided the little brawler is her best source of information. To be fair, she’s probably right. I could try to answer her questions but with how long it’s been for me, I don’t remember everything. Even now I notice all the small quirks I had forgotten about. Like how Dad likes to hold Mum’s shoulder when they’re hugging. Or how he eats way too slow for how big he is and is always the last to finish up. And Mum’s history tick is pretty much the only thing I remembered when I told my Pokémon in the past about everything.
----------------------------------------
We eventually make our way to Oreburgh Gate. A Ranger sits in front of the house and is looking at Lulu with what looks like calculating hesitation. Dad steps up to him and they talk for a minute before he lets us pass with a shake of his head.
I feel Gligar’s claws dig into my clothes as I walk up to the tunnel. My hand reaches up to pat him.
“Let’s take it slow,” I say quietly.
He suppresses a whimper.
Step by step I walk up to the tunnel. The sun is just high enough past the mountains to shine into the entrance, lighting up a large patch of rocky ground. Beyond that, the cave slowly gets darker. Two lines of electrical lights hang up on either side of the walls but they are only on further in. The tunnel can easily be crossed in a day, or even a few hours. It’s just over six kilometres long and curves back and forth slightly. The real slowdown comes from all the Pokémon that make it their territory. Near the main path, that’s only young Pokémon or those that are very used to humans. Roark once released an old Onix that no longer wanted to fight in his Gym which now lives close to the main path and protects it from larger threats.
Back when Kochika and the Construction Corps started digging the tunnel, they were mostly looking for ore which ended up building a rather convoluted system of underground paths. They even went up with some of their digging and eventually found a connection to the Mount Coronet cave systems. Between then and now, Sinnoh officials have built this regulated path that goes mostly straight through the mountain to connect Oreburgh with the Obsidian Fieldlands. Or Route 203 I suppose, now that they changed the name.
I shake my head to clear up my thoughts and refocus on Gligar. He seems to have calmed down a little with Lili standing right next to us and Lulu at our back.
“See? This cave is not dangerous,” I say “Just stay on the main path with the lights and you’ll be safe.”
The distant cry of a Graveler makes him flinch. I listen to the echo for a moment before starting to pet him again.
“That was deep in the tunnels. The only big Pokémon on the main path is an Onix that was once part of Roark’s team. You know, the guy that was the referee yesterday?”
He stills for a moment before giving me a tiny nod.
“I met the Onix on my first attempt at the Circuit. Yes, he looks scary, but he’s really gentle. We won’t get deep enough to meet him unless he’s moving around to look for threats.”
“G-gli?” he asks.
“Onix protects the main path so even humans can use it without having to be scared.”
He digs his chin into my neck to which I respond with more pets. Mum hugs him from the side.
“We’ll be safe,” she says “We did this trip when Zoe and Rob were young kids. It’s the safest cave in all of Sinnoh.”
I give her a smile.
“Let’s go, then!” I say.
Lili chirps happily and starts walking.
Mum takes a moment to disentangle herself from us and we move deeper into the tunnel. It’s large enough for Lulu to comfortably jump and barely touch the ceiling. Deeper in it will get a little tighter. But never so small that you can’t have a Pokémon battle. Though it can get difficult to get past two trainers battling. Even if it’s discouraged, many trainers with Rock and Ground types used the area to their advantage to make some quick bucks. I will admit I did just that with Geodude.
At first, Gligar is still digging his claws into my clothes. I think he managed to pierce my T-shirt in one place. At least my skin is a little tougher than that and still holds strong. As we move deeper in and the sunlight gets replaced by electric lamps he starts to relax his grip. He still isn’t calm and trembles a little on my back but I keep my hand on his claw.
Whenever we see a Pokémon or hear a cry from deeper in the tunnels, he flinches a little. It takes until the first stop for him to calm down enough to look around meekly. By now, my tee has probably a dozen small holes. I’m a little annoyed at that but I can just get a new one. Or ask Mum for one.
The first stop is a resting point in a slightly larger cavern lit up with a few floodlights pointing at the ceiling. Stalactites and stalagmites line the corners and meet in a few places. The centre is cleared both on floor and ceiling for people to rest. A few larger boulders with flat tops lay around to sit on or use as tables. It took us maybe an hour to get here.
