firstnothing

The afternoon before had been ... enlightening. And with the egg he'd acquired hatching just after dark, bringing his team to three (two and a half he supposed; a newborn pokemon wasn't terribly strong), things seemed to be going well. The dusky little fox was more than content to curl up with Sorrow and Regret and sleep there the entire night through, and he'd had no reason to disturb them. Come the morning, all three would be put to work.

That had been the plan anyway. Something seemed off as he set up breakfast; he's almost completely certain there had not been four pokemon sleeping there last night. And now there were. Regret's obvious black-and-white, Sorrow's vivid green, the little zorua's dusky gray, and ... orange, cream and black, all curled up.

Frown.

Ousting the doglike pokemon proved to be more troublesome than it was worth, and Xemnas quickly settled on simply ignoring it in favor of straightening out his own, handing out breakfast, checking for lingering injury from the day before, and heading on his way. Honestly he had intended to catch a growlithe sooner or later, preferably sooner, but this one was ... overaffectionate. And far too exuberant for his tastes, with the way it bounced in happy, barking circles around himself and his bewildered team.

Thus went the day. The constant energetic presence of the growlithe didn't really interrupt the hunting any, as wild pokemon seemed to ignore the noise and darting about for the most part, including one sleeping abra at the base of a tree. Abras, according to his pokedex after a quick scan, wouldn't ordinarily counterattack. And the little zorua was more than happy to test its small claws and sharp teeth on the sleeping psychic-type.

Repeatedly, given the thing kept teleporting. It was annoying enough to all of them (except the growlithe, who seemed impossible to annoy) that actual effective teamwork seemed to be rapidly forged between his three pokemon out of sheer determination to corner and catch the abra. It kept teleporting. How often could it do that?

Quite a bit it turned out. But eventually, with a lot of effort and a well-timed Grass Whistle, Xemnas had the little psychic-fox neatly trapped in one of those red-and-white pokeballs. The first one he'd ever bothered to catch, and that probably due to the frustration levels of chasing it around all day.

As sunset approached and he set out for the distant city again, the growlithe followed.

[Audio]

[From the sound of sharp little hooves on road, he's managed to find a proper route to follow.]

Is it ordinary that a pokemon might decide to join you, whether or not you wish it to be there?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Normal? Probably not, but I don't think it's unheard of. Why?

I've encountered a growlithe that seems disinclined to return to its territory. I'm not currently supplied to care for four pokemon.

Did you feed it or something?

[Oh, that could be a problem.] Maybe you can ask someone else to help take care of it. I'm sure someone would want a growlithe out there.

... Half a sandwich. [Something in Xemnas' tone suggests he's now having second thoughts about how good an idea that was.] We are not far from ...Goldenrod City, I believe. If it follows me that far perhaps someone there will wish to care for it. Can strays be left at a pokecenter? I do not think this is typical behavior for a wild creature.

That would answer the problem. [He's sympathetic really, but alas. Strays.]

Are you sure it's wild in the first place? I imagine it must be used to humans if it has no problems following you, or you may have been the first to feed it. [A pause as he considers it.] Maybe. I've never heard of anyone abandon an animal in the center, though.

[See this is what being nice gets him.]

I can't tell if it's simply a stray or if it's wild. I saw no identification on it when it was sleeping on my blitzle. 'Abandonment' would suggest I own it, however. Someone else may have left it here. If it is a ... mmm. 'Domestic' is the word for cats and dogs but I suppose it's different for pokemon. Not wild, then, leaving it in the wild may be hazardous.

[On the plus side, it's not like leashing Roy and making sure he doesn't run around blowing stuff up. Close though, given it's a growlithe with fire-breathing powers.]

Blitzle? [Right. Okay, not the point.] It seems to like you though, and with pokemon, that's as close to ownership as you can get without putting him in a pokeball.

Yes. ..I don't ordinarily keep my pokemon confined in their balls. They sleep beside me. When morning came, there was a fourth where there should have been three.

[And the growlithe sprawled on the lot as if they were its personal mattress.]

Unfortunately I have neither the finances nor the supplies to care for a fourth. I have managed three by virtue of two being grazers. Perhaps it will wander off on its own.

It happens. Last time I went in a cave, one of those little bat bastards latched onto my neck til I took it home.

What happened, you make a friend?

[It may not be terribly surprising that given their last 'conversation', Xemnas isn't terribly interested in beginning another. His tone utterly bored, the only answer that comes is a single, flat word.]

No.

[Wow, he's glad he only has two then, even if one is an extremely angry bird with a possessive personality.]

Unless your team gets attached to him. [But anyway...] Try getting someone to adopt the guy. He might just be hungry and could easily be swayed by food.

Hopefully not. It is unlikely but chances shouldn't be taken. ... I suppose I will do so once it's morning. As I understand it many trainers visit the city. Surely one of them will be interested in a new fire type.

[There's a pause, and then in a tone that suggests he already knows the answer,]

I don't suppose you wish to have a growlithe yourself.

[There's people who would mind their own business after that first brush. They'd step back and leave well enough alone.]

[Blake is not one of those people.]

Hey, you asked the question.

What crawled up your ass?

[This time there isn't a response at all, much like before.]

I've heard it happening to a few people, so it can't be that uncommon.

Growlithes are easier to train too, I imagine, since they have the temperament of a dog. At least, that's what I've been told.

[Uhhh...] I'm a little preoccupied with my pokemon, sorry.

It happens sometimes. Most of the Pokémon who have been with me came because they wanted to. I never tried to catch any of them.

Troublesome. It seems I will have to deal with it until I can find someone who might take it off my hands, if it doesn't wander off on its own.

If one were so inclined, what would be a decent method of convincing them to go away?

I intended to acquire one eventually, due to their species temperaments. However this one is a little ... hm. A lot more exuberant than I am prepared to deal with.

[There's a faint snort.]

I thought not. It was worth a try.

You could just ask them to like you would ask a human, but why would you want to?

I have tried. Its response was primarily barking and running in circles. ... I do not have the resources to care for four pokemon presently. As it is, I manage because two of the three I do own are grazers.

[Barking and running in circles? That sounds like one of his.]

A Growlithe?

It's not that much more expensive to feed one more Pokémon. [Apollo you only eat one meal a day. Most people have higher food costs than you.] If it hasn't gone in a pokéball yet it should be able to feed itself, though.

If it still wants to come with you then you should let it and try to work something out. It obviously likes you.

[Xemnas' smile is thin and utterly humorless.]

Do you intend to supply me the income I need to feed another? Otherwise, all will suffer for the inconvenience. When you have very little, 'not that much more expensive' is still far too expensive.

What's so wrong with keeping it?

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