TEEN: Like A Drum

[TwinklingCupcake]

This is a relatively short fic from me, only 6 or so chapters planned out. It's also available to read on ffn and Ao3.

Warning: will contain some short scenes of violence towards Pokemon, as well as themes and depictions of mental/emotional abuse, PTSD, and gaslighting.

--

Chapter One: Baby, Don't Stop Beating
Chapter Two: Promise I'm Not Playin' Tricks On You
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six​

Chapter One: Baby, Don't Stop Beating

"-with Beauty and the Zoroak topping the weekend box office." A tinny voice came from an old-fashioned radio sitting atop a wooden counter in a cafe.

A lone employee leaned against the counter, stirring her mug of coffee as she took advantage of the pre-rush quiet. The rich brown wood gleamed in the early morning light, huge picture windows looked out at Verdanturf Town, still sleeping in the liquid gold sun. Dust particles gently floated like glitter in the thick sunbeams that stretched over the floor, the chirps and quiet calls of Pokemon could be heard faintly from outside. Every now and then, a gentle breeze fluttered the lush grass and bright flowers, made the trees whisper into the air.
The barista sighed and closed her eyes, a gentle smile on her face.

"Cleffaaaa..." sighed the pink Pokemon on the counter.

"You said it, Marshmallow."

A bell above the door jingled, and a tall, curvy figure in pale blue jeans and a cream sweater walked in. "Good morning, Dahlia," said the customer, tossing their long, silky black hair over their shoulder.

"Morning, Ji-Min!" Dahlia smiled and set her mug on an Electrode-shaped coaster. "The usual today?"

"Yep." Ji-Min reached into their wallet for their punch card. "And I believe I get a free 16-ouncer, now?"

"Alright, one sixteen-ounce butterscotch latte, one twelve-ounce black coffee, and two cinnamon buns with walnuts. That'll be thirteen-fifty- oh, thank you. I’ll get that right up!" Dahlia turned away, leaving Ji-Min to lean on the counter and listen to the radio, idly scritching the top of Mashmallow’s head.

"-and now, here's Carlos Rivera with today's weather. Carlos?"

"Thanks, Roberta. Well, folks, it might be gorgeous right now, but enjoy it while you can because we're expecting rain tonight. Temperatures will steadily drop throughout the day, with cloud cover moving in around seven pm. Before nine pm, they are expected to burst, and we’ll be getting heavy rainfall and scattered thunder…”

"Whaaat?" Dahlia cried, thunking the cardboard container on the counter. "But it's so sunny today! Rain can't come in that fast, can it?"

"It can and it has," Ji-Min chuckled, taking their own coffee and taking a sip. "Andie and I'll have to put the Pokemon in early tonight."

Dahlia gave Ji-Min a concerned look. "What about those trainers you put up? They're not leaving today, are they?"

"Oh no, they left yesterday. Hopefully they'll have reached Fallarbor and outrun the rain by nightfall. Say, your shift...?"

"I get off at four, I'll be fine."

Ji-Min nodded, setting their latte back in its cup holder. They picked up the box, nodding a farewell to Dahlia. "Take care!"

"You too! Say hi to Andie for me!"

"Cleffaaa!"


A mile or two outside of Verdanturf Town, at the end of a small dirt road branching off the main route, there stood a modest stretch of farmland. A well-worn sign at the front read "Maple Crossing Pokemon Sanctuary." There was a cherry-red barn and another, smaller building right next to it sitting inside a fenced-in pasture, and another road leading away from it. At the end of that road was a small white sugar cube of a house, with a gravel space next to it for parking.

It was quiet at the moment, but that was soon to change.

"Rise and shine, sleepy-beaks!"

The smaller building's doors suddenly opened, causing a group of Torchic to blink against the light. They began to squawk irritably at having been so rudely awakened, but then they saw who it was.

Andie, a heavyset woman in a red flannel shirt and dark blue overalls,walked into the coop, carrying two bags of Pokemon food on her shoulders. The Torchic swarmed her immediately, squeaking and crying out as they jumped up at her legs.

Andie laughed, carefully picking her way around the tiny mob. "A'ight, a'ight, hold on," she said, heading for a row of bowls against one wall. "You'll get your breakfast, just wait - hey, hey, Teriyaki!" Her voice took on a warning tone as she narrowed her eyes at a particularly-feisty Torchic. "No. Teriyaki. No . You stop that. Now c'mon and lemme through."

"Chick!"
"Torchi!"
"Chick-chick-chick!"

The Torchic dutifully stepped back, tilting their heads and scratching at the dirt while Andie knelt down with the food. She tossed her red braid over her shoulder as she tore open first one bag, then the next, and carefully began to pour down the row of bowls. Instantly, the Torchic were back in full force. "Okay, here we g- Settle down, everyone - whoa, Omelette! You almost knocked over Benedict! Okay, okay, Omurice, you wait til I add your supplement - Hey, Teriyaki! Be nice to your brothers and sister!"

The Torchic in question huffed, glaring at Andie before diving into her food bowl.

Soon, the bags were empty, and about half the bowls were as well. The Torchic who finished their meals were peeping around the coop, some heading out the door to the yard and others settling back in their beds to catch extra sleep.

Andie patted one, Teriyaki, on the head as she stood up with a grunt. One chore was done.

Forty minutes later, the expansive yard was full of Pokemon.

The Torchic clustered together wherever they went, as if fearful of the larger Pokemon. A pair of elderly Zigzagoon snoozed together under a Leppa tree. A Psyduck waddled towards a pond, a Taillow that couldn't fly hopped around pecking at berry seeds. Andie carefully moved around them all as she carried a Sevipor to his favorite tree. "Okay, Medusa," she grunted as she set him down. "I'll be back to rub your scales in a few hours."

"Vipeeeer..." Medusa hissed, coiling up and tucking his head under himself.

Andie gave him a few gentle pats before heading to the big barn for her last check-in.

A large Milktank lifted her head as the door opened, blinking sleepily in the light. Unlike the other Pokemon, she made no effort to move - and it was clear why. Her already-big belly was extremely swollen, to the point where all she could do was lie there in the soft bedding provided for her. "Miiil..." she yawned as Andie approached her.

"Hey, Gracie," Andie said with a soft smile on her round face. She walked up to the Miltank with a large bag of food - this one different from the others. It was pink, and had a large plus sign on the label. Special supplements mixed with the food. "How's your belly today?"

"Moooo..." Gracie stretched and set her head back down in her bedding.

"Good, good. Just a few more weeks, right?" Andie poured a generous amount of food into Gracie’s bowl, until about half the bag remained. She pushed the bowl towards Gracie’s head with her foot, so she wouldn’t have to move too much to get to it. Gracie’s nostrils flared and she lifted her head again. "Welp, eat up, girl! We gotta keep your strength up."

"Moo!"

Andie stood back and watched for a moment, setting the bag on the ground. Then, she knelt down in front of Gracie and pressed her palms and the side of her face to her belly, her eyes closed in concentration. The Miltank’s flesh felt as warm as an electric blanket, and very firm, the skin stretched thin. A pulse thrummed under her fingertips, a tiny fast heartbeat reaching her ears. Andie’s tense expression melted into one of peace as she felt and listened, rubbing one of her hands gently over Gracie’s stomach. "Such a good girl," she murmured. "Everything sounds normal in there… Are you excited to be a mommy?"

“Miiil…” Gracie sighed between bites of food.

“Hm, I thought so. What do you want, a Miltank or a Tauros? I’ve bought a big ribbon collar for them, a nice spring green. We’ll put a cute little bell on it when they’re born. That’ll be right sweet, don’t you think?”

“Moo!”

“I’m thinking if it’s a Miltank, I wanna name it Strawberry. If it's a Tauros, Choco. Does that sound good to you?”

Suddenly something warm pressed against Andie's other cheek. She jumped in surprise, but smiled at the familiar voice behind her. "You know, I don't know who's more excited, her or you."

Andie laughed, pulling away from Gracie and taking her coffee from Ji-Min's waiting hand. "Hey, don't act like birthin' doesn't make you all sentimental too."

Ji-Min chuckled, rubbing their wife’s back before looking to the Milktank. "How's she look? You know more about this than I do."

"So far so good. She's not in any pain, she's eating well, I'd say we're looking at a smooth laying."

"About how much time?"

"I think we're fixin’ to deliver in two, maybe three weeks?" Andie took a long pull of her coffee, looking affectionately at the Miltank. Gracie had just finished her meal and had put her head back in her bedding to take a short nap. "Her belly's pretty hot, and you can feel the egg. And the heart. We're almost there."

"That's great..." Ji-Min murmured, also watching the Miltank. "Oh, hey. Before I forget, the weather report says there's going to be a rainstorm tonight. We'd better get the Pokemon back inside early tonight."

"Hm, does sunset sound good?"

"Yeah, that should give us enough time. I don't think they'll put up too much fuss - pretty sure they sense the weather changing already. Lulu and Chuchu's fur was bristling when I walked past. They kept sniffing the air and looking around."

Andie laughed at the mention of the Persian couple. "Those two always were pretty sensitive." She put her free hand on one knee, grunting as she pushed herself back to her feet. "Well, chores are all done til lunch, so we got some time to kill."


At Maple Crossing, 'time to kill' actually meant 'time to relax and sit down.'

The two couldn't afford to leave the Sanctuary at the same time. The Pokemon always needed someone nearby in case of emergencies, or for general supervision. Trainers could pass through and need to stop and rest for the night. Anything could happen.
So for the two Pokemon Caretakers, relaxing was always down at the sanctuary, not in town.

But they didn't mind. It was nice to sit on their porch and listen to the radio while keeping an eye on the Pokemon fields, or to just sit in their den with the TV and some crocheting. Life was quiet, and that was how they liked it.

Ji-Min sat on the wooden steps to the porch, eating their cinnamon bun while Andie sat on the wraparound railing. Accompanying them was their house-Pokemon, a Vulpix named Ginger, who curled up next to Ji-Min. A modern radio sat on the outdoor table, a new pop song wrapping up and fading into the hourly news.

Ji-Min automatically began paying closer attention. In-between segments were full of commercials and advertisements for local sales. "I hope there's a sale on Poke-Cream this weekend," they said hurriedly. "I've been hoping to give the fuzzy ones a special treat."

Andie snorted, shaking her head. "They'll never put Poke Cream on sale. They make too much money by keeping it expensive, makin' people think it's high-quality."

"Shh, I'm trying to hear!"

"-and the local sales this weekend are: Pokemon Chow, now buy two bags get one free regardless of size or price..."

"Ooh, that sounds good. Ji-Min, you wanna take the truck down tomorrow an-"

"-and dried assorted Berries are now five for five. Moving on to current events, Oldale police are still searching for Fawn Lamar-"

Ji-Min sighed in annoyance, setting their glass down with a clink . "Aw, only two sales? Slow week."

"Eh, prob'ly not many Trainers starting their journeys right now. You notice the big sales really kick in when there's a lot more kid customers?" Andie set down her crochet to rest her fingers. "Just wait til next week. They'll-"

A series of shrieks and squawks suddenly pierced the air, making the couple leap to their feet in shock. The noise continued, increasing in pitch and volume, and seemed to echo over itself.

Andie immediately knew what the problem was. "Teriyaki!" she screeched, hauling down the stairs and towards the cluster of Torchic. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of thick faux-leather gloves. "Teriyaki, stop it! Ginger, help!"

“Vulp!” Ginger hopped off the porch, chasing after her friend.

The Torchic were huddled tightly together, so tight they looked like a big orange pom pom instead of a group of chicken Pokemon. They were all trembling to varying degrees, wide-eyed and fearful as they watched the smallest of them: Teriyaki.
Teriyaki was thrashing in the dirt with a young Zigzagoon, scratching and biting at it ferociously while the Zigzagoon hissed and spat at it. Tufts of brown and cream fur flew through the air, while only one or two orange feathers had come loose from Teriyaki. The Zigzagoon fell to the dirt on its back, flailing its paws and hissing loudly as Teriyaki tried to attack its belly.

"Teriyaki, stop ! Ginger, use Confuse Ray!" Andie shouted.

“Vuuulp!” Ginger skidded to a stop, her eyes briefly glowing as she stared at Teriyaki.

Teriyaki, either by reflex or being compelled, glanced up towards Ginger and Andie. And then she snapped back a bit, as if struck by an unseen force, shaking her head rapidly.

But she’d stopped attacking the Zigzagoon. Andie quickly reached down and pried her off her victim, holding her up high. Zigzagoon immediately rolled to its feet and ran towards one of the trees, intent on hiding in Medusa's coils. Ji-Min ran past Andie to check on it.

Teriyaki shook off the confusion and screeched angrily, kicking in the air. Some Zigzagoon fur had gotten stuck in her claws, and parts of it gradually detached and floated to the dirt.

"Teriyaki!" Andie snapped, holding the Pokemon at arm's length in front of herself. "Teriyaki, you're done! You're done, stop it!"

“Vulpix!” Ginger called, as if in agreement.

Teriyaki squawked and kicked at thin air for a few more moments before seeming to deflate. Her legs went limp, her head fell forward loosely, and her wings stopped struggling against Andie's hands. She was panting heavily, her little tongue lolling out of her beak. After a moment, she turned her head to glare at Andie over her shoulder.

Andie returned the glare just as fierce. "Don't gimme that black look," she scolded.
"I tolja to leave the other Pokemon alone! You know better!"

Teriyaki sharply turned her head away, kicking the air once for good measure. "Chick!"

"Ji-Min, is that Zigzagoon okay? Which one was it?" Andie called out.

