Salad 2.8

Aaron Fulan

Verdanturf Town, Hoenn Region

Jeanne, ever the shining optimist, was back to her usual sunny self the next day. She launched herself from my face with the kind of energetic cheer typically reserved for tykes on Christmas morning. After the morning ritual of washing the sweat off my face, I grabbed my already packed hammerspace bag and got ready to head out. In lieu of trying to coax Artoria from slumber, I gently lifted my partner and set her down on Jeanne's back.

I grinned and got out my PokéNav to snap a few quick pictures for the chatroom gallery. "Okay, Jeanne, stay right there. The twins are going to love this. I think I'll title this one, 'Dame Artoria and her noble steed conquer the dawn.'"

"Mareep!" my little lamb cheered as she valiantly galloped to reinforce the pokémon center canteen. Chuckling, I shook my head and followed after at a more sedate pace.

After all, hunger was the enemy.

X

Today was the official start of our mega stone hunt. The three of us spent some time wandering around town, mostly during our daily jogs, but we hadn't dared step out of Verdanturf for fear of wasting too much time while Jeanne was busy preparing for her contest. Today was different. With no contest to prepare for, we could fully dedicate our time to acquiring one of the most valuable items in the world.

I spent a full 1,500 LC just stocking up on rations and pokéchow and shelled out another 1,000 LC for a sturdy pair of polaroid sunglasses so Jeanne could train her flashier attacks around me without blinding me. Another few grand went to potions and antidotes, including three super potions that cost me a whopping 1,260 LC even at a discount. Magic medicine wasn't cheap.

I didn't intend to be back for at least a week, if at all. I planned for us to start with a systematic search of Verdanturf's perimeter in a radial pattern before we checked in on some of the most likely locations for mega stones.

There was no confirmed theory, but I had a hunch that these stones were more likely to show up in locations inhabited by their corresponding pokémon. No guarantees, but it was worth a shot, which meant I'd be looking into any sightings of mawile, pidgey flocks, and ralts covens. If I couldn't find anything around Verdanturf, I'd be forced to head south through the expansive Petalburg Woods and all the way down to Oldale Town. I didn't think we'd need to; the stone was probably somewhere in Verdanturf's vicinity, but if that's what it took, that's what we'd do.

'So you are foregoing Lavaridge Gym for the moment, my lord?' Artoria's voice rang in my mind. It was a melodic and pure as always, but I could spot the tinge of drowsiness and mild annoyance at our morning antics.

'I'm thinking so, yeah,' I told her, sending along a mental hug. 'It's traditional to head north from Mauville, but I've never cared much for tradition.'

'No, I don't suppose you do. Why though?'

I smiled as the three of us began our stroll. It was easy to tell what she meant even with ambiguous questions like that, the perk of telepathy. I recited what I remembered of my history lessons while we headed out of the town; I'd always loved the subject even in my past life. 'The route from Rustboro to Sootopolis? It's the route established during the founding of the Hoenn League in 26 BF, which is different from the International Pokémon League. Anyway, the founding of the League ended the Fragmentation Era and the Wars of Conquest. When Eva Mikuri became Founding Champion, only four of the major clans that made up Hoenn were left: Mikuri, Higana, Summers, and Fuyou.'

'Mikuri? I did not know Lady Lisia could claim such a noble ancestor.'

I let out a mental scoff. 'Yeah, that's one way to put it. Eva Mikuri was a cold and spiteful egomaniac by all accounts.'

'I take it there is a reason history remembers her so unkindly? Surely she had to have been great to unite the region.'

'Oh, yeah. She was great, but also a massive bitch. Anyway, back to the clans. The Mikuri were the guardians of Sootopolis and the Cave of Origin. Still are. The Summers family, mine, were the strongest psychics around and sold information in exchange for security. Records say we came from abroad as traders and set up a town on Mossdeep Island that grew into our own territory over the years. The Fuyou were and are the Keepers of Mt. Pyre. Even back then, they conducted many of the rituals worshipping the Legends and Mt. Pyre was considered a sacred place of neutrality among many city-states.'

'What of the Higana?'

'The Higana? They were dragon tamers. They're still around and the core family still rule over a larger community that call themselves the Draconids. Eva Mikuri's greatest success was in causing the Summers and Fuyou clans to break our vaunted neutrality in her favor. Family records say she married one of my great grandfathers. She also made her younger brother marry one of my great grandaunts. This twofold marriage exchange tied us together in an alliance that still, kind of, stands today. It's something that happened close to four hundred years ago, but I suppose Lisia and I are cousins many times removed.'

