Borne of Caution (Pokemon Isekai)

[Arkatekt]

I'm guessing why none of the team, Ninetales specifically, could detect the eavesdropper is because of the house they were in? If it dampens TE from the outside, I suppose it could limit psychic powers on the inside as well.

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There was this line earlier that can probably explain part of it. The rest is probably just them being particularly focused on Lee and his story.

'Much better,' the fox sends back, her relief palpable. 'The dampening must be purposeful, as stretching my mind beyond the walls is a chore.'

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[Artful Lounger]

Rayquaza seems like the obvious guess.

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Given how the game went, yeah its safe to say Lee or Brendan will Mega Evolve the sky dragon. Im not sure if that'll go as far as capturing it though.

BattleNet would have a field day. Nigel would have a stroke. The Board would have no choice but to approve that 5% budget increase.

 

[Winged One]

Given how the game went, yeah its safe to say Lee or Brendan will Mega Evolve the sky dragon. Im not sure if that'll go as far as capturing it though.

BattleNet would have a field day. Nigel would have a stroke. The Board would have no choice but to approve that 5% budget increase.

Click to shrink...

I never said it'd be on the team for very long.

 

[Artful Lounger]

Eh, it would still appear in the logs, although it would probably be called a hoax.

Still, if we go by the likes of Tobias the edgelord, its not completely unheard of to capture legendary pokemon. And if I remember right in the anime for the Battle Frontier the guy in charge of the Battle Laboratory has a freaking Articuno.

 

[Feederchan]

Eh, it would still appear in the logs, although it would probably be called a hoax.

Still, if we go by the likes of Tobias the edgelord, its not completely unheard of to capture legendary pokemon. And if I remember right in the anime for the Battle Frontier the guy in charge of the Battle Laboratory has a freaking Articuno.

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nope

Nolan a frontier
Befriend the Articuno (Technically wild but is willing to fight for Nolan).

Who you're thinking was Brandon with 3 legendaries.Registeel, Regirock and Regice. He later befriends Regigas (that can practically can be called upon to battle).

 

[Mr.Nobody]

Seeing Lee have Rayquaza as a confirmed capture (even if it's only until it takes care of the meteor) would absolutely send the forums.

Where it would send them? I don't know, but it would be glorious.

 

[Artful Lounger]

Hey we all know that the seventh slot Lee got for carrying Pokemon is going to be used for SOMETHING. And we know that Shinx is not going to be on the same level as the rest of the team by the time he goes into the Ever Grande Conference.

Getting revenge on Tyson by way of Legendary Dragon seems like a fun time to me, just saying.

 

[Remegar]

Lee really doesn't know how nukes work does he? Don't get me wrong, he has a basic understanding but he is very wrong on quite a few things. MAD is definitely still in effect, but it's no longer as bad as it was in the Cold War. AMS systems have come a very long way, and are littered pretty much all over most 1st world countries. Some warheads will get through, no doubt do to MIRV systems but not as many as you would think due to the relative scarcity of ICBM's after the various SALT treaties. Also most nuclear warheads since the 70's are pretty clean, not perfect at all but it would only be about a mile around the area of detonation that would be radioactive. Also the half life of nuclear spills and weapons is turning out to be a LOT less than was though. Hell Chernobyl is actually pretty safe to be in as long as you don't dig where a bunch of fallout landed. Also most Strategic Nukes are airburst, the shockwave and resultant vacuum implosion are what does the actual damage, if you survive that you have pretty good odds actually. Very interesting stuff to learn about, scary, but this is stuff an adult should at least have basic knowledge about. Heck I learned most of this from the History Channel (modern marvels) and some college textbooks.

tactical nukes are a much bigger threat in the modern day than strategic weapons. Tactical nukes are much more available and more likely to be used compared to strategic nukes as the countries that like to threaten with nuclear diplomacy (Russian, China) don't have good AMS or the AMS they have is concentrated around a very small about of strategic areas and hasn't been improved apon since the 90's at the latest.

 

[Artful Lounger]

Lee really doesn't know how nukes work does he? Don't get me wrong, he has a basic understanding but he is very wrong on quite a few things. MAD is definitely still in effect, but it's no longer as bad as it was in the Cold War. AMS systems have come a very long way, and are littered pretty much all over most 1st world countries. Some warheads will get through, no doubt do to MIRV systems but not as many as you would think due to the relative scarcity of ICBM's after the various SALT treaties. Also most nuclear warheads since the 70's are pretty clean, not perfect at all but it would only be about a mile around the area of detonation that would be radioactive. Also the half life of nuclear spills and weapons is turning out to be a LOT less than was though. Hell Chernobyl is actually pretty safe to be in as long as you don't dig where a bunch of fallout landed. Also most Strategic Nukes are airburst, the shockwave and resultant vacuum implosion are what does the actual damage, if you survive that you have pretty good odds actually. Very interesting stuff to learn about, scary, but this is stuff an adult should at least have basic knowledge about. Heck I learned most of this from the History Channel (modern marvels) and some college textbooks.

tactical nukes are a much bigger threat in the modern day than strategic weapons. Tactical nukes are much more available and more likely to be used compared to strategic nukes as the countries that like to threaten with nuclear diplomacy (Russian, China) don't have good AMS or the AMS they have is concentrated around a very small about of strategic areas and hasn't been improved apon since the 90's at the latest.

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Reasonable. But the sad fact of the matter is that a lot of people don't know nearly enough about important things as they should. And Lee's worldview being stuck in the Cold War about the state of nuclear weaponry and nuclear energy is... unfortunately common. Its the kind of thing you have to actually research to know. Doesn't really take much in the way of in-depth research, but its not exactly blasted at you either.

 

[anonermoose]

Reasonable. But the sad fact of the matter is that a lot of people don't know nearly enough about important things as they should. And Lee's worldview being stuck in the Cold War about the state of nuclear weaponry and nuclear energy is... unfortunately common. Its the kind of thing you have to actually research to know. Doesn't really take much in the way of in-depth research, but its not exactly blasted at you either.

Click to shrink...

And no one in the new world knows enough to call him out on it. He honestly believes it, so anyone he tells or mind reads him will believe it to be true. Misconceptions can still hold emotional weight when telling a story.

