Leaf

  —

  "So the reason you're spending all your time camping out there is because of your mother?" Erin nodded at my mom as we sat there eating lunch.

  I would never tell her, but after eating Erin's literally otherworldly cooking, my mother's Pidgey Pot Pie was just… lacking. We all still ate it with enthusiasm, but only Erin seemed intrigued by the flavor as she asked my mom a few questions about what she put in it. She even managed to look neutral when she did.

  Erin was still very much not a happy person. At all. But despite her temper, Erin wasn't one to blindly lash out at people doing a good deed. Well, I could see her doing that, actually, but I could also see her removing herself from the situation first. Less victims to silence after her rage calms down, anyway…

  "Well, yeah. She refuses to sleep without me. I haven't slept alone since we met, and she's way too big for most rooms. Pokemon Centers apparently usually have a few rooms big enough, but not for free during the off-Circuit times." My moms face looked thoughtful as she listened to Erin. And warm. Leto's love for her immature daughter really was sweet. Overbearing, but sweet.

  "It's easier to just have her run far off-Route and set up a campsite. A rain tarp and ground cover makes it comfortable enough. I was going to buy a huge tent, but I can't afford that for a while now. Hopefully I can before it gets cold. Summer is going suck." I hope so too, Erin. I really do, too.

  "And you don't worry, going so far off rout- oh, what am I saying!" My mom laughed a little, her eyes darting to the prone form of Leto visible in the backyard. She was being used as an obstacle course by the other Pokemon, apparently, and I found the sight sweet. I knew her, and trusted her, though. My moms smile at the sight was a great deal more unsteady.

  It didn't stop her from being my mom, though.

  "Why don't you all stay here instead, dear? You could run out to train, our backyard is more than big enough for everyone, and we can rig up a tarp on the fence for you! That sounds quite fun, actually, like a little sleepover!" My moms eyes were shining as Erin's face ran through a series of emotions.

  Irritation, quickly subsumed by guilt over said irritation, then she visibly braced herself before tightly nodding.

  "That sounds… great, ma'am. I'm sure my team wouldn't mind watching TV again, either, even if it's through a window for my mom." My mom clapped her hands together in delight.

  "We have a projector, actually! We haven't used it in forever, but we could pull it out and have a movie night!" Erin winced, but looked over at me with a questioning look in her eyes. I nodded back.

  My mom could be a bit much sometimes, but sleeping in my bed for the remaining time before the Circuit began instead of cheap futons sounded amazing, despite Erin's obvious reluctance. She would get over it. We would have plenty of time during the Circuit to camp.

  "That sounds… lovely then, Ms. Greenwood." My mom laughed and rubbed the top of Erins head, causing her to scowl.

  "Please, call me Patricia, dear. Ms. Greenwood makes me feel so old." Erin's eyes actually grew understanding, and for the first time I saw that there really might be an adult in there. Somewhere. Buried deep, deep down.

  Buried and dying, was my guess. The poor young girl. Hah!

  Never letting it go.

  "Okay then… ma'am." Her grin grew when my mom gave her a playful pout.

  "That's not exactly fair, Erin."

  "It's completely fair… anyways, we need to go collect our stuff-" Raihan stood up, interrupting her and grabbing Erin's backpack from beside the door.

  "I'll go with Leto, you all get to know each other, set some ground rules. I'll be back soon." He looked at my mom briefly before he was gone. Professor Oak also stood, walking towards the front door.

  "Yes, yes, I'm glad this situation was resolved so amicably, but I really am needed back at the Lab." Erin glared at him for the amicable comment, but we all sent him off with a warm goodbye.

  Then it was just us three in a silent kitchen, and it quickly grew uncomfortable. Erin frowned for a brief second before looking up at my mom with a questioning look on her face.

  "What is your stance on eating wild Pokemon?" My moms eyes grew troubled, and she stared at Erin's Sneasel feathers for a moment before she responded.

  "I personally don't like to eat wild, unfarmed Pokemon, and I don't really feel comfortable eating something so smart that died just for me to eat. I won't judge those who do, however." Erin nodded, face conniving.

  "Okay, how about eating parts of a wild Pokemon that was killed by another Pokemon for food? We had Tauros ribs the other night, and Leaf and Raihan almost met Arceus, sooo…" She trailed off, my mothers face so conflicted. After a moment, though, a massive grin spread across her face.

  "Well, I mean, if it's just a byproduct of a natural process, and she's going to need to hunt anyway, well… I don't see why not, hmm?" Her grin was wide, and hungry.