'That seems like a wise choice. What was wrong with it?'

'Nothing in principle, but you're thinking they all got along. We call it marriage in official records and history textbooks, but it was ultimately an exchange of hostages. There was no love involved. Betrayal on one side would have ended with the murder of said hostage and the start of a generations-long blood feud. It was her way of saying, "We'll get along, or we'll all die trying."'

'That… Why? Why can't humans let their yes be yes and no be no? Why enforce so much misery?'

I reached down and patted Artoria's head. 'Humans are spiteful creatures and the era was not kind to optimists. To this day, nothing in the Summers family library tells us exactly what Mikuri offered the Fuyou to get them on her side, but she managed somehow. In any case, the Mikuri-Summers-Fuyou alliance conquered the rest of Hoenn, murdering every single leading family besides themselves, man, woman, and child.'

'We would not do such a thing!'

'The Summers family? Oh, we did. My ancestors were just as brutal as anyone else back then. For example, there are historical records of us kidnapping a lord's daughter and mind-fucking her into a loyal slave before allowing her to be "rescued" so she could infiltrate the enemy palace and murder her own father and brothers in their sleep. History books don't exactly talk about the worst things my family did, but our records do. In explicit detail.'

'Why? Why would your ancestors…'

'Murder thousands before forcing a twelve year old girl to commit kinslaying? Because it was war. Because it was revenge for his own son's death. Because even though we like to think psychic powers amplify the capacity for empathy and understanding, the opposite is equally true: Psychics are some of the cruelest, most vindictive assholes on the planet. That's why our private records were never expunged, I think. These stories are supposed to be a warning, a promise that we'd never forget our crimes even if the rest of Hoenn did, a reminder to live with some humility because we have no moral high ground.'

'I… I think I understand,' Artoria spoke, her mental song subdued. 'My lord, may we speak of lighter topics?'

I chuckled mirthlessly. I had to admit, the sweet aroma of the flowers didn't make for a good backdrop to such a tale. We were almost out of Verdanturf now. 'Yeah, I suppose I got a bit off track. Anyway, after we won, Mikuri became the Founding Champion. The Higana were strong enough to oppose us, or at least force an extremely costly victory, so they were able to negotiate some terms with their surrender. Even now, Meteor Falls is a semi-autonomous region of Hoenn and is devoid of ranger patrols beyond what the Draconids allow.

'But anyway, with three of the four remaining clans situated in the east, Mikuri decided to set the new capitol in Ever Grande City to spite the Higana head so that he would have to fly over every burnt ruin and deep into enemy territory to pledge fealty to the new League. She wanted him to see the ruins of what was once his and his allies' lands before comparing that with the prosperity enjoyed by her allies. It was a blatant show of power and a slap in the face. That's why the traditional Hoenn gym route goes from Rustboro east to Sootopolis, because it mirrors the detour Ristal Higana, the patriarch of the clan back then, made while visiting every ruined settlement on his way to kneel before Eva Mikuri. That route is called the Dragon's Lament in some of the older history books.'

'My lord?'

'Yes, Artoria?'

'I think I understand why she is disliked now.'

I let out a bark of laughter. 'Yeah, again, this is how we remember her, and the Summers were her allies. Imagine what the Higana thought of her back then. Or still do for that matter. She was great. Powerful and charismatic, but also a colossal cunt. All that to say, fuck the traditional route.'

To my surprise, she nodded resolutely. 'Indeed. Fuck the traditional route.'

'Heh, Swearing? I'm such a bad influence on you.'

Artoria hopped off her electrifying steed, her nose raised in the air in a disdainful sniff. 'You are. It is good to recognize your faults. Admission is the first step to improvement.'

I rolled my eyes. We were in the outskirts of Verdanturf now. Unlike with Mauville, there wasn't a single thing that separated the "wilds" from "Verdanturf." The town naturally bled into personal orchards and gardens that became increasingly larger, speckled with flower patches and trees that clearly hadn't ever heard of city planners. It was beautiful, the kind of seamless transition that only became apparent when the berry bushes and fruit trees fell away in favor of more forest.

If I remembered right, these trees were planted so flush to the forest so that wild pokémon could have something to eat without encroaching upon the livelihoods of farmers, a sort of offering to the local fauna. It would never work in my old life, but I supposed it was a viable strategy when most of the wildlife was smart enough to negotiate with.