Ji-Min stood up, cradling the Zigzagoon to their chest, gently running their hand from its head to the base of the tail. "Poor Snickers," they crooned. "He's fine, looks like. Just shaken."

Andie looked to Teriyaki again. "You're lucky he ain't hurt, miss missy! It's solitary for you til ya cool down."

"Chickchickchick!" Teriyaki shrieked, kicking at the air again as Andie carried her into the coop.

"You know the rules, Teriyaki. We don't hurt no one here, no matter what we may be feelin'!" Andie retorted. She reached the coop and opened the top of the 'time-out pen,' putting Teriyaki inside with ease. Before the Torchic could try to escape, she closed the top and latched it. "Now you stay there-"

"Chick!" Teriyaki spat a small ember at her.

But Andie just brushed the little flame off, her movement making it go out. "You stay there until you calm down. I'll be back to check on you in ten."

Teriyaki began shrieking irritably, but Andie kept on walking until she was back in the yard.

Ji-Min was sitting on the grass against Medusa, holding Snickers the Zigzagoon in their lap and stroking his back. The poor little guy was trembling slightly, but apart from some pulled-out fluff, he was unhurt.

"Poor Snickers," Ji-Min murmured. "What happened, sweetheart?"

Snickers whuffed sadly, looking at something near the group of Trochic, who were slowly starting to calm down and branch out again.

Andie and Ji-Min followed his gaze. There was a little tennis ball on the ground near where the Torchic had been. "Aw, you were playing with your ball and it got too close to Teriyaki?" Ji-Min guessed. "She must've thought you were threatening her by coming close..."

"It still ain't no excuse," Andie murmured. "Poor things, both of 'em... C'mon, Snickers, let's play inside, okay?" And she lifted the Zigzagoon into her arms, heading for the house.


The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Teriyaki settled down shortly after being put by herself, stewing and sulking until she was calm again. Andie let her out before lunch, and she didn't attack anyone else that day.

The air gradually grew colder, the bright blue sky beginning to shift into an ominous gray. The gentle breeze began to grow chillier, bringing a cold bite to it that made the Pokemon huddle together for warmth.

Because of this, the caretakers decided to start putting the Pokemon away early. Everyone went back into their pens and cages, housed in the barn or coop.
Ji-Min was tending to Gracie in the maternity barn when the clouds finally burst.

"Okay, you've got everything you need. A midnight snack, extra bedding... extra blanket," they added, tossing a thick gray blanket over Gracie's form. They adjusted the edges, giving it a few pats for good measure. "That's Wooloo wool. Nice and warm. You'll be nice and dry in here."

"Mooo!"

Suddenly there was an echoing roar, and the sound of heavy rain hitting the rooftop all at once. Ji-Min and Gracie both looked up, one of Gracie's ears twitching.

"Huh. Looks like we finished up just in time... I hope those trainers from yesterday are dry in Fallarbor." With a grunt, Ji-Min pushed themselves to their feet, dusting off their hands. "Now, you get your rest, and Andie'll see you in the morning, okay?" Gracie moo'd in response, and Ji-Min left the barn, latching it behind them.


The rain continued through the night. By eleven PM, the sky was pitch-black. Outside, the sanctuary looked like it sat at the bottom of a waterfall.
But inside, everyone was safe and dry, lulled to sleep by the sound of rain against the rooftops.

Teriyaki slept, snuggled in the middle of the cluster of Torchic.
Mated Pokemon slept curled tightly around each other, families together. Pokemon who preferred to sleep alone had buried themselves in their thick bedding. Despite the commotion outside, inside all was peaceful, a safe haven.

The peace was only interrupted once.

In the barn, Gracie's ear twitched as a strange, new sound reached her. She immediately awoke, raising her head and looking towards the barn doors. She could hear the latch being undone, wood scraping on wood. After a moment, the door began to move, slowly as if the newcomer was struggling to open it. It didn't even open all the way; just enough for a thin figure to slip through and slam it behind them.

"Ugh..."

Gracie's ear twitched again, her curious eyes piercing the dark. "Mil?"

"Oh. Hey." The figure came closer, stumbling slightly. As they approached, Gracie could see they were hugging themselves, shivering. Her ears caught the plip plip of water hitting the dirt floor.
This person was soaked, she realized.

"Hey, you mind scootchin' over?" Without waiting for a response, the figure got down on the ground and curled up near Gracie's front. "Thanks... do me a favor, don't tell your trainer I'm here?"

"Mil?" Gracie trilled, but there was no answer. Only snoring.



The rain stopped shortly before sunrise. Water droplets clung to the grass like thousands of diamonds, and the morning sun caught each dripdripdripping from the edge of the roof or the leaves on the trees.
It would be a while before anything was dry enough to let the vulnerable Pokemon out, though, so Andie was preparing to go out with some enrichment toys for them so they wouldn't be bored. While Ji-Min headed for the door to get their usual coffee and cinnamon rolls, Andie went for the toy closet, turning on the TV as she did so, filling the den with the sound of the morning news.

Ji-Min was stepping into their 'post-rain' shoes when they noticed it. They stopped, straightening. Squinting, shading their eyes with one hand. Hm, no, they weren't imagining it. "Hey, Andie?"

"Yeah?"

"I closed the maternity barn, right?"

"Yeeaah?"

"I think the latch is down."

"What?" Andie rushed onto the porch, squinting to see.

Sure enough, the big wooden latch that held the barn door closed was down, one end buried in the grass and the other end hefted into the air.

"Did the hold break?" Ji-Min muttered.

"No. It wouldn't look like that... someone broke in. C'mon."

"Wait, you don't think it could be someone dangerous, could you?" Ji-Min gasped, hurrying after Andie as she strode quickly down the dirt path.

"Not a chance," Andie scoffed. "Someone dangerous woulda broken into the house. This person broke into a barn." She reached said barn and lifted the wooden board from the ground. Pushing it back into the 'unlock' position, she slowly opened the door, Ji-Min right behind her.

Gracie lifted her head as gray light stretched across the floor. "Mil!" she cried to her caretakers, taking a moment to glance at the figure curled up with her.

The two made their way closer, quietly. Ji-Min was holding their breath, fingers twitching as if they wished they'd brought a bat with them.
But soon their caution faded away into concern and curiosity.

The figure was a teenage girl.

She was dirty in a way that suggested a great deal of travel and not nearly enough shelter, streaks of mud still drying on her well-worn shoes. Her straight, back-length hair was limp and unwashed, and her limbs showed signs of hunger. Her expression twitched as the light started to wake her, her hands slowly moving on her bare arms from the draft.
She had no coat, but a black hoodie had been balled up and shoved under her head like a pillow. Her clothes weren't fit for traveling; a black t-shirt and worn blue jeans - and ones clearly meant for fashion over function, at that.
There was a packback nearby, but no PokeBalls to be seen.

Whoever she was, she wasn't a Trainer.

"What should we do?" Andie whispered.

It was as if a spell had just been broken. The girl snapped awake with a gasp, and she threw her gaze over to them. "Hey!" she shouted, staggering to her feet. She stumbled back, nearly tripping over her hoodie, and grabbed her backpack off the ground. "What're you doin' here?!" she demanded. "Get- back off! " She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a small red item. Witha flick of her thumb, it unfolded, and a small blade popped out: a Swiss army knife. "Stay away from me-!"

"Easy, honey, easy..." Andie interrupted gently, hands in front of herself placatingly. "We're not here to hurt you. You're in our barn. We just found you a moment ago." Her tone was flat, but gentle. A means to both ground the distressed teenager and reassure her. "Put the knife down... You're not in danger."

The girl stared furiously for a few more seconds, then blinked. Once. Twice. Then three times. A spark seemed to appear in her brown eyes as she gasped; she'd been half-asleep still, and had only now fully woken up and realized the situation. "Oh.. oh my gosh... Oh, I'm so freaking sorry, I-" she stammered.

"Miiiil..." Gracie leaned her head forward slightly, nuzzling at the girl.

The girl jumped, flushing in embarrassment as she looked around. "O-Oh- I'm sorry, I- the rain, it just - I had to get shelter, so I-"

Ji-Min stepped out from behind Andie, holding their hands out. "Hey. How about you come inside, and then we'll talk. Okay?"


Half an hour later, Andie was walking over to the kitchen table with two mugs of coffee. She passed one cup to Ji-Min, who was already sitting down. "All the Pokemon fed?" she asked as she sat down herself.

"Yeah. I told them we'd be back with enrichment toys later."

Andie nodded, and then they heard footsteps tromping down the stairs.

The teenager from the barn walked into the kitchen, awkwardly toweling her damp, caramel-colored hair. She'd changed her clothes after her shower, Andie having found some spares she kept for Trainers who needed to do laundry. She now wore a pink gingham shirt with short sleeves, and light blue denim shorts. Andie and Ji-Min didn't have spare shoes, so the girl's Dr Martens had to be wiped down and set on the porch to dry.
She herself seemed rather lost, even as Ji-Min waved a hand towards the empty chair across from them, inviting her to sit.

"You drink coffee?"

"Huh?"

"I said, you drink coffee?'" Andie repeated, raising a brow.

"Dude, I'm like, fourteen . Why're you offering me coffee ?" the girl grimaced, though her harsh expression softened a bit as Ginger jumped onto her lap for pets.

"You never know. I drank coffee when I was fifteen." Andie took another drink. "So, what do you want to eat? I bet you haven't had a proper meal in a while."

The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You want eggs? We got eggs from the Torchic that live here."

"Dude, don't you wanna know why I'm here?" the girl snapped.

The adults raised their brows. Saying nothing.

The girl went on. "I mean- I mean, come on ! A girl just shows up on your property, all dirty, and you don't have questions?"

"Vulp!" Ginger chirped, nuzzling under the girl's chin, which seemed to calm her a bit.

"Hmmm... so you're not a Trainer," Ji-Min said, pretending they hadn't already figured that out. "If you were, you wouldn't be so defensive..."

The girl stiffened.

"You haven't let out your Pokemon yet, either," Andie pointed out. "Do you have any? Or was that knife the only thing you had to protect yourself?"

The girl's free hand, the one not stroking Ginger, went to the pocket of the shorts she was wearing. She felt the handle of the knife through the thick, sturdy material, a comforting reminder of its presence.

"Are we right?" Ji-Min asked.

The girl looked from one adult to the other, her hand trembling slightly. "Well... I, uh..."

Perhaps it was coincidence. Perhaps some cosmic force had a sense of humor. But just at that moment, the morning news, still playing in the den, went to another story: "Oldale Police have announced they are extending the search for fourteen-year-old Fawn Lamar past city limits, as they believe she may have gone further into the region."

All four occupants of the kitchen turned towards the TV, watching as a girl's picture appeared next to the anchorwoman. The teenager's picture.

"No foul play is expected, and Oldale Police Chief Roberts says he is still open to the possibility of Miss Lamar taking up Pokemon Training. However, no Gym Leaders have reported battling her, and the Lamar family reports they have still yet to hear from Fawn."

The girl - Fawn Lamar - slowly turned back towards the adults. They were just staring back, impassively. For a few moments, no one said anything, the only noise was the news changing to another story.

Fawn looked anxiously at the adults, her hand stilling on Ginger's head. "Well?" she asked. "Aren't you gonna call the cops?"

"What? No, why would we do that?"

"Well, it was just on the radio, wasn't it? Th'cops are looking for me! You're not gonna rat me out?"

"Heck no!" Ji-Min said, setting their coffee down on the table. "Eff cops!"

"Yeah, to hell with cops!" Andie agreed boisterously.

Fawn just stared, slack-jawed. But then she seemed to collect herself, frowning and twisting her mouth. "You guys are weird."

"Look. Kid. We're not calling the cops or turning you in. You clearly have your own reasons for leaving Oldale. You don't have anywhere to go. Do you wanna stay, or not?"

Fawn leaned back, raising one eyebrow suspiciously. "If I say no, will you call them anyway?"

"No," said Ji-Min with a shake of their head. "But if you say no and leave, you won't know how long you'll have to go before you find shelter again."

That seemed to get to Fawn. She stared, frowning still. Her hand still hadn't moved from the top of Ginger's head, and by this point the Vulpix was turning to look at her in curiosity. Fawn's gaze moved to the tabletop, then around the kitchen. To the doorway leading to the den, to the window overlooking the sanctuary.

Sanctuary.

Fawn closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Then she looked back to the adults. "You really won't call the cops? Or ask any questions?"

"We really won't," Ji-Min said. "But we will ask you to help out with the Pokemon once in a while."

Fawn tilted her head, mouth pushed to one side. Considering it. One moment passed, then two.

But finally, she nodded. One hand stretched out across the table, while the other went back to petting Ginger. "Okay. Sounds good."

Ji-Min and Andie smiled, each shaking Fawn's thin hand in turn. "Gonna be great workin' with ya, kid," said Andie.


A short time later, Fawn followed after Andie as the woman walked out to give the Pokemon their enrichment. Fawn stayed a safe distance away, still suspicious of the woman and her partner. Ginger, who had taken the liberty to glue herself to Fawn's side, weaved around the girl's legs, mewling for attention.

Fawn knelt down to give the Vulpix some scritches, frowning slightly. This had all happened so fast, so dramatically... It seemed too good to be true. No way this wasn't a trick. The adults were going to call the police and the police would bring her to her parents.

Unbidden, a memory of one of the first news reports she'd heard entered her mind.
She was still in Oldale Town. She'd been sitting in a small motel room, her hood drawn up over her head as if she were afraid of being caught even behind closed doors.