  I smiled to see the byplay. Erin could use someone to talk to, and my mom was pretty awesome, if I said so myself. Plus, as a bonus, mom gets Erin's otherworldly cooking tips.

  "Well, when Raihan and my mom get back, I'll see if she can go find that herd. There's a herd that got kicked out of the plains, so we're kind of culling them back… Damn, now I really want more ribs."

  She was not prepared for the flick of fingers against the back of her head, and she hissed in pain as she ducked her head. My mother lowered her arm, a warm smile on her face.

  "Language, young lady. I may not be able to control your mouth outside this house, but I can inside." Her tone was gentle, but so firm. Erin paled a little bit, probably regretting her choices already. I almost was, but the siren song of my bed tonight was overpowering.

  "Sorry… Ms. Greenwood." Her grin grew again, even as my mom rounded on her. Before they could get going again, however, I stepped in between them.

  "How about we go make sure our Pokemon aren't destroying the back yard, huh? Erin?" She gave me a little glare before making for the door. I held my mom back as she exited, and we were alone for a second. I gave her a tight hug, and she returned it after a brief moment of surprise.

  "Thanks mom. She's a good person, but she's too proud to admit she might actually be a kid, I guarantee you. Still, she's helping me, and we're going to travel together. She could also really use a mother figure that doesn't drool." My mom laughed a little as she tightened her hug briefly.

  "Leaf, if I were you I wouldn't call me a mother figure around Erin. She seems as though she may have some… problems with that, so we're just going to call me her guardian, okay?" I nodded, already aware of the fact. "I agree, though. Her Pokemon wouldn't look at her the way they do if not, not to mention her mother…" My moms face didn't get pale this time, but her eyes still darted to the Tyrantrum-free backyard. Then they came back to rest on me.

  "Not to mention how she handled your dragon! What was that? Did she actually fight him? She beat him unconscious!?" I couldn't blame my mothers reactions, as I continued to nod. Her face grew more and more incredulous, before with a huff she grew mad.

  "Now that's just irresponsible of her! Fighting a Pokemon!" She turned to stomp outside and I grabbed her arm.

  "Hold on mom! She doesn't do that every time! Just to establish dominance, and-! And as a…" I trailed off as my mother gave me a suspicious glare.

  "As a what, Leaf?" Her tone was stern, nothing like my squeak as I responded.

  "As a punishment…" Her frown deepened.

  "As a punishment for what, Leaf?" Her tone was so flat.

  "As a punishment for… for trying to kill me in my sleep after he Evolved." I was prepared for an expression of horror, but her face merely looked knowing.

  "Ah, I imagine she didn't take too kindly to that. Still!" I looked at her in astonishment.

  "No, Leto was furious, too… you knew?" My voice was small as she gave me a warm, sad smile.

  "Leaf, I'm your mother, of course I knew. I knew even before the Professor called to inform me. Did you really think he wouldn't tell me, your own mother?" I guess I kinda did, if I feel this much shock, yeah!

  "I knew that once the Professor was involved you wouldn't die, and I didn't want you to lose him forever. Despite his actions… he's your baby. You still love him." It wasn't a question, but I still nodded quietly.

  "As Raihan told you, you have a way with Pokemon, Leaf. I truly believe that one day, he will be your most powerful asset. I hope he loves you, but I know that someday soon he will respect you. There is so much there to respect, after all." I wiped at my eyes as she finished, before we walked outside to take in the chaos.

  There wasn't any, however. It looked like everyone was napping aside from Clefairy and Artemis, who were bouncing on either side of Erin. Or, maybe they were trying to get at each other? My little fairy looked happy and innocent, but I knew that was a mask, just like the rest of her. I would side with the prehistoric infant until shown proof otherwise.

  "Artemis, I know she probably did something! Not here in the backyard! Just hold onto that anger and let it turn into bitter rage, then destroy her when you get older!" Erin's face was amused as she redirected the tiny charges, heedless of her fingers so close to the open maw. She punched my fae away, and the horror just laughed before bounding back.

  My mom frowned and began to step forward but I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and a shake of my head.

  "Let Erin handle her team, and Clefairy, she knows what she's doing."

  "Yes, but dear, what she said…" I shook my head.

  "Mom, Artemis is a Tyrunt, a prehistoric species. She's wilder and more aggressive than any modern Pokemon, even if you don't really see that around Erin. You can't tell her not to be mad, to let it go. You have to accept that she will always have a temper. That doesn't mean she gets to accept her rage and destroy things in a tantrum, but she's a baby, still. She's working on it. I mean, I think even Leto could still throw a tantrum in the right circumstances." Erin looked up from her play-fighting with her Pokemon and gave a quick nod.