 

[Artful Lounger]

Yup. He believes it, and they know nothing, so they take him at his word because they have no reason not to.

 

[Winged One]

Lee really doesn't know how nukes work does he? Don't get me wrong, he has a basic understanding but he is very wrong on quite a few things. MAD is definitely still in effect, but it's no longer as bad as it was in the Cold War. AMS systems have come a very long way, and are littered pretty much all over most 1st world countries. Some warheads will get through, no doubt do to MIRV systems but not as many as you would think due to the relative scarcity of ICBM's after the various SALT treaties. Also most nuclear warheads since the 70's are pretty clean, not perfect at all but it would only be about a mile around the area of detonation that would be radioactive. Also the half life of nuclear spills and weapons is turning out to be a LOT less than was though. Hell Chernobyl is actually pretty safe to be in as long as you don't dig where a bunch of fallout landed. Also most Strategic Nukes are airburst, the shockwave and resultant vacuum implosion are what does the actual damage, if you survive that you have pretty good odds actually. Very interesting stuff to learn about, scary, but this is stuff an adult should at least have basic knowledge about. Heck I learned most of this from the History Channel (modern marvels) and some college textbooks.

tactical nukes are a much bigger threat in the modern day than strategic weapons. Tactical nukes are much more available and more likely to be used compared to strategic nukes as the countries that like to threaten with nuclear diplomacy (Russian, China) don't have good AMS or the AMS they have is concentrated around a very small about of strategic areas and hasn't been improved apon since the 90's at the latest.

Click to shrink...

Even if that's all true, none of that changes the fact that MAD did in fact go off.

 

[Remegar]

Even if that's all true, none of that changes the fact that MAD did in fact go off.

Click to shrink...

Never said it didn't? I am just pointing out that the MC is wrong on how things worked. Just trying to impart some knowledge to people.

Secondly there would be quite a lot of survivors in specific countries and areas along with enough industry left in bunkers and places outside of the blast radii that the world would probably not be bombed back to the Stone Age. On the other hand this is a fictional world that I am applying real world logic too, who knows how things diverged on the MC's world vs ours. Maybe all their bombs are specifically designed to be dirty bombs, maybe no one ever invented AMS. I'm just putting knowledge out there so that people can talk about things semi-intelligently instead of the old Cold War myths and angst.

Edit: just read a few of the above comments I missed before, that is a good point about it being emotional story telling vs factual story telling. I should have thought about that and included something to that effect in my original post. As a person I personally have always valued facts far above emotion, sometimes it takes a bit for it to click with me that people are talking and making decisions with their emotions vs logic. So please don't take my original post as "ohh the MC is an idiot" it's just information, do what you will with it.

 

[Winged One]

Never said it didn't? I am just pointing out that the MC is wrong on how things worked. Just trying to impart some knowledge to people.

Secondly there would be quite a lot of survivors in specific countries and areas along with enough industry left in bunkers and places outside of the blast radii that the world would probably not be bombed back to the Stone Age. On the other hand this is a fictional world that I am applying real world logic too, who knows how things diverged on the MC's world vs ours. Maybe all their bombs are specifically designed to be dirty bombs, maybe no one ever invented AMS. I'm just putting knowledge out there so that people can talk about things semi-intelligently instead of the old Cold War myths and angst.

Edit: just read a few of the above comments I missed before, that is a good point about it being emotional story telling vs factual story telling. I should have thought about that and included something to that effect in my original post. As a person I personally have always valued facts far above emotion, sometimes it takes a bit for it to click with me that people are talking and making decisions with their emotions vs logic. So please don't take my original post as "ohh the MC is an idiot" it's just information, do what you will with it.

Click to shrink...

I meant that the details he may or may not have gotten wrong(no idea, haven't gone looking for more reliable sources than random internet perverts) aren't quite as important as the fact that he experienced the nuclear apocalypse.

 

[Remegar]

I kind of agree, I mean it is a more emotional part of the story, and it is very important to the story itself. At the same time when something is the basis of so much drama in a story the author needs to get the basic facts right. If you are going to write or talk about something at least have a basic understanding of the thing, otherwise you end up looking stupid. I am no expert nor do I claim to be. Just a random person in the internet who had a comment and a little knowledge that wanted to help the author. Either way it is still a good story and bravo to the author for writing it and sharing. I still enjoy reading it, and hope everyone else does to.

anyway enough with this conversation, it doesn't help anyone to just argue on the internet and this isn't contributing to the story unless the author has something to say or ask.

 

[Fuggmann]

Note: This is a brief callback to my days writing 2nd person greentexts on 4chan inspired by some chatter in the discord server. We'll say this takes place in an unspecified location within Borne of Caution.

---

You could have read this early!

I'm reader-funded, and need your help to keep writing indefinitely. If you like what you're reading and want to help out, see https://www.patreon.com/fuggmann at the place of patrons. Patrons get to see updates early, suggest edits to the final draft before it goes live, and participate in polls to choose what gets updated next during my moments of indecisiveness.

If you want to keep up-to-date on releases, see https://discord.gg/hive-of-degeneracy and opt in to the fic-updates role for a ping.

As always, thank you for reading.

---

Something suddenly bumps your leg and pulls your attention away from the somewhat boring movie playing on the TV. Leaning forward from your seat on the couch, you look down to see what touched you.

Staring back up at you are the expectant red eyes of Donnie Darko, your Umbreon. At his side is his mate, Carmen Sandiego, your Espeon. Donnie got his name from his bad sleepwalking habit while Carmen was named for her ability to vanish into thin air if she doesn't care to be found.

You are Anon, a small-time pokemon breeder.

By small-time, you mean small-time. Donnie and Carmen are your only breeding pair. Still, though, you make a good living. Donnie and Carmen aren't particularly exceptional gene-wise, and both are full mates, so neither Donnie nor Carmen will agree to breeding with anyone else, but you only really need two or three Eevee from each litter deciding they want to be adopted to be set for a year. Eevee are expensive little buggers, so you can charge a premium.

This year, however, is an off year, so Carmen can rest and recover from her last pregnancy. The only problem with that? Dark-types like Donnie are much more in-tune with their desires and primal nature than most other types.

It's a polite way to say that Donnie is a horn-dog. He'd hump a Charizard if he thought Carmen wouldn't break his neck over it.