I coax Gligar into my lap after I sit down and give him a hug.
“You held out so well, Gligar,” I say “I’m proud of you.”
“Gli…,” he meekly mumbles into my chest.
“Machop!” comes an encouraging call from next to us. The flying scorpion in my lap shifts to look at Dad’s buddy. They start talking quietly, well Gligar is quiet, Machop not so much. I leave them to it and turn to Dad who sits down next to me.
“It’s good to have you back,” he smiles and puts an arm around my shoulder. I take a deep breath as I lean into him.
“Yeah. It’s nice to be back,” I say.
We stay quiet for a bit just enjoying each other’s presence. Lili is trying to get Mum to give her something from her backpack. I grin as she finally gets the water bottle and happily twists the cap off and on.
“I didn’t really believe it, you know?” Dad says eventually “That you travelled through time. I mean, your mother told me about the origins of Sinnoh and what that statue in Jubilife supposedly represents but… I didn’t expect it to happen to you. I thought you had gotten kidnapped or something.”
I look at him. He is trying to hide an expression of pain but is not really successful. He takes a deep breath and forces a smile to banish the what-ifs.
“Seeing you interact with Gligar, though… And what your Pokémon are doing… I can believe it. And I’m glad it was ‘only’ that.”
I pull him closer with both my arms. He shouts in surprise as he nearly falls off the rock we’re sitting on before I drag him back on top.
“I wasn’t really all that safe in the past, you know? But I made some good friends.”
Lulu nuzzles my back making me laugh.
“I should have made more friends, probably. The only human friend was Akari… and maybe Laventon, though that was more of a working relationship.”
Dad narrows his eyes.
“So you spent 20 years without really interacting with people?”
“Sort of? I mean, I got along with many of the others, it’s just… I didn’t want to feel bad about leaving them behind so I avoided having too many close friends. And then I did a lot of field research so I didn’t really have the time for people. Akari helped me out in the beginning and we grew close. It still feels weird to think about. She probably died over a century ago. She was in her mid-thirties when I left. Just… hasn’t really hit me, I guess?”
Dad shakes his head.
“I can’t imagine how that’d feel.”
We sit in silence for a bit before Mum yells at us ‘lazy bums’ to get up. The mood lightens quickly as we get back to our trip. Gligar is much more comfortable, though he still clings to my back. Every once in a while a wild Pokémon approaches looking for a trainer. Dad handles them with Machop and Lili talks a few around to just leave us be. I don’t plan on expanding my team all that much. I expected Gary to find his own place but the other three might still be out there and willing to rejoin. Especially Lisa, my Froslass. She and Ty as Ghost types are still alive, most likely. So should Goopy as a Dragon. There was a reason for my choice of who to take along.
Then again, I don’t really need to stick to a team of six. I can go with more or even with less. As a Ranger especially I’d be expected to hold back on a large team. The pay usually just isn’t enough to care for more than two or three battle-ready Pokémon. I should read up on Ranger policies, though. They might not be allowed to pick too many wild berries. Thinking about it, I never really saw any trainers using resources of the wild. Was that some kind of rule or just a lack of knowledge?
After another break deeper in the cave we turn around only to be stopped in the very next cave. Somehow, a Golbat has found his way onto the main path along with a small flock of Zubat. A total of seven Pokémon. They look strong if a little malnourished. The large bat shrieks as it spots us making Gligar tremble. His claws manage to draw blood this time. I hold one of them steadily while meeting the big guy’s eyes. He sees the challenge and I step forward. Gligar trembles even more.
“I will protect you,” I whisper to him. He only manages a whimper as answer. That’s good. He can act even with whatever caused his trauma.
The Golbat grins at Gligar and hisses something very offensive. The Zubat let out hissing cackles.
“No,” I say “He won’t fight you. I will.”
That serves to shut them up but Gligar only trembles more. I let a vicious grin run over my face.