At this point, after days of scouring the town, I didn't think either the gardevoirite or mawilite were likely to be found so close to Verdanturf, but I was determined to leave no stone unturned, so we spent the day tracing the town perimeter one final time.

As expected, we found nothing. I didn't let the day go completely to waste though; I had my two pokémon train on the go much like before. Artoria was still working on condensing ghost type aura into her spoon. She could manage it, but some of the more nuanced katas were still difficult to pull off while maintaining her hold on an energy that was so anathema to her.

Jeanne likely improved the most, though I suspected that a major reason for this was because she was comparatively new to training. Like with everything, it was easier to improve in the beginning when there were so many obvious things to improve upon. A big part of her training recently had been in improving her Tackle and I felt confident enough to say it had evolved to become Take Down.

Strictly speaking, Take Down wasn't a useful move for an ampharos, a pokémon that excels in ranged combat. Learning the move served dual purposes outside of viability in combat: First, Jeanne needed to be faster. No matter the "build" or "EV spread" of a pokémon, this wasn't a game and physical conditioning would always be useful. Second, Jeanne needed to get in the mindset of fighting, of being hurt.

It was something I noticed over the past four days, something I kicked myself for not noticing before. Jeanne wasn't an aggressive fighter. She would execute a move when told of course, but the impulse to fight recklessly, to go all-in like Artoria did with every swing, was absent in my little lamb. She always held a piece of herself back subconsciously because she was so used to a more passive combat style that relied on slowing her opponent then striking them down from afar.

To put it in shonen terms, she lacked killing intent.

By having her ram into trees, rocks, and wild pokémon, even if it hurt her a little, I was trying to condition her mindset as much as her body. I wanted a bit of Artoria's focused aggression to rub off on her so that should she face an opponent capable of closing the gap on her, she wouldn't hesitate.

I could relate because I was the same way when I first started learning kendo. I needed to be taught that it was okay, encouraged even, to bean someone upside the head with a stick… in specific situations. I needed to be taught not to fear getting hurt, to discipline myself into a more combative mentality that wouldn't retreat from the line.

X

It was nightfall now and we'd taken a bit of a detour to sleep in a campground maintained by the rangers. These campsites were fairly common on the outskirts of towns. They provided traveling trainers an option should they be unable to afford a room and acted as yet another point of intersection between local trainer hopefuls and the rangers. I remembered camping out on Mossdeep's beaches fondly.

I hadn't bothered to set up a tent, opting instead to gaze up at the myriad of stars that dotted the night sky. The stars were beautiful and I wondered if any of the constellations were comparable with Earth's. Unfortunately, stargazing had never been a hobby of mine, what with the polluted air of cities in the old world.

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Jeanne yawned sleepily as she cuddled into my side, plum tuckered out from her time ramming everything that moved. She KO'd a rattata, three zigzagoon, one roselia, and four oddish during our trek through the woods, all with Take Down. I lazily scratched behind her horns and fed her a mix of dried strawberries and apples. She deserved them.

Next to me, Artoria hummed a relaxing melody to herself as she polished her spoon. I'd gotten her a high-quality polishing cloth and she'd taken to polishing her weapon of choice to a mirror shine every night. She'd made a fair bit of progress as well and had taken to performing her sword forms while using the local vegetation as imaginary opponents and obstacles. By the end of the day, she could maintain the ghost type aura like a knife's edge over the spoon without losing focus, provided nothing interrupted her concentration, something I took to doing with glee in the name of training her precognition.

I closed my eyes and turned my attention inward. This was my own training. According to the texts from my family library, human psychics typically had an affinity towards either the mental or physical aspects of the art. Few were truly exceptional at every aspect, the twins being rare examples that proved the rule.

Given my natural empathic abilities, it was fairly obvious where my own talents lay, though I lacked the Sight as far as anyone knew. That just meant I would have to work on my pericognition, knowledge of the present, as it pertained to my immediate surroundings. Farseeing divination was hardly the only way to use this power after all.

I focused on the connection between Artoria and myself. It was as it always was, a pulse of warmth that spoke of unshakeable loyalty and love. I allowed myself to luxuriate in the sensation like sinking into a relaxing bath. Safety. Acceptance. Belonging.

I reluctantly gathered my thoughts and began to focus outward. I used our psychic bond as a frame of reference as I began to expand upon my fledgling abilities. Currently, I saw emotions as colors, but that in itself made no sense. My eyes had nothing to do with emotions. It wasn't like emotions gave off light after all. I wanted to change that; I wanted to be able to read the emotions of everyone around me, whether I could see them or not.