Donnie headbutts your leg again, narrowing his eyes.

You already know what he wants. He wants you to quit paying attention to the TV and play with him.

Taking the TV remote in your hand, you turn the TV off, toss the remote down, and stand.

Your Umbreon's tail slowly begins to wag.

"You may have got me last time," you begin, widening your stance and spreading your arms out with your fingers splayed, ready to grapple, "but not this time. I know your tricks."

Donnie snarls in reply and lowers himself to pounce. Despite his bared teeth, his tail wags faster, buffeting Carmen's long cheek tufts with air.

"You wish," you grin back. "Your win streak is over."

Carmen rolls her eyes and gracefully steps past you, hopping up onto the couch. She then lays down to suck up the residual body heat from where you were sitting.

The relationship between a breeder and their pokemon is an unusual one. Carmen and Donnie might be the ones making babies, but their relationship with you is arguably as important as the one they have with each other. You play the role of third parent to their kits, provide for their needs both physical and emotional, arrange opportunities for their children, and generally ensure that they are happy. In return, they love and trust you.

Carmen is only willing to tolerate birth control medication in limited doses, as one of the side effects is acute migraines, which hit psychics like her twice as hard, and Donnie has a tendency to tear condoms with his enthusiasm. So if Donnie can't vent himself through Carmen, then he's got to find other outlets to burn his energy. Battling and general exercise both work great, but night is falling on the town and the local park will be deserted soon.

If you get to dictate when Donnie can and cannot breed, then you are obligated to deal with the consequences, such as playing with him without a fuss.

With another snarl, Donnie pounces, and you brace yourself. At the last second, you duck, bearhug him around the middle, and bend backward in a suplex.

Donnie lets out a yelp as his skull smashes into the carpeted floor, but you worry none. Umbreon is by far the most physically overbuilt eeveelution. Donnie once fell down a full flight of stairs and wasn't even hurt, just startled. Hell, you think he found it fun, because he sometimes just flops down the steps in the morning.

The Umbreon in your grip thrashes, and you let go before he can overpower you. Scrambling back to your feet, you're just in time for Donnie to tackle one of your legs. He wraps his forelegs around your shin and bites your calf through your jeans just hard enough to hurt, but not enough to break skin.

"Ow! Fucker!" You curse and try to pry him off, your hands pulling at his forelegs.

The little bastard smirks through his bite and thrashes, unbalancing you. Before you can recover, he abandons the leg he's attacking and shoulder checks the other one, sending you to the floor and knocking the wind out of you. On your back, you blink away stars and look up at the spinning ceiling fan.

…Oh shit, you're on your back.

Donnie is on you in an instant, and on pure reflex, your arms come up to guard your throat. Just as expected, teeth wrap around your left wrist and yank as hard as they can without taking your whole hand off.

Growling up a storm, Donnie strains and pulls, moving the first obstacle away from his victory. If he can get his teeth around your neck, it's his win.

"Donnie, you're supposed to start small and work your way up, not go all out from the beginning," you grunt, trying to think of a way out of this. "Where is your sense of sportsmanship?"

His red eyes flash, and he actually laughs through your wrist.

"Fine then…" You reply through gritted teeth. "Be an asshole. I don't care," you say, looking at how he's positioned.

The Umbreon is standing over you and steadily pulling one of your arms away, while his eyes remain locked on your other arm. If said arm so much as twitches, then he's going to dive past it and immediately go for the kill.

If you're going to do something, you need to do it fast.

Donnie is so much stronger than you that it's insane. Umbreon is not only the toughest eeveelution, they're physically the strongest. Pound for pound, he has you beat several times over. The only reason this isn't a foregone conclusion is simply that your hands are better at grappling, your longer limbs offering you more leverage, and the fact that he's not terribly fast. You're also heavier than Donnie, so…

Wait. Maybe you can use that.

On the couch, Carmen seems to be (quite literally) reading your mind and raises an eyebrow, as if to say 'is that wise?'

'Probably not,' you think to yourself. 'But I'm not letting this little shit take round one.'

Your right arm shoots away from your throat and grabs the black foreleg by your right ear. At the same time, your right leg kicks out to the side, knocking Donnie's hind leg away.

The instant he lets go to bite your throat, your now-free left hand takes his other foreleg, and with all your might, you roll your entire body.

Donnie yelps once more, dragged along for the ride since he only has one hind leg to stabilize himself. In a flash, the tables are turned, and your whole body is pressing down on Donnie.

He thrashes and kicks, one of his hind paws impacting your stomach like a hammer blow, and despite your explosive exhale, you keep yourself pressed down on Donnie, gripping his forelegs with everything you have. Trying your best to not be kicked in the groin, you tangle your legs with Donnie's and halt his kicking.

He thrashes his whole body, nearly throwing you off, and only sheer determination keeps you in place. Letting one of his forelegs go, you grip him right around his short muzzle and push his face into the floor.

You did it! You got him!

"Pinned! Pinned! I gotcha!" You exclaim victoriously. "Your win streak is over, you little fuck! Listen to the crowd go wild for the underdog!" You say, looking over to Carmen.

A thin smile crosses her muzzle, and she lets out a single, vulpine croon.

Donnie stares up at you in shock as you let him go.

Standing up, you walk over to the couch and sit next to Carmen, breathing deeply to try and get oxygen back into your abused lungs. First you got the wind knocked out of you, then you took a kick to the stomach, and Donnie doesn't even have the courtesy to look sorry!

Carmen drapes herself across your lap and nuzzles your stomach, looking up at you and dramatically fluttering her eyes.

With a wheezy laugh, you stroke the Espeon across the back and look at Donnie, who is getting back to his paws. "First I take your throne, and then I take your woman. How's that for ya?"

Donnie's eyes narrow into red slits. He walks over to you, his posture low and threatening, then he bites your pant leg and pulls. "Round two! Now!" his growl seems to say.

Nudging Carmen off, you stand and oblige. "Eager for another ass whooping?"

You didn't win another round the entire night, and that's okay.

---

Below are the names of some patrons who got to view this short early and felt like signing it. A huge thanks to them and everyone else who supports this story and everything else I write.