The news was on. Her mother, a woman who looked like an older version of her, and her father, a man with light brown hair and a bushy beard. They were looking into the camera with concern in their eyes, her mother was wringing her hands.

"Fawn, if you're listening," hiccuped the woman. "Please come home! We-"

Fawn clicked the TV off, unable to stand listening a single moment more.

In the present, Fawn continued to idly scritch the Vulpix's head as she glared at the grass beneath her feet. I'm never going back, she thought bitterly. I'm never going back.

 

[TwinklingCupcake]

Chapter Two: Promise I'm Not Playin' Tricks On You

Fawn had been at Maple Crossing for two whole days before she was finally able to help out. She had wanted to start right away, but Ji-Min and Andie had insisted she get her bearings first.
The first full day at Maple Crossing was spent exploring the fields, learning where everything was (though the maternity barn was only pointed out to her, she wasn’t allowed inside), and most importantly, getting good meals. Andie had said she would need lots of strength in order to keep up, and Fawn ate plates piled high with steamed vegetables, waffles, and Torchic eggs. She drank fresh juice and Miltank milk. She wore clean clothes and had a proper bed and pillow.
She hadn't had such luxuries since she'd run from home.

It was a shame such carefree days had to end, but if she didn't want to be kicked out, she'd have to pull her weight.

And she could start, she'd thought, with feeding the Torchic.

Fawn stood on the wraparound porch of the house for a few moments, staring over the misty landscape. The sun was still burning away the fog of dawn, and dew sparkled like glass among the fields. It almost looked fake, like something out of a movie. Fawn pinched herself to be sure; no, she wasn't having a vivid dream, Maple Crossing really did look like this in the early morning.

"It's been a long time since I've been able to enjoy the way mornings look," she muttered to herself, combing her fingers over her scalp.

"Vulp!" came a sudden chirp at Fawn's side.

The girl looked down to see the Vulpix that was always lying around the house or porch. "Oh, hey, uh... Ginger, right?" She knelt down, giving her a scratch behind the ear. "There's a lot of Pokemon here, lotta names to remember..." she muttered to herself.

Ginger trilled and tilted her head.

Fawn just smiled. "You know, I had a Pokemon once but..." She stopped, freezing like someone had hit 'pause' on the world. Her fingers trembled for a moment, then she forcibly stood up. "Well, the Torchic are probably hungry."

Ginger watched quizzically as Fawn hopped down the creaky wooden steps and walked over to the bag of feed that sat against the side of the Torchic coop. She hefted it onto her shoulder and, with a low grunt, pressed her back against the door and went in.

The Torchic were all in their beds when Fawn came in, but the light spilling in quickly woke them up. They all looked at her, racing over and peeping expectantly.

Fawn carefully picked her way through the crowd of Torchic. There weren't very many, she noted, probably around ten or so, but they kept clustering together and trying to jump onto her legs. So it felt like she was walking through far more Pokemon than she really was.
The heavy sack of Pokemon feed didn't help matters.

"Okay- Okay, ok- ay ! Everyone back off! Go on!" Fawn grit her teeth and swung her foot out a little. She didn't want to outright kick any of them, just shoo them away.

It seemed to work, as the Torchich all scattered back to their beds, chirping and squeaking in a way reminiscent of laughter.

Fawn blew a strand of hair out of her face and adjusted the bag. Very carefully, she tilted the bag and began to pour the food into the first in the row of bowls. " Okay. .."

Suddenly, one of the Torchic ran forward and practically threw herself into the bowl.

"Hey!" Fawn yelped, staggering backwards in her haste to right the bag. "Hey, what is your problem?"

The Torchic continued eating noisily, as if she hadn't heard.

"Geez- you must be Teriyaki. Andie warned about you ," Fawn grumbled irritably. She briefly considered shooing Teriyaki away and filling the bowl entirely, but decided against it. No, no, it'd be best to just finish filling up the other bowls. Let Teriyaki eat now if she wanted, Fawn told herself with a grunt as she moved to the next bowl. If the bowl was empty when she finished, she'd just add a little more food, that was all.

However, no sooner did she start filling the next bowl than Teriyaki popped back up, then leaped into that one.

"Hey! That's not even yours!" Fawn stomped her foot in Teriyaki's direction, startling the chick Pokemon.

Teriyaki glared, puffing up her feathers before skittering away.

"Goofball..." Fawn muttered. She tilted the bag again to try again...

...and then saw Teriyaki running back up to the bowls.

"Hey! No! No! You bad Pokemon! That's not for you!" Fawn snapped, stomping her foot again. Teriyaki ran back a few feet, stayed in place for a second, then ran back and lunged at her foot.

Fawn drew back sharply. "Dude, what is your problem !?" she screeched, nearly dropping the bag. "Get outta here!"

"Everything okay in here?" A shadow filled the doorframe to the coop, drawing Fawn's attention.

The girl nearly dropped the bag in relief when she saw who it was. "Ji-Min!"

Ji-Min slowly entered the barn, a paper bag in one hand and a styrofoam cup holder in the other. Unlike Fawn, they expertly made their way through the Torchic that flocked towards them. "I thought I heard you in here."

"Y-Yeah, I was trying to feed the Torchic and I-" Fawn's eyes landed on the things in Ji-Min's hands. She nearly dropped the bag in dismay. "I haven't been in here that long, have I?"

Ji-Min just laughed. "No, I just went out early today." They lowered the cupholder in front of Fawn, showing three cups were inside. Two were thick paper, one was transparent plastic; they turned the cupholder so the plastic one was towards Fawn. "I know you don't drink coffee, so I picked you up some cold tea - it's pecha-flavored."

“Oh, thank you…” Fawn murmured, slowly lowering the bag of feed and taking the cup. The outside was cool and slippery with condensation, which felt good against her already-sore palms. She brought the straw to her mouth and took a sip; the pecha tea soothed her throat and made her feel refreshed almost instantly. “Wow, this tastes great… Where did you get this?”

Ji-Min smiled. "Check the cup logo," they said. Fawn bristled, tasting fire in her mouth, but Ji-Min continued with "There's a coffee shop in Verdanturf called The Bean. We've been getting breakfast there for years."

"The Bean?" Tamping down the rush of anger she'd felt, Fawn tilted the cup slightly to see the logo. There was a dark bean bean stamped onto the plastic, with a Cleffa sitting atop it and holding a tiny cup. THE BEAN was written underneath in big, bold letters. Fawn felt a bit silly to have not noticed it before. "I've never heard of this company."

"That's because they're local. The only place you can find it is in Verdanturf Town. Oh, yeah, they've had some bigger companies come in offering to buy them and make them a chain, but the owner keeps refusing - and personally, I'm glad about that. Once a small, local place becomes a big chain shop you lose all the charm that-"

Fawn suddenly screeched and jerked her leg up. She looked down and saw Teriyaki tumble back down to the ground; she quickly realized Teriyaki had bitten her sock.

"Okay, what is your problem?!" Fawn snapped, rounding on the little chick.

Teriyaki jumped back a step, glared at her, and then spat a little ember at her feet.

"Hey!" Fawn began stomping the flame out, glaring daggers at the Pokemon. "God, coming in here was a mistake," she grumbled.

Teriyaki growled under her breath, ruffled her feathers, then stalked out of the coop.

Ji-Min shook their head. "Hey, do you wanna try something else, maybe? I think starting with Teriyaki might've been a bit too much."

Fawn felt another rush of heat in her chest, but forced herself to stay calm. She nodded jerkily, throwing the bag of feed down against the wall. "Yeah, fine by me. Dunno what that dumb chick's problem is," she grumbled, following Ji-Min out.

Teriyaki gave her a dirty look as they passed. Fawn did her best to ignore it.


"How ya doin', Gracie? Still holdin' tough?" Andie knelt down in front of the cow Pokemon, rubbing her firm belly.

"Moooo!" Gracie responded, stretching her limbs as best she could in her lateral position.

Andie laughed boisterously. "Well, a'ight, then! Now, I just need ta lis'en for-"

"Andiiieee, knock knock!" Ji-Min called out as they entered the barn. "I got your breakfast, and brought your apprentice over."

"Apprentice?" Fawn asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Andie laughed, slapping her knee with a heavy 'thunk.' "Yeah, thought I'd hafta show her Gracie soon anyway. Fawn, get over here a sec."

"Okay?" Fawn sidled around Ji-Min and crouched down at Andie's side to observe the huge Miltank. Her nose wrinkled slightly. "Is something wrong with it?"

"Mooo!" Gracie sounded almost offended, lifting her head and staring at Fawn.

Andie tossed her head back and cackled, her laughter echoing off the wooden walls. "Nah, nah! You're in the maternity barn - 'member, we didn't wanna show you this during the tour? Gracie here's pregnant."

"Pregnant?!" Fawn squawked, looking at the Pokemon again. Gracie met her eyes, looking almost smug as she let her head fall again and began to snooze. Fawn couldn't do anything but stare. She'd never seen a Pokemon pregnancy before... Most people with Pokemon kept them inside during such times, and she knew that wild Pokemon would stay far away from people if they were expecting. "She's huge ..."

"We're expectin' the egg to pass in a few weeks." Andie was watching Fawn now, a softness in her eyes and lips. The teenager was just staring in wide-eyed amazement, her mouth slightly open. A far cry from the suspicious and edgy girl they'd first met a few days ago. "That's why she felt so warm ta ya when ya crashed here."

Fawn jumped, then blushed crimson. "Y-Yeah - I - I mean, I did think her belly felt pretty hot but. But I thought she was just naturally warm or somethin'. I've never seen a Miltank before, let alone touched one."

"Nope. That was her egg belly you felt! Ya wanna feel again?" Andie asked in a lower voice.

Fawn looked at her in shock. "Seriously?!" she squeaked.

"Go on, feel."

Fawn looked at Gracie's swollen belly, then her sleeping face, then her own palm. She gulped audibly as she stared at her hand, then slowly, slooowly, moved it towards the Miltank's stomach.

Gracie's stomach felt firm, much firmer than Fawn had expected. She knew she'd been pressing against the Pokemon when she took shelter in this barn, but she'd been so tired and eager to sleep she hadn't noticed much of anything. "It's like touching a hot beach ball," she muttered, earning more laughter from Andie and Ji-Min. "And- whoa, wait a second." She closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling beneath her hand. Sure enough, there was a rapid fluttering underneath her palm.
She opened her eyes and swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "Whoa..." she rasped. "That's... that's something... What is that?"

"The baby Pokemon's heart. You're feeling it through the egg and Gracie," said Ji-Min, taking a sip of their coffee at last.

"And that huge egg is just gonna come out of her?"

"Yep, sure is! But she might need help, and that's what I'm here for," Andie explained. With a grunt, she pushed herself to her feet, then offered her hand to Fawn. "Welp, I think Gracie's just gonna sleep for a few hours. Let's finish up and take a break, yeah?"


Fawn could hardly believe the change. When she'd first stepped out of the house, the fields were quiet, misty and glowed a dull, cool gold. Now the sun was high in the azure sky, and both the fields and the air was abuzz with activity and noise.

The three humans sat on the wraparound porch, sharing lemonade and a plate of finger sandwiches. Fawn took a nibble of one, finding there were leppa-butter.

She hadn't had leppa-butter since-

She was leaving the convenience store. She'd bought a sandwich. Leppa-butter oozed out of it when she bit down; those pre-packaged ones always had too much filling.

She was walking home. Another convenience store bag in her hand. Full of more sandwiches.

She walked past her mother, gardening out front. Approached the side gate...

Fawn glared and bit down harder than she had to. I hate leppa-butter, she thought grimly.

"Hm? Hey, look over there," Ji-Min said, standing up and pointing.

Fawn looked over and saw two trainers walking past. From a distance, she could see one had dark skin, blonde hair, and was wearing a pink and white dress. The other had lighter brown skin, short brown hair, and was wearing various shades of purple and blue. Fawn could see a Skitty atop the blonde's shoulders.

"Heyyyy!" Ji-Min called out, waving their hand over their head. "You kids need a place to rest?"

The trainers stopped and called back. "No, thank you!" the brunette shouted. "We're fine!"

"We're just going back to Verdanturf! But thank you!"

"Okaaaaay!" Ji-Min sat back down, fiddling with the radio. "Back to Verdanturf, hm. I wonder if they're exploring or need to go back and grab something?"

Fawn watched the two trainers walk further past the house until they disappeared into the green. She blinked, looking up at Andie and Ji-Min. "Hey, what was that about?"

"What?"

"That, just now." Ginger began pawing at Fawn's shorts for her sandwich, so Fawn tossed it into the Vulpix's waiting mouth. "Inviting them here. Is that a thing you guys do?"

"Sure is, sugar," Andie said with a grin. "Maple Crossing isn't just a Pokemon Sanctuary, yanno. It's a people one, too."

Fawn just frowned. "Huh?"

"Did you wonder why we happened to have another room free? And those clothes you're wearing?" Ji-Min asked, gesturing to Fawn's new attire.

"Well... I guess I did, yeah."

"Well, Maple Crossing is a place where trainers can stop and rest for the night. If they don't want to travel at night or be out in the elements, or in case of bad weather, or if they just plain want to, they can come here. Free of charge," Ji-Min said.

"Do they have to help with the Pokemon?"

"Nah," said Andie above her crocheting.

"Hey, then what gives?! Why do I gotta do it?!"

"Trainers are stayin' for a night or two. You're stayin' ," was Andie's smart reply.

Fawn groaned and rested her chin in her palm. "I mean, I'm fine with Pokemon and helping out with them, but..." She frowned into the distance.

Ji-Min watched Fawn for a few moments, then cleared their throat.

