Erin

  —

  When I woke up the next morning, thirsty and in desperate need of the bathroom, for a bleary moment I expected to hear the sounds of furious roars and stunning impacts. The memory of Artemis literally screaming in rage while she Stomping Tantrum'ed a pit into the ground would be stuck in my mind for a long, long time… Dexter was probably going to pull the video up in the future to mess with her. He was probably also smart enough to do it after she Evolved, though… Tyrantrum were generally more in control of their tempers…

  That was a stupid thought, though, Artemis had finally pitched a long, dramatic fit far outside of town, not here in a safe, mostly-cozy Pokemon Center. Well, the room was cozy, but Cerberus was still way too hot to enjoy sleeping near him. In a month he would probably be nice and toasty, but for now he roasted me.

  At least Seraphina enjoyed the heat, now that she wasn't liable to get squished joining in our smaller cuddle pile.

  As I groaned my way awake I tried to get my thoughts in order, not that it was very hard.

  My new grandparents were… okay. Judgemental and distant, sure, but they seemed to actually regret their actions and what they led to, which I could obviously sympathize with… I could also sympathize with being too scared and ashamed to initiate anything for years… Even their wariness of Pokemon! I didn't share it, of course, but Pokemon were far more dangerous to humans than we were to the vast majority of them, so it was… reasonable.

  Maybe they would find a rescue that vibed with them…

  Because now my new grandparents were moving to my… hometown? Huh, I guess Pallet Town was my hometown now… Weird… Still, mom would buy them a nice little house there, they could support themselves off of universal income, plenty of people their age to meet, and if mom and them wanted to, it would be easy enough to work on their relationship…

  Overall? Certainly a better introduction to them than I had anticipated. Of course, I had anticipated either a strung-out, faded businessman being too excited about seeing Leaf and incurring the wrath of our teams, or two posh socialites looking down their noses at us. Instead, I had gotten two sad old people who were used to getting their way, who now weren't, unsure of how to actually… live with the circumstances they created, I guess?

  Either way, I didn't end the day with new worries, so I would take it!

  I rolled away from Cerberus, towards the bathroom, when I was rudely reminded that I never slept alone.

  Luckily I caught myself, because Seraphina's tail didn't release me even as I fell forwards…

  —

  —

  After a quick breakfast we went to the front counter. I was recognized, and the request quickly approved, so we soon found ourselves… waiting. Because this was a training request like I had guessed, and considering the requester was still here, we had nowhere to go.

  At least this time I don't have to evict stubborn dragons, or deal with more people like Darius, so there's that, right?

  The older girl that came rushing down the stairs was somewhat distinctive. The shorter, dark blue hair was a pretty standard cut, but most people didn't just casually wear rain coats… A blue raincoat with a distinctive Pokemon design on it, one that matched the one on her wide purple bucket hat. She was obviously a fan of one species, and it showed. Her hat even had little pins with cartoony ones on it!

  Then again, her Sliggoo had been very well trained the other day, so I guess it made sense that she loved the species… It also explained the raincoat, because the huge slugs weren't exactly dry to the touch…

  She looked shocked to see me standing there waiting for her, but only for a moment. Then her eyes got wide with understanding and she smiled, stretching a hand out to shake.

  "Hi, I'm Nova! You're the Dragon Master, I assume?" I grinned a little, reaching out to shake her hand. She looked to be around sixteen or so, and tall! She was almost six feet tall! Why was everyone I met taller than me?! Just once I'd like to meet someone as short as me, or better yet, shorter! It had been a long time since I had gotten to look down on anyone! Not in a mean way either, I mean that literally! I was always looking up at people and it was Tauros-shit!

  I was going to pinch a nerve in my neck or something!

  "That's me, probably the world's smallest Dragon Master. So, this is a training request?"

  She grew nervous momentarily before pulling herself upright.

  "Yeah, it's… not a huge issue, but it's annoying, and I can't find anything online about it." She glanced in the direction of the training room here and shook her head. "It's also not the… cleanest of issues?"

  "Are you busy the rest of the day?" She shook her head.

  "No, I'm free all day today and tomorrow."

  I glanced behind me, but the other two just nodded at me. We were going to do it anyway… I gave Nova a wide smile.