Spice_King, Emeraldleafeon, UmbraBree, Green0Photon, ncskeeter56, Vinohr, Kammight, Murtaugh, Arcaryx, Moxie, Ash the Kitsune, The Tankiest Train, Phoenix Bugg, Purple Floof, Derpydude9001, GNPhoenix, Noble Defect, Dusks_Lantern, Hazel Kings, Fabhar, Ameek, BrokenOlive, speedyzman13, WiseKitsune, JustALurker, HT1318, Rémi C., Javidom, Monsoon, Berusella, Strongraider101, Dicloniuslord, ShaRose, demonmonkey89, BeauZoe, Bruv, Planetace, Moonlit Chaser, Emilowish, Nithalys, CMDR Dantae

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

This was nice. A good wholesome snippet.

 

[Nolo]

So, another reincarnator?

 

[TheEyes]

So, another reincarnator?

Click to shrink...

Doesn't need to be. A good SoL, filling in the details of this facet of the Pokemon multiverse, is enough.

 

[FTR2017]

This was quite frankly adorable and wholesome in its fluff, it left me smiling brightly after laughing at their interactions.

 

[Razavn]

Doesn't need to be. A good SoL, filling in the details of this facet of the Pokemon multiverse, is enough.

Click to shrink...

I mean the names of their Pokemon are a giveaway I'd say.

Since when do "Donnie Darko" and "Carmen Sandiago" exist in the Pokemon setting?

 

[Nolo]

I mean the names of their Pokemon are a giveaway I'd say.

Since when do "Donnie Darko" and "Carmen Sandiago" exist in the Pokemon setting?

Click to shrink...

^This^

 

[Joe Generic]

Yes, this was a completely wholesome, innocent, and nice piece of fluff. Definitely no unwholesome thoughts on where this could have been going, with the full contact wrestling and mentions of the odd relationship between the two mates and their breeder... Only pure thoughts here!

 

[Fuggmann]

You could have read this early!

I'm reader-funded, and need your help to keep writing indefinitely. If you like what you're reading and want to help out, find https://www.patreon.com/fuggmann at the place of patrons. Patrons get to see updates early, suggest edits to the final draft before it goes live, and participate in polls to choose what gets updated next during my moments of indecisiveness.

If you want to keep up-to-date on releases, see discord code https://discord.gg/hive-of-degeneracy and opt in to the fic-updates role for a ping.

As always, thank you for reading.

---

Later that evening, after Zinnia has shown Lee and Brendan around their new home for the next few weeks, and after everyone has agreed they would all simply relax and settle in for the day, Brendan finds himself lying in his bed with most of his pokemon in their balls.

There are four individual bedrooms in the hillside hut, and each one is homey, though small. Regardless, it gives each of the trainers and their teams a place for some privacy, and a place for them to reflect on their thoughts quietly, which is exactly what Brendan is doing.

Lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, Brendan stares up at the ceiling, mind whirling with the revelations of the past hour. With him is Marshtomp, who is sitting on the mattress just a foot away, his back leaning against the wall. Like Brendan, the Water-type is silent and lost in thought.

Another world.

No pokemon.

Death.

Rebirth.

It's a tale that anyone would label as insane drivel, but it came from Lee's mouth without a stutter or a misstep, at once so easy to believe, and yet utterly inconceivable.

For a moment, Brendan tries to imagine himself in Lee's place, and it's simply impossible. The boy's skin breaks out into goosebumps, and he rubs his arms to ward away an invisible chill.

To lose everything…

Brendan tries to imagine himself in his older friend's shoes once more, bereft of his friends, his family, his pokemon, and everything else he had ever known. He even visualizes the world around him that is a vague parody of all that he knows.

The cold that blooms within his stomach is slow and cloying, creeping outward until it seizes his limbs in a paralytic grip. The boy's strength seems to fail him, and the light from the window grows dull. His eyes sting with unshed tears.

Brendan knows many strong men. His father, Norman Maple, Steven Stone (even if their meeting in Lavaridge was brief), and others.

…But for enduring such misery for Arceus knows how long, Lee has handily taken the number one spot on Brendan's list.

"Maaa?"

Brendan is startled out of his introspection when Marshtomp takes notice of his trembling. The mudfish pokemon levels his trainer with a worried gaze and lays a broad hand over Brendan's arm, stilling his tremors.

"Heh…" Brendan smiles. "Don't worry about me, pal. Just doing some thinking, is all. You look like you're doing the same."

Marshtomp nods absently. "Ma, gurah gamp?" he croaks, looking at Brendan with an unplaceable expression.

The young trainer's gaze softens. "Yeah. I don't know what I would do without you, or Breloom, or Mawile and Electrike," he says, laying his head back and looking at the ceiling once more. The feeling of cold returns. "I don't think I would handle it so well."

Each one of Brendan's pokeballs shake, and in a near-synchronized flash, all of them pop open, releasing all of his pokemon about the bed.

Brendan blinks the flash from his eyes and makes to sit up. "Hey, what are you guys-!"

He can't quite finish as each one of his pokemon piles on top of him in a disorganized hug: Mawile on his chest, Electrike across his legs, and Breloom with a clawed hand laid across his shoulder.

Gradually, Brendan's surprise morphs into a grin, and he tugs Marshtomp into the hug with a free hand.

"Guys?" begins the Birch heir, "if anything ever happens and we can't be together anymore, let's promise we'll be happy for all the stuff we did together, and not be sad over the stuff we never got to do, okay?"

Each pokemon cuddles closer, and Mawile can't help but burst into over-exaggerated tears.

---

He's a Faller.

Lee Henson is a Faller.

It neatly and plausibly explains everything. The uncommon knowledge, the gaps in his skills, the subtle accent, everything.

Zinnia stops pacing in her bedroom of the hut for a moment and looks down, confirming that she hasn't worn a pattern into the wooden floor yet.

Off to the side and standing guard in front of the door, Shelgon follows her with his yellow eyes, dutifully watching.

Fallers are such an excruciatingly rare and dire phenomenon that few people are even privy to the knowledge of their existence. Oh, the concept of travelers from another world is not a new one and is even a popular plot in fiction, but actual, genuine Fallers are another thing entirely. Throughout the entire history of the Draconid tribe, no one has actually interacted with one. No one could even confirm they were real.