To start, I'd settle for simply being able to sense life signs. It wouldn't protect me from dark types, but it was a hell of an edge to have, especially when traveling the wilds. I used our bond as a sample and pushed my attention outward until I could feel flickers of mental activity that were not mine nor my partner's.

Then, my mind snapped back into place like a rubber band, leaving me with a sharp headache. I plopped down onto the sleeping bag. "Oww…"

'You touched other minds for a moment, my lord,' Artoria encouraged. 'It was brief, but I felt your mind expand.'

"Mareep?" Jeanne bleated. She turned and licked my fingers to express concern. Or maybe she was sad she ran out of dried strawberries.

I smiled and booped her nose. "It's nothing, girl, just a bit of psychic training."

"Ma, mareep. Mareep."

'She says she wishes you luck, my lord. She is eager to speak with you in full,' my kirlia dutifully translated.

"Yeah, soon, Jeanne. Soon."

The night passed amicably as the three of us basked in each other's company. I worked on my psychic abilities for another hour before I decided my head hurt too much to be productive. Exhaustion really was the best sleep medication.

X

The next morning greeted me with a bit of a conundrum. Namely, where to now? A radial pattern from Verdanturf, as much as I'd like, wasn't sustainable forever. I could do this for maybe two weeks, a full month if I was willing, but that wouldn't be enough to cover much ground.

In the end, I made the executive decision to head towards Rusturf Mountains. The mountain range between Rustboro and Verdanturf was another major change from the games. From what I remember, the tunnel led directly into Verdanturf Town and was a single, straight shot west to Rustboro, hence the name.

In reality, no one sane wanted to build a town directly in front of a cave entrance, especially not where superpowered wildlife could take offense. Nor was the Rusturf Caverns, the cave system that spanned much of the range, so easily mapped out. It was a whole cave system, with several ranger-approved paths available for trainers negotiated for with the wild pokémon in the area.

Just as the cave system was much more complicated, there was an appropriately wider sampling of biodiversity in the Rusturf Mountains. Pidgeot and altaria alike could be found making nests towards the peaks. In the deepest reaches of the cave system, onix, geodude, and nosepass could be found digging for ores to eat, ever expanding the cave in doing so.

Really, the primary reason whismur were the most commonly seen pokémon throughout the tunnel was because the tunnel was paved specifically so it passed through a whismur colony. The shy pokémon were among the least likely to be hostile to trainers and so long as no one pissed off the exploud, the tunnel was as safe as any route could be.

I was searching the area west of Verdanturf primarily for the sake of crossing it off my list of suspects, but I also hoped that I could maybe meet an interesting pokémon or two. Truthfully? I was getting a little tired of all the oddish and roselia.

'Anything?' I asked Artoria as she wove through the branches like the world's least historically accurate ninja. Although her footwork was as sharp as ever, her ghostly blade had long since evaporated in her excitement. She hadn't even noticed, so busy was she in expanding her senses outward for even the slightest hint of psychic and fae power.

'There is a pulse to our northwest, my lord. It feels unlike the alakazite I found earlier.' I felt the bond flex from her end and suddenly, I knew what she was focusing on. It was a pulse of psychic aura that shone steadily like a light in the night. 'Do you feel what I feel, my lord? I can tell that this is either a psychic pokémon or the stone rather than a pokémon practicing a psychic type move because if it were simply a move, the aura would not be constant.'

'I see what you mean. Now is it a pokémon or a stone?' I wondered as we approached closer. Five minutes later, I saw a corona of emotion beyond the thicket. 'Pokémon. I can see the emotions.'

'So it seems,' she said, disappointment palpable.

It turned out to be a small natu, pecking away at a berry on the ground. It was no mega stone, but I was satisfied with the knowledge of how far Artoria's sensing ability has come. Now that I could see the natu and feel it through her bond, I could tell just how small its psychic presence was.

Then, I had an idea. I wanted to learn to sense life. What better way than to piggyback off her bond as she conducted her search like this?

'Do you mind, Artoria?'

'Of course not, my lord. One should always strive to better oneself.'

'Then I suppose I shall be in your care, teacher,' I sent back teasingly. With our minds so deeply merged, I literally felt her flush with embarrassment before she huffed.

We spent the first day doing nothing but psychic-spotting. Artoria spent hours just pointing out where she could sense psychic aura, when, and how powerful it was relative to herself. When I got a feel for it, she stopped lecturing and we instead moved on to playing a game of trying to guess what we were sensing.