  "Want to do some training, then?"

  —

  —

  "So your Sliggoo barely obeys you anymore? That's not what I saw the other day, though? She kicked Cerberus' butt, hard." Nova blushed at the compliment, but shook her head.

  "No, she obeys me in battle just fine, but outside of it? She's never been like this before! She's had moods, especially right after she first Evolved, but nothing like this! Everything on the PokeNet says she should want to eat and avoid fighting to focus on Evolution, but she still wants to battle!" She was frustrated, shoulders slumped as we finished our walk to an open field far enough we wouldn't be inside any city limits.

  She perked right up as our teams came out.

  "Oh wow, that's a lot of dragons! And… fairies…" She almost paused, but Leto's huge head nodding at her drew her attention, and she squealed in happiness before bowing her head low. Her smile was wide and joyful when her head flew back up.

  "Oh Arceus, this is so cool!" Okay, I would feel even more awkward than I already did, but… If I was in her shoes, a dragon tamer not scared of dragons, with Leto restraining her aura? I would be right there… Probably a little bit more enthusiastically, honestly…

  She noticed our amused looks and went red, straightening her back abruptly.

  "So, yeah… I also have my Golduck, Splash. Well, Splash and Wiggles were friends, and he came with me when Wiggles joined me…" She brightened, but it seemed a little forced, especially given her next words.

  "The rest of my team returned to the wild after we reached the top sixteen in the last Circuit. It's kind of rare to find a Pokemon that just wants to… uproot themselves forever. This year I'm not even trying to compete, just… focused on this…" Huh, I guess it was, wasn't it… Did I just have protagonist energy, or… maybe even the opposite? Discounting Pokemon that wanted to come along, or were forced to come along by their parents, I had caught… one. One Pokemon, Ahab, out of the eight I had…

  I mean, this wasn't the games, or even the anime, so I knew it was different. These weren't pixels that went into a box, these were sophisticated, intelligent beings… Some of them were sophisticated, and they could be dumb as hell, but still! I wasn't about to go out capturing dozens of Pokemon, but I felt almost lazy…

  I was broken from my thoughts by the Golduck that came out. I'd always found them cool looking, and that went doubly in real life. They were also much scarier underwater when they just wouldn't leave me the hell alone… It saw the gathering and jerked a little, before it recovered and scowled at Nova. Nova was looking down at a Pokeball with slight dread, though.

  "We're here, Wiggles. Hopefully she can help…" She trailed off as the large slug came out, and I could tell why immediately. The smell was sharp, and the grass began to quickly blacken. I scrunched up my nose as I took a step backwards.

  "So, the smell is one thing, but the rest?" I nudged her and she straightened her back.

  "Wiggles, come here, please?" Wiggles did not, in fact, come there. Wiggles actually began to scan around with her 'horns', finding a nearby bush that she began to devour. I sighed at the dejected look on Nova's face.

  Not to mention the smug look on Splash's face.

  "Let me guess, she's always been obedient, and this is a recent thing?" Nova nodded at me. "Well, a few things. First, you need to be more commanding when you give an actual order. It doesn't matter how close you are, there has to be dominance for a dragon. The Goomy line doesn't have all that much early on, but they gain their arrogance later. She's also going to Evolve soon, which explains the appetite and smell. She's constantly stressed right now, and her mucus coat is far more corrosive than normal at the moment." I looked over at Splash, and his eyes narrowed at me.

  "She's probably also been getting some advice about asserting herself. Well-meaning advice, but still not very productive advice." The way he winced was a dead giveaway, but Nova hadn't noticed, so I let it go for now.

  Instead I focused on the large snail-looking slug crunching down a bush and pushed my aura out. She jerked, but continued eating after a moment.

  'Hi. Is there something I can help with, or that Nova can help with?' She paused again, but quickly went back to eating. Aura didn't require talking physically anyways, it just helped to form the thoughts for most Pokemon to 'speak'.

  "Grow. Soon. Need." 'Do you need something specific?' "Unsure. Food. More."

