Patrica Greenwood

  —

  I woke early as usual, but I laid there in bed for a few more moments instead of getting up to start my day. I wasn't dreading it, and in fact, I had nothing special planned…

  Last night's cold front, however, made Lily's warm form something I was reluctant to part with. Noodles was even colder, apparently, and had snuggled tightly between us… I had pajamas on, but there was a little gap in leaving the comforter and getting to my robe and warmer clothes…

  I sighed and made the decision. I would simply stay in my warm, comfy bed today. All day. In fact, I would just go back to sleep…

  Right now…

  Five minutes later I stared at my beautiful deck outside… outside in the cold. It wasn't that cold, really, but it was cold enough that I'd rather not spend all of my free time outside today, either. I glanced over at the old Hypno, already hard at work baking of course, and quirked an eyebrow.

  "I assume you're all fine with your fur?" He nodded, of course, because they were native to this region. Most of the rescues should be fine, actually. The Ekans and Arbok would have to choose to hibernate or not, but I had to imagine most would reject the idea. There were more than enough warm beds in the Barn…

  I turned back to the outside world, taking in what I could see of my property from here. There would undoubtedly be a few growing pains as the Ranch entered winter, but I didn't foresee any major issues cropping up. Probably just little things like extra space, or more fans to keep the Koffing fumes from getting too strong in the Barn. That many in a closed environment, no matter the size, still had an… effect.

  Possibly some form of smell-proof barrier for the Grimer and poor Muk to interact through? They would not be allowed into the Barn with the doors kept closed, absolutely not… but I didn't want to simply isolate them for months…

  I glowered a little as I shrugged my way into a jacket, though. It looked like it was time to start my mornings somewhere warmer… Like my nice huge, floored, heated Barn. Luckily the path there was relatively short, because I really just wanted to wake up!

  I hadn't even sipped my coffee yet!

  —

  —

  "Hello, Professor, it's rare for you to call me!" I smiled at the man on the other end of the call, a smile that he returned, if a bit tightly.

  "Good morning, Patricia. Yes, it is rather rare for me to reach out to you for no reason… Which brings me to why I'm reaching out to you." I could feel my blood pressure begin to rise, and out of the corner of my eyes I noticed Alfred begin sprinting past some Bellsprout and Houndour, probably for the pain pills in the house.

  Professor Oak looked a bit embarrassed as he continued.

  "You see, during this time of year many species will migrate south for the winter. Even the difference between Pewter and Pallet can be incentive enough, and not a very long jaunt for many… Species also go where there is the least resistance in the form of existing Pokemon that compete in their niche…" He looked very uncomfortable as he avoided the topic, but I wasn't.

  I was worried.

  "Professor, please just tell me. I have some idea, but I'd rather just hear it…" He sighed and leaned back in his chair tiredly.

  "According to the Rangers, there are multiple flocks of Spearow led by Fearow that have curved closer to Pallet Town than normal. Normally we have a large population of Pidgeot that call this area home most of the year, and especially during winter, and they would have rather thoroughly marked their territory by now, but…" He trailed off as I groaned.

  Somehow I should have seen this coming. Maybe not this, specifically, but something had to happen from Maddy killing that many Pidgeot! I kept telling her, too, and she kept ignor-

  Oh.

  That bitch!

  Maddy was more than smart enough to know this would happen, she was almost my age! She had probably avoided this area in the past, even as an Alpha, but now that she lived here? Well… No Pidgeot was going to ruin her territory, Fearow territory. I guarantee that was her thought process…

  Screw it.

  "Professor, ah… Let's just say that I get them under some form of control. What then? I assume the Ranger's wouldn't be able to… relocate multiple flocks?" I was shaking my head even as I finished. "No, that's stupid… What do the flocks even do during the winter?" He perked right back up at that, of course.

  What was the best way to perk Professor Oak up? Ask him a question about Pokemon that he could answer… at length…

  "Actually, it depends on where they decide to migrate to, or if they do at all. Here in Kanto, when most insect activity has sharply declined, most continue to hunt smaller Pokemon, and the Fearow will of course continue to go after aquatic Pokemon. Generally the Fearow will lead their flocks on hunts every week or so, but they are all far less active, preferring to nest and conserve energy in between hunting sessions. During the warmer seasons, of course, they wi-" He caught himself, obviously about to continue his rant, and paused, eyes closed for a moment.

  Then they opened with mirth dancing in them.