  "Oh absolutely! She's banned from doing it around people, but if she gets mad enough I'll probably have to go someplace and have her let off steam." My mom looked a bit worried about that, but I reassured her.

  "That's actually amazing self control for her species, mom. Anyways, what I was getting at is that different species need to be handled differently. Not to mention, even different Pokemon of the same species don't all act or react the same, either." I felt proud at the look my mom gave me, and even though I saw a wicked smile on Erin's face she remained silent.

  I totally wasn't almost exactly repeating a lecture she and Raihan gave me, nope!

  "Well, okay then, dear…" She trailed off as Artemis finally got bored of her attempts. She then decided that the new person was more interesting, so she charged my mom with reckless abandon. I was just about to stop her charge, even though it wasn't that dangerous at her current size, when my mom crouched and absorbed the impact like she was trained for it! My expression must have been obvious because she laughed, beginning to stroke the excited baby's snout.

  "You used to charge around almost the same way, Leaf, little arms flailing about! I had to wrap blankets around the table legs!" Erin began to laugh along with her as I glowered at the two of them. This wasn't good. Erin and my mom together might be able to actually kill me through sheer embarrassment if they ever truly joined forces.

  "She likes Leaf, and she knows your her mom, so obviously you must be a nice person too!" Erin was smiling as she crouched to meet the fresh charge of her adopted sister, letting Artemis knock her over in a theatrical display that left her wrestling the small Tyrunt with her arm wrapped around the baby's head.

  "Someone's got too much energy! Go ahead and give me a few Tackles, little girl!" Artemis perked up and actually Tackled her way out of the headlock, before beginning a series of running Tackles that brought her dangerously close to sleeping Pokemon, the grill, lawn furniture, and at the end, Erin. Erin just dodged the Tackle and caught the exhausted little Pokemon, however.

  My mom watched the entire thing with a warm smile, tension draining from her shoulders. I had no doubt it would come back as soon as Leto did, but for now she was calm as she watched Erin play with her sister. She spoke up, very softly.

  "Is she always wearing a mask, Leaf?" I took a moment to think about that question.

  My immediate answer was of course not, Erin wore her heart, thoughts, and Pawniard blade on her sleeve, not a mask. Then I began to really think, and I saw it. She might let it slip, but Erin never let herself appear truly weak. Not getting put in timeout, being teased, being tossed around by Raihan, no, true weakness. She was still torn up about Team Rocket, despite her choice, but she was masking that, as well. Not that I could tell my mother anything about that whole situation.

  "Almost always, yeah. She's had a… rough introduction to, uhh… society?" I cursed myself. Why would I say that when I had no idea how to cover? My moms eyebrows rose, but she didn't say anything, so I kept going.

  "She's had to be strong, and I think she doesn't know how to be normal again. I think part of her is still back in the Lowlands of the Proserve, and I think she needs help, but apparently she's going to be getting it." I sighed and looked at my mom. Her eyes were proud as she looked at me.

  "I think she's going to get help, but that doesn't mean she can't use some more in the meantime. She might be stubborn and prideful, but she's still human." I snorted. "Despite appearances when her damned eyes glow."

  I failed to anticipate the flick to my forehead, and winced in pain as I glared at my mom. She had an amused look on her face, but then it got questioning.

  "Glowing eyes?" Shit.

  "Uuhh, yeah, I mean, like, a turn of phrase! Yeah! That's what I meant!" Her eyes narrowed at me.

  "Leaf Greenwood-" Shit, the full name. "-tell me right now. Does my newest ward have glowing eyes?" Her voice rose, and she was nearly whisper-shouting near the end. Obviously Erin heard and was looking over, and she got a huge grin on her face as my mom met her eyes.

  "Ma'am, I assure you, all glowing is purely cosmetic. So far I have yet to shoot any lasers out of my eyes, to my vast disappointment." My mom looked at her with a strange face. Erin's grin grew wider and she bounced her eyebrows.

  "Wanna see?" Even as my mom gave a stunned nod I stood there in confusion. I thought it was, like, an anger thing? Could she just make herself angry?

  The answer was apparently yes, as with a deep growl Erin bent over, hands clenched into fists. When she looked up her eyes were glowing royal purple. They weren't blazing, and the light looked kind of flickery and dull, but my mom was startled enough. She gasped and stumbled backwards, but I caught her before she could fall.

