Hey there Folks, this is gonna be a bit of a fun project for me. First of all I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO GAMES AND OR ANIME CALLED POKEMON! This is a Fan Fiction, based on characters of my own design, who just so happen to live in the Pokemon world. This Fanfic is done purely for fun and I do not wish to gain any profit from it. Please Enjoy my meager writing skills, feel free to criticize me and point out my mistakes. This Fanfic will not use the Game based rule of four moves per Pokémon. If anyone with artistic talent wishes to make me some images to go with my stories, please feel free to contact me!
Chapter Zero: First Meeting
August, the 23rd. 3:30 PM
TEN YEARS AGO
"Mom! Mom! Its hatching, its hatching!" The voice was soothing, if high pitched.
"Okay, okay, calm down or you'll scare the little thing." Another soothing voice, this one slightly deeper.
"Its a Vulpix Mom! It's a boy too! I'm gonna call him Zephyr!
March, the 15th. 8:27 AM
PRESENT DAY
"SAM!" Zephyr awoke with a start. His fur fluffed out, still filled with sticks from the previous day. The dream had been comforting, to a degree. But now that he was awake it only deepened his sorrow. The Ninetales stood and stretched, his bones creaking at the joints. Ten years. eight of them spent journeying and fighting other Pokémon, working towards becoming the strongest in all of Hoenn. Then they had come here, to Kalos. Sam. Why hadn't she come back yet? It had been almost a year since she told him to wait here.
Zeph let out a sigh, a puff of sparks jetting from his mouth as he did. He started looking for something to eat. He passed a pair of Chestpins fighting over a berry. He ignored them, those two were always fighting over something.
"Hello Zephyr. Still waiting for that trashy Trainer of yours?" The voice was melodic, enchanting, but it always grated on the Ninetales' nerves. "You should accept it, she isn't coming back for you, you've been abandoned."
Zephyr whirled on the wild Espeon. "Keep it up Dalia. I'll burn you to a cinder!"
He turned back around and walked away, but Dalia followed him. She always did. She seemed to take great enjoyment out of tormenting him. She no longer spoke, but he could feel her eyes on the back of his head. His tails twitched with anger, but it wouldn't do any good to say anything.
He found a bush with some ripe berries on it and pulled a couple down. He was about to bite into the first one when a soft mewl came from under the bush. He looked down and saw the tiny Eevee. Even for an Eevee this one was tiny. It was dirty and scuffed up. But what caught his attention was the little black collar on its neck. This was not a wild Pokémon. This was a pet.
"Where is your trainer little one?" He pushed his berry towards the terrified, obviously hungry lump of fur.
"I..I got lost while chasing a Butterfree..." The Eevee had a voice so tiny from fear, that Zephyr had to strain his already sensitive ears to hear it.
"Eat up. We'll find your human. Dalia, Not. One. Word." The Espeon smirked and swiped her tail across her mouth. Once the Eevee finished eating Zephyr hefted himself to his feet. "What's your name little one?"
"Sophia, but mostly I'm called Sophie..." The tiny Eevee was obviously trying to hide the fact she had a question for him.
"Speak little one." He looked at her his green eyes warm.
"Umm. A-Are you a rare Pokemon? I've never heard of a black Ninetales before..." She flinched as if she expected to be struck. Zephyr ran one of his tails across her back soothingly.
"I'm what humans call a rare color. But I wasn't always a rare color. I was a normal colored Vulpix. My trainer used a Firestone she got from a man I didn't trust, and when I evolved, I was black. Come little Sophie, we have to find your trainer before dark."
Chapter One: New Beginnings
Zephyr glanced down at the tiny Eevee as he walked with her. She was so...so SMALL! He'd seen bigger Floettas by Arceus! How long had it been since she had hatched? Not long, given how small she was.
"Zephyr?" She looked at him, her eyes watery. "Are we going to find my trainer?"