  Good, I had begun to worry, honestly…

  —

  —

  "Because you refused to listen to me when I asked you to slow down, and why was that? Hmm? I think we both know the reason. Well, now we have a lot of Spearow and Fearow about to descend on this area, and the entire town would prefer they not be destructive."

  Maddy just continued to glare directly into my eyes. Unafraid of her or not, it was intimidating, staring directly into those eyes.

  "So now you are going to do something about it. Midir will go with you for backu-" Her eyes grew wide, and I lightly slapped her beak before the screech could even get started.

  "Oh, too strong to ever need help? Good, then you should have no problems doing it! They should be passing Viridian now, so they'll be here soon." Her glare got worse, and Alfred actually frowned at her. I glanced at him, and he knew what I wanted.

  ""Fine… She said 'You don't command me, idiot.'""

  I smiled at Maddy, a warm, loving smile.

  "I didn't 'command' you to do anything other than cleaning up the mess you made. Someone as mature as you should understand that concept, right? Some of those might even be your chicks, come to say hello."

  I was prepared for the sound that came out of Maddy, but many in the Ranch weren't, chief among them the Skarmory directly above us on the roof. They both poked their heads out with very unamused looks, and Maddy had the good grace to look embarrassed, but only for a second.

  Then she went right back to glaring.

  "Seriously, what's the issue? Are you mad I figured out this was your plan? Neither the Professor or I care about them staying around here, Maddy. In fact, we had some ideas about that…"

  Her glare softened, slowly at first, then it rapidly disappeared, replaced by excitement.

  Hopefully this worked out well…

  —

  —

  Most species followed certain patterns, certain behaviors. It wasn't inaccurate to say that most Pokemon fit the 'mold' of their species quite well. Outliers exist everywhere, of course, but for the most part they were predictable.

  Most species at the Ranch generally didn't give birth before winter, understandably reluctant to put newborns through the leanest, harshest months. Not that it got harsh here, but still… most would attempt to breed so that their children came out into spring, not fall or the middle of winter.

  That was not the case here.

  Not that it was an issue, of course. The rescues weren't wild Pokemon fending for themselves, and they would never go hungry or cold. Most were perfectly fine with their own preparations, food aside. The Murkrow were reluctant to move from their nests, and the Zubat steadfastly refused the very idea of moving inside with their pups.

  The Meowth and Mightyena, however, had eagerly moved into the Barn with their current litters. They had actually caused a bit of a… disagreement, since they couldn't actually fight, claiming a corner and two couches to form their own small den. It had surprised me to see the Meowth with them, but only briefly.

  Most Rocket's that Erin had disposed of in Saffron had at least two Pokemon, and it wasn't hard to imagine why the two were so close, despite their species' natural inclination to fight…

  The Hypno and Indeedee were still pregnant, and huge! They were in the Barn as well, being attended to by the mass of rescues also in here. It was highly amusing to me, in fact. The Hypno might not 'work' like the Indeedee, but they certainly helped out quite a bit, baking aside. They were gratefully accepting snacks and drinks, but the Indeedee?

  They looked absolutely overwhelmed.

  This is what they did, serving others, but the past few days I had been treated to the wonderful sight of the Indeedee being gently bullied into relaxing by the rescues. Considering the Indeedee knew that the rescues genuinely just wanted them to relax and be pampered for once, they hadn't fought it…

  Much…

  "I think if we move that post a bit further… a bit more… there!" I eagerly marked a spot on the floor and straightened back up.

  The corner closest to the house and one of the back rooms had been marked off, and I would be turning it into a smaller, more contained living and dining area. I'd still rather continue to eat with the rescues, but I was also aware of the mess hundreds of Pokemon could cause simply by walking. Short, thick stone walls, more like a small fence, should be more than enough to stop any sort of 'furniture breaking' from scuffles, tumbles, and flat-out tripping.

  It would take a few days, but I had hired the same construction company to come out and do the work for me. It was minor work, simply raising a stone wall… Converting that room into a proper kitchen, one easier for Pokemon to use as well, would be a bit more work, not to mention the equipment. It was a bit expensive, but the weather aside, it would certainly help the Drowzee and Hypno with space! My kitchen was barely large enough, honestly…

  Now I would be able to practically live out here!

  Stolen novel; please report.

  If I ever thought about putting in a bed, though, I would know I had gone too far. I enjoyed having my house open to Pokemon, and sharing my time, but that was quite different than moving to live with them!