  "It's a bit interesting, huh?" Erin wasn't growling, her voice was actually pretty light, but it certainly sounded intimidating coming from that face of hers. She took a deep breath and suddenly the intense atmosphere I hadn't even noticed disappeared. My mom gasped and stood upright, staring at Erin like she was a wild beast. Erin grinned, sadly I thought.

  "It's one of my… job-related bonuses? I have a lot of draconic aura, but as you can see, it's not exactly a… fun aura." She seemed to flinch as she said that. "Small Pokemon run from me, actually. It makes handling dragons so easy, but… it's not all positives." She turned away and took a deep breath while I exchanged a look with my mom.

  I knew about Erin's issues, some at least, and she had come so close to touching on them, but I would have to wait and see if she opened up to my mom. We had a week here at least! Plenty of time! Right?

  The rest of the afternoon was relaxing as we all hung out in the backyard, my mom making good on her promise and leading me and Erin on a half-hour search through cluttered boxes before we found a projector that we could hook up to a PokeNav. A few large branches from the nearby woods raised the height of our already-tall fence and we soon had an entire corner of the yard tarped over, the ground cover and blankets coming out even as we dragged the lawn furniture over.

  By the time it had grown slightly dark we were all ready to watch a series of Pokemon Matches from the last Conference. My mother watched with amused wariness as Leto demanded a spot be made for her, and in short order she had been turned into her usual couch. I don't think my moms jaw could drop any further, but she certainly tried when both me and Raihan went and joined Erin.

  Leto was a surprisingly good couch, provided you had a cushion.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Eventually even my mother gave in and joined us, her expression morphing into one of awe as she laid her head back on Leto for the first time and heard her giant heartbeat. She caught my eye and I gave her a warm smile. Leto was awesome, if you could get over the whole 'has literally eaten dozens of humans alive' part.

  "So, want to start us off, mom?" She had connected her PokeNav, so I didn't think anything of it when she smiled and began to tap away at it.

  Then the first picture came up.

  "This is Leaf on her first day of elementary school! She was so determined to wear all three skirts, and I just couldn't say no! I mean, look at that face!"

  My mothers face was practically glowing as she presented a very embarrassing picture of me! I groaned and reached for her phone, but a chuckling Leto snatched me up. My mother looked like she was about to have a heart attack, but only momentarily. She noticed the curved lips and the sounds coming from the giant Pokemon and began to chuckle, then laugh as Leto held me there, just barely above the ground. Facing the screen.

  "Leto, that's not fair! Mom, those are so embarrassing! Stop it!" I thought I made some good points, personally, but my devious mother just continued to chuckle at my weakly flailing limbs and switched to another photo.

  "This photo here is Leaf at the beach for the first time! She was so scared of the water, but determined, so she put on some floaties. Then a float ring. Then she put floaties on her legs." Everyone laughed at the determined little girl on the screen, happily stomping towards the ocean with a determined little frown.

  "Here's that same little girl, a minute later!" There I was, flailing on my back in the water, unable to control myself. My mother had retrieved me and removed the excess floaties from my legs right after she took the photo, but I wish she never had. Right at this moment, I wish she had let me drift out to sea. My face was so red as Erin and Raihan both laughed. I could feel Leto chuckling, too!

  I was eventually set free after what felt like hours of torture, and we settled back to actually watch some matches. My baby was intensely interested, while my new little horror seemed to be as well. She had been calm today, minor pranks aside. I didn't mind her tapping the shoulders of other Pokemon and darting away, even if they did, but I couldn't help but worry about what happened when she got bored of small, simple pranks.

  Eventually it got late, so with tired goodbyes me and my mom returned to my nice, safe, climate controlled house and I went to sleep in my nice, comfortable bed.

  Well, that's what should have happened.

  What actually happened was Leto growling at me as I began walking away, causing me to stagger to a quick halt. I looked at her in confusion, but with an insistent shake of her head she pointed back at her stomach. At the pile of blankets and two very amused Dragon Masters watching me. Erin's grin was so wide it threatened to split her head in half, and she could barely stop herself from laughing long enough to speak.

  "Pop quiz time, Leaf. What's going on here?" She began to giggle, my mom looking on in fear, even though Leto was quiet now.

  I groaned. Fuck!

  "Leto… has accepted me into her pack. As a member of her pack, I'm not… supposed to sleep away from the pack." Erin stopped giggling long enough to answer as my mom's face transformed into amused exasperation.