Until now.

I remember, in no uncertain terms, that I burned to death.

When Lee said those words, Ninetales flinched, Grovyle bit down on his twig, and Corviknight looked away.

The most telling, though, was Sylveon. Her sudden bout of violent illness put to rest any thoughts of doubt. A good Draconid knows her enemies well, and Zinnia is well aware of the touch-based empathy possessed by the pink dragonslayer. The Lorekeeper isn't sure what's worse— Lee expertly hiding his true feelings on his demise, or truly being that casual about it. Either way, it must have been like a mental flash-bang to Sylveon.

If horror has a taste, then it must be akin to bile, Zinnia decides. She swallows the sick that wants to rise in her throat and begins to pace once more, trying to turn her thoughts to other matters.

Pokemon existed as fiction within Lee's world, and from the sound of it, it was fiction that he was fond of. Has everything been a one-to-one experience? How much has changed from what he knows? Brendan asked if he was a character in the stories, and now Zinnia can't help but wonder if she was a character in any of those video games or TV shows.

'I had to have been, right?' she muses, rubbing the edge of her cloak between a forefinger and thumb. 'Lee was startled when we first met, like he knew who I was. He knew about the Draconids, at least.'

'Oh, Dolittle is definitely getting grilled later.'

"I know I'm in a new world because my old one ended."

Zinnia pauses once more, then walks to her bed and gently sits down, staring down at her lap.

From his place by the door, Shelgon walks to Zinnia and settles himself on the floor next to her, lightly leaning against her knees.

"It's almost like he's a Lorekeeper himself…" Zinnia murmurs, reaching out and rubbing a hand across Shelgon's cool, metallic shell. "The very, very last of his kind. If something were to happen to Dolittle, then that's it. The final ember of a whole world is just… gone…"

Shelgon says nothing, merely leaning into her knees a touch more.

She could scarcely fathom it; to lose it all and be dropped into a world of childhood fairytales, only for your redo to be threatened by the likes of Magma and Aqua. Being entirely honest with herself, the Lorekeeper doesn't think she would be quite as composed. No, she would be heading for the hills, desperate to stay out of the way and trying to salvage what bits of her new life she could.

Yet instead of running away, Lee has decided to stand with her and put everything on the line for the Draconid mission.

Zinnia's hand wanders to the edge of Shelgon's shell, her fingers lightly running over the edge. It's invisible to the naked eye, but she can feel it with her fingers.

The shell, ever so slightly, has begun to peel.

"Hoenn is my home now. I can't, or rather, won't leave you all behind. I've put all the ghosts clinging to me to rest, along with Lee the average zookeeper. I'm Lee the pokemon trainer now."

"We're going to get strong, Shelgon," Zinnia murmurs, her eyes hardening and glaring holes in the wall. "We're going to be unstoppable, because people like Lee, Brendan, and the rest of the tribe need us to be. We'll drag that meteor back into space ourselves if we have to."

Shelgon trembles, then points his head skyward and roars.

---

Eyes of red, piercing as can be.

Mantle of gold, majestic as can be.

A fanged mouth speaking, damning as can be.

In a void of neither light nor dark.

The great maw of teeth opens once more, inhuman lips forming words meant for he alone.

It says unto him –

Lee awakens with a start as he hears noises through the wall, but groggily dismisses them and lays back down into his breathing, silken pillow. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that Brendan and Zinnia are talking to their teams," he says with a yawn. 'Weird dream. I must be more tired than I thought,' Lee thinks with a subdued stretch.

For the last hour, Lee and Ninetales have been relaxing as they allow everyone time to digest the recent revelation. During that time, they have made themselves comfortable in their new bedroom for the foreseeable future.

The bedcovers in the Draconid hut certainly leave something to be desired, as Lee found his thin pillow to be thoroughly uncomfortable. Instead, he laid his head into Ninetales' side once she settled, finding the fox to be a much more luxurious pillow. She even fanned her tails across his chest, leaving him extra cozy. In two minutes flat, he was out like a light.

"… I can't help but wonder if I should have left out the whole dying part," Lee wonders aloud, replaying the conversation an hour prior in his head. "Now that I think about it, that came out a little more melodramatic than I wanted."

'You shouldn't worry so much,' Ninetales chides, her muzzle tickling Lee's ear as she idly grooms his hair. 'You wished to tell them the whole truth, and you did so. The way you told your story was very matter-of-fact, in my opinion.'

"If you say so," Lee murmurs. Regardless, he cannot deny how unburdened he feels by telling Brendan and Zinnia of his real origins. "I just hope that Brendan is taking all of this well. He's a strong kid, but he's still just a kid. Meteors, terrorists, aliens…" Lee goes to shake his head, but stops at the last second on account of the teeth and tongue combing through his hair. "Love, I can taste the hair funk on your tongue and it's really making me self-conscious about taking a short shower this morning."

In response, Ninetales wordlessly tips her muzzle back, clamps it closed, and flash-heats her mouth a thousand degrees Celsius for less than a second, vaporizing the loose hair and debris on her tongue. A puff of smoke escapes her lips as she reopens her mouth, and she resumes grooming Lee wholly unbothered.

"Nevermind." Lee resumes looking at the bare wooden ceiling above, his eyes tracing a knothole that vaguely looks like a Dustox. The knothole is right where an electric light would be, if the hut was equipped with any sort of electrical wiring.

Fighting the urge to close his eyes and nap once more, Lee jots down a mental list of everything he needs to do. 'I've got that meeting with Anabel in a few days, and I'll send word to Steven about the Draconid doomsday meteor then, as well.' Lee's brows furrow, annoyance with the crater's lack of cell signal prickling him. 'Between all of that, we'll be training good and hard. Grovyle's sword techniques and the drain blade move need to be mastered, Octillery's psychic cushion needs more practice, Shinx just needs experience in general, and I have to pass out everyone else's TMs. More immediately, though…'

His hand falls to his hip, hovering over Sylveon's pokeball.

'I need to check on Sylveon.'

Already reading his thoughts, Ninetales uncurls from around Lee and allows him to sit up. Grabbing Sylveon's ball, Lee takes a deep breath and pops the capsule open.

In a flash of light, Sylveon materializes on the bed, her ears already drooped and her eyes locked on the mattress.