  The builders would also be installing a large greenhouse right along the property line, between the warehouse and the actual house. It would be convenient to have some fresh veggies during winter without having to pay for them, and during the warmer months I might even try to raise some more tropical species! The grass types would also enjoy simply basking in the warmth and sunlight…

  My PokeNav vibrated, and as I pulled it out and read the message there I smiled widely.

  I also began walking for the door, and Midir. I wanted to see this…

  —

  Text in: Pallet Town Residents Group Chat

  —

  To the residents of Pallet Town:

  In a short time, there will be a confrontation in the skies north of town. Multiple large flocks of Spearow have combined and are heading in the direction of our town, but they will be rendered harmless. There is no need to worry about any sights or sounds that may occur in the following hours. Caution is not needed, and in fact, it may be a good show!

  -Professor Oak

  —

  —

  I felt mildly stupid as I gripped Midir's neck, high above Pallet Town. Stupid, and possibly like Erin when she had her ideas, but… I wanted to be here. We were joined by Charizard and another Dragonite from the Professor's Ranch, just in case. I was confident in Maddy's strength, obviously… That was against one of the large flocks, but they had combined… according to the Professor, probably from the excessive amount of markings left by Maddy. The flocks had headed this way due to the lack of resistance, but they hadn't expected an Alpha Fearow to be here. If they had been Pidgeotto and Pidgeot, they would have probably found some other place to spend the winter, reluctant to lose any of their number in a fight. It's not like there was a lack of places to go!

  Spearow, and especially Fearow, didn't like to back down, however.

  I was confident, but it was a nervous confidence as I watched Maddy ascend to meet the huge flock. Maddy was terrifying, but even Wishiwashi could kill a Sharpedo, and without their schooling ability. It was rare, but it had been documented on more than one occasion… It was the kind of 'strategy' that only swarming Pokemon like that could or would use, choking them with the corpses of their own dead, death by a thousand paper cuts.

  There were more than enough Spearow in the sky to choke ten Maddy's.

  Maddy certainly didn't act like that, however, ascending with a thunderous cry. Even back here it was piercing, but the flock reacted far worse.

  They flapped their wings.

  I don't think the Spearow were using individual Moves, honestly. I think they just unleashed flying energy, but it certainly powered up the Moves the Fearow were using, Moves that combined into one gigantic mass of air.

  The Hurricane that blasted itself at Maddy was the strongest Move I had ever personally seen, far larger than seen in most Battles. There was no need for something so large, so wide, so unwieldy. It was quickly destabilizing, no Pokemon able to control that mass, but it was still more than enough to kill Maddy! Or destroy a lot of the town!

  Arceus as my witness, I swear I heard Maddy chuckle, even from this distance, even over the insane Move barreling towards us.

  Then she threw her head back and began inhaling, letting herself drop out of the sky at the same time. She caught herself with her wings, turning to the left edge of the Hurricane.

  Maddy smiled.

  Then she unleashed a Hyper Beam at a slight upward angle, quickly sweeping the beam through the leading edge of the Hurricane, and as I saw her lock her wings I breathed a sigh of relief. The exhaustion from that Move was a great way to plummet to the ground…

  Like the smoking corpses of many Spearow that fell into view, before the Move dissipated fully and I could clearly see.

  An eighth of the huge flock was just gone, a visible line blasted through it that was quickly closing, with only ten Fearow left.

  Ten Fearow who apparently thought with their pride and rage and not their sense of fear. At least some of them.

  Two Fearow launched themselves at Maddy, still hovering there recovering, but she just shook her head. The first one to come in wasn't expecting her to tuck her wings in and spin, dangerously sharp beak leading. The second Fearow attempted to abort its dive at Maddy, but Maddy hadn't gotten to be an older, successful Alpha of a hyper-aggressive species by being gentle.

  The decapitated Fearow soon joined the bisected Fearow on its journey to the ground, and the entire flock finally seemed to grow wary.

  Why?! What good would being this aggressive do for a species?! I mean, I understood that very well, actually, but to see it in action! Against an Alpha Fearow!

  Hopefully the rest of this went as easily as this had…

  —

  —

  Route One may have never seen as eclectic a gathering as this one.

  There was the Professor and I, of course. Technically, I was only the go-between for this little 'deal' that was being offered as Maddy's trainer, but Pallet was his, so he was obviously going to be here. Charizard had gone back to pick him up, and she stood next to a Mr. Mime. Midir stood next to me, with Wukong in front of me, ready to have the time of his life… calmly. He was exceedingly calm standing there, actually, and it was worrying…

  Not long now…

  The huge flock of almost two hundred Spearow was clumped up in a large, open field directly off the Route, the eight remaining Fearow matching Maddy's glare.