"Were you a trainer, Fawn? Or ever think about it?" Ji-Min asked.

"Me?" Fawn blinked, lowering her glass of lemonade.

"No one else here," Andie chuckled.

Fawn shook off the twinge of annoyance at Andie’s remark. "Well..."

It was a chilly autumn evening in Oldale Town. Fawn didn't know it yet, but it would be two weeks before she'd take a pink, glittery bank card from her father's wallet and run away.

"I just don't know what to do with that girl." Rose Lamar's voice drifted out from the open window in the kitchen, and out to the backyard.

Fawn sat with her back against the house, holding a bruised, trembling Cubone in her arms. She'd stormed out of the house in a rage twenty minutes ago, and was now seriously regretting not putting on a coat. But she refused to go back inside. Then she'd get intercepted by Rose, and that was not something Fawn wanted.

She was right below the window, so she heard every word.

Fawn glared up at the darkening twilight sky as she listened to her mother's voice, only easing up when the Cubone mutely patted her shoulder.

"I just don't understand it, Caroline!" Rose continued, taking to her friend. "She keeps going on and on about becoming a Pokemon Trainer, but you know what she's like! I just don't think I can trust her around Pokemon!" She sighed heavily, and her voice grew louder. She must have come closer. "I've been talking to Alan about it, and he agrees, we shouldn't- hm?" She paused for a few moments as her friend spoke. "No. No, we couldn't send her off when she turned eleven, she just wasn't ready. And then there was that incident recently..."

Fawn started glaring again. She held Cubone tightly to her chest, gritting her teeth so hard her jaw hurt.

"Well, she just started attacking that poor Mawile with a stick! Shouting and beating it, I couldn't believe it! In broad daylight! I was lucky nobody called the police!"

Fawn muttered a word under her breath that would have surely got her a spanking if her mom actually heard her calling her that.

"A few neighbors tried to convince me otherwise, but oh, no. My mind was made up, she's not going on a Pokemon journey. Hm? No, I don't know why they tried to tell me not to, honestly, I don't think they know how difficult it really is to raise a teenager, especially one so angry as-"

“Ugh, dumb b-” Fawn muttered a few more dark words under her breath and rose to her feet. She held the Cubone in one arm and dusted blades of grass off her jeans with her other hand. "Let's get outta here, huh, King?"

"Cubone?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry, too." She could smell the enticing aroma of Rose's cooking from the open window - it was spaghetti night, and Fawn could smell fresh garlic bread, too. Her stomach growled pleadingly, but Fawn shook her head. Like hell she was going in there to eat that woman's food.
"C'mon, I'll take you to AmazeBurger," she said, sneaking over the low fence and keeping out of the light from the windows.

"Cubone-bone!" King cried, waving his arms.

Fawn walked quickly, partly to get away from her mom's voice and partly so she wouldn't still be close when her father, Alan, got home from work. She wasn't in any mood to talk to either of them.

No mood to hear their complaints about her.

In the present, Fawn frowned and shook her head. "No. No Pokemon training for me."

But her voice was hollow and far-away. Andie and Ji-Min looked at each other, but didn't press the issue.


Fawn entered the coop the next morning, dragging the bag of feed behind her. The Torchic perked up in their beds, eyeing her curiously. Andie and Ji-Min never dragged in the bag, they always carried it in. What was going on?

Fawn ignored them, though, and picked up Teriyaki's bowl. Wordlessly, she shoved the bowl in and scooped up a generous amount of food. "There," she said, setting it down.

Teriyaki leaped out of her bed and raced over to the bowl, squawking and chirping excitedly. She skidded to a halt, however, when Fawn literally put her foot down.

"Okay, you," Fawn said sternly. "I wanna make a deal with you."

"Chic?"

"I fill these bowls for your brothers and sister. You eat your food. And you leave me alone. Okay? In return, I'll sneak you a berry or something later."

"Chic!" Teriyaki chirped.

"O-kay." Fawn pulled her foot away, allowing Teriyaki to run over and start eating. She couldn't pick up the bag onto her shoulder without potentially spilling the feed this time, so instead she dragged it down the row and poured that way. The rest of the Torchic huddled together behind her, watching curiously. None of them made a move to run in and eat - they seemed to be waiting for something.

And that something, as it turned out, was not Fawn finishing distributing their breakfast.

Fawn was halfway down the line when she felt a sudden draft against her ankle. "Hey!" she cried, turning her head and seeing Teriyaki tugging on her sock. She thrust her hand down, wiggling her sock free from the Torchic's beak. "What's your problem, I thought we had a deal!"

"Torchic! Torchic-tor!" Teriyaki squawked as she turned and ran.

Fawn grumbled under her breath. "Weird bird..." She turned back to the bowls, preparing to pour again...

...and then stopped, recognizing a little orange in her peripheral. "Hey!" she cried, whipping her head around. Teriyaki had been slowly stalking towards her, but froze when Fawn shouted. "Back off , I said!"

"Tor!" Teriyaki turned and ran. And then stood there, watching Fawn. Waiting .

Fawn narrowed her eyes again, but the wheels were turning. Something wasn't quite right here.

Suspiciously, she went back to the line of bowls and resumed pouring. But she kept her guard up. Her eyes were sidelong, watching from the corners. And sure enough, Teriyaki was inching closer, low to the ground.

"Hey!" Fawn turned around, and Teriyaki ran back, chattering and flapping her wings. Once she was back in the corner of the coop, she turned around and watched Fawn innocently, as if she hadn't left her spot.

Wait ...

Fawn looked back down at the bowls, then jerked her head back up. Teriyaki had taken one step out of her place and had frozen when Fawn caught her.

"Wait..." Fawn said in a normal voice. "Are you... Are you playing a game with me?"

Teriyaki ruffled her feathers. "Chic chic."

Once more, Fawn looked back to the bowls and began pouring. But this time, when she saw the orange shape in the corner of her eyes, she didn't respond. She forced herself to keep focused on her task, pretend Teriyaki wasn't approaching. She held her breath, held herself tensely as the shape drew closer... closer... closer...

"Aha!" Fawn suddenly shouted, looking up just as Teriyaki was reaching for her sock.

Teriyaki made a noise that sounded almost like laughter as she ran away.

Fawn laughed, dropping the bag and straightening. "You are playing a game!" she declared.

“Chic!” Teriyaki skittered forward, right into Fawn’s arms. She began fluffing her feathers up, nipping and biting at Fawn's hands while the girl roughly smooshed her face.

"You're such a little weirdo ," Fawn snickered. "You're supposed to be the terror of the sanctuary, and you're just trying to play with me? Such a weird freaking chick!" she couldn't help laughing.

Teriyaki made a series of high-pitched noises as if she was laughing as well.

"Okay, okay... maybe the two of us can get along after all, huh?"


"Hey. Hey, Andie."

"What's up?"

"Look." Ji-Min pointed as the two of them left the maternity barn.

The Torchic were coming out of the coop and heading down the path towards the fields to play, as usual. Meanwhile, Fawn was branching off in a different direction, heading to the house to grab the enrichment toys.

And behind her was Teriyaki, trotting energetically and occasionally running up to nip at Fawn's socks. The teenager would lightly pull her leg away each time, but didn't slow down or send the Pokemon away.

It was almost as if they were watching a trainer and their delightfully naughty starter Pokemon.

"Never seen Teriyaki take to someone like that," Andie muttered approvingly, hooking her thumbs into her pockets.

"Neither have I," said Ji-Min with a smile.

 

[System Error]

A new fic here. It's not Mystery Dungeon, so let's do this!

C1
- There's a few instance where there's only one line break between paragraphs. This is probably a forum thing doing it accidentally, though.
- Something about the weatherman's lines amuse me. I can just imagine him having a bit of taunting snark in his tone or something when saying 'enjoy it while you can'
- You'd think Dahlia would know weather could move in fast. It's something that kinda happens often.
- I notice right away Ji-Min seems to be non-binary from the "they" pronoun. Nice stuff there, don't see that every day.
- The opening line to the second scene seems a bit clunky.
- All these ridiculous egg-related names for the Torchics. I love it.
- Sevipor <- Typo, it's Seviper.
- Milktank <- Similarly, Miltank. It's spelled right a few paragraphs later, so assume this was just a simple slipup ya missed.
- Nice to see Pokemon being interpreted as being pregnant rather than all laying eggs. Although Miltank technically can't birth Tauros...though I guess they do in your fic!
- I’m thinking if it’s a Miltank, I wanna name it Strawberry. If it's a Tauros, Choco. <- In before it's shiny and those names don't fit.
- First it's Poke-Cream, then it's Poke Cream without the hyphen. Consistency thing...
- a clink . <- A stray space.
- Like the little world nuance of kids starting their journeys typically at certain times and the economy shaping itself to that.
- stop ! <- Another stray space. There's various of these from here on out, so I won't bother to point them all out. May also possibly be a forums thing, really.
- Can't tell if the fighting in your fic's world is that violent so that fur goes everywhere, or if it's just Teriyaki.
- Like the little bit of just brushing off an Ember. Always raise an eyebrow at fics that interpret every little thing a Pokemon does being deadly dangerous to humans, so seeing something so casually defiant to that like that just makes me snicker in delight.
- By eleven PM <- Another small consistency thing, earlier in the chapter "pm" is used without capitals.
- There's some capitalization inconsistencies with "Trainer" vs "trainer" too.
- Well this girl is a bit excessively cautious, to put it one way, heh.
- And as the scene advances to the next, we get the basic premise. A girl running away. Do like the bit in the news report of the possibility of her going on a journey without saying.
- "Eff cops!" <- Have to say, this line is funnier than it probably should be. Can only see certain people saying "eff" instead of dropping a f-bomb, and an adult ranch-owner who hasn't shown any signs of being that way isn't one of them.
- Speaking of, a twist. Did not see them being Fug Da Police types.

So we head in and have our basic plot - a girl has fled her home for unknown reasons with only a knife, also add that to the bit about humans vs Pokemon - and has come to a farm that is run by possible isolationists or whatever. Interesting so far. One small criticism that I do understand why at the same time - all the Pokemon names being thrown at you in succession are a bit confusing at first. That said, you do a good job of making it clear from the incident that Teriyaki is the one to pay attention to. And it is better to name them than not name them, so...yeah. One of those situations where it can be problematic either way. But anyway. Next chapter.

C2
- You know it occurs to me. What kind of meals was Fawn getting before this while on the run? Or is this one of those things where you're supposed to use your imagination and probably wallow a bit in horror at what she had to go through?
- Speaking of, the meals seem piled high with everything but meat.
- Heh, like her lampshading how there's so many names thrown in at first. Can completely look past that now.
- Hmhmhm...a bit of intriguing backstory to Fawn.
- Weird observation: why is it that when Fawn goes in the Torchic all wake from their sleep instantly happily and come rushing over, but when the actual owners go in during the first chapter, they're grumpy at first?
- Torchich <- Typo.
- Cold day on a cool day.
- The Bean. Nice short simple name. Sometimes those just work.
- dark bean bean <- Double word
- You know with the new stuff that's come out, maybe the logo should be beta Sunkern? Though that's another type of bean altogether and mostly just me being silly with that remark anyway.
- Ji-Min's rant does a lot to expand on their personality implied from being FTP types. Almost getting a mental imagine of them and Andie being anti-corporate survivalists.
- Always have to mention this whenever it's a thing in a fic (which is usually "always yes or no"), but shoutouts to not using Arceus in place of God. It's not only not an equivilent case, but "Oh my Arceus" is not as snappy as "Oh my God"
- Okay, well this is different. They have eggs, but they are visibly pregnant while laying them.
- Ah, guess this implies the meals she had on the way - sandwiches. Hope she had a way to keep'em fresh.
- Ooo, I'm getting a picture now. The Sanctuary is like one of those rest houses like in the actual games, like the one with that old woman who wants you to stay and stay. Nice to see these kinds of places written in. Makes the world seem more alive, and it fits with Pokemon canon since places (like said rest house) exist.
- Also when they said it was a people sanctuary, got the impression that given they hate police, they might have hidden one or two fugitives over the years. Which they kind of actually are doing now, too, technically.
- Heh, stressing parents over angsty teens.
- Very angsty, given she hates her mother so much she doesn't even want her food? Probably a reason for it, but what, I wonder?
- Crafty Fawn. I see she is a skilled negotiator. It makes me wonder if she's better at handling Pokemon than she lets on?
- Okay the scene with Teriyaki and Fawn was pretty adorable.

So now we see where the story is going and is likely going to advance over the six chapters of this short fic. Unless it veers off suddenly, the story of a girl who ran away from home and a misfit Pokemon who comes to like her. Still a lot of questions to be answered, but in due course. Liking this so far, and hey, it's a short fic. Something that one can easily stay till the end for, especially if they feel like doing so. Keep it up.

 

[TwinklingCupcake]

Something about the weatherman's lines amuse me. I can just imagine him having a bit of taunting snark in his tone or something when saying 'enjoy it while you can'

Yeah, when I was growing up I often listened to the local radio station, which had hourly weather updates. And the weatherman was delightfully snarky and casual and we loved him.
That's local stations for you.

Although Miltank technically can't birth Tauros...though I guess they do in your fic!

I do admit I'm breaking some of the game mechanics here to interpret a "real-world setting." I noticed that Miltank were all female, and Tauros were all male, and I thought "Well, okay, let's just apply the cows and bulls logic here." So a cow (a girl) would be a Miltank, and a bull/steer (a boy) would be a Tauros.
I figure there are some things that make sense in a game, but you're free to fudge up a little when translating into a narrative setting.

Another stray space.