  Well damnit, that wasn't very helpful. She could be fine with any vegetables, but maybe she needed… something? I'd never exactly raised one, or- oh. Yeah… He might be awake…

  I snagged Dexter out of the air, and after a long moment had sent a detailed message off to my first human friend. Hopefully he wasn't calling it an early night…

  "So, I've reached out to someone a bit more knowledgeable, but in the meantime… Want to train a bit?" Nova perked up and nodded, but Splash looked worried, now.

  Good.

  "Great! Hope and Stabby should be just about to start our physical training!" Nova still looked excited and intrigued, but Splash was a bit more suspicious. He still followed us into the Move's range, though…

  —

  —

  "How are you all… fine?! That's not fair!"

  I chuckled at Nova from my position standing near her prone form. Just standing, because this was high gravity even on the edge like we were. Wiggles looked more than a little squished, but was doing relatively well for her first time in Gravity like this. Splash was hovering near her, keeping a close eye on her, and it was easy enough to extrapolate their relationship, personal feelings aside. Splash would keep Wiggles from drying out, and probably felt obligated to stay with her when she decided to follow Nova, even if he hadn't wanted to follow Nova himself…

  Well, Splash was shakily 'hovering' near Wiggles, as he stubbornly refused to drop.

  "We do this training almost every day. This is high Gravity, but even weak Gravity is rough at first. You get used to it, though." Nova went silent for a moment.

  "Doesnt it impact your growth? The higher gravity, I mean?" No. Nope. Nuh uh.

  Leaf looked concerned, though.

  "I think I heard about something like that…" No, don't do this to me…

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Alex sighed and shook her head.

  "Dexter, is it detrimental to growth?" Yeah, ask Dexter! Crap… I liked being super strong for my size! I'd also like to grow! I was too dang short…

  Dexter's eyes popped back open and he grinned. It wasn't a devious grin, so I wasn't too worried.

  "It is detrimental… if you don't take breaks. If you skip every other Gravity training, maybe every third, you should be fine." Well, crap… that's better than nothing, but-

  "Alex and I are still growing, though. For some reason it's just Erin who never grows, and she probably never wil-" Leaf ducked out of the way of my hand with a laugh.

  Crap!

  I doubted I would lose muscle mass from not doing this almost daily, but damnit! I wanted to grow! It was Tauros-shit being this short, and I hadn't grown a bit! Well, a centimeter, but that barely counted! I needed inches!

  I refused to be this short my entire life!

  —

  —

  I winced as Cerberus once again got bogged down with Mud Shot. Mud Shot wasn't exactly a huge Move, either. A normal, un-empowered Mud Shot was little more than a large ball of sticky mud, but when it was overcharged? It was enough to seriously slow Cerberus down. When it was a wide spray? It was sticky to most things, sure, but Wiggles' mucus coating kept her from sticking. In fact, she got faster, almost like the ground was greased. It also seemed to act like a bell for the blind Pokemon, letting her hear the mud as Cerberus thrashed, making it easier to land more Mud Shots.

  Huh, I just realized it's the blind vs the blind… Cerberus' 'echolocation' was better, though…

  Nova had been correct, too. Outside of battle Wiggles almost ignored her, but in battle? Well, Wiggles was easily an eighth badge Pokemon, and didn't require much instruction, but she had eagerly wobbled over when Nova called her for a battle.

  Cerberus was more than slightly frustrated, though, considering he was the one who had demanded a rematch. Both of his heads, in fact! After his angry head received a Mud Shot directly to its face, he decided to make that clear.

  Both heads began to charge up a Dragon Breath, and I tensed up in anticipation. Grace was keeping Nova safe, but two Dragon Breath's might be a bit much…

  I didn't have to worry, though.

  "Wiggles, Protect Wave!" Excuse me?

  Wiggles spun in place, extending her… body? Foot? Slugs had one giant foot, right? She spun in place while extending her body out more than two meters, before rapidly retracting, causing a wave of mud to flow towards Cerberus. At the same time she was contracting into a tight ball, Protect fizzling into existence around her.

  Cerberus' Dragon Breath's were relatively accurate, actually. Wiggles made more than enough noise for him to hone in on, and instead of moving had remained in place, so it wasn't that surprising. It was more surprising when the first Dragon Breath blasted through most of the mud wave before fizzling out, the other one breaking on a wildly cracked Protect.