He looked at her and did what passed for a smile among his kind. "Of course we will. My nose is good. We just need to follow your scent back to where you started. You just need to remember what happened, so you don't do it again."
Sophie nodded and looked forward again. Her little body took on a more determined stance. He smiled again, amused at her spirit. He started walking forward again, carefully tracking the scent of the petit Eevee.
It didn't take long to reach the edge of the forest. Just beyond was a field, at the end of that was a large ranch, with huge fenced in areas filled with large Pokémon. Many were from far away places. Zephyr was pretty sure the big black and tan ones with the horns and two tails were something called a Tauros. There were also Miltank and Ryhorn.
"It's the Ranch!" Sophie surged forward, running as fast as her little legs would carry her. Zephyr followed, his longer legs allowing him to keep up with much less effort. They reached the building quickly and Zeph sat back a ways watching as the little Eevee scratched at the door. It was opened by a teenage girl with hair the color of the sky after a thunderstorm, when the clouds had finally cleared.
"Sophie! Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you, you naughty little thing!" The girl looked up, noticing Zephyr for the first time. She seemed confused at first, but her face quickly took on a surprised look. "A Black Ninetales? It couldn't be...are you Sam's Zephyr?"
Zephyr stiffened. His master's name...This human knew his master!" He leaped forward, his green eyes bright. She couldn't understand him but he asked her anyway "Where is Sam?! Where!?"
The teenager looked at him, her eyes sad. "Oh Zephyr...you don't know do you? Sam was sick, very sick. She released you into the wild so you could be free and happy, so that you wouldn't have to see her waste away. I'm sorry Zephyr, maybe she should have told you, or let you stay. This must be so hard."
Zephyr stepped back. It was a lie. A LIE! He flared, black flames rising off his fur. How dare she lie about that! "LIAR!"
The girl staggered back, terrified, but Sophie, little, tiny Sophie stood between him and her trainer. She charged him with a tackle, but bounced off without doing much damage. A newly hatched Eevee didn't stand a chance against a Ninetales who had once gone toe to toe with the Hoenn Elite Four, and while he may not have won, it was a close thing.
"LIAR! LIAR LIARLIARLIARLIAR!" He spouted a black Flamethrower, but it stuck a wall of hardened air. Protect. It was surprisingly strong, for having been performed by a low level Eevee. He turned on the little Eevee, blinded by fury and pain. Sam couldn't be dead. He would know. He would KNOW!
"Zephyr please." The voice was soft, filled with sadness. Sophie looked at him. She used no move that a Pokémon could be taught or learn on their own. If a human decided to name it a move it would called something like Pleading Look. And it was super effective. It calmed his fury, his fur settled down flat, the fire that burned across his body sputtered and went out. He let out a single devastated wail, and fled to the forest.
Chapter Two: Grief and Happiness
Zephyr had run far, run until he had collapsed. He had attacked a human. Not only that, he had attacked the first human to show him even the tiniest bit of kindness in almost a year. All because he refused to accept what he had most likely known for some time.
When had it started? Two? No three years ago? A slight cough that refused to go away, more and more frequent bouts of illness that he had written off as flu. He had known then, on some level, that Sam was very ill. But he had refused to believe it. He had pushed it down, kept it locked away. And now he had done something unforgivable.
Humans, some of them at least, had this foolish idea that Pokemon didn't cry. And even among those that did know Pokémon cried, they always thought it was a silent affair, a few tears, maybe a pitiful mewling sound. But Pokémon were just as capable as wailing and sobbing as any human. In fact if any human were to walk within a few hundred feet of the clearing where the heart broken Ninetales now huddled, they would hear a heart wrenching, sobbing howl. His breath hitched in his chest, the fur of his face became matted and tear streaked.