I think it's a forum thing happening when I paste the text in here. It looks fine on the other platforms, so I think it's here. Weill keep an eye on this in the future.

Can't tell if the fighting in your fic's world is that violent so that fur goes everywhere, or if it's just Teriyaki.

You'll see~

"Eff cops!" <- Have to say, this line is funnier than it probably should be. Can only see certain people saying "eff" instead of dropping a f-bomb, and an adult ranch-owner who hasn't shown any signs of being that way isn't one of them.

XD It didn't come across well, but Andie censors herself around the minor, and Ji-Min just doesn't like swearing. That and I didn't want to put the full word on the forum.

Speaking of, the meals seem piled high with everything but meat.

Another thing that comes up as a minor detail later!

Ooo, I'm getting a picture now. The Sanctuary is like one of those rest houses like in the actual games, like the one with that old woman who wants you to stay and stay. Nice to see these kinds of places written in. Makes the world seem more alive, and it fits with Pokemon canon since places (like said rest house) exist.

Yep, that's it!
It's fun to write about some of the lesser touched-upon things.

- Heh, stressing parents over angsty teens.
- Very angsty, given she hates her mother so much she doesn't even want her food? Probably a reason for it, but what, I wonder?

Let's say: This is going to be very interesting in the future.

 

[TwinklingCupcake]

"Alright, alright, settle down, guys - hey, back off, don't eat my sock! Hang on, hang on!"

Ji-Min slowed her steps towards the coop, shaking their head and smiling fondly as they heard Fawn's not-quite-distressed cries. It had been two weeks since Fawn had started pitching in, and feeding the Torchic had quickly become "her job."

The Torchic seemed to like her, the two of them had noticed. At first they'd thought the Pokémon's response to her Fawn entering the coop was due to the novelty of it; they were so used to Andie coming in to feed them that someone else coming in, someone younger and a little more energetic, was interesting. Special. But after two weeks of Fawn coming in to feed them breakfast and dinner, they were still swarming and peeping, even after the novelty should have worn off.

Ji-Min stopped in the doorway, watching as Teriyaki did a few hops around Fawn's legs before diving into her food dish. A few other Torchic lightly pecked at the teen’s ankles, or rubbed against her legs as she walked down the row of bowls.

It wasn't novelty after all, Ji-Min decided as they watched Teriyaki pause to peep approvingly at Fawn before going back to eating.

They rapped on the doorframe, catching the teen's attention. "Hey, Fawn. You want to come with me to get coffee?"

"You didn't get it already?" Fawn asked with a frown, thumping the feed bag back onto the ground and straightening up. She looked through the nearby window, noting the sky slowly lightening. "You're usually coming back by now."

"Yeah, but this time I thought you'd want to come with, so I put it off a bit. What do you think?"

Fawn's stomach suddenly growled, and she was immediately aware of how hollow it felt. Work really built up an appetite. "Will the Torchic be okay while we're gone?"

"Oh, sure. We'll only be gone a short while, and Andie'll let them out if she has to. Don't worry about Teriyaki," they added, seeing Fawn glance down. "She’ll be fine, long as she’s in here.”

Ji-Min strode back out, leaving Fawn to frown. She’d only been looking at the Torchic in general, why did Ji-Min think she was worried about Teriyaki specifically? But Fawn just shrugged, and trotted after Ji-Min, the adult shutting the door behind them.

--​

Fawn watched out the side passenger window as the truck rumbled down the path. The sun had risen a little higher by now, so the sky was a deep cornflower blue that slowly faded towards vibrant gold. Dark peachy-pink clouds stretched the way across the sky as the sun, a glowing ball on the horizon, burned them away. Fawn rested her chin on her palm and kept staring out. Cotton candy clouds and a nomel berry, she thought idly. Her gaze moved into the bluer parts of the sky, catching sight of the last twinkling stars. Not for the first time, she took a deep breath and briefly savored the feeling of peace her new surroundings gave her.

She bet her old school friends got to see views like this all the time, now that they'd gone on their own journeys, or went off to explore other regions.

How lucky.

"Alright, we're here," Ji-Min's voice snapped Fawn out of her reverie, and Fawn was stunned to see they were already in Verdanturf. Ji-Min smiled, able to guess what Fawn was thinking. "Didn't you know how close we were?"

"I came from the other direction," Fawn admitted as the two of them got out of the truck. "So no, I didn't."

"I meant it when I said Verdanturf was right down the road. So if you want to come with me more often, you won't need to wake up too much earlier. Come on," Ji-Min said, pushing up The Bean's front door. "You can say hi to Marshmallow and Dahlia."

The last part was said just as they pushed open the door, causing the barista to look up curiously. "Oh, Ji-Min!" Dahlia cried. "Welcome back!" Her eyes moved down towards Fawn, who stared unflinchingly back. "Is this the girl you mentioned?"

"Yeah, this is her." Ji-Min put a hand on Fawn's upper back and nudged her forward. "Fawn, this is Dahlia. Our favorite barista."

"Your only barista."

"Hey," Fawn said simply.

"Hey," Dahlia mimicked, laughing lightly. She missed the way Fawn's hand curled into a fist at her side, instead looking back at Ji-Min. "The usual today?"

"Yeah, and whatever drink Fawn wants."

"I'll just have that iced pecha tea," said Fawn.

"So your usual, too," said Dahlia with a smile. "Okay, sit tight, I'll get those started for you."

Fawn stood there for a few moments while Dahlia made the drinks. She picked at her fingernails, wishing there was a TV or something she could watch. Something to occupy herself while she waited. It felt too weird, she decided as she looked around the still-empty cafe, just standing there idly.

"Cleffa!"

As if in answer to her thoughts, a pink Pokémon suddenly peeked over the counter, smiling brightly at Fawn.

"Oh, no way!" Ji-Min breathed. "Marshmallow evolved?"

"Sure did!" Dahlia said.

The Pokémon climbed up onto the counter, allowing Fawn to see it properly for the first time: a Clefairy. Fawn smiled brightly, moving forward and putting her hand on top of Marshmallow's head. Marshmallow closed her eyes and trilled as Fawn began to lightly rub the top of her head. "Whoa, cool," Fawn laughed. "Where'd you get her?"

"Oh, I've had Marshmallow for a while. Actually, I adopted her from Ji-Min and Andie," Dahlia answered Fawn first, then spoke to Ji-Min. "Went to bed last night and when I woke up, boom. The mini marshmallow had turned into a normal marshmallow."

"Are you going to get a Moon Stone and make her a jumbo size?" Ji-Min joked, folding their arms.

"Nah, I'm happy with Marshmallow being the way she is." Dahlia finished the drinks and placed them in the cupholder, then went to get the cinnamon rolls. "Unless she indicates she wants to evolve again, anyway."

She glanced back over at Fawn and Marshmallow. Fawn was still petting Marshmallow's head, applying a little more pressure as Marshmallow giggled and playfully batted at her hand. "Wow, you're pretty great with her."

"Yeah, she's great at the Sanctuary, too," said Ji-Min appraisingly. "Teriyaki especially just loves her."

"Have you had a Pokémon before, sweetheart?" Dahlia approached the counter with their breakfast.

Something shifted in Fawn's eyes, and her smile froze momentarily. She carefully pulled her hand back, shoving it into her pocket. "Not really," she said.

Dahlia and Ji-Min frowned over her head. "I'll see you tomorrow, Dahlia. C'mon, Fawn."

"Yeah, okay. Bye, Dahlia. Bye, Marshmallow." Fawn's lips curved back into a smile as she waved her fingers at the Clefairy.

"Bye, you two. Hey, Fawn, come by again soon, okay?"

"Cle-faaaairy~!"

Outside, Fawn held the food while Ji-Min opened first Fawn's door, then their own. Fawn set the food and drinks between the two as they buckled up, and then they were off. In the short few minutes they'd spent in The Bean, the sky had turned a few shades bluer, and people were starting to come out of their homes. Fawn watched the scenery pass by as she took one of the cinnamon rolls, taking a large bite.

"Hey, careful not to leave a mess," said Ji-Min.

"Ah wohn," Fawn answered around her food.

Ji-Min chuckled and passed Fawn a wet wipe from the glove compartment.

--​

Fawn was licking frosting off her fingertips by the time the truck pulled up into the Sanctuary. She was sure her stomach would complain about how fast she’d eaten later, but for now she was just happy to have a full belly.

As Ji-Min unbuckled their seatbelt, they caught a glimpse of something up ahead, near one of the fences. "Looks like we have company?"

"Huh?" Fawn felt her heart race for a moment, then she looked out to where Ji-Min was looking. When she didn't see a police officer or new adult, she relaxed. It wasn't the cops or her parents here after all; instead, Andie was up ahead talking to two young Pokémon trainers. "Are they here to adopt a Pokémon?" she asked.

"Could be. Or they could be here for a rest. We do that too, remember." Ji-Min opened the door and slid out, Fawn quickly following suit. "Well, let's introduce ourselves. Unless you don't want to," they added, looking back at their foundling.

Fawn frowned, thinking it over.

On one hand, she was a runaway, and wasn't sure she could trust these trainers. Her parents had gotten her mentioned on the news and on missing posters, surely these two had seen her. On the other hand, they might not recognize her after all - she wasn't wearing the same clothes as she was in her photo, and besides, two weeks of work had already given her sun-speckled skin and built more muscle mass. And she'd changed her hairstyle. Maybe all that was enough.
But it might not be...
But on another hand, the property may have been big, but the house was small. The only way she could avoid them would be to sleep in the barn, and she knew for a fact Andie and Ji-Min wouldn't be okay with that...

Fawn didn't realize how long she'd been standing there silently until she looked up and saw Ji-Min staring with a raised eyebrow. Fawn coughed awkwardly, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean. I guess it'll be okay. Maybe they won't recognize me."

"Okay. Whatever you're comfortable with," said Ji-Min as Andie noticed them and began to wave them over. "C'mon. Let's bring her her breakfast."

As the pair approached Andie and the trainers, Fawn got a better look at the latter and realized they were fairly young. They looked to be about ten or eleven, and judging by the fact they only had two Pokeballs each clipped to their bags, they must have just started.

The two were a fair-skinned boy and a girl; the girl had grey eyes and short, thick blair hair that curled around her chin. She wore a short blue dress with a white scarf, white boots, and a large sun hat with a blue ribbon.
The boy was two inches shorter than her, with the beginnings of a sunburn. He had curly brown hair styled into a crew cut, grey eyes like the girl's, and wore a baggy red shirt with black shorts and black and gold sneakers.

They both stared curiously at Ji-Min and Fawn as they approached. Fawn stared back, trying to look nonchalant.

"Hey, guys, we got two travelers in search of a roof for the week," laughed Andie. "This here’s Cecilia and Garrett."

“Oh, hi!” Ji-Min’s eyes lit up. “You two are trainers, right?”

Garrett nodded mutely, but Cecilia smiled and bobbed her head with a chipper “That’s right!”

“Well, it’s always great to see new trainers. Stay as long as you want. Hope you don’t mind us asking about your journey over dinner,” said Ji-Min.

“No way! We’d love to talk about it!”

Fawn hung back, eyeing the newcomers with suspicion. They didn’t look like any kids she’d seen back home… And they didn’t seem to have recognized her when she and Ji-Min approached, either. But then again, maybe that was only because they hadn’t gotten a good enough look at her yet.

As if whatever deific Pokémon was watching had a sense of humor, Cecilia turned and locked eyes with Fawn at that exact moment. Fawn felt a cold sweat on the back of her neck instantly, especially when Cecilia just stared at her for a few seconds.
But then the younger girl grinned, and stuck her hand out, and the feeling vanished. “Hi! I’m Cecilia, and this is Garrett! We’re classmates!”

“...cool,” Fawn mumbled, reaching out to shake Cecilia’s hand. She glanced at Garrett as well, but he simply shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away.

“Are you a trainer, too?” Cecilia asked.

“Huh? Oh, no.”

“Aw, that’s okay! My mom and dad said it takes all kinds to love Pokémon!”

Fawn felt a twinge of hot anger at the mention of parents, but stomped it down. No, this was not the time. “So,” she said awkwardly, shoving her hands into her pockets. “You guys said a week?”

Garrett nodded, and finally spoke up. “Yeah,” he mumbled, his voice low and steady. “I wanted it to be just a weekend, but Cecilia misses having a bed. And a roof.”

“And home cooking!” Cecilia blurted out helpfully. “Garrett and me have been eating nothing but instant noodles and vending machine snacks! I wanna eat eggs, and steamed veggies, and stew, and the roast Farfetch’d Mom would make for my birthday-”

A nearby Farfetch’d squawked in alarm.

Andie held her hands up, silencing Cecilia. “A’ight, we get the message, kiddos. Y’all want a roof, a bed, and food. But we’re not eating meat here, ya understand? Don’t wanna upset our little friends.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the two kids chorused.

The rest of the day passed as normal, Fawn helping out around the sanctuary as normal. Only this time she had a little audience, it seemed. Cecilia, openly declaring she was bored, decided Fawn was her entertainment and followed her around the sanctuary.
While Fawn tossed toys, balls, and ropes to the Pokémon in the fields, Cecilia stood a safe distance away, resting against the fence and watching with a smile. As Fawn went into one of the barns to shear a little Wooloo that had been sent over a day prior, Cecilia sat in front of the Pokémon and watched, humming under her breath. And when Fawn finally found time to rest in the shade of a large berry tree, nestled among the Torchic with Teriyaki on her lap, Cecilia hovered over her, her hands bunching up her dress.