  Cerberus stood there panting for a second, trying to catch his breath. There was a reason he generally didn't use two breath Moves, and oxygen was precisely the issue. We had found that the best way to utilize two heads was bite Moves, or using one defensively… only the nice head would act defensively like that, though.

  An unannounced Dragon Pulse slammed into his right head as he panted, causing it to waver slightly. He snarled and braced himself, but even as his Protect began to flicker into existence another Dragon Pulse was blasting him in his chest. Cerberus went down in a spray of mud and Hecate clapped her ponytails thunderously from the side.

  Luckily for Nova, Hecate remembered not to broadcast, and just lifted her ponytails towards her to declare a winner.

  I was frowning as Grace rushed over to Cerberus. I wasn't mad at him or Nova, obviously. No, I was mad at myself. Sure, Wiggles was a very strong Pokemon, and had trained for years at this point… One Crunch in the wrong place, or even just a couple accurate Dragon Breath's, would have been more than enough to win, though… Even the Move! Mud Shot slowed Pokemon down, sure, but I had never seen it used to make a slug skating rink! Wiggles had basically created her own field effect!

  I really did just train my Pokemon to hit shit hard, didn't I? I think the 'trickiest' thing I had trained was Kallen and his disappearing act, and aside from it being basic as hell, he had already known most of that! I should really ask for some advice… Ideally from an experienced Dragon Master…

  I glanced over at Dexter. He caught my eye and I raised an eyebrow, but he shook his head. Dangit, I guess he was asleep… Well, requests didn't have to be 'completed' the same day, and this wasn't urgent…

  I smiled at Nova as she came over, Wiggles already back to eating a bush, when I was interrupted by a woman. She hadn't been standing there before, and there had been no snap of displaced air, or flash of light. There had been nothing to indicate movement. She simply hadn't been there one moment, the next she was.

  It made sense, though. If anyone had the control over their psychic powers necessary for silent Teleportation, it would be Saffron City's Gym Leader.

  I had never seen her in this world, but I recognized her immediately. She was wearing casual clothes, just a tank top and some pants, and I realized it was her outfit from the HeartGold games… I didn't see her strange bracelet things, though. At least she wasn't wearing one of her weird leather outfits. Her eyes found mine at the thought and I winced.

  I felt a… scuffling introduction in my head, I guess? Hecate was not happy to see a psychic peer into my head, but I hadn't exactly been shielding my thoughts, so Hecate settled down… after essentially shoulder-checking Sabrina. A shoulder-check that did nothing to the force I felt looming over my mind…

  I reached out to tell everyone to remain calm, but I found it unnecessary, as they all settled back in an almost visible wave from Sabrina. Okay, then…

  She walked closer, and I strode to meet her, Alex and Leaf falling in behind me. She didn't say anything as we stopped in front of her, just tilted her head as she seemed to examine us. I frowned slightly, but still…

  "Can we… help you with anything?" She squinted at me for another long, uncomfortable moment, before she straightened slightly and nodded.

  "Yes, Champion Lance told me you three were… looking for someone's help?" I stared at her in confusion for a few seconds before my brain kicked back into gear.

  "O-oh, I didn't know you were… qualified." It made sense, though… right?

  Sabrina smiled at me, a faint smile that seemed to pull at her skin a little too tightly.

  "I am more than qualified." Dexter lit up and angled himself so I could see his display. Lance texting me… probably about Sabrina…

  "You move quickly, huh?" She inclined her head.

  "Indeed, things of this nature are best started as soon as possible." Wait, but Nova-

  Sabrina turned to Nova and tilted her head.

  "Your problem isn't time sensitive, correct?" Nova shook her head, still a little stunned by the sudden appearance of Saffron City's Gym Leader, and Sabrina nodded sharply.

  "Good, then Miss Greenwood here can get back to you later, I'll be borrowing these three for the rest of the morning at the very least." I wanted to protest, but aside from her not being wrong, and the fact that I was going to have to wait anyways, I also did not want to test Sabrina.

  Sure, if she tried to mess with our heads I would be more than happy to unleash some dragon rage, but unless she crossed a line? I wouldn't be doing something rude like that, and… and she… she was intimidating, okay!? She had the ice queen thing going on, sure, and it did not help, but her presence was palpable!

