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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

necessaryrisks

[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.

From:

firstnothing

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.

From:

necessaryrisks

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.

From:

firstnothing

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.

From:

necessaryrisks

How exuberant are we talking about?

[Sorry, man.] I could ask my companion if they'd want one, if you don't find any takers by today.

From:

firstnothing

If it helps, think of this particular pokemon less as a growlithe and more of a fire breathing, bouncing, barking, orange and cream self-propelled bullet that assumes all laps are personal lounge spaces.

From:

necessaryrisks

I'm guessing you've never owned a pet before you got here, huh? [Because that is typical dog behavior in his opinion.]

From:

firstnothing

..No. I have never had the desire to have a pet. Or the opportunity, as the environments I have lived in would not have been ... kind to a pet.

From:

necessaryrisks

[He's curious, but decides not to ask. They weren't close anyway, and that could mean something completely simple or too complicated.]

Guess that's fair enough. Dogs tend to be really energetic. The fire-breathing part is just an added bonus, though he seems too young to be able to do it yet.

From:

firstnothing

Energetic indeed. So far nothing has been set on fire. Is there a typical age that growlithe begin being a fire hazard, I wonder? I do intend to catch one eventually, simply one considerably calmer.

From:

necessaryrisks

Level actually. The more your pokemon level up, the more skills they learn. Eventually, you'll have to train him not to burn everything.

From:

firstnothing

... I see.

[This world gets more and more ridiculous.]

When the time comes and I have a growlithe I wish to own, I will handle it then. Thankfully for this one, I have nothing particularly flammable.

From:

necessaryrisks

Thankfully.

Managed to find a willing owner yet?

From:

firstnothing

No. I have not yet given up all possible venues. There is at the least, a newly arrived 'breeder' who may well be interested in a free growlithe for her foundation.

From:

necessaryrisks

That's a start, at least.

How long have you been handling your pokemon, anyway?

From:

firstnothing

I have been in this world for roughly three weeks. So no more than that.

From:

necessaryrisks

Three pokemon in three weeks is already a lot. Alternate methods I could think of would be to get a job. It seems like a normal job here pays well enough to be able to afford food and lodging, so feeding more pokemon would eventually be easier.

From:

firstnothing

It is. And why I am unprepared to handle more at this juncture. Unfortunately this world seems ill-suited to the skills I possess. I will manage just fine so long as I can maintain the numbers I wish to.

From:

necessaryrisks

What exactly did you do prior to your arrival here anyway? Seems like a common issue people face.

From:

firstnothing

[Xemnas weighs this one a moment before responding. Chances are amazingly high that not-secret's already been spilled to others anyway. There's no sense at all that he's even remotely inventing the answer he supplies.]

I led a group of individuals incapable of morality and emotions in a quest to regain that which would allow us to have morality and emotions once more. Primarily this involved a lot of herding cats, data entry and paperwork, as much as I wish it were a more glorious thing. Before that I was a scientist.

From:

necessaryrisks

[... Well, that was the most far-fetched thing he has heard in a while. Next to being dragged into a new world. Also alien invasion. Also a civilization of-- never mind, it was actually normal. Weird, but not as weird as it should be.]

Why cats? I mean, how do they even have anything to do with morality and emotions? [That sounds like something you'd get from a cheesy fiction story.]

From:

firstnothing

[Xemnas sounds bemused.]

Think of it as less actually herding felines and more a metaphor for the sheer headache it is of trying to get countless people all doing different things at different times at their own whims to go in the same direction.

From:

necessaryrisks

[Been there, done that, comes with being very active teenagers.] Okay, that makes more sense. Aren't you human though? I imagine empathy is a key trait of that.