“Didn’t your teachers say it’s rude to stare?” Fawn asked, opening one eye to give Cecilia a stern look.

“Sorry!” Cecilia cried. She fidgeted for a second, looking around as if now she wasn’t sure how to correct herself. After a few moments, however, she looked back at Fawn and smiled. “So you work here?”

Fawn was instantly on edge. Why did this kid want to know? Had she seen the reports? Seen the poster around Oldale? Fawn swallowed thickly, casting her gaze around subtly before she answered “Yeah…” She’d behave for now, she thought. She’d behave, be nice, and if anything seemed sketchy, she’d tell the kid to back off. Simple as pie.

“That’s so cool,” Cecilia said. “Garrett’s mom works at a PokeCenter. She’s not a nurse, though, she’s an assistant. Is that kinda like what you do?”

“I guess? I just pitch in where I’m needed.”

Teriyaki snuggled up against Fawn’s side, taking a bit of her shirt into her beak. Fawn chuckled, scratching Teriyaki on the head. She felt warm to touch, and downy-soft.

“Awww, she likes you!” Cecilia giggled. “My starter’s a Torchic too! Her name’s Oranade, but I can’t let her out, she’s shy.”

“Uh-hm.”

“She only likes me and Garrett so far. I can’t even battle with her. That’s why I had to catch Omelette, my Shroomish.”

“Hmm.”

Ceilia fell silent. Fawn allowed her hopes to rise a bit; maybe the girl was going to leave. But no such luck. Instead, Cecilia scooted closer, dropping to her heels in a crouch as she did so.

Next to Fawn, Teriyaki lifted her head, staring intently.

“Andie said this place is a Pokémon sanctuary, right?” asked Cecilia.

Fawn nodded, ignoring the pang of anger at how casually this newcomer said Andie’s first name. It was followed by a brief wave of confusion. Why was this such a big deal, she wondered. But out loud, she said, “Yes, that’s right.”

Teriyaki made an odd noise in her throat. Like growling. Her feathers began to ruffle.

“I wonder what happened to all the Pokémon here… Bad trainers, I bet.”

“I dunno. Could have been lots of things,” Fawn said, feeling a prickly anger crawling over her. Go away, she thought hotly. Just go away, please, I’m trying to relax…

“But that’s fine,” Cecilia plowed on, as if she hadn’t even heard. “If I just show them a little kindness…”

And then she reached her hand out towards Teriyaki.

“CHIIII!” the bird screamed suddenly, leaping up and throwing herself towards Cecilia.

“Teriyaki!” cried Fawn, bolting upright.

The rest of the flock of Torchic screamed and clucked in alarm, running in all directions in a cloud of feathers.

The girl screamed and fell back, scrambling backwards to try and get away.

Teriyaki tried to fly at the girl, talons bared and fire broiling in her beak. She was suddenly stopped, however, by Fawn latching her arms around her and holding her to her chest. Teriyaki scratched and flailed in Fawn’s arms, leaving little nicks and small bits of ash from where the embers flew out and died. But Fawn held firmly, trying to keep the chick Pokémon from going anywhere. “Teriyaki, cut it out!” Fawn cried, moving one hand to the top of Teriyaki’s head, scritching in an attempt to calm her. “What’s gotten into you?!”

“Teriyaki! Fawn!” cried two voices.

“Cecilia!” yelled a third.

Andie, Ji-Min, and Garrett suddenly came into view, Ginger right at Ji-Min’s heels. “Teriyaki, no!” cried Andie in indignation, realizing exactly what had happened. “Don’t attack people! Stop it!”

“It’s not her fault!” Fawn cried, feeling the urge to defend her. “That kid got into her space!”

“I just thought if I showed I was nice…!” Cecilia began, voice quavering.

Fawn wasn’t listening. She didn’t particularly care what Cecilia had to say. She was too busy focusing on Teriyaki. “Teriyaki - Teriyaki, stop!” Fawn hissed, squeezing her for a moment. “You’re okay, stop!”

To her mild surprise, Teriyaki seemed to actually listen to her. She struggled for a few more moments, squawking furiously, then went limp. Fawn felt her breathing heavily, but the Pokémon didn’t make any attempt to attack or escape. The girl breathed a sigh of relief.

Andie walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go to the coop,” she said quietly. “C’mon.” As the two walked away, they could hear Ji-Min talking to Cecilia.

“I’m glad you’re not hurt, we all are, but Teriyaki doesn’t like sudden intrusions. I know you think you just need to show her kindness, but she doesn’t know you like she does the rest of us…”

--​

Inside the coop, Fawn sat cross-legged on a bale of hay. She held Teriyaki in her lap, gently smoothing out her feathers to keep her calm. Teriyaki had her eyes closed in contentment, little trills escaping her once in a while.

Andie sat opposite the pair, exhaling loudly. “Ya sure ya wanna hold her instead of putting her in the time-out cage?”

“I got her,” said Fawn. “Look, she’s calmed down, too, see?” she added, nodding down at the Torchic.

“So she has…” Andie murmured, brows raised.

Fawn was quiet for a few moments. She just kept petting Teriyaki, thinking of how warm she was. It had been a long time since she had a Pokémon in her lap… a long time since she’d hugged a Pokémon.

“Of course your Pokémon was taken away! Look at what you did! You really think we can trust you with one?!”

“Hey… Andie,” Fawn began slowly. “What… what happened to Teriyaki?”

Andie didn’t need to ask what Fawn meant. “Her group hatched in the wild,” she said solemnly. “No parents in sight. Nobody to feed them, or protect them from predators.”

“I thought most Torchic were bred on ranches, or at labs?”

“Most of the time, yes. But we think some Torchic must have escaped the fence or something. In any case, the eggs were just sitting there alone, and so when they hatched...” Andie sighed. “Nurse Joy did her examination and determined Teriyaki was the first one to hatch. We suspect that Teriyaki had been the one defending her siblings all this time. They were about three weeks old when brought in. Three weeks is a long time for a baby Pokémon to be on the defense from predators, or any perceived threats.”

Fawn was slowly starting to understand. “And now she thinks anyone who gets too close is trying to hurt her.”

“Exactly. We’ve been patient with her. But I don’t think she’s going to grow out of it. I really don’t.”

Fawn was quiet again, stroking Teriyaki’s feathers. After a few moments, she looked up. “Can I talk to her alone, please?”

Andie raised her brows.

“C’mon, she knows me, she trusts me.”

Andie couldn’t argue with that. Ever since Fawn had started feeding the Torchic, she and Teriyaki had sort of… clicked. Teriyaki hardly nipped at or glared in Fawn’s direction. In fact, when Fawn was around, Teriyaki almost seemed like a different Pokémon.
Yeah. Yeah, Teriyaki trusted Fawn.

“Alright. I’m gonna go start on dinner,” Andie said, pushing herself off the hay with a grunt. “I’ll call you if you’re not in by the time it’s done.”

“Thanks!” called Fawn as Andie left. She waited until she and Teriyaki were alone, Teriyaki nested comfortably on her lap.

Then she reached down and turned her around to face her. She paused just for a moment, staring into the Pokémon's eyes.

Teriyaki gazed back, her wide blue-black eyes curious.

Trusting.

Fawn reached the rest of the way and carefully scooped her up, scritching her on the side of her head and moving around under her beak. "You're not doing this on purpose, are you?" she asked. "Not exactly. Not in your eyes.”

"Torchic?" Teriyaki peeped.

Fawn looked solemnly into Teriyaki's eyes. "I thought at first that maybe you were still protective of your family. But you guys have been here for years. There's no reason to suddenly attack like this... And you don't give any real warning, either," she murmured.

"Torchic!"

"Yeah, that's right. You don't. So..." Fawn stared harder, as if she were searching for something. "Is it that you can't help it? Does it just happen?"

Teriyaki said nothing. Just stared into Fawn's eyes.

"Well, for what it's worth, I know how you feel." Fawn's smile looked wistful as she scritched the side of Teriyaki's head. The bird Pokémon leaned into her touch, trilling slightly, and Fawn's eyes got a distant, far-off look in them for a moment. "I'm angry a lot. I was angry a lot. You wouldn't be able to blame me if you knew what I'd been through, though." She paused thoughtfully. "I guess it's the same for you, huh?"

“Chick?”

“Oh yeah,” said Fawn, as if she were carrying on an actual conversation. “If you knew what my parents did to me? How they treated me? You’d totally be on my side. So. Yeah, like. I get how it is to be angry. And wanna lash out at something.” Her expression hardened, and she held Teriyaki closer to her face. “You’re not just skittish.

“You’re mad. You’re mad that you were alone and you had to do this for so long. And you’re mad that Cecilia wasn’t backing off and just invaded our space. And you get mad when someone annoys you. I get that. I get wanting to flip out and attack. But it’s not cool. You can’t take it out on other Pokémon, you know? That’s how you get in trouble.”

“Chick chick!”

“Hmmm…” Fawn moved Teriyaki to her lap, looking up into space. “We gotta find something else for you to do. Some other way…” she muttered to herself. Her eyes slowly moved back and forth as she was lost, deep in thought.
She remembered what she herself did when she was angry, back home.

She recalled the feeling of her hand smacking something, hard. The sting in her palm. The adrenaline rush. How she always got winded afterwards.

How her school counselor had advised her to release her pent-up rage.

“How about…” Fawn began slowly. “Instead of attacking, or spitting embers at someone when you get mad,” she said, “you just find me. And we’ll run around the sanctuary together.” She felt herself blush when Teriyaki gave her a look that plainly read that’s dumb. “No, I mean it! We go running! I ran all the time when I got pissed off at Mom and Dad. I’d just hop the fence and get the heck outta dodge. Just run til my lungs and legs hurt and all those crazy emotions are quiet again. We’ll do that!”

Teriyaki stared.

“Look. You trust me. We’re pretty similar. I know you know it. So just. Try it with me, okay? And it you think it’s dumb or it doesn’t work, you never have to listen to a word I say ever again. Deal?” She then held her hand out, like she was actually expecting a shake.

Teriyaki stared at Fawn’s face. And then at her hand. She seemed to be thinking it over.

Then she pecked at Fawn’s fingers, lightly.

“Ow!” Fawn yelped, but then she laughed. That had been a yes, she could tell. Teriyaki made some trills that mimicked laughter, and the teenager held her under chin and snuggled her. “Rascal…” she chuckled. “C’mon. Let’s go running.”

--

Hi. I'm back. It's been a long time, I know, but real life happens, inspiration comes and goes... But now I'm back, and I'm ready to continue this fic.
Helping matters is the fact that I've got inspiration for other fics as well - another Pokemon fic, and a Harvest Moon fic, and I want to have this one done before I get started on publishing the other two.

Also! This fic has a tvtropes page now! Check it out if you like!

 

[System Error]

Need to get back on reading, and hey as I go to do that at my usual time, you're back with this, which I liked. So let's get back into it, hopefully remembering as much as I can.

- Doesn't seem to be a chapter title here.
- I imagine a sock wouldn't be very tasty. Well, maybe to a Garbodor or something.
- Hee, the imagery of little chickens rubbing against legs like a cat would is adorable.
- Fawn being asked if she wanted to grab coffee followed by her stomach growling reminds me of some people I know who in fact drink coffee as a meal.
- Ji-Min seeing it long before Fawn herself does.
- Peach tea is great, although I'd put it behind raspberry (razz berry?) tea.
- The way Fawn's reacting makes me think TVs are ubiquitous, or at least she's so not used to one not being around. A lot of stuff you can take for granted.
- Neat fakeout in-universe with the Clefairy saying Cleffa.
- Happiness evolutions~
- An interesting response from Fawn. Not really, that is. Makes me wonder if she actually did at some point, but not really.
- Like the small detail of waving her fingers at the Metronome-using Pokemon
- Filling up on one cinnamon roll? I presume there were implicitly more than one.
- Always do like the detail of new trainers starting wherever instead of being forced to go in order.
- There's a few eaten paragraph spaces around here
- Heh, adorably polite kids. Who, from the seems of it, haven't been on their journey long and yet already miss home. Hope for their sakes there's a lot of houses like this on the way!
- Ooo, shoutouts to actually eating Pokemon. A lot of fic writers write around the issue or do things to make sure it never happens in their fic. I can appreciate yours has eating Pokemon, yet also has vegetarians - far more realistic that way. Also, I love the actual reaction one of the Pokemon gives to members of its species being eaten.
- I think Fawn has someone looking up to her! Cecilia is a good character, and props for making her very child-like for her age.
- Hm, that's one problematic starter. A unique sort of problematic that's rarely touched upon. Presumably, she had help from Garrett to catch her Shroomish. Good thing she had him around...
- Huh, I thought it was going to be Fawn that snapped, not Teriyaki.
- Cecilia getting a little burned, pun sort of intended. If just showing kindness and being nice could help in all cases, the world would be a lot simpler. And knowing from experience with a couple of rescue lovebirds, in real life it can be hard to build up trust with a pet that's been abused.
- Hm, a sudden flashback voice in the head that's confirming what I figured from earlier.
- And so we get Teriyaki's backstory. Oof, that's gotta be hard.
- I like this commonality connection scene. It's also an interesting look into Fawn's personality. She may be very bitter on the inside, but it highlights the difference between what you're thinking and what you decide to do.
- I suppose hitting something is one way to let out your pent-up rage. But some of the descriptions around it makes me wonder if Fawn went through a lot of character development between then and now, to say the least.