  I don't think it was aura, or at least not entirely? It didn't feel like a Pokemon, or Lance, Raihan, Professor Oak… No, it felt like that damn Hatterene, just without the sinister vibe… A vast, analytical, powerful mind looming over me is what it felt like, and I didn't like the thought of being in her power, like I had the first psychic I ever encountered…

  Not that I had much of a choice, as with a sweeping glance she somehow got our teams to return themselves! Well, Cerberus just glared in her general direction, but I poked him in a second later. Even mom had gone in silently, so… I guess this was happening.

  We clumped up near Sabrina as we waved a confused-looking Nova off, Splash looking relieved, while Wiggles was already eating another bush… A second later we were standing in a very plush living room. Was this a foyer? Was that just a fancy living room? There was polished wood trim! Floor to ceiling bookshelves! We were high in a skyscraper, too, most of Saffron laid out below us. There was even one of those honest to Arceus high-backed wooden chairs with red cushions!

  I expected an immaculately dressed butler to slide out of some hidden servants doorway!

  Alex and Leaf looked a bit more disconcerted by the experience, but I'd Teleported a few times, and that had been the smoothest experience so far. Sabrina glided- not walked, she glided- to the chair and sat in it, gesturing to the… couch facing it.

  "There's drinks and snacks, but if you're fine, then let's go ahead and start. This is a bit of a unique case, and a group session seemed the best way to… break the ice. I'm sure you're all more than slightly wary, but I have been cleared by your friend Looker. A delightful man, him and his Alakazam both, much more reasonable than a certain Dragon Master I could name…" Her eyes tightened slightly, but that was the only clue that she felt any kind of strong emotion… What did Lance do to Sabrina to piss her off?

  She glanced at me with a wisp of a smile.

  "Champion Lance was… overenthusiastic when he led the 'interview' to clear me of any suspicion. I could feel his worry for you three, though, so I let him off with a simple headache. Quite a bad headache, but it only lasted a few hours… Not even as long as he wasted my time." Damn, okay then… Also, listening to my thoughts?

  Her smirk was faint, but satisfied.

  "It certainly helps being able to hear my patient's thoughts. Also, if your psychics or smaller Pokemon would like to come out they may, so long as nothing is broken." Her tone of voice brooked absolutely no disagreement. That hadn't been a request, that had been a generous concession from someone that could probably crush most of us, and our Pokemon, with her mind itself.

  Ooh, yeah, absolutely not letting Artemis and her tail out… Hecate and Grace popped out, along with Stabby, Duncan, and Hope, but nobody else decided to risk her wrath. She nodded at them, probably talking psychically, before refocusing on us.

  "Now… Just to clear the air, I don't know… everything. I'm aware of Erin's situation for the most part from Lance, if only the broad strokes, but this is a chance for everyone to just… tell me their situations. I need to know you before I can even begin to help, to know what needs help." I bet us talking about ourselves would also give you plenty to read in our minds… Her smirk grew a tiny bit and I sighed.

  I was the kind of person that really didn't like to talk about myself, honestly. I mean, something I found cool, sure, I'll chat your ear off. Talking about me, the real me? I didn't even like doing that with my family… or myself. Even if it's what I needed, and this was a trained professional in front of me…

  I glanced to the sides and found the other two looked open to the idea, not quite excited but anticipatory… We sort of did need some therapy… I knew Sabrina probably wouldn't let me get away, either… I wouldn't actually run, even if I could get away, I just… Arceus! I don't know why this felt so hard…

  I sighed heavily and tossed myself back onto the couch.

  "Well, I guess I'll start this…?" The other two nodded at me, leaning back on the couch's arms, and I regretted slumping into the middle. I couldn't even lift my legs…

  I really should have expected the front of the couch to lift up at my thought, but I still jumped a little. Sabrina actually laughed at me! Well, she grinned and blew air out her nose really fast… Hecate hopped up next to me and I wrapped my arms around her.

  I looked at Sabrina, and I didn't even have to think about my question before she was speaking.

