Caelan grumbled under his breath, glancing around at the Pineco scattered about the colony. "This is ridiculous," he muttered, trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

In front of him, one of the smaller Pineco puffed itself up, its stubby shell quivering slightly as it tried—and failed—to look intimidating. It gave a sharp, squeaky hiss, as if demanding he give in to its overwhelming prowess, but its round shape and tiny size made it look more like a toy than a threat.

With a resigned sigh, he reached into his bag, pulling out a handful of berries. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he mumbled, tossing a few on the ground in front of him as tribute.

The little Pineco scuttled over to the berry, wobbling as it went, while a couple of others watched expectantly, clearly hoping they'd be next.

Caelan sighed again, a bit softer this time. He was caving in. Completely.

Off to his right, Pineco—the one who had led him here—bobbed in place, as if trying to hold back a laugh. It tilted slightly, the closest thing to a chuckle a Pineco could manage. Caelan shot it a half-hearted glare. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

Rattata, standing next to him, squeaked quietly, her eyes flicking between Caelan and the berries. Caelan gave her a look. "Don't even think about it. You're already spoiled rotten," he said, though there was no real edge to his words.

Pineco continued to bounce in the air, clearly enjoying the moment, its whole demeanor light and teasing. Caelan couldn't help but shake his head, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. "I bet you're having the time of your life with this, huh?"

The Pineco bobbed up and down more emphatically, clearly proud of the situation it had orchestrated.

Caelan groaned but couldn't fight the grin spreading across his face.

Rattata looked up at him, her whiskers twitching with what Caelan could only describe as mild judgment.

"Don't look at me like that. You were watching. They practically begged me. I'm not so cruel as to ignore their desperate pleas for food," Caelan defended, throwing a playful glance at his partner.

Rattata let out a soft squeak, her way of calling him out for the blatant lie.

"Alright, maybe I went soft on 'em. What'ya want from me? They're cute!" He bent down, offering a few more berries to the smaller Pineco. "Last ones," he said firmly, though he doubted any of them cared.

Off to his side, the Pineco who had first led him to the colony hung calmly, its teasing aura now replaced with a quiet serenity. Caelan took in the peaceful scene one last time—Bugwort patches thriving, Pineco clustered around the branches, and even the air itself carrying a sense of tranquil unity that he hadn't anticipated.

With a small sigh, Caelan stood up straight and gave a final glance around the grove. He'd gathered what he needed—more than enough, really—and despite the oddness of the whole situation, he'd managed to befriend a colony of Pokémon known more for their explosions than their friendliness. It was... nice. Unexpected, but nice.

He stretched his arms, giving Pineco a nod. "Alright, I've spoiled your colony enough for one day. Time to head back."

The baby Pineco that had 'intimidated' him earlier wobbled over to nudge at his leg, clearly hoping for more berries. Caelan couldn't help but laugh.

"Next time," he said softly, giving the little Pineco a gentle pat before turning to leave.

Caelan dusted off his hands, watching as Rattata darted between a few of the Bugwort patches, checking for anything they'd missed. He then turned to the Pineco who had guided him to the colony, offering a genuine smile. "Thanks for all your help," he said, voice soft but sincere. "You made this a lot easier than it could have been."

The Pineco bobbed in the air, its usual playful demeanor subdued, almost thoughtful.

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Caelan turned, but just as he took a step forward, a thin string shot out of nowhere, whizzing past his face and anchoring itself to the ground in front of him. Startled, Caelan paused, blinking as he tried to process what had just happened.

"What the—?" Caelan was more confused than alarmed at the strand of webbing. His eyes met Pineco's, and though he didn't sense any malice, he raised a brow. "Okay, I'm gonna assume this isn't an attack."

Pineco chittered something quickly, its eyes narrowed with an intensity Caelan hadn't seen before.

The Pokémon's normally calm demeanor had shifted into something more urgent, more personal, but Caelan still couldn't figure out what it was trying to say.

Before he could ask again, Pineco swung toward him with surprising grace, zipping through the air. It deftly maneuvered right into Caelan's arms, snugly tucking itself against him, as if the simple gesture said it all.