Welcome back, and a lot of interesting things to take from this chapter. The main standout being Fawn's history. From the picture being hinted at, she's someone who made a very bad mistake in the past, and it's still haunting her. And unfortunately most of all, it seemed the people around her didn't believe in second chances. And yet she seems to have recognized her mistakes from the past and has not only grown, but is trying to help another grow as she did. Definitely enjoying the connection between her and Teriyaki. Looking forward to more.

And huh, a TVTropes page? And more importantly, another Pokemon fic in the works? Got me interested there, that's for sure.

 

[TwinklingCupcake]

Need to get back on reading, and hey as I go to do that at my usual time, you're back with this, which I liked. So let's get back into it, hopefully remembering as much as I can.

- I imagine a sock wouldn't be very tasty. Well, maybe to a Garbodor or something.

lol this is based on a lot of small pets I've had or encountered at friends' places. For some reason, the "carpet shark" pets always liked to tug on our socks or shoelaces when they wanted to play with us.

- Filling up on one cinnamon roll? I presume there were implicitly more than one.

In my experience, cinnamon rolls were always huge at our local cafe. It was easy to get full on just half a one. Your comment intrigues me - are there places that sell tiny ones???

- Always do like the detail of new trainers starting wherever instead of being forced to go in order.

Yeah, I remember playing Yellow as a kid and encountering young trainers on the way to other towns, who had only one Pokemon, and I'd always think "I hope they don't have to go all the way to the starting town first." I always thought it made way more sense to start with the closest town, and the Gym Leaders choosing their Pokemon and strategies accordingly.


You'll see Fawn's backstory probably in the next chapter. I can tell you this; you're going to be surprised...

My next Pokemon fic will be lighter in tone, and involve photography! And an adventure, of course...

 

[TwinklingCupcake]

Warning: The following chapter deals with emotional abuse and gaslighting, as well as an anxiety attack. Reader discretion is advised.

–​

Of course, the peace couldn’t have lasted.

The early hours of the morning bathed everything in a misty gold as Fawn ran across the fields with Teriyaki. Her legs burned and her lungs were heavy, but the air was cool against her face and the rising sun warmed her hair. She felt alive as she ran through the tall grass, pumping her arms vigorously, her legs moving as if she wanted to break free of gravity altogether.

Teriyaki kept up the pace, occasionally leaping up to get a better look at Fawn’s location and rushing to join her. Fawn laughed as the fire bird reached her at last, spitting a harmless spark against her calf. It barely even burned her, amounting to nothing more than a brief sting, as if she’d kicked up a pebble that smacked her leg.

Ji-Min had already gone to fetch the usual coffee order, and some donut holes for the two other kids. Andie was tending to Gracie, who would be ready to pass her egg any day now.
This left Cecilia and Garrett to tiredly shuffle out of the house.

Cecilia yawned and stretched, blinking in the sunlight. “It’s so nice out today,” she murmured, shielding her eyes from the sun and looking out to the expansive fields. “Don’t you just love mornings, Garrett?”

Garrett shrugged, still looking dead on his feet.

“Garrett, come on! It’s such a nice day, don’t you think–” Cecilia’s attention was suddenly taken by Snickers, scratching and whining at one of the gates separating the main area from the wider fields.
“Awww, little guy,” Cecilia crooned, hopping down the stairs and approaching the gate. “You wanna go out?”

And with that, she opened the gate, allowing Snickers to run into the fields. Then she continued her walk, intent on greeting the other Pokémon.

But Snickers, unseen by Cecilia, did not go out. He took a few tentative steps out, raising his little head high and sniffing the air. Slowly, he scanned the horizon, seeing Fawn and Teriyaki in the distance. This didn’t seem to bother him, and he just sniffed a few more times.
Then he decided he didn’t feel like going out after all; huffing quietly, he turned around and trundled back to the house.

Back in the fields, Fawn was finally tiring out, her run slowing down to a trot, and then a job, and then she finally stopped entirely. She leaned forward, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Teriyaki ran around her to peer up at her face. “Chick!” she cried.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m exhausted,” Fawn panted. She swallowed a few times, wiping her forehead. Then she straightened up to full height again, smiling down at Teriyaki. “You ready to head back? All your energy’s spent?”

“Torchic!”

“Alright! Let’s go back.” Fawn walked back to the gate, taking her time and going slowly. Teriyaki happily trailed after her.

Ji-Min pulled up in the car just as Fawn and Teriyaki were reaching the gate. Ji-Min got out of the car, frowning when they saw the gate open. They put their breakfast on the car’s roof, then approached the gate. “Snickers? Ginger?” Ji-Min called, looking around.

Both Pokémon poked their heads out the open front door.

Ji-Min’s relief was short-lived. “The door’s open too?” they muttered. Neither the front door nor the gate was supposed to be left open unattended… They were sure the gate had been closed when they left, and they knew they shut the door behind them too.
“Fawn!” they called as the teen came into view, her own steps faltering and a frown on her face as she noticed the open gate. “Fawn, you shut the gate behind you when you went on the run, right?”

It was a simple question. So simple. But Fawn tensed up.

“Yes,” she said, voice already taut as she frowned at Ji-Min.

“You’re sure it was closed properly?” Ji-Min followed up, calmly and casually. “Sometimes if you close it too lightly the latch doesn’t fall–

“I closed it! I closed it properly, the latch fell, I heard it click!” Fawn walked through the gate, Teriyaki on her heels. The Pokémon looked up at Fawn anxiously, sensing the shift in mood. Something was wrong. Teriyaki nuzzled her legs, peeping up at her in questioning.

“See?” Fawn continued, voice rising. “See, I know how to close it, I didn’t misremember–”

“Okay, Fawn–”

“I closed the gate,” Fawn continued, furtively looking between the gate and Ji-Min. “I swear I closed the gate!”

“I’m not mad,” Ji-Min said, sensing the beginning of something awful. “If you forgot, it’s okay–”

“I didn’t forget!” Fawn cried, her voice suddenly rising several octaves. Her face went pale at first, then started to turn pink. Her hands curled into fists, rising to her sides as she continued to speak, louder and faster. “I didn’t forget, I know for a fact I closed it! Someone else must have opened it!”

“Okay, Fawn…” Ji-Min acquiesced. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine, let’s forget about it now–”

“No! No, I know I closed it, I’m not misremembering, I swear to Arceus I closed it! I’m not misremembering, I’m not wrong!”

The noise was attracting the attention of everyone else now. Cecilia, walking back to the house, slowed to a stop, staring with wide eyes. Garrett ventured out of the house, lingering on the porch, looking ready to bolt back inside any moment. Andie had already been leaving Gracie’s barn, but stopped when she saw what was happening. “Fawn? Ji-Min?” she called quietly, picking up the pace toward them.

Fawn was trembling, breathing heavily. “I’m not wrong, I’m not, I know what I did!” To punctuate her statement, she pounding her fist on the gate. It jolted from the force of the blow, and Ji-Min knew there’d be horrible bruising on Fawn’s hand afterward.

“Fawn, you’re getting worked up,” Ji-Min said gently, kneeling in front of her. They held their hands up, not wanting to risk touching her and making it worse. Ji-Min began to breathe deeply, hoping to prompt Fawn into doing the same. “Please, you need to calm down…”

“I’m not misremembering, you’re wrong, you’re the one who’s wrong–”

“I know. Okay, I’m wrong. It’s okay.” Ji-Min raised their voice, but did not yell. “Fawn, you need to breathe. Stop talking, take a deep breath.”

“I closed the gate,” Fawn gasped out.

“I believe you, Fawn. Now just breathe…” Ji-Min took a long, deep breath, finally taking a chance and gently taking Fawn’s shoulders. “I got you, just breathe…”

Fawn’s own breathing was harsh, heavy as her chest heaved violently. It took a few moments for her to respond, Ji-Min slowly breathing in and out themself. But finally, Fawn managed to swallow, and took a deep, shaking breath.

“That’s it… now let it out slowly…” Ji-Min exhaled deeply, prompting Fawn to do the same.

Slowly, the tension left Fawn’s body, her trembling fists slowly relaxing until her hands hung limply at her sides, and her head hung low, her hair falling past her face like a heavy curtain. She looked rather like a marionette that had suddenly had its strings cut, and if it weren’t for Ji-Min’s hands on her shoulders, she might have collapsed.
Teriyaki piped up then, and Ji-Min looked down to see that Fawn’s legs were trembling.

“Okay, Fawn, honey,” they said calmly. “Let’s go to the Torchic coop, okay?”

Fawn nodded mutely, allowing Ji-Min to steer her towards the coop. Teriyaki followed dutifully, occasionally rubbing her face against Fawn’s leg. Ji-Min glanced over her shoulder at Andie, who nodded back.

“Kiddos, I need to sit with Fawn and Ji-Min for a minute. You two stay put.”

Cecilia and Garrett looked at her with concern, but it was Cecilia who spoke up first.

“Will you be okay?” asked Cecilia, clasping her hands in front of her chest. “That was really scary!”

“She’s calm now, we just wanna talk to her.”

“But what if she hurts you?”

Andie leveled a stern gaze at Cecilia. “Kid, Fawn’s not that kind of person, and besides which, she’s fourteen. There ain’t a lot she can do. Now sit tight.” And with that, Andie headed into the Torchic coop.

When Andie entered the coop, Ji-Min and Fawn were already sitting down on a bale of hay. Fawn still looked limp; her shoulders were slumped, she was leaning heavily against Ji-Min’s side, and her eyes looked listless and dull. Ji-min had an arm wrapped around Fawn’s shoulders, gently rubbing her upper arm with a thumb. While the other Torchic kept their distance - clearly sensing that Fawn wasn’t here to play with all of them - Teriyaki had settled herself on Fawn’s lap, feathers ruffling as she peeped up at her.
The only sign of movement from Fawn was one of her hands gently stroking Teriyaki’s downy little back.

Andie slowly approached them and sat on Fawn’s other side, making sure to leave a little distance between them. The last thing she wanted was to make the girl feel boxed in.
Especially after what had just happened.

The little group sat in silence for a while, allowing their minds to settle.

Finally, Andie spoke up. “So,” she began, calmly. “Do you feel like telling us what that was about?”

“Andie,” Ji-Min hissed over Fawn’s head.

“Fawn. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want. But if you’re gonna stay here, we need to know more. Especially after what just happened. Nobody’s angry at you, you aren’t in trouble. We believe that you closed the gate and latched it.”

“You said, ‘are you sure?’” Fawn murmured, voice hollow and still bitter.

“I know. We’re sorry. We didn’t think that would upset you,” Andie explained patiently.

Fawn was quiet.

“Did something happen back at home, Fawn? Is there someone who made you feel like this?”

More silence.

“Honey. We just want to know so we know what to avoid in the future. How to help you. You don’t even have to go into details, just a yes or a no will be fine. Okay?”

Even more silence.

Teriyaki peeped quietly, nuzzling at Fawn’s hand.

Fawn slowly took a breath. “I… I want to talk about it,” she murmured. “Just… just don’t interrupt me? Please?”

Andie and Ji-Min shared another look over the girl’s head. They nodded, and Ji-Min hugged Fawn closer. “Okay. We won’t interrupt.”

Fawn took a few more breaths, the adults waiting for her to talk. “I dunno where to start…”

“Wherever you feel comfortable,” Andie said.

“Yeah… yeah, okay… Uhm, so… So I had a Pokémon once… My parents always said…”

—

Some Time Ago, in Oldale…​

“Wooow, Raquelle, you got a good one!” A group of neighborhood girls crowded around, marveling at the Totodile held in the brunette’s arms. Raquelle puffed her chest out in pride, her dark brown eyes sparkling. “Look how sharp the teeth are!”

“Forget the teeth, look at those eyes! They’re the eyes of a powerhouse!”

The Totodile beamed with pride as well, patting Raquelle’s arms. “Toto!” it rasped.

“So are you going on a journey in Johto?” asked another girl, one with short red hair and a spray of freckles across her face.

“Yep! Gramma said I can go when school’s done for the year. That way the weather will be nice and mild while I’m on the move.” Raquelle looked around the group, beaming. “You guys won’t forget me, right?”

“Girl, of course not! You didn’t forget Stacie when she went on the journey, did you?”

“Well, no–”

“Or Kimberly? Or Gita?”

Raquelle laughed. “No, I guess not. Sorry!”

At that moment, Fawn spoke up. “We’d never forget you, Raquelle.” She grinned, hands in her pockets as she looked over the Totodile. It was a great Pokémon, she thought, though she herself would rather have a Torchic. But it was Raquelle’s decision, not hers.

Raquelle looked over to Fawn, and her smile turned to a look of confusion. “Hey, Fawn,” she started. “Why didn’t you go on a journey?”

Fawn’s smile faltered. “Oh. That’s… Mom and Dad didn’t let me.”

“Didn’t let you? But you’re old enough!”

“Yeah,” said one of the girls, turning to look at her. “You’re able to go when you turn eleven, right?” But of course she knew full well that was the case. Everyone did.

Fawn just huffed, shoving her hands deeper into her pockets. “Yeah, I know that. And believe me, they were saying for years that I’d get to go when I turned eleven. We even put my name on the Trainer Registry and everything! But then my birthday came and yeah. No visit to the lab, no Pokémon, no journey.”

The girls all shared a look. “Did they say why?” asked Gita, a girl with rich brown skin and a long black braid.

“Just some junk about how I’m not ‘mature’ enough and ‘can’t handle it.’ And then they said they never actually said I could go anyway, they just said maybe. But that’s not true, they totally promised I could go!” Fawn couldn’t help raising her voice a bit. The other girls flinched and Fawn ducked her head again. “Sorry,” she grumbled. “It’s just. It’s total crap. They’re all talking crap.”