  "Close enough, Leaf, but you're forgetting one part?" I looked at her questioningly. "You're also the weak link, so she worries about you when you get too far. She worries about the little baby Pokemon." Leto's nod was not appreciated. My mom began to giggle as well, and I shot her a betrayed glance. She managed to speak easily enough, but she had a smile on her face that I didn't like.

  "Oh, well, that is unexpected, but so precious!" She turned to Leto, a wide, open smile on her face as she faced the Alpha Tyrantrum without fear for the first time.

  "She is like an adorable baby Pokemon, isn't she! You worry she'll hurt herself just walking around!" My mom began to giggle even harder as Leto nodded, a huge smirk on her face. Her eyes darted to me and narrowed, and I narrowed my own back.

  "I'll get you back for this, Leto! Just you wait! I don't know how, but I'll figure something out!" Her eyes narrowed at me dangerously and I cleared my throat. "On my own, no Clefairy this time!" Her glare stopped and she snorted at me. My mothers face wasn't happy as she stared at me, however.

  "You set your Clefairy on her?" Before I even had the chance to speak up, Raihan beat me to it.

  "Leaf set her Clefairy on the entire camp, actually." I scowled at him as my mothers scowl grew more dangerous looking.

  "Leaf, that-" I cut her off, desperate.

  "Mom, trust me, I got my punishment for that, and… well, nobody will let me forget it." Seraphina and Hecate both nodded, which was a little sad, but oh well. Raihan's dragons had largely remained neutral on the matter. They were angry in the moment, but they wouldn't be traveling with Clefairy, just staying here briefly.

  "Well… Okay dear. Don't make me have to have a talk with you." I winced at her tone and Erin laughed. My mom rounded on her with a glare as well and Erin shut up fast.

  "And you, young lady!" My mother let the words hang in the air for a moment before she got a huge smile on her face, looking over at Leto questioningly.

  "I don't suppose there's room for one more? This seems like the world's funnest slumber party!" I groaned as Leto easily nodded. I loved my mom, but really? Joining us for a 'slumber party'?

  At least she was having a good time…

  —

  The remaining time before the start of the Circuit was a productive one for both of us. Erin's team continued their training, while me and Clefairy got used to each other. It was disturbingly easy to forget exactly what she was, and I found myself cuddling her more times than I could count. I eventually stopped fighting it and just sort of let it roll off me.

  My Pokemon was an adorable little horror, but she was my adorable little horror, so why not take advantage of it? I was supposed to be teaching her about feelings, and friendship was the best feeling, right? I would never do that continually being creeped out by her. I still was, but I was getting better at pushing through it. She seemed to be putting in actual effort during training, at the very least, so I tried my best.

  Training had changed, lately. Clefairy could use Gravity, and Erin had gleefully introduced the concept of Gravity training to the entire group of humans and Pokemon. It started off slowly, just adjusting to the higher gravity over time. This also gave Clefairy time to test out her Move, figuring out how to expand the radius, at the expense of intensity. Erin was almost giddy at the limitation, however. According to her, that just gave us all longer to build up the appropriate muscles as she got better and better with the move.

  She meant all of us, too. The crazy girl had somehow managed to rope my mom into approving the insane training, and my first ten minute session was spent trying not to vomit my lungs out. Erin? Erin had been somewhat okay. She had apparently dealt with far worse on her flight here. She said that would change, but for now she was able to withstand the pressure. Not well, she still wobbled around dangerously, but better than me, that was for sure. The rest of our Pokemon were likewise having difficulty, with the exception of Cerberus and my baby. The rest of them lay in crumpled heaps as they tried to adjust to the higher gravity. Kallen had to adjust to moving manually with water jets as well, since he couldn't float around in the higher gravity, and he was not happy about it. At all.

  He was almost as bad as Clefairy with the pranks, honestly. Worse, maybe, because Clefairy was being somewhat well behaved, and Kallen... was Kallen. I would set her on him one of these days, I swear…

  Near the end of our time training, however, we were all able to stand unimpeded in her Gravity, even if it was a lower-intensity one. The training got more intense after that, as all physical Moves were preferably trained inside Gravity, and while Clefairy rested we trained our special moves.

  We also got some good one-on-one time, me and her. I had noticed it before, but she was powerful, so powerful I felt bad for my plans to possibly use her in my first Gym. She had so many moves that I couldn't begin to remember them all. Many were 'weak' and situational, but even with my poor grades I was aware that something as simple as Pound could be the key to victory in the right circumstances. Knocking an opponent off their feet, repositioning the user, redirecting a physical attack, potentially even breaking the environment. All for a simple move like Pound.