Artoria won the overwhelming majority of times, but just the fact that I could play at all with her made me giddy. It was proof that my sensory abilities were improving by leaps and bounds. In a few days, when I had grown accustomed to sensing psychic aura, I promised myself I'd work on sensing other living creatures, starting of course with Jeanne.

We met a surprisingly diverse cast of psychics pokémon including a spoink that had dropped down from the Mt. Chimney area, several more natu that we learned were part of one loosely connected flock, a meowstic, and even an abra that seemed curious about being a battling pokémon, when it wasn't sleeping at any rate. Alas, I kept my word to Artoria and refrained from asking the abra to the team. The species was a bit too narcoleptic for a stringent lifestyle and promises were promises after all.

We were almost ready to make camp, away from anyone else this time, when I heard Artoria's voice in my head.

'My lord?'

'Yes, Artoria?'

'Thank you for honoring your promise.'

I shrugged and began to lay out my bedroll. 'It's really not a big deal. I may be a Summers, but I don't care nearly as much about psychic types as mom or the twins. I want to be a great psychic. I don't want to raise great psychics. There's a difference.'

'It meant much to me, and I thank you, but… you can have other psychics.'

'Oh?'

'Shall we go back? I believe I can locate the sleepy one again if you wish to speak to him.'

'No, that's fine. What changed?'

She flushed. 'The bond changed. I changed. I… Ever since my evolution, our connection has deepened and I can feel your intentions more clearly. I still do not enjoy the idea of another sharing our bond, but I would not be opposed entirely…'

'My mind is prime real estate, is it?'

'It is. One's mind is one's most secret sanctuary after all.'

'Well you don't have to worry. I don't think psychics are anything to chase after,' I reassured her again. It was cute in a way, seeing her overcome her hang-ups. I doubted she'd ever fully feel comfortable amongst her kind until she could prove that her sword was as powerful as any other psychic art, but she'd made remarkable progress in a scant few weeks. She was maturing, and at speeds that would be impossible for a human child.

We were silent for a long moment as we basked in each other's presence. 'My lord?'

'Hmm?'

'If not a powerful psychic pokémon to join our team, what do you want to ask from Lady Sharon?'

It took a few seconds for me to make sense of what she was asking. 'The alakazite?'

'Yes. I thought that you would want a psychic from afar. Perhaps an eevee so you can arrange its evolution into an espeon? Their kind always seemed inordinately popular among humans.'

'Hah, yeah. Espeon are pretty great. They're adorable and plenty strong in a fight, but that seems like a bit of a waste, no? Eevee can be found in Hoenn too. In these woods in fact. They're rare, but not exactly unobtainable.'

'Indeed. Then perhaps a hatenna from far off Galar? Mother told me that their line are some of the most potent empaths in the world. They could be a good fit for you, my lord.'

'A hatterene?' I mused. My thoughts went to what I could remember about them from the games. 'They're very powerful pokémon. They're also very silent pokémon who value their peace and quiet. I doubt one would get along with Jeanne.'

Artoria let out a mental snort. 'No, I suppose not. You did want a pokémon from her correct? You do not strike me as the type of man who covets material wealth.'

'Definitely not. So yeah, probably a pokémon.'

'Then if not a psychic, which?' She then audibly groaned and leaned into my side. 'Please don't tell me you want one of those barbaric dragons.'

I reached over and began to rub her pink head crests. She let out an audible sigh as she sank deeper into the sleeping bag. 'Hmm… A salamence would be nice. I mean, what's not to like? They're strong, fast, and learn a wide variety of moves.'

'They are also barbaric, with short tempers and an insufferable arrogance that borders on the comical.'

'If I had one, it could fly me places.'

'I can teleport,' she pouted. 'You need no upjumped lizard to ferry you around like luggage.'

'Are you jealous?'

'I am not! Tis but a knight's duty to slay dragons. I am merely espousing the virtues of chivalry and honor. A winged lizard knows no such things.'

'Well you can relax. I wouldn't mind a dragon, but I don't really want a bagon in particular. In the first place, the Higana don't exactly like our family and they have something close to a monopoly on the species in Hoenn.'

'Even now? They would keep you from raising a dragon?'

'Keep me? No. They'd raise a stink over it for sure though. Maybe even sponsor an elite trainer to enter every tournament I enter just to obstruct my career. I don't think they'd do anything outright illegal, but they can make life difficult. But if you must know, a dragon is one of the two pokémon I am considering asking for.'

'A dragon…'

'Oh relax, goomy are some of the kindest and least temperamental of all dragons.'