  Mildly matching it. Charizard's presence alone was enough to intimidate, far more than Maddy despite her terrifying nature, and when you added in Midir, Wukong, and the other Dragonite from the Professor's Ranch?

  They knew the most they were permitted to do was glare.

  "Here's the deal. You will not be permitted to stay the winter here-" I paused for a second to let the cacophony of screeches die down. They stopped in an instant as Charizard flexed her aura, though, and I frowned at the angry Pokemon.

  "Let me finish my sentence! You will not be permitted to stay the winter here without following our rules! If you do? We honestly don't mind you sticking around after it warms up again, we could use some more insect-eaters in the area thanks to Maddy here scaring most of the Pidgey away. The ones she didn't eat, at least…" She had the good grace to look embarrassed, but only for the briefest instant.

  Then she went back to smug, because this is what she had wanted…

  "The rules are very simple as well! Inside town, around people's property, and in the fields around town? Take nothing but insects. If you are given something, not a problem, but you will not harass and steal from the residents of this town, or harm them in any way. Do not attack humans, if some attack you, come find us and we will deal with it fairly. Any Pokemon in sight of town is to be considered off limits. That's… it, really. We don't want to control you, but if you want to stay in this area, in our area, you will follow our rules. If not?" The male Meowstic on my shoulder smiled grimly.

  He was not happy to be out here right now, away from his ready-to-pop mate, and it showed in the way he casually tossed a few crispy Spearow corpses into the air. Maddy snapped most of them out of the air, but Charizard caught one and tossed it in her mouth, smiling widely as she chewed.

  The way the flock nervously shifted was very gratifying.

  The flock of Spearow didn't seem to come to a consensus, per-se, but after a few minutes of conversation one Fearow waddled closer. It was glaring, because of course it was, but it wasn't aggressive…

  ""He says they agree, and that there's no need to 'Kill. Devour.' any more. I get the feeling he would say please if he was mentally capable of being humble and not just intimidated."" I couldn't stop the chuckle at that, because Maddy was the same way, of course…

  "Well, along those lines, Professor Oak here actually has a suggestion, and a request…" I let him step forward to enthusiastically lay out his idea. It was…

  Ambitious… and yet, so simple…

  —

  —

  Lunch was a nice, calm affair, especially considering what my morning had looked like. Today was a 'lazy' food day for the rescues. The Indeedee's buffet was active, and the Hypno's baking was as well received as ever, but there was no giant cauldron of stew going, nor anything else complicated.

  It was a 'find your own meal' kind of day, but nobody minded these, considering the sheer amount of food available. Perhaps tomorrow we would do stew… Honestly, though, we needed to diversify what we made here, but it was just so simple to make a huge batch of stew!

  Therefore, lunch was some simple sandwiches with Mrs. Maple and my parents. They had continued to visit for at least half of each day, when they weren't wandering the town, and normally did relatively well with the rescues… In my backyard, with its fence that limited the number you could actually see at once.

  There were no short walls in here yet, not that they would impede sight lines, but a simple table and set of chairs had been brought to the Barn already, and the sheer number of Pokemon all around was honestly mildly startling for me as well. I wasn't afraid of them, and they couldn't deliberately hurt me… I'd be a little wary around two hundred Skitty, too! Okay, not Skitty… Growlithe?

  "A-And you said they'll be living here?" I just smirked at my mothers pale face.

  "The Spearow and Fearow will be living around here, yes. We honestly need them, the insect population in the surrounding areas got to be pretty bad towards the end of summer without a large population of Pidgey around." I turned a glare on Maddy, preening as she smugly devoured an entire roasted Tauros leg.

  Her and her 'admiring followers', when she permitted them a bite.

  The vast majority of the huge flock had decided to remain outside of town in the surrounding areas, a fact that the town and I were very grateful for… but not all. The town had more than a few feathered residents now, considering the number of parks and trees in Pallet Town, and here? Two Fearow and almost fifteen Spearow surrounded Maddy, and the way they were looking at her… It was a very different look than I would have expected, honestly. There was plenty of irritation, and a little awe, but for the most part?