  She knew powerful Moves as well. Her Moonblast had howled as it pulverized a boulder, leaving nothing behind. The dragons had growled and snapped at the display, but I had grinned. She had utility, too, and could Charm enemies, Sing them to sleep, call for Encores, the list seemed endless.

  Erin had suggested I stick to a few moves in the beginning, and just let her go wild if my commands weren't cutting it. As good an idea as any I had. I was effectively only working with one Pokemon, my baby continuing to be obstinate and only rarely following my instructions. I didn't envy Erin with her six Pokemon worth of Moves to figure out- well, five. Nobody expected Leto to make an appearance.

  So why did they disappear one day and return looking singed and scratched?

  Unknowable mysteries aside, it was a productive week for me and my baby. He may have still resented me, and he may have ignored most of my commands, but it was such an improvement that I still couldn't believe my good fortune. We would attempt the Gym together, and the thought made clouds of Butterfree bounce around in my stomach. Clefairy would be my backup, but I really wanted to beat my first Gym with my first Pokemon. He wanted to as well, it was the 'working with me' part that he was having trouble coming to terms with.

  Erin had been working with him every now and then, though, and her review of him was glowing. Overnight progress wasn't to be expected, but he was showing the closest thing to it. He was still angry and confrontational, but he was gradually developing respect for me. Erin said it was due to my improving attitude, combined with the Gravity training.

  Nobody came out of that looking strong, not even Clefairy, so we all looked a little more equal.

  Raihan and my mother got along great, and soon I found my own mother being tagged in the famous Gym Leaders selfies. Of course, my mother didn't own any social media accounts, so he showed her how to make one. My mothers laughing, smiling, blushing face would forever be plastered next to Raihans goofy-looking one on the PokeNet, and the thought made my heart hurt a little.

  Even if she was already really popular with his fans. Everyone liked her, which was gratifying, but still, she was my mom…

  She also found the collage of shame, and was delighted, of course. Now that she had calmed down around Leto, that was. She wanted to print it out, frame it, and hang it up on the wall!

  In what should have been a surprising twist, but wasn't if you knew either one well enough, my mom and Leto had gotten along famously as well, once she stopped being so scared of her. Sleeping outside resting against her chest may have helped with that. My mother also had an appreciation for a good prank, and Leto loved them. While her restraining me for my mother to dress up like a doll hadn't been fun for me, they'd had a great time! They seemed to commiserate about troublesome kids, too, but I don't know who my mom could have been talking about.

  Maybe I had an unknown sibling somewhere?

  Erin gradually warmed to my mother, which was inevitable, really. She was awesome, and Erin finally stopped flinching away from my moms attempts at hugging. She still refused to talk about anything serious, but we weren't exactly pushing her on that. She also quickly learned to watch her mouth around my mother. It took her quite a few flicks, though.

  To Erin's dismay Raihan informed her that yes, I had been right. Erin had seemed to stabilize, and she acted more like a kid than anything else these days. I had no doubt she could flip that serious switch, but the first time she had pouted- angrily pouted, but pouted!- at me for stealing her MooMoo Freeze I couldn't help but point it out to her. Giddily.

  Because it was hilarious.

  She hadn't found it funny, however.

  Erin soon regretted her agreement to accept my mothers punishments, as she hadn't been happy to find us on the ground fighting as Raihan sighed from nearby. The whole house turned out beautifully, however. Not a speck of dust to be found.

  So did the lawn, because obviously I had provoked Erin…

  —

  "So you two have decided on Pewter Gym for your first stop?" I nodded at my mom from across the dinner table.

  Erin's mother hadn't brought back any Tauros today, but the dragons still had plenty of meat from the previous few days of hunting. Instead, she brought back three Mareep for us, the electrical sheep still lightly sparking every now and then. Luckily Erin had some heavy-duty rubber gloves, and when I asked her why she had them, she pointed to the corpse.

  "For shit like this. I never know exactly what she's going to bring back, Leaf."

  That had earned her another flick, but the Mareep ribs my mother and Erin managed to cook up had been absolutely amazing. They had bonded over cooking the most, Erin eager to learn the 'local' cuisine, my mother eager to learn the exotic spice combinations that Erin seemed to use so freely.

  We were sitting there, eating tender ribs and veggies with huge potatoes loaded down with fixings, when my mother finally noticed something about Erin.