He screamed, in what even a Pokémon would hear as a wordless sound of rage and sorrow. He had no idea how long he was like that, time simply had no meaning to a living creature feeling such pain. But when he next became aware of his surroundings he found a warm presence at his side. In a moment of delirium brought on by his mental state, he thought for a moment it was Chester, the Arcanine he had grown up with. Which would have made sense if the form pressed against him had been larger than himself, rather than roughly the same size.
"Finally awake I see, Zephyr." That irritating, yet soothing voice cut through his moment of nostalgia. "I'm not surprised you ended up like this, but something tells me there is more to it than I originally thought."
"Dalia?" He looked at the Espeon. Normally he couldn't stand her, but after everything, he found he could not hold that contempt. He told her everything, from the time he got Sophie home, to the moment of realization that he had known all along that Sam would not come back for him. "I'm a fool Dalia. I'm not some freshly hatched Vulpix, It's been tens years since I came out of that egg, I should have known better."
"Zephyr. Let me tell you a story. Do you know what it takes for an Eevee to evolve into an Espeon? Most seem to think you only need to train in the daylight, but you actually need a strong bond with your trainer. I'm not a wild Pokémon, Zephyr, I was abandoned by my trainer." The Espeon lay her head down on Zeph's shoulder, her eyes clouded with pain and betrayal. "We were together from the very start. He picked me out, from every other Pokemon at the Center. There were plenty that were more powerful, had better attacks, but he chose me."
"I was a tiny thing, even for a newly hatched Eevee. I worked hard to prove myself to the human that had chosen me, I grew stronger everyday, just for him. Then it came time to challenge the Kalos Region League. We made it, my Trainer, myself, and the other three on our team. We were going to face the Champion. My trainer as so excited. But it was too much. We lost. He became depressed, then angry. He told us we had failed him, that if we had been stronger, we would have won. So he came here, to this forest, and he released us. Left us here to fend for ourselves." Dalia sniffed, the memory obviously causing her a great deal of pain. At that moment Zephyr new that if an Eevee could de evolve, the betrayal by her Trainer would have made Dalia do so. "Be happy Zephyr, your trainer didn't leave you here because she was angry, she left you here so you wouldn't suffer by seeing her die."
Zephyr turned his head an lay his muzzle over Dalia's. "I'm sorry. I was so mean to you, and you didn't deserve it."
They both lay like that for a long moment, but were interrupted by the sound of something large coming through the bushes. Both were on their paws the moment they heard it, but neither was expecting what appeared.
"There you are Zephyr! I've been looking everywhere for you!" It was the blue haired girl, and perched on her shoulder was Sophie. "I'm so sorry I upset you before! Ah I know your name so I should tell you mine! I'm Kris. Right now I'm helping my parents on our Breeding Ranch, but soon I'm going to travel all of the world, fighting in battles and competing in contests! I know you must be lonely, so I thought, maybe you'd like to come live with me and Sophia? You can bring your friend too!"
The Ninetales and the Espeon exchanged shocked glances. Neither had expected ANYTHING like this...
Chapter Three: A New Life
Zephyr glanced at Dalia, who was resting on a soft bed made of Mareep wool. It had been two weeks since Kris had taken them in, and to be wholly honest with himself, Zephyr still felt it wasn't real. Dalia seemed to be having the most conflicted feelings though. She would wander the house, touching things, muttering under her breath.
"Something I can help you with?" The Espeon opened one eye to look at the black Ninetales. "Or are you just admiring my good looks?"
Zephyr was not quite used to this version of Dalia. He had grown accustomed to the brooding, cynical Pokémon that saw only the worst in everything. This borderline flirtatious female was a new thing for him. "Just double checking you hadn't died of happiness. As for looks, I prefer Umbreons."
Which was an outright lie. He really had no preference as far is physical looks went. On top of that, while he did find Dalia attractive, he was still unsure of her, since she seemed so moody lately.
"You two ready to go?" Kris stood in the doorway to the room that had been set up for the two older Pokemon. Of course older was a relative term, Zeph was only ten, and his kind could live a thousand years or more with the right conditions, and Dalia was a little younger, at eight, but there were reports of Espeons being around for several hundred years.