“Lulu, protection,” I say calmly as I pull on my soul. If possible, I want to finish this in one attack. Electric TE rushes into my body, hiding just underneath my skin. The Golbat hasn’t noticed it yet and is cackling something offensive again. I ignore him in favour of shaping the move I have in mind. A crackle of electricity escapes my control and jumps between the fingers of my free hand.
The Golbat snarls in anger and rushes out a Wing Attack. As it shoots towards me, I let the Electric TE free. Bolts of yellow lightning expand outwards in all directions. Gligar isn’t harmed thanks to his Ground Typing and Lulu stands right behind me redirecting those that would hit my parents or the other Pokémon to herself or into the walls. The Flying Pokémon in front of me, though? They are not so lucky.
Crackling energy jumps between them bouncing back and forth. A particularly nasty shock makes the Golbat’s wing twitch and sends him straight into the ground. Which is lucky because now the energy can dissipate. It’s also unlucky because it only does so through him.
When the noise finally calms down, the Zubat are on the ground, twitching slightly. The Golbat is breathing heavily but he has already shaken off the paralysing side effects of my Discharge. He pushes himself at me with what’s probably pure force of will and I quickly jump back only for a rock to hit his head and send him to the ground again. This time, he doesn’t get up.
A rumbling sound makes me turn to the side tunnel leading deeper into the mountains. A snout-like rock comes into the light, two huge eyes right above it. A spiky ridge nearly scrapes the ceiling. The stone is almost black, rather than the normal grey. The Onix regards the scene carefully. I would have expected more aggression but I guess this was a trainer’s Pokémon at some point, huh?
I incline my head.
“Thanks for the help. Were you looking for these guys?”
Gligar is hiding his head behind my back even more than before. He is completely still now. I misjudged. The cause of his trauma wasn’t a Golbat.
Onix rumbles with an unexpectedly gentle voice as he surveys the rest of the room. He lingers on Lili and Lulu for a little longer than everyone else, assessing a possible threat.
“Yeah, they’re with me. These two at least. Machop is Dad’s Pokémon. Mum isn’t a trainer.”
Another rumble comes from his throat.
“I… don’t think so? Mum, Dad, one of you want to catch a Zubat? Or the Golbat?”
They blink before shaking their heads. Onix looks at Mum and grumbles again.
“He’s saying you should not leave the city without a Pokémon of your own…” I translate “and kind of insisting you take one of these.”
The stone snake gives me a thankful nod.
“I… um,” Mum stammers “Thank you but I won’t leave without my husband. Or someone else that has a Pokémon.”
Onix shakes his head and turns to pick one of the Zubat up in his mouth. He is surprisingly gentle as he drops her right in front of Mum who just barely manages to catch the bat. Then he turns to me and rumbles again.
“Okay. I get it!” I raise my hands to placate him “Mum, this Golbat was leading a group of his offspring to find worthy trainers. They don’t have enough food in their hunting grounds for how many Pokémon there are so taking a Zubat off his hands is going to make it safer for everyone. You don’t have to raise her but we should at least bring her to someone capable.”
Mum looks even more confused now so I turn back to Onix.
“We’ll find a place for her. Tell Golbat to be a little more careful. If someone steps up for a fight they usually know what they’re doing.”
Onix laughs with his deep rumbling voice before turning and leaving down the tunnel. The bats follow him on a podium of shifting earth. Mum wants to raise a hand and call after them but the Zubat almost falling out of her arms distracts her. The little bat is strong looking but a little malnourished now that I get a closer look. Gligar whimpers into my back again and I pat his claw that’s still digging into my shoulder.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, right?” I say “I’ll protect you. And if I can’t, Lili is there. You’re not alone anymore.”
That makes him hide his face in my neck again.
“I would however appreciate it if you stopped cutting into my shoulder.”
With a squeak he lets go and drops to the ground behind me. I wince as his claws pull out of my flesh.
“Aahh! Zoe! What did you do?” Mum shrieks waking up the Zubat in her arms. I take out an Oran Berry from my satchel and take a large bite.
“Gligar was scared and forgot to control his strength,” I say “I’m fine.”
The Zubat suddenly shrieks and starts flapping. Mum panics and nearly drops her again until Lulu growls and makes the little bat shut up.