  See, by this point she knew who Erin was. She had watched the video, an expression of horror on her face at Erin's initial appearance. She had talked to Erin, she had cooked with her. They had spent time together. My mother, however, apparently wasn't very observant.

  That would explain why she gasped in horror as she saw Erin's left hand reaching for the platter of grilled vegetables. Erin looked up briefly before a vicious look came about her face. She hunched over the platter, clacking the tongs in her left hand.

  "The carrots are mine, ma'am! I thought we had an agreement!" There was a smile on her face, but she was serious. The girl really liked carrots for whatever reason.

  My mother wasn't amused, however, as she continued to stare at Erin's left hand. At the missing finger there. Erin finally noticed, going quiet momentarily before she turned back to my mom with a smile so fake I don't think anyone was fooled.

  "Oh, this? No biggie! I was an idiot, threw when I should have smashed. Sometimes I barely feel it anymore." Erin didn't lie, but I knew she just stepped around the truth, there. Sometimes.

  All pain went away sometimes, it just usually came back.

  I knew her wound still bothered her, aside from the obvious 'oh yeah I have no finger' moments. She would wince when lifting objects sometimes, and I couldn't imagine that an Oran Berry (which you weren't even supposed to use on humans with injuries worse than large cuts!) had done a great job of… evening out the flesh and tendons. It pulled at her when she used her hand, but she didn't want to admit it. Of course.

  My mother was no fool, and after exchanging a glance with Raihan she spoke up.

  "Would you like to talk about it, dear?" Erin let the question hang there in the air. Technically only Raihan had heard it from her, and I had only heard the barebones account. She seemed to think as she slowly chewed on a rib. She grunted and dropped the clean bone, frowning.

  "Sure, but it's not a fun story at all." My mother had a kind smile as she reached over to grasp Erin's wrist.

  "Bad stories are better shared." Erin chuckled, her face still dark as she continued to eat. A minute later she began.

  "Well, I was involved in a… teleportation accident, like you know. I was dropped in a new, younger, naked body in the Crown Tundra. I knew exactly where I was, and I was… terrified." She shivered a bit, Raihans face pale as he remembered her emotions.

  "I was trying to get down the slope I found myself on, when I heard the most pitiful roar, then a squeal of pain, and I just… ran. I just ran towards the sound, naked, stomping on rocks and sticks with my bare feet." My mothers eyes were wide as she heard the story.

  "I turn the corner to find a Sneasel attacking Artemis. I… honestly wouldn't have been as mad as I was if it had just been trying to kill her, you know?" She looked up, pain in her eyes. "I feel so bad saying that, because she's my baby girl, but if it hadn't been tormenting her I might have left them. Everything has to eat, you know…?" She cleared her throat.

  "Either way, I didn't ignore that. It pis-" She glanced at my mom and rapidly changed her words "-infuriated me, so I snatched up a rock and yelled at it. It turned, sneered at me, then turned away again, because I was just a naked human kid. Not a threat. I was… not thinking clearly, either, so I threw the stupid rock. It kind of bounced off its head. I remember I was so happy for a second. It was a solid hit right in the head!" She wasn't eating, just talking now as my mom looked on in mounting horror.

  "The next thing I knew, my head was bouncing off the rocks behind me. My hand felt like ice, but when I tried to push myself upright… She cut off, staring at her hand. "I found this, and then I looked up to find the Sneasel standing there. It had my finger in its mouth like… like a cigarette. Then it ate it right in front of me. Sneering…" My mothers horrified face was covered by her hands, but I could see the tears shining in her eyes.

  "Well, long story short, with Artemis's help I fought smarter and beat its head in. And out… and around. It tasted good that night, at least. Artemis loved eating it, and it became my chest wrap." She chuckled at her own morbid humor as my mother began to shake. I looked at Erin in pity.

  She had no idea what she had just unleashed.

  "Oh, come here, you!" She rushed around the table, ignoring the food we were all eating, to envelop Erin in a crushing hug. Erin tried to squirm out, but my moms motherly instincts were in full panic mode. Erin was going to regret that one.

  She did, but it still took a good ten minutes for my mom to relinquish her grip on my new mentor despite her squirming.

  —

  Erin

  —

  "And this is supposed to make me forgive Looker for his little prank?" I held the tickets up with a glare, Raihan raising his arms in surrender.

  "I'm just the messenger, once again, but yeah, probably? Erin, you care deeply for your Pokemon, right?" I nodded along with his obvious words. "Well, how about getting them groomed? It would be so expensive for your mom, but this is a full team pass for you and two others to a very confidential Groomer in Viridian. Can't have your team fully known in the big leagues, after all." He grinned at me.