Caelan blinked in surprise, looking down at the Pineco now settled in his grasp.

"Uhm..." He blurted intelligently, right as it clicked what Pineco wanted from him. "Ah. Correct me if I'm wrong but you wouldn't happen to want to... join my team?"

Pineco didn't respond with action this time—just a soft chitter, its eyes fixed on his with a quiet determination.

Caelan stared down at the Pineco in his arms, the weight of the moment hitting him in waves. The whole day had been strange, from befriending an explosive colony to gathering flowers, but this? This was something else entirely. The gleam in Pineco's eyes told him it wasn't a joke.

How... refreshingly convenient, for once. A Pokemon vying to join him the day after he figured out team's general structure.

Caelan shifted his grip slightly, adjusting the Pokémon in his arms as he spoke, more to himself than to Pineco. "I... I didn't think you'd want to join my team," he admitted, his voice softer than before. "Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered. You seem like a good Pokémon—smart, determined, friendly." He glanced away for a second, gathering his thoughts. "But I need a second to think about it."

Pineco remained still, watching him patiently. There was no trace of disappointment, no urgency pushing for an immediate answer. Just calm acceptance, its intense eyes still locked on his, waiting.

Caelan let out a low sigh, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. It wasn't that he didn't want Pineco on his team—it was more that he hadn't considered how it would fit.

While he figured out how he was going to structure his team, he hadn't actually put those thoughts into a concrete method. That was; to say, he had a bunch of different strategies for a bunch of different teams but wasn't sure which one was the best.

Though, now that he was thinking about it, Forretress—the evolution of Pineco—was an exceptionally good Pokémon before the days of Mega Evolution. Good enough that people readily used it in battling categories meant for Legendary Pokémon. And its role, that of a certain type of support Pokémon, was highly necessary to the success of various trainers back then.

But this wasn't a game. He couldn't just setup the field, Rapid Spin away the opposition, and explode without the opponent retaliating. In this life, switching wasn't as prominent as then, with there being a rule on how many switches a person got per battle. Having a purely support Pokémon wasn't unheard of, but it was a terrible idea if the support Pokémon couldn't hold its own.

Because if the overall strategy fell apart, and your support Pokémon became useless, you'd be technically down a Pokémon while your opponent still has all six combat capable monsters.

A pure supporter like Forretress just wasn't fit for battling in real life.

'Then again, Forretress is a Steel-type Pokémon. If he can fulfill 'that' role, it wouldn't be impossible to fit him on the team.'

"You know," Caelan started again, his tone shifting as he tried to explain, "me and Rattata—we don't spend our days gathering flowers, in case today gave you the wrong idea." He chuckled, though it felt hollow. "We battle. A lot. In fact, that's our main thing. And... if you join us, you'll have to do the same. Battling won't always be easy. It's intense, tough work. Not peaceful like this."

Pineco didn't flinch. Its eyes didn't flicker with doubt, hesitation, or fear. If anything, its resolve seemed to harden. The little bagworm was all in, fully committed to the idea of joining Caelan's journey, regardless of the risks.

Caelan bit his lip, unsure of how to continue. He almost wanted to push back, to explain that things might not go smoothly, that Pineco might not fit into the team dynamic. But looking into those determined eyes, he felt like it would be ridiculous to keep trying to convince Pineco otherwise.

It knew what it was asking for—maybe more than he was giving it credit for.

"You're serious about this, huh?" Caelan said at last, his voice taking on a more thoughtful tone. Pineco nodded emphatically as best as it could, wobbling in his arms.

"I see. But I need to know one thing before I decide. Show me what moves you know." He leaned forward slightly, his expression a mix of curiosity and caution. "I can't just have any random Pokémon on my team. If you're going to fight with us, I need to see what you can do."

Pineco chittered excitedly, its small body vibrating with barely contained energy, clearly eager to prove itself. Caelan felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips. For all his hesitation, Pineco's enthusiasm was contagious.

Caelan set Pineco down gently, stepping back to give it room. He watched with a mix of anticipation and curiosity.

"Alright, Pineco, let's see what you're working with."