"Sylvy?" Lee begins gently, slowly reaching a hand out and stopping halfway. He does his best to steady his own emotions. "Are you feeling any better?"

The ribbon wraps around Lee's wrist with the speed and ferocity of a viper bite, and after initially stiffening, whatever was ailing Sylveon seems to abate and the tension in her shoulders eases.

Lee allows her to simply hold him and collect her thoughts, remaining quiet.

Eventually, the fairy raises her head and stares directly into his eyes, and Lee struggles to maintain eye contact.

In those blue orbs is a profound sadness, mixed with disbelief. Sylveon opens her mouth to say something, but stops and looks away once more.

'Nine? Can you let me listen in through your ears? I don't want there to be any mistakes for this,' Lee thinks, briefly looking away from Sylveon to Ninetales.

The fox wordlessly offers her senses, and after a brief flash of vertigo, Lee begins hearing the room from two different perspectives. From one of them, he can hear the beating of his own heart, along with Nine's and Sylveon's.

"Sylvy, whatever it is you have to say, you can tell me." Lee gently rubs the ribbon around his wrist with his other hand. "I want to help you in any way I can."

"How?" Sylveon begins with a deep, shuddering breath. Her voice, heard from two different sets of ears, is simultaneously a chore to understand yet perfectly clear. "How?"

"How what?" Lee asks, scooting a bit closer. Inwardly, he tries to muster up as much encouragement as he can in his chest, hoping Sylveon feels it.

Sylveon doesn't reciprocate, but doesn't move away, either. She blinks tears from her eyes and looks up at him. "How does one get better? How does one live after their purpose is gone?"

The zoologist pauses. "That's… That's quite the question," he says, looking at the wall and trying to think of an answer. 'Is she equating the ranch hand abandoning her to my restart on life?'

'Seems lopsided to me,' Ninetales frowns, 'but as Lokoko said, Fairies are odd creatures.'

Lee nods slowly. 'Back in Lavaridge, right after you evolved, you said something I quite liked— how you exist to love and be loved? I think the same might apply to Sylveon as a species. That was their whole shtick in the pokemon fiction, and it seems to be holding true here .'

Ninetales is silent, but Lee keenly feels her prickling discomfort as she tries, and fails, to imagine herself in Sylveon's place. It doesn't seem to matter how many times she tries, she can never quite visualize it.

Outwardly, Lee resumes speaking. "Well, people and pokemon don't have to have just one purpose," he says, smiling towards Sylveon. "I was a zookeeper, and now I'm a trainer. Sometimes life is unfair and you just have to start over, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy."

Something about that just doesn't seem to compute to Sylveon, who shakes her head vigorously. "No! That's not right! I cannot!"sShe growls, her claws extending and tearing into the bedcovers.

"Shhhh, it's okay, no need to be upset," Lee whispers, rubbing the ribbon again. He shuts his eyes and for a split second, thinks about mentally leaning backwards into Ninetales to keep his nerves nice and soothed for Sylveon, only to pause.

…How much of Ninetales can Sylveon feel through him? Can Sylveon feel the invisible bond between them? Once more, Lee is reminded just how unusual the relationship between Ninetales and himself is. There exists no real world equivalent for what they have, in that strange place that is neither romantic nor platonic.

It's all too easy to see how someone looking in from the outside could come to a wrong and envious conclusion.

With a sigh, Lee sends a wordless apology to Ninetales. 'Nevermind, Nine. I might need to do this one solo.'

Her fan of tails twitch in irritation, but Ninetales nonetheless relents. 'Very well, Beloved. Remember I am here if you need me.'

Lee sends back the mental equivalent of a nod, and with great reluctance pinches the telepathic line between him and Ninetales as closed as he can. Her senses vanish from his mind. Then her thoughts. Then her emotions. When they can close it no further, Lee is left with naught but a sense of profound loneliness. The only thing that he can feel is that the connection is there.

With a deep sigh, the man powers through his discomfort and centers himself, returning his attention to Sylveon. "Let me finish, okay? I've got more to say."

Sylveon, through great and obvious effort, takes a deep breath and attempts to calm herself. She sits, and her tense body begins to uncoil.

Lee sidles closer. "I know things look bad now, and it takes different people different amounts of time to get better after tragedy strikes, but believe me when I say it does get better. You know what helps with that?"

Sylveon shakes her head. The look she gives him is one of pleading, begging him to please make things better!

Scooching just a little closer, Lee is now within arm's reach of the fairy. "Things will be so much easier for you if you take it all one day at a time. It's even better when it's alongside people who understand, who sympathize."

Lee twiddled his fingers, gathering his thoughts once more.

"All of us on this little team of ours have been through different things, but I think we all understand what it's like to lose something precious," Lee murmurs, voice subdued. "I like to think that we've all learned that no matter how bad it gets, no matter how much you lose, you can always find new things to love."

Sylveon's breath hitches in her throat.

"Maybe what's gone can't be replaced, but that doesn't mean you have to be miserable," Lee says, freezing Sylveon in place with his stare. "Other forms of love are just as real as the traditional, romantic sort. Evelyn loved you enough to harden her heart and let you go, to free you from the ranch and the weight of those memories, and although you've only been part of this team for a week and some change, I love you the same as I do my other pokemon. It kills me to see you so sad." Lee opens his arms, beckoning Sylveon to him. "Will you let me prove it?"

For a long, tense moment, it seems as if Sylveon will reject him. Five seconds stretches to ten, and ten to twenty, but she shakily rises to her paws and steps forward. Each step is hard-fought, and hesitation colors her expression the entire way, but Sylveon steps close, her three remaining ribbons slowly coiling around him.

Lee's arms wrap around the Fairy and pull her into a tight hug. Using all the practice he's obtained with Ninetales, Lee shuts his eyes and musters up all of the love and concern that he can.

'I want you to be well.'

'I want you to be happy.'

'I want you to be fulfilled.'

There's a sharp intake of breath, and then Sylveon begins to shake before collapsing into Lee's lap. There are neither great sobs nor weeping, but the man feels his shirt grow wet with tears.

Resting his chin on her head, Lee rubs gentle circles on Sylveon's back, saying nothing and letting her vent everything she has. A sudden pang of sympathy not his own makes him look over to Ninetales, and Lee realizes he let his strangling grip on the telepathic bond grow weak.