  Pure jealous rage. Maddy didn't seem put off by it, and none of the psychics were giving them looks, so apparently that was relatively normal for that line of Pokemon…

  Not a huge surprise, honestly.

  My father looked pale as well, but not nearly as scared as my mother. It may have helped that their Skitty was in his lap. The little guy was clingy, and had actually shown up on my mothers head!

  I hadn't said anything, but I did manage to get a picture…

  "Is this how every month goes for you? Don't tell me Wukong's old troop is going to show up next?" I burst into laughter, but only for a second. Then my worried eyes found Wukong.

  He just shrugged, though, before glancing at Alfred.

  ""He never came this far south, so he doubts it. His old troop preferred mountainous regions near forests, and there's no mountains around here."" Good, good… Spearow and Fearow could fit into the ecosystem around here, fill an empty niche, but Mankey and Primeape? I doubted that…

  "Probably not, no…" We went back to companionable silence as we ate, just enjoying the ambiance of this many Pokemon. Actual vocal sounds aside, the sheer amount of noise simply from movement in here was almost soothing, like waves on a shore in the distance…

  My PokeNav vibrated again, but upon seeing another text in the town's group chat I sighed, and my parents noticed.

  "Looking for something specific?" I shook my head.

  "Not… really? It's been a week, though, and I haven't heard from the girls since they called to let me know they got there safely… I know they're training, but they could still call…" I know that they weren't supposed to, Dexter had informed me, but still… My daughters obeyed laws, but rules were a lot more… flexible in their minds…

  "I wonder what they're doing right now…"

  —

  Erin

  —

  I was more than mildly irritated as I walked down one of the corridors I had become very familiar with over the past week. I didn't have a good reason for my irritation… Yet…

  I really hated open-ended 'assignments', though. 'Walk down this corridor. Enter the room at the intersection. Return.' Literally, that was it!

  Still, it was at least something different… Plus, I had seen this door many times, and I was very curious, but I had never opened it. It would be hard to, considering I didn't see a handle, and it was actually a flat slab of stone designed to slide.

  It was open this time, though, and I cautiously entered. I had expected some sort of dank cave for some reason, no matter that I had literally been living here a week and hadn't seen one in the 'habitable' areas yet… I hadn't expected to find a luxurious, modern-looking room, though. Inside there was…

  A single old man, and I grew even more confused. Why was the Clan Leader up here?

  He was sitting in a high-backed chair, one that looked like it cost as much as our house did, and it was matched by his robe. That robe was insane, stunningly detailed depictions of their main lines… Okay, I wanted that robe…

  He was just sitting there calmly, and as the silence hung a second too long he frowned. It was a slight, light frown, one barely there… but it very much was.

  "Young lady, most people would greet someone when they encounter them, much less an elder they know." I felt my face ignite as I stammered out a greeting, but after another second spent observing me he sighed.

  "Well, I had expected little, and I am still disappointed." Excuse me? "It seems as though you delight in calling out Lance's ego, yet you wear your pride like a cape, and it serves just as much function. Tell me, will it be as hard to separate you from that pride as it was the jacket?" Now I was scowling thunderously at the old man.

  As I stood there in my purple robes!

  I had fought it, but I had been outfought, literally… The robes were comfy, and very warm up here in the mountains… I still wanted my jacket back, but 'VIP treatment' or not, I was a 'trainee', and would follow their rules…

  For now…

  I tried to make my words come out nice and calmly, but I think I failed…

  "My pride?" Okay, I wasn't doing a good job at all… "I have plenty of pride, and yet, at the same time I have no pride." He opened his mouth to contradict me, but paused as he saw the look in my eyes. I let just a sliver of my regrets come to the front of my mind. The tiniest part.

  Ah, stealing pain pills. Not even close to my lowest, but low enough.

  "You have to have something to be proud of to have pride in yourself, Grant Blackthorn. I'm proud of my team, of my family, overly proud, actually. I would even say that I have some pride in myself these days… but I would never say I am overly prideful of myself." He was very quiet as he seemed to judge me, and I gave him a weak grin.

  "I will say that I have extreme issues with authority, though?" He burst into laughter, and after a second I joined him.

  So this was some sort of 'swallow your pride' bit, huh? Don't tell me I have to serve him… Fuck, of course that's what I'm supposed to do…

  …

  I had almost stopped expecting the reprimand from Hecate, but I still did… One that didn't come…

  So weird to be alone…

  Gestures vaguely at the world and it's current insanity*. Go hug someone, tell them they are wanted and needed.

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