  "We don't need to talk about your… previous life, we can save that for a personal session. Just… To start with, maybe tell me how you came to be here?" Oh great, right out the gate… Still, I didn't have to linger on it… for a group session…

  "Well… I was laying in bed, playing the Pokemon game set in Galar… It was a new save file, actually, and I was wondering if I should Breed a team or if I should bite the bullet and use some of the sh- crappy low level Pokemon I could fin-"

  —

  —

  It took a couple hours to finish our little 'chats'... We didn't get into anything deep, we really just… talked about ourselves and what we'd been through, where we'd gone, what we'd done. It was weird hearing it all put out there, though… Alex really was the normal one!

  After Alex got done, I expected there to be some group activity or something, but I was pleasantly surprised.

  "We're done?" I couldn't keep the surprise out of my voice. Yes, it had been a few hours already, but this was a group session, and there were three of us… that made sense, right?

  Sabrina just nodded like it was obvious, though.

  "This wasn't really a session in the traditional sense. This was meeting with all three of you at once in a private place so that you could put yourselves at ease around me. This was getting to know the you that you show each other, that you show family. Our next sessions will be more personal and focused." Oh goodie, so the real me… Not that I hated the real me anymore, sure, but still… works in progress rarely look all that great…

  "I will contact you later about setting up an actual schedule for these meetings. Are there any questions you might have for me?" I glanced over, but the other two were silent… I cleared my throat a little.

  "How will this work? Over our PokeNav's for the most part?" She was an active Gym Leader, right? She shook her head, though.

  "No, a psychic therapist who practices therapy over a screen is only utilizing half of their abilities. As long as you are in Indigo I can Teleport to you, and Gym's have off hours. Expect a lot of evening appointments." A faint smile flickered across her mouth before she went back to imitating a faintly-amused doll.

  "I have to assume you're reaching out to our mom as well?" I relaxed a little as she nodded. Mom could really use some therapy after that cavern, too… Wait…

  "So you don't do remote sessions at all?" She shook her head and I sighed. I spoke up before she could just pick the thought out of my head.

  "There's a few people in Galar that could use your services, but… it's Galar." Poor Joyce and Raihan and Bird… I had basically given them all PTSD of some type or another by having them relive that Hatterene, my finger, and my death, not to mention all the… me that bled through, even with poor Alakazam trying to filter just Pokemon out…

  Sabrina looked mildly intrigued, though, which must mean she was very intrigued. She also looked sympathetic.

  "I may have to adjust my policy, honestly. I understand how… limited Looker is right now, and if they need help…" She glanced at me and I winced.

  Yeah, they could use some help… If you want to, I can show you the process of dying, same as them? Totally not super traumatic or anything, it was basically just like a period at the end of a 'life sentence'… or for me an exclamation point? Nah, that feels more like a violence type death. A heart attack might be a question mark? Will it beat again or not?

  I ignored the slightly disturbed look she threw me. She glanced at the other two, but there were no more questions, and she shrugged.

  "Okay then, I hope you three have a good afternoon…" She smirked at us, and it was a full-blown smirk, not one of her 'I'm an ice queen' shadows of a smirk. She sounded amused for the next part, too!

  "Good luck with your Challenge as well. It should be quite entertaining to watch…" Alex and I opened our mouths to ask, but before we even could we were suddenly in the lobby of our Pokemon Center, sitting on a couch.

  Once again, there had been no indication that I was Teleported. One moment I was looking at Sabrina in her plush foyer-office-thing, the next I was looking at a slightly startled Nurse Joy, one who relaxed immediately with a roll of her eyes. Yeah, I bet Saffron had plenty of people popping out of thin air…

  I glanced to the side and found the other two girls looking… better, slightly less tense. Not that we'd had a real session, but just talking had helped… that and the knowledge that Looker had finally found us a therapist.

  Even if our therapist was a terrifying ice queen with a mind strong enough to pulp us… She had been a very good listener, I guess? It had also been more like a meet and greet and less like structured therapy, but this wasn't exactly a typical situation…

  That will be the title to my secret, never-released autobiography, actually. 'This Isn't a Typical Situation: The Times and Tales of the World's Best Otherworldly Dragon Master.'

  …

  I'll workshop the name… heavily.

  https://discord.gg/he5BRH8NfP