'Goomy? I don't think I'm familiar with them.'

I dug up the relevant memories from my runthrough of X and Y and sent them her way. 'They're dragons despite their appearance. They don't look like much, but once they evolve, they are some of the sturdiest pokémon around.'

'I don't understand. The pokédex you remember lists them as the weakest of all dragons.'

'Only when they're young. And, I also want to experiment a bit and feed a goomy an iron-rich diet to see if I can induce a Hisuian evolution to give it a steel type.'

'You should consider becoming a researcher, my lord. With the many nuggets of hidden knowledge you possess, you could easily make groundbreaking discoveries.'

'Nope. Knowledge from a game isn't the same as actual intelligence and a passion for the scientific method. What I know would probably be a good jumping-off-point, but nothing more than that. I might find initial success as a researcher, but it'd be impossible to build off my findings without the proper background and passion. I'd feel like a fraud. And besides, I don't think either you or Jeanne would be happy with a quiet life in academia.'

'No, I suppose not… So you desire a… "tank" for our team?' she mused. She'd slowly begun to incorporate some of the terminology used in competitive battling back in my old life. 'Wise. Neither Jeanne nor I are defensively inclined.'

'That's one choice.'

'What's the other?'

'A larvesta, a bug and fire dual type from Unova that evolves into one of my favorite pokémon of all time,' I admitted. I loved everything about it, from the design to its role on my team. 'Volcarona, its evolution, are the exact opposites of goodra. They're offense personified. Strong fliers, powerful ranged attacks, versatile movesets. You name it; they've got it.'

'Does not the current Champion of the region have one?'

'Alder. And yeah. I'm surprised you remember that.'

'Mother told me that it is good to know the powerful trainers I hope to challenge one day.'

'And you want to challenge Champion Alder?'

'I want to challenge all the Champions. And their Elites. Once I have bested father at the blade, I hope to travel the world and test myself further against every storied trainer and pokémon.'

'You sure don't dream small.'

'Small dreams are for small minds.'

'Did Alice tell you that?'

'Mother did not. Alfonse did.'

'Heh, should've known. Sounds like that blowhard.'

'He is a fine elder of the family, my liege,' she admonished lightly. 'I am certain he is appreciative of our gift.'

'Knowing him? He'll probably tell us some sage advice that only makes sense long after it becomes useful.'

'… That is no reason to show him disrespect.'

'But you agree.'

'… Yes…'

'In any case, I'm looking for either a goomy or a larvesta. I have a few others in mind, but they're my top picks. Between the two, do you have a preference?'

I could see her nose scrunch up adorably in concentration. 'Hmm… I lean in favor of a goomy, my lord. Ranged offense is a position I suspect Jeanne will take on in the future.'

'But ampharos are relatively slow and don't have the advantage of flight. There is some overlap between an ampharos and a Volcarona, but their fighting styles are different, as are the elemental diversity they cover.'

'This is true… We do not need to decide now… Perhaps we should consult Jeanne as well?'

'You're right; she's as much part of this team as you or I.' I glanced down at my little lamb, but she was already asleep. That was fine, so long as she didn't sleep-crawl onto my face. The little rascal at least knew better than to mess with me in the wilds. 'I think she fell asleep while we were talking.'

'Then I shall broach the subject tomorrow. Good night, my lord.'

I tucked her into my side and leaned back, staring up above at the myriad stars. 'Good night, Artoria. Sweet dreams.'

Author's Note

BF here meaning "before founding." Mikuri is Wallace's Japanese name. Higana is Zinnia's. Fuyou is Phoebe's. Yes, this means Phoebe is part of the Mt. Pyre group. I hope that history lesson paints a good picture of where I want this story to go. It wouldn't be a pokémon story if there wasn't a lingering shadow of some great war in the background.

Aaron's psychic abilities are growing stronger. I had to figure out a way to show tangible improvement while not going the physical reinforcement route, at least for now.

The beauty of a psychic type starter is having someone smart enough to bounce ideas off of. An assistant coach if you will. But yeah, I'm thinking about a goomy or larvesta. I considered the other pseudo-legends but they're either meh to me or would clash pretty violently with Artoria.

I actually thought about a Galarian ponyta so our King Arthur could have his Llamrei, but ultimately decided against it. Aaron's not going to waste a favor from Sharon just to turn his starter into a meme… more of a meme…

Thank you for reading. To reach a wider audience, and because I enjoy a more forum-like setup to facilitate discussion, I like to crosspost to a wide variety of websites. You can find them all on my Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/fabled.webs.