'Nine, Love, don't take this the wrong way but…' Lee trails off, wondering how to word it.

'You were expecting jealousy?' Ninetales dryly finishes for him. The vixen licks her lips, her eyes locked on her crying, elder teammate. 'There is a part deep down that is jealous, but I've been trying to do as you do more, and thinking of myself in the place of others. Were I to lose the one most precious to me, were I to lose you…' She can't finish her sentence, a shiver running down her spine and up each of her tails. 'No. I do not believe I would be well, either. I shall not begrudge Sylveon for partaking in your sympathy,' she finishes, looking away. 'It is as you thought earlier; none have what we have, and upon reflection, it is immature of me to be discontent while possessing such a treasure.'

Warmth blooms within Lee's chest, and he gives her a proud smile. 'You really are the best, Nine.'

The vixen clicks her tongue and shakes her head as if to wave away the praise, but she cannot hide the swell of love in her chest, or the insides of her ears blushing red.

Gradually, Sylveon's tears begin to stem, and like a water balloon with a hole poked in it, she deflates into an exhausted pink and white pile in Lee's lap. No matter how limp she becomes, however, the grip of her ribbons remains tight.

Lee pats his newest pokemon on the back. "Better?" he asks.

Sylveon nods lethargically, sniffling and rubbing her eyes with her paw. She then lets out a long-suffering sigh and allows a distinctly rueful croon to bubble out of her throat, staring up at him all the while.

'Nine, can I get a translation? I'm still not that good at reading her.'

'She's embarrassed to be doted upon by someone young enough to be her child.'

Lee grins and squeezes Sylveon. "Ah, don't let that bother you," he begins with a smile, "age doesn't mean much. Sometimes all you need is to be held and told it's going to be all right. Doesn't matter who's doing the holding."

The fairy scoffs, but makes no move to pull away.

"Oh, and before I forget…"

Sylveon looks up, once more meeting Lee's eyes.

"If you're ever feeling down, or doubtful, or just want a hug for its own sake, say something, okay?" Lee tells her. "Promise me. I want you to be happy."

Sylveon grimaces at the word "promise". She looks around at the room, then to Ninetales, and back to Lee. She sets her shoulders, and before her sudden gathering of nerve can leave her, she nods her head, muttering two syllables under her breath.

Lee flinches at the feeling of static that coats Sylveon's ribbons for a split second, and wonders what in the world just happened. 'Fairy nonsense, for certain. Are fairies funny about promises or something?'

'Such a thing would not surprise me in the least,' Ninetales thinks with a shake of her head.

'Wonderful. That's something to keep in mind for later, then,' Lee sends back. After thinking to himself, he smiles and comes up with a great way to end this talk on a positive note. "Sylvy? How about we give you a good grooming? I know I gave you a once over the first night you joined the team, but I'm talking something good."

Sylveon tilts her head, obviously considering the offer, and Lee doesn't miss the prickle of envy from Ninetales. Thinking quickly, Lee pivots the conversation around. "In fact, how about I treat all the girls of the team to something special? You, Nine, and Shinx, and then we can move outside for Corvi, Grovyle, and Octillery. Heck, we'll make it a regular thing as long as we're here, seeing as everyone is going to be working hard in the coming weeks. You deserve it."

The metaphorical cloud hanging over Ninetales dissipates instantly, replaced by open delight, and Shinx's ball bursts open in a flash, depositing an excited, sparking kitten only inches away.

Sylveon just tilts her head once more.

---

When Lee said "something special", he meant it.

He started Nine, Sylvy, and Shinx off with full massages. He already knows what cats enjoy so Shinx was easy to turn into a purring puddle, and Ninetales was even easier considering he knows her body better than his own. In fact, he had to prod the vixen's mind with his own so she didn't fall asleep. Sylveon proved to be an interesting challenge, as eeveelutions take traits from both canines and felines. Eventually, though, Lee mapped her out well enough to get her to relax.

The Draconid hut, thankfully, has running water, and Nine, Sylvy, and Shinx each got a full, hot bath and thorough scrubbing. Sylveon had to share Nine's usual shampoo and conditioner, but even if both concoctions were made for dense, fire-retardant fur, they were plenty gentle enough to use on sensitive Fairy skin.

As their fur dried, Lee took the time to trim and file all the claws between them, then lead them back to the bedroom to finish everything off with a thorough brushing.

Shinx's coarse coat zapped and crackled as it was brushed with a rather average pin brush, and an impressive amount of shed held together by static was tossed in the waste bin. Sylveon's short, delicate, and velvety fur called for a soft bristle brush that Evelyn insisted Lee take - a gift which he was now quite glad he'd accepted.

Now, he's finishing the three-hour-long task off with Ninetales. Her dense, silky fur requires a long-toothed slicker brush to get all the way down to her undercoat, and each pass needs to be slow and careful, but leaves her fur sparkling like gold. Being the largest of the girls, Ninetales is laid on the bed with her hind legs splayed out behind her, while Sylveon and Shinx occupy a corner of the mattress. Lee, meanwhile, stands over Ninetales, slowly working his way through her coat.

"When's my turn?"

Lee peers over his shoulder, not lifting his hands from Ninetales' back and leaving the brushing he promised half done.

Standing in the bedroom doorway are Zinnia and Brendan, both of whom are watching the goings-on. Zinnia specifically zeroes in on Sylveon and Shinx.

The kitten is out cold, snoozing away and cuddled into Sylveon's side. Her usually scruffy coat practically shines in the sunlight from the window.

Sylveon actually looks happy. The smile on her face is small and fragile, and the colors of her coat are still a bit dull, but they're brighter than they were just a few hours ago. If it isn't a reflection of the tremendous amount of progress she's experienced today, then Lee isn't sure what is.

Lee rolls his eyes and nods his head toward the pokeballs on his belt. "When you're willing to hang out in a tiny ball and pick fights with literally anything on my behalf," he says, addressing Zinnia, "then I'll pamper you whenever you want."

"Is that all?" The Dragon tamer laughs and theatrically cracks her knuckles.

Ninetales huffs at the insinuation, but before she can think of something witty to say, Lee moves the brush to her middle-most tail and renews his work, making the fox too lethargic to bother.