However, compared to the third Pokemon that would be on this journey, they were old indeed. Sophia had been out of the egg only two weeks when she had gotten lost in the forest. Zephyr stood and stretched, giving Dalia a look as she just lay there. He walked over, shoved his nose under her belly and lifted her off the ground. This of course resulted in a squawk of protest and a swat to the head. But compared to how she had been before, this attack was playful in nature.
"Let's go you two, the boat is leaving in an hour, we don't want to miss it or we will have to wait another two months before we can go to the Mango Islands." Kris was excited. The Mango Islands was not so much far away as expensive to visit. The cost was the reason it had taken Kris so long to start her journey, she should have started at ten like all the other trainers, but she was already seventeen. Pokémon traveled free, but for a human, the permits to get to the Mango Islands were crazy pricey.
Mango Islands, a place where, long ago, humans had gathered Pokémon from all over, and let them loose to live in peace. There were Pokémon from all the known regions on the island chain. It was also known for having a lot of 'Shiny' Pokémon that humans seemed to covet so much.
"Let's go! Hurry!" Sophia came barreling into the room, nearly slamming into a bookshelf, stopped only by the soft tails of the Black Pokémon. the excitable little Eevee beamed up at her 'big brother' as she had begun to call him. He blamed those stupid shows the humans left on the TV. He would never understand why so many of those shows had young human females who obsessed over their older brothers romantically. Or even worse, the ones who went to extreme lengths to get an older student to notice them. What was the word the shows used? Senpei? No Sempai. Well at least Sophie didn't call him 'Onii-Sama'...
"Calm your claws, little one." He licked a tuft of fur on her head so that it no longer stuck up, only to have it pop up again after a few seconds. He sighed. "Let's go, before you hurt yourself."
The newly formed team headed out the door and made their way to docks. The ship was being loaded, and passengers were waiting to board. Zephyr, Dalia and Sophia all felt a thrill of excitement course through them. For Zephyr, it was surge of memory, from when he and Sam had left on their own journey so long ago. For Dalia, its the feeling that she had found herself a place at last, where she belonged. For Sophia...Kris had just opened a box of Poffins...
Chapter Four: Day 1 Mango Islands
It took all of Zephyr's focus to keep his eye on the young Eevee who was running everywhere on the ship. It seemed every time he blinked she was in a new place. Twice he had barely gotten to her in time to keep her from falling overboard, and a third time Dalia had to use Psychic to catch her as she fell.
As Sophia once again headed towards the railing to try and get a glimpse of the islands, he grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. She struggled for a bit, protesting, but soon settled. He carried her over to the bench where Kris and Dalia waited. He set the Eevee down next to the Espeon. "Dalia, could you keep her here please? I need to rest my eyes, I haven't slept since we got on this stupid boat."
Dalia glanced at him lazily and used Bind to hold the young Eevee in place. She shifted sideways to make room for the large Ninetales. He settled down next to her, using his tails as a pillow. He was almost asleep when another human on the boat made a comment that, if he'd been human himself, would have made him blush.
"What a cute couple, They even have a baby Eevee!" The girl who spoke giggled as she walked away. Zephyr pretended to be asleep, but he could feel Dalia's eyes on him.
Kris glanced at her Pokémon, laughing. "You two are gonna hear that a lot I think. Especially you Zephyr, they way you dote on her like a father."
He chose to ignored the humans and finally did fall asleep. He dreamed of stars falling like snowflakes, and strange shape moving in the shadows. He had almost caught up to the shape when he was roughly awakened by a bite to his ear. "OW!"
Dalia stood over him, Sophia wrapped up in her twin tails. "It is time to go, the ship will be docking soon. Sorry I bit you, but you weren't responding to words or shakes. Did you enjoy it?"