  "Take the tickets, Erin. And take us, too."

  —

  My new mother glistened in the sunlight of Leaf's backyard. Everyone was looking shiny, fluffy, and/or pampered, but the way the light shone off her scales really outshined everyone else, literally. She looked so happy, so content, that the sight made me laugh in happiness. She had loved the Pokemon Groomers, and a very surprised-looking representative had told me she was the perfect client. A bit destructive at one point, but only because her leg had been kicking in sheer happiness.

  The rest of my Pokemon were happy to bounce around with clean scales, freshly shampooed furs, and manicured claws and talons. Hecate, especially, had enjoyed her time there. Looker had made arrangements beforehand, and the calmest person I had ever seen took Hecate from me. I mean, she looked like a ninja got mixed with a maid was mixed with a monk or something. She made me calm just by being close to me!

  Cerberus was already working on undoing the work done to him, but he had enjoyed his time at the Groomers. Staff had been delighted by his friendly attitude, far less so by his hyperness. He had been my first negative review, but not my only one.

  Kallen looked shiny and spiffy almost, his fins bright and perky. He had also decided that new humans meant new victims for his pranks, and his training had made him a slippery little kelp dragon when he wanted to be. My second negative review, but unfortunately not the last.

  Artemis, because of course it was Artemis, threw a tantrum when she wasn't allowed on the small Pokemon chair. Why she wanted to sit in the Pidgey-sized chair was beyond me, but it was also beyond the workers. I had ended up spending most of my time there watching over her so she didn't throw more tantrums.

  Luckily Seraphina wasn't a troublemaker, and in fact was the center of attention with her brilliant white scales. Thorough waxing, polishing, and claw trimming had left her practically shimmering, a blush almost perpetually on her cheeks as the employees cooed over her. My adorable little gecko had glowing reviews, obviously.

  Overall I was grateful to Looker for his gift, even if he still owed me. That alcohol trick hadn't been funny. Not at all.

  Nor had the realization that I was turning into a kid. Or, and the thought was even more disturbing, already had.

  It made an unfortunate amount of sense. I was in a teenager's body, teenagers had an overabundance of hormones, and their brains weren't even fully developed. It would make sense that if you put an adult's mind in a teenagers body, they would eventually adapt. It made so much sense, and every new revelation pointed to the theory being correct.

  I was adult software running on teenager hardware.

  If only it was wrong.

  I did not appreciate Leaf's insight into the matter, and I really didn't appreciate the results. It made sense, yes. Leaf's mom wasn't my new mom, she was my legal guardian for the inevitable call from the police for something I would 'allegedly' do in the future. In the eyes of the law, old mind or not, I was a minor, and honestly anyone would be better than Looker.

  I liked the guy, trusted him, but I also really didn't want him to be my legal guardian. The feeling was mutual, aside from him wanting to keep an easier eye on me. Not that this would stop him, he would probably still get every single report on me. He was still my legal counsel.

  Leafs mom was cool, though.

  No, it was once again my lack of agency that drove my frustration with the situation. Ms. Greenwood was great. It was no wonder that Leaf was so eerily kind. Most of the time. When she wasn't pranking me into her clothes… But I hadn't had the option. It was just decided for me. I had been so tired of people choosing for me my entire life before, and now I had to deal with it again. The fact that it made sense didn't help.

  That's not to mention my horror over my lack of agency in my own mind! Not only did I have dragon aura that tampered with who I was, now I had a teenager's body tampering with how I acted. I had been happy to be done with being a kid! I mean, I never really stopped thinking of myself as one mentally, I guess, but I was done with the odd body shit! The aches, the wisdom teeth-oh Arceus! Do I have wisdom teeth here?!

  Looking back at fifteen from twenty, I had been an idiot. Looking back at twenty from twenty five, I had been an idiot. Looking back at twenty five from thirty, I had been an idiot. I really didn't want to know what kind of idiot a fourteen year old me would be like this time around… With magic creatures that fart Hyper Beams in my back pocket. Or bandoleer, as it were…

  More than anything, I had been grateful to be done with the moods. Being a kid wasn't fun, and I now realized that I actually had been showing signs since I got here, just as Raihan claimed. I was more volatile, rash, immature, and moody in my actions. The thought made me feel sick, but unfortunately there was only one way out of it, and forward was going to suuuuck.

  At least I had Pokemon for real this second, shorter puberty…