“I’m sorry,” Raquelle murmured, petting her Totodile. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Nah, it’s not your fault… Besides, hey, I do have a Pokémon, at least!” Fawn brightened. “He’s a Cubone, his name’s King. I found him in the woods by the school. I think he might’ve been ditched by a Trainer.”

“And he’s the cutest thing!” cried Stacie, a girl with long strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes. “I met him when Fawn came to AmazeBurger, he’s so adorable!”

“Can we meet him too?” gasped Raquelle.

“Sure, just lemme know when.” Fawn’s watch beeped and she checked the time. Her jubilant expression suddenly shifted into a frown, and she blew out a stream of air that lifted her bangs up. “Great. I gotta head home, sorry. It’s almost five.”

“Bye, Fawn!” the girls chorused, even Raquelle’s Totodile called “To’dile!” and waved a little hand, but Fawn was already running for home.

–​

Fawn stood in front of the front door, taking a few moments to collect herself. She stared at the doorknob as if it were an Arbok coiled and ready to strike. If she’d had her way, she would just slip through the backyard, through the back door, and straight up to her room. But no, her parents would only hold it against her somehow. And then she’d be punished with grounding, worse than a curfew.

After taking a deep breath, the teen opened the door.

“Fawn, is that you?” Rose Lamar called out, the instant the hinges squeaked.

“Yeah, Mom.” Fawn closed the door behind her, walking into the foyer. She left her shoes on, ignorant of the dirt that clung to them. She would be heading back outside anyway, so why bother taking her shoes off?

Fawn headed into the kitchen, where a woman with shoulder-length caramel hair and bright brown eyes stood over a pot on the stove. She glanced at the Meowth clock on the wall, then turned to smile at Fawn as she stood in the doorway. “Ah, good! You came home in time.”

Fawn bit the inside of her cheek, feeling the blood rush to her face. “How long do I have to do this?” she grumbled.

“Your dad and I told you, dear, until we know you can be responsible.” Rose frowned, pointing her wooden spoon at her. “We didn’t appreciate you sneaking off last night. We know what trouble goes on at night.”

“I didn’t do anything! All I did was go to AmazeBurger with King.”

“Without permission? Without telling us where you went? And with whose money?” Rose raised her eyebrows. “You came back with ketchup around your mouth, and I know you didn’t use any allowance.”

“I met Stacie and her family and they treated us.”

Rose sighed and shook her head, returning to her pot of spaghetti. “And with how much of a gossip that woman is, I’m sure she told everyone. So now the whole neighborhood must think I starve my family.”

Fawn said nothing, curling her hands into fists inside her pockets.

“By the way,” Rose continued, “your father checked around, and we’re very lucky. The Mawhile was a wild Pokémon after all.”

“I coulda told you that. There wasn’t a Trainer anywhere.”

Rose turned to frown at Fawn, who just glowered right back. “As I was saying… the Mawhile was a wild Pokémon, so you won’t be in trouble for attacking it–”

“Why the hell would I be in trouble?!” Fawn interrupted, flinging her arms out. “It’s a Pokémon! I’m a human. If it wanted to, it could have hurt me, not the other way around! I didn’t even hurt it that bad!”

“Fawn, you grabbed a branch and started beating it around the head! You could have seriously hurt it, or worse!”

“It was a stick! A thick stick, it wasn’t even a branch! And it was trying to attack King - who didn’t even want to fight it! I had to do something!”

“Fawn–” Rose began, only to be interrupted by the door opening.

“I’m home!” a jovial voice called into the room, closely followed by its owner. Alan Lamar, a bear-like man with a bushy brown beard, fluffy brown hair, and hazel eyes, stopped to survey the scene. He was halfway through taking off his coat, and his brows lifted to his hairline when he looked down and saw Fawn. “Well, look at that. The little lady didn’t miss curfew,” he chuckled, reaching to pinch her cheek.

Fawn grimaced and tried to swat his hand away.

“Dear, would you talk to her?” sighed Rose. “She’s still fighting us about her curfew, and she still doesn’t think she did anything wrong.”

“Because I didn’t.”

“Don’t argue with your mother,” Alan reprimanded immediately.

Fawn’s face reddened deeper, and she opened her mouth to protest, but another sharp look from Alan made her shut it. Instead, she shoved her hands back into her pockets, and stormed for the back door. “I’m gonna go train with King.”

Alan and Rose called after her, but Fawn didn’t want to listen to them. It wouldn’t matter if she did, anyway. She knew what they’d say: get back here and apologize, drop the attitude, you used to be such a good girl, this conversation isn’t finished.
Whatever. It didn’t matter. She’d have to hear it all at dinner, anyway.

And this time, she couldn’t go out for burgers again.

Fawn let the back screen door slam behind her, and took a few deep breaths.
There was a rustling noise, and beneath the little makeshift shelter, King poked his head out.

“Bone?” he called.

Fawn smiled, feeling her heart grow lighter. “Hey, buddy,” she called softly, reaching the center of the yard and crouching down. “C’mere.” She held her arms out.

“Cubo-bone!” King happily ran out from his shelter - not much more than a piece of plywood nailed to a larger block of wood that’d otherwise be used for the fireplace - and into Fawn’s arms. Fawn laughed as King nuzzled her, the coolness of his skull feeling good against her hot face. Already she was starting to feel calmer, the redness in her cheeks and forehead slowly fading.

“How you doing? Those bruises are healing pretty nice, huh?”

“Bone!”

“Stacie’s parents know a lot about healing Pokémon. I’ll tell them the spray they gave us is working great.” Fawn’s bright smile faltered a bit as she thought of Stacie and her parents.

They’d been happy to treat her and King to burgers the night before. Fawn had joined them in the dining area, and Stacie had excitedly filled them in on Raquelle getting her first Pokémon the next day.
Though they were excited for her, they still shared a quick glance at each other, then at Fawn.

Fawn knew what they must have been thinking: why didn’t she have a Pokémon? Why didn’t she go on a journey?

She was tired of repeating her parents’ words: “You’ve been too moody lately. We don’t think you’re mature enough to go.”
“You can go when you prove to us that you can handle it and be mature.”
“Putting your name on the registry of trainers isn’t a guarantee, it’s just for future reference. You should know this.”
“We never said you were going in the first place, we said maybe.”
“Stop making a mountain out of a molehill, Fawn, if you’d behave yourself then maybe we’d let you collect those badges.”

Fawn shook her head to clear those memories away. No. She had King. That was fine. “Okay, King. Today I want you to attack those trees.” She pointed to some sturdy-looking leppa trees in the corner of the yard. “Just throw your bone at them, and try to knock some of the fruit down.”

“Bone?” King gave her an anxious look, bringing his paws together and trembling.

“Aw, it’s okay to be nervous. You’re just throwing it at a tree, it won’t hurt anybody. And honestly they’re not even ours.” Fawn shrugged. “These were here when we moved in.”

“Cubone?”

“Aw, you’re not strong enough to break it in half, don’t worry. You’re still little,” Fawn laughed, briefly picking up King and snuggling him. “Come on, aim for that leppa, right there.” She pointed to one of the leppa hanging on the lower branches; not the lowest, but still within King’s reach.

King looked timidly at the tree, as if it really were an opposing Pokémon and not a harmless bunch of wood and leaves. But with Fawn’s encouragement, he seemed to steel himself, and threw his bone at the tree boughs…
…only for the bone to stop just short of the tree and circle back to him.

“Cubooone…” King sighed, deflating a bit as he caught his bone.

“It’s okay, King, just try again. Throw it really good this time.”

King nodded, lifting his head and curling one paw into a little fist. He seemed to take a moment to psych himself up, then threw the bone again.

This time, he put enough force into it that it was able to reach the branches. As it curved in its path to begin its return, it knocked against one of the biggest leppas, which fell to the ground with a faint thump.

“You did it!” Fawn cheered as King caught the returning bone. She swept him up into her arms, lifting him high. “Alright, awesome job!”

“Cubone! Cubone-bone!”

“Fawn Lamar!”

Fawn’s jubilant smile shifted into a scowl, and she slowly turned to look back at the house.

Alan was standing there, the kitchen light silhouetting his form, frowning at the leppa tree. “Did you make him knock down our leppas?”

“It was just one…” Fawn grumbled.

“See, this is why you’re not on a journey,” Alan shook his head. “I know you’re mad about the curfew, but property destruction is only going to make it worse.” He stepped aside and motioned into the house. “Dinner’s ready. Put King down and come inside.”

Fawn reluctantly did as she was told. King trotted after her a few paces, grabbing for her leg. “Cubone!” he cried.

“It’s okay, boy. I’ll bring you some leftovers for dinner,” Fawn said, reaching down to pat his head. “And I’ll drop by the convenience store and bring you leppa butter sandwiches tomorrow. To celebrate defeating the terrible leppa!” she quipped.

King sat back on his haunches, watching as Fawn went back inside, missing the way her smile shifted into a scowl again.

–​

The morning started out fine.

Fawn woke up early and dressed. She went to the backyard and greeted King with a few pats to the head before he sleepily returned to his shelter. She grabbed what little cash she could and headed to the convenience store.

Some time later, she walked home, carrying a plastic bag full of leppa-butter sandwiches. Fawn unwrapped one, and took a big bite. Leppa-butter oozed out, like an overstuffed jelly donut.

Rose was already awake and gardening in front of the house. Fawn ignored her as she walked past, through the side gate. “King!” she called instead, hoisting the bag high. “I got your breakfast.”

Silence.

“King, c’mon, buddy, you can’t sleep all day.” Fawn dropped the bag and got on her hands and knees, peering under the shelter. “It’s time to eat.”

The shelter was empty.

“King?” Fawn called. She rose to her knees, looking around the yard. Was he hiding in the bushes? “King, it’s time to get up!” she called out.

None of the bushes rustled. She didn’t hear the Cubone’s familiar call.

“King!” she shouted, voice tight. She scrambled to her feet, dizzy with adrenaline and from rising so fast. “King, come out!”

“If you’re looking for the Cubone, he’s not here,” Rose called from the front yard.

Fawn’s blood ran cold. She ran to the front, her chest tight and her face hot with anger. “What did you say?!” she screeched, skidding to a stop by the garden.

Rose nonchalantly stood up, folding her gardening gloves and placing them in her back pocket. “I said he’s not here. We took him to the PokéCenter and put him in the trading network.”

The trading network. Where Trainers requested other Pokémon in exchange for their own, or could even make a special request for a Pokémon in exchange for supplies, like potions, or berries. The latter was especially common for people who were gifting Pokémon to young children, or needed a Pokémon to work.

King had been taken? Just like that?

Fawn’s heart pounded in her ears, nearly drowning out her mother’s words. All she could do was stare. “You’re lying,” she said, tongue heavy and numb. “You’re lying!”

“Fawn, don’t you dare call me a liar,” Rose said, voice hardening. She placed her hands on her hips, leveling a stern gaze at Fawn. “Your father told me what you did to the trees, how you’re teaching him to destroy property–”

“I wasn’t! We were just using them as targets!”

“--and it’s obvious that you did it to get back at us for punishing you. You’d already shown you couldn’t be trusted to go on a Journey, and not only did you attack the Mawhile but then you started teaching that Cubone bad things.”

“I told you about the Mawhile! I wasn’t teaching King bad things, we were just training!”

“Don’t you cop an attitude, Fawn! See, this is why we sent him to the Trading Network, this is why we waited til you left. We knew you were going to overreact.”

“You sent him into the trading network without even asking me! How could you do that–”

“Lower your voice, Fawn!” Rose snapped.

“No! No, you shut up, you’re lying!”

“You need to calm down–” Rose grabbed Fawn’s shoulder.

The teen let out an angry cry and jerked out of her grasp.

And then the next second, Rose was crashing into her own garden, crying out as she nearly landed in the rose bushes. If she’d landed there, she surely would have been tangled in the thorns. But even with that near miss, she was cradling her wrist. “Fawn!” she gasped, trying to push herself off the ground. “Fawn, how could you do that?!”

“I– I didn’t–” Fawn’s voice shook, not with regret, but horror. Horror at what had happened to King. Horror by what she’d been told. Horror by what Rose and Alan did. “I didn’t do anything - you threw yourself on the ground.”

“Fawn, that’s ridi–” Rose reached up for her.

Fawn bolted out of the yard and down the street. She could vaguely hear Rose shouting after her, but it was drowned out by the sound of her heart pounding, and her shoes thudding on the road.

….

She had hardly reached the corner when Alan, on his way from the PokéCenter, caught up to her. He seized her shoulder, and brought her back to the house.

—​

Rose and Alan had been furious that she could have pushed her like that. Rose spent an hour in the bathroom, applying alcohol and ointment to various spots on her body, wrapping gauze tightly around her wrist. Fawn sat at the kitchen table the entire time, under Alan’s watchful eye, in case she tried to argue.

Finally, Rose came out of the bathroom and said she didn’t think she needed a hospital. Nor did they have to involve the police. Fawn had thrown a temper tantrum, and would be grounded for a month. No phone, no electronics of any kind, no visiting friends. She wouldn’t even be able to see Raquelle off when the younger girl went on her journey.

She’d proven she couldn’t be trusted.

Fawn said nothing as she was sentenced, merely hung her head in a show of humility.

A few nights later, she woke up in the dead of night, stole Alan’s backup bank card, and slipped out into the night.

—​

The Fawn of the present-day leaned heavily against Ji-Min. Andie leaned in from her other side. Teriyaki trilled sympathetically.

Andie was the first to speak. “Kiddo?” she murmured. “May we hug you?”

There was a long pause. Then Fawn nodded, and she was caught in their embrace.