He didn't even bother to glare at her. For some reason he could only look at her with mixed feelings. Her coy attitude and tone made something stir within him. He stood, and in a bid to get revenge, licked her forehead. "Right away, Dear."
He did not look back to see her response, but if he had, he would have seen her frozen in place, shocked out of her senses for a moment. She was brought back to the real world by Sophia sinking her tiny teeth into one of the two tails.
Dalia made her way to where Kris and Zephyr were waiting. There was a soft bump, and the loudspeakers came on. It repeated the message in three languages before coming over in proper English.
'Please be cautious as you step from the boat to the dock. We Thank you for using StarU Lines for your travel needs.'
TWO HOURS LATER
Zephyr sighed as he once again had to chase after the over excited Eevee. He was tired to the point of almost, but not quite, being short tempered with her. He grabbed her just in time to keep her from falling into a narrow crevice between two slabs of rock on the beach. He knew Rocksmash, through some fluke that no one had ever been able to explain, but he didn't like using it because it hurt his paws.
He carried the impetuous young Pokémon back to their trainer. That still felt strange to him, to refer to someone other than Sam as his trainer. He set the Eevee down and did something he had learned at a young age. He knocked Sophia's Pokeball off Kris's belt and hit the button. A flash of red light swallowed the young Fox Pokémon, and she was gone.
"Zephyr! Where did you learn that?" Kris looked at him, a little shocked, a little impressed. "Guess she was being a bit of a pain huh? Sorry I should have noticed and put her away sooner."
Zephyr yawned. The only reason he wasn't going to sleep was because someone had called Kris and said they had something amazing to show her. He wanted to see it too. He didn't have to wait long though, as a man, looking a bit lost, turned, saw Kris, and smiled. He came over with long, yet oddly staggered steps, as if he wasn't used to having such length in his legs, despite appearing to be in his late fifties or so.
"Kris! There you are. It's so good to see you again, how is your Grandmother?" The two chatted for a bit, making Zephyr rather impatient. He wanted to see this amazing thing, then he wanted a nap. Finally the man reached into a pocket and pulled out a stone about the size of a grape, with a strange formation in its center. "It's an ancient stone, we thought it might be a Mega Evolution stone of some kind, but its not. It more closely resembles what ancient humans called a 'Heart Bond Stone'. Supposedly it allows certain people to talk to Pokémon! It took a lot of Research, but I found out that your family is descended from an ancient priestess who was said to use one of these."
Kris raised an eyebrow. "I think you've been spending too much time in dark musty caves Professor Maple. It's a pretty stone, but, except for some psychic types, Pokémon and humans can't talk to each other." She took the stone into her hand, admiring its beauty, it was well cut, and the natural starburst in the center did sort of resemble a pair of hearts intertwining.
"Probably just another Ancient superstition. These kinds of stories are as rampant as the ones about Ancient Ninetales taking human form to take a human lover." Zephyr spoke, knowing that no one around could understand him. But silence ensued after his words and he looked at Kris who was staring at him like he had two heads to go with nine tails.
"Zephyr...You spoke?"
Chapter Five: Day 1 He Speaks
Zephyr's mouth was hanging open. The stone actually worked? He looked at the professor who was standing there, clearly excited that it had worked, yet somehow still in disbelief. Zephyr decided to test the theory. "If you can understand me, say Yellow Bidoofs."
Kris looked at him. "Yellow Bidoofs? Is that some kind of Pokémon Joke?"
Zephyr shook his head. This was beyond strange. Stones that let humans understand Pokémon? Of course, if you thought about it, there were the Mega Evolution stones, which required a high connection between trainer and Pokémon. There were also the various legends...Even Pokémon had legends about humans that could understand them. And not like other trainers, who begin to be able to discern what a Pokémon is saying after a lot of time together.
"Excellent, I will leave the stone with you, for now. Please be sure to write down anything important about Pokémon Lore that Zephyr and others may tell you. I have to get back to the lab!" And like that Professor Maple dashed off, his clumsy legs making him look more out of place than a Magikarp on top of a desert mountain...