"So, I take it you guys have questions?" Lee begins, slowing down to untangle a knot in his brush. He turns his eyes back to Ninetales.

"A few," Brendan admits, walking in. He takes the chair from the small desk in the corner and sits in it backwards, resting his chin on the back.

Zinnia, meanwhile, follows after Brendan and seats herself on the edge of the desk itself.

"Shoot," Lee says, finishing Nine's middle tail and moving on to another one.

"So these games and TV shows and everything," Zinnia begins, lifting a hand and twirling her wrist in an unsure gesture. "How… I guess how accurate were they? I know when we first met, you recognized me, so was I a character in any of these things?"

"Hey, yeah! You never answered!" Brendan chimes in, leaning forward excitedly. "Was I in any of them?"

Hesitating, Lee silently reaches out to Ninetales. 'Love, your opinion?'

'I foresee no harm in informing them,' Ninetales drowsily sends back, slowly blinking her red eyes. 'So long as you remind them that fictional events have no correlation to them as people.'

'The ever wise kitsune always seems to have a good answer.' Lee chuckles under his breath. "Yes, and no," he says, sparing a look to his pair of human friends. "I saw a version of you, Zinnia, in a game I didn't finish, so beyond your name and appearance, I didn't truly know who you were when we met. For all I know, the game depiction was completely wrong. I know none of the games or anything had any detailed history regarding the Draconid tribe like there is here, so any kind of game depiction was probably wrong, anyway."

Previously unnoticed tension in Zinnia evaporates, and she folds her hands in her lap. "Huh. I guess I feel better?" She shakes her head. "Ugh. Just thinking about this is weird."

"As for you, Brendan…" Lee regards the eager boy, wondering how to put things. "There wasn't really a canon depiction of you. There's a player character in a few of the games that vaguely looks like you, and I think some version of you was in a few of the comics, but there's never been a one true 'Brendan.' You're completely unique."

Brendan honestly seems disappointed. "So I wasn't anyone important?" he asks, slumping.

"Not what I said." Lee levels Brendan with a firm stare. "You're the one and only Brendan Birch. You are what you make yourself, no more, no less."

The boy leans back with a blink. Reaching under his white hat, he scratches the back of his head with confusion, before a realization seems to strike him. "Did you think I was going to have some kind of identity crisis because I was in an extradimensional videogame?"

Lee freezes in brushing his fox for a split-second, but Brendan catches it, and openly laughs, making Lee's face burn.

"C'mon, Lee!" Brendan guffaws, throwing his head back in his mirth. "Of all the things to be worried about, that's what you were afraid of saying?"

"Brendan, if everyone in the world was as mature as you, there would be a lot less problems," Lee grumbles. "No, you want to know what I'm really afraid of? You remember Ash Ketchum?"

Zinnia perks up. "Oak's Lab Trainer? What about him?"

"Would you believe me if I said there's a non-zero chance that he is some kind of Arceus-blessed savior?" Lee asks, deadpan.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Now you're starting to get why I worry."

---

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[doomqwer]

He's a Faller.

Lee Henson is a Faller.

Click to shrink...

Ah yes Fallers an interesting phenomenon in pokemon and one that could be really could if explored.

Sylveon shakes her head. The look she gives him is one of pleading, begging him to please make things better!

Click to shrink...

Ooof poor girl she really was a broken mess of a thing for awhile I am just glad she is showing some progress towards recovery.

'You were expecting jealousy?' Ninetales dryly finishes for him. The vixen licks her lips, her eyes locked on her crying, elder teammate. 'There is a part deep down that is jealous, but I've been trying to do as you do more, and thinking of myself in the place of others. Were I to lose the one most precious to me, were I to lose you…' She can't finish her sentence, a shiver running down her spine and up each of her tails. 'No. I do not believe I would be well, either. I shall not begrudge Sylveon for partaking in your sympathy,' she finishes, looking away. 'It is as you thought earlier; none have what we have, and upon reflection, it is immature of me to be discontent while possessing such a treasure.'

Click to shrink...

Ninetales really has matured a lot and I am glad that in the meeting with annabelle we well see even more things touched upon.

'Fairy nonsense, for certain. Are fairies funny about promises or something?'

Click to shrink...

Yeah along with an alien mindset Fae are really into deals and contracts and will try to enforce or complete them with great vigor.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Now you're starting to get why I worry."

Click to shrink...

Yeah Ash is fucking minefield and a half.

 

[anonermoose]

I was expecting Lee to bring up the multiple potential apocalypses at some point, Ash is a pretty good segway to discuss those especially as some movies have different threat set ups from the games.

I expect a spectacular reaction from Zinnia when she hears just how many legendaries Ash interacts with on a regular basis with few people dying (and staying dead).

 

[Eevee shadow bacon]

I wonder what Giratina wants will Mister Lee?

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Huh Lees caught the attention of the best danger noodle. Wonder what it wants. Also this was a nice chapter and a nice talk with Sylveon. Also cant wait to see their reactions to the real dangerous shit he knows.

 

[correcthorse666]

"Brendan, if everyone in the world was as mature as you, there would be a lot less problems," Lee grumbles. "No, you want to know what I'm really afraid of? You remember Ash Ketchum?"

Zinnia perks up. "Oak's Lab Trainer? What about him?"

"Would you believe me if I said there's a non-zero chance that he is some kind of Arceus-blessed savior?" Lee asks, deadpan.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Now you're starting to get why I worry."

Click to shrink...

Lee: "If I'm right, he's also died at least once, but got better. Also had his starter chosen via a causal loop."

Zinnia: "..."

Lee: "Things aren't getting calmer from here on out. On a related note, avoid Alamos Town if at all possible."

 

[Eevee shadow bacon]

Lee: "If I'm right, he's also died at least once, but got better. Also had his starter chosen via a causal loop."

Zinnia: "..."

Lee: "Things aren't getting calmer from here on out. On a related note, avoid Alamos Town if at all possible."

Click to shrink...

Lee: "Avoid Michina if you do not want to literally meet God when he's at his most pissed."

Zinnia & Brendan: "Excuse me?"

Lee "I'm not gonna even try to explain the broken timeloop that goes down there."