“Well, do you want to take care of her, Mum, or do you want to give her to someone else?”
Zubat squeaks as I turn to Gligar and kneel next to where he’s still laying on the ground.
“You good?”
He hides his face behind his wings and mumbles something too quietly to hear.
“I can’t understand you, Gligar. But I’m not angry with you. You were scared and I dragged you right to the front. That’s more on me than on you. And I’m already better, see?”
I swallow the last bit of Oran and take out a piece of cloth to wipe away the blood. Underneath is the soft pink skin of a newly closed wound. Gligar slowly lowers his wings until his eyes just peek out from behind them. They widen when he sees my shoulder.
“Gligar?” he asks.
“Yep. All healed up. Oran berries are great for small scratches like this.”
“Wha…?” dad says “You… but… Berries only work on Pokémon?”
“That’s not true at all, Dad. They just work less on humans. It’s an interaction with Type Energy, I think? I still have some Electric TE which makes the Berry react with my body and fixes any wounds. Just need a new shirt…”
I start digging through my satchel and find what I need. It only takes a minute and I have a spare Survey Corps uniform in hand. Lulu is already covering me from sight and I quickly slip out of my tee and into the jacket. The ruined shirt goes back into the satchel.
I bend down to cuddle Gligar.
“You held on really well, buddy. And now you know a little more about us. So, want to get stronger?”
He sits up and looks at me. Determination glints in his eyes.
“Gligar!” he says.
“Great,” I pick him up “Then I officially welcome you to the team. We’ll get a look at where you’re standing later and I’ll have you train with us.”
He nods resolutely before snuggling against me again.
I turn back to my parents where Mum is still a little confused by everything that just happened. Still, I can see in her expression that she is already thinking about what the little Zubat needs. The bat is no longer trembling and instead quietly squeaks at Mum’s fingers that gently rub the top of her head.
“Do you have a Pokéball?” I ask.
Dad pulls one from his bag.
“Always good to carry a few. Just in case.”
He points it at Zubat who hisses at his fingers.
“Hey, hey! It’s alright. Here, I’m just gonna give it to Serena. She’s my wife so you’ll be around both of us no matter what.”
“Um…” Mum looks at him.
“Or do you not want to take care of Zubat?”
“I…,” she sighs “Fine. But I’m not a trainer, Zubat. I won’t go out battling with you. At least not often.”
Zubat squeaks. A whole lot.
“She says she’s strong and you should be strong too,” I translate at Mum’s confusion.
The bat nods and lets out what sounds a little like a purr. When Lili walks up and chirps to introduce herself, I turn to look at the tunnel Onix came from. I can still see a few loose rocks where he moved. Bending down, I take a closer look. The traces on the ground are a little darker, especially where there’s bare rock. It looks almost black. I rub at it with my fingers and it crumbles loose softly. This Onix is close to evolution. It has already coated itself with a lot of iron and coal. Only a few more fights and some digging and it might refine its skin into a proper Metal Coat and evolve into Steelix. If I’m lucky, it’ll get there before my next attempt at the circuit and we can have a proper battle. Lili could use the exercise.
I hear the telltale snap-hiss from a Pokéball and turn to see Mum having just caught Zubat. The Ball only shakes once. She lets the little bat out immediately and Zubat perches on her hair.
“That just happened…,” Mum says to everyone’s amusement.
“That it did, Mum. Let’s get going, now. Dad has to catch his shift.”
They nod and we make our way back to Oreburgh. Nothing much happens on the trip other than Zubat expressing some distress at the sunlight and wanting to go back into her Ball.
I give Dad a hug just before he leaves for work.
“Today was great. Let’s do this more often before the Circuit starts again.”
He laughs and ruffles my hair.
“Yep. Let’s. Now, I really gotta go, soo… If you could let me go?”
I smirk.
“Can’t get away from your daughter? Guess you’ll have to call in.”
He laughs and tries to pry off my arms. Keyword is ‘try’. I’m holding tight and he doesn’t want to hurt me. I give in after a bit and watch him go with a big smile on my face.
“Have fun with your friends!” he calls with a wave.