"Not very reliable is he?" Zephyr said, to himself, forgetting for a moment that Kris could understand him.
"He's been that way for a long time. If he wasn't so easily distracted, he'd probably be my Grampa. He and my grandmother dated in their teen years. Then he discovered his first rare Evolution stone. A Shadow Water stone. Shadow Water stones and other dual type evolution stones are so rare most people don't even know about them." Kris looked at Zephyr. "You know Sam never said, but I bet you were a normal colored Vulpix. Do you remember what the Fire Stone looked like?"
Zephyr paused. "It was red, but instead of a yellow flame in the center it has a purplish black one. What does a Shadow type stone do anyway?"
"It depends on the Pokémon's nature. Some might get a Ghost type added when they evolve, some a Psychic or Dark. If you use a Shadow Type stone, it might not add a type to the Pokémon, but it might allow them to learn moves outside their normal type range. There are also Light Type stones and others. So far only a hundred or so dual type stones have been recorded. I bet you used a Shadow Flame Stone. No one is really sure of the effects, because no one has ever used one because they are so valuable for research."
"Hmm. Sounds more complicated than I would like to deal with." Zephyr sighed. "We need to head out anyway. I need some time to think, this whole you understanding me thing...is making my head hurt."
Zephyr did not like being in a Pokeball, he never had, so he walked. It was rather odd, because they didn't see anything other than a few bug types the whole time they were walking. When the sun finally set, they made camp, and all three Pokémon were allowed out, to eat and then sleep. Zephyr managed to find a Ratata so he, Sophia and Dalia could have some meat. Normally he would have opted for PokePellets or berries, but some Pokémon were just meant to eat others. It was Nature.
Chapter Six: Day 2 Mango Islands
Zephyr lay on the soft grass, Kris was asleep, and so was Sophia. It was close to dawn, and he could feel the rising warmth. He felt a stirring beside him, and opened one eye to see Dalia standing. The Espeon had become a dear friend in the short time they had been with Kris, and while she acted like she was fine, Zephyr was no fool.
He stood as she walked away, following her. Some would say he was being rude, that maybe she was off to use the bushes for a reason, but he knew that was not the case. And she knew he was following, but said nothing.
They reached a clear pool of water and she sat on a rock, her tails dipping into the water. He sat at the edge of the clearing, watching a Wild Mudkip play with a Buizel. He did not speak, but knew that Dalia would say she wanted to say.
"It doesn't seem real does it?" He twitched his ear as she said the words. "I mean, I was thrown away, your were released. We were supposed to live like that forever after. Then along comes this little twerp of an Eevee, and suddenly we have a home again. Its like a cruel dream."
Zephyr rose and walked over to her. He used Wil o' Wisp and made the balls of blue flame circle around them. "Would you like me to prove it isn't a dream? I will if you ask. Dalia, I won't say I don't understand it, because I do. But you need to stop dwelling on it. Even if it is a dream, you should just enjoy it." He bent down and gave her head a lick, which made her stiffen.
"Why do you do that? You act so nice, so friendly. Three weeks ago, you couldn't stand me." She stood angrily. Of course she would be angry, this male that had once threatened her repeatedly, and once even sent a ghost type after her, was acting like they were life long mates. It was confusing to say the least.
"I never actually hated you." The words made her pause. "I was actually attracted to you. Always was. But you kept saying I'd been abandoned, and it hurt. It hurt so much. So I pretended I didn't like you. It was petty, something a hatchling would do."
Zephyr banished the balls of black flame, and looked out over the pool of water. It was probably dangerous for him to be so close, sure he was a powerful Pokémon, but he was fire-type, and that Buizel could still hurt him.
Dalia looked at him, still confused. Then came the voice of Kris calling to them. Dalia turned to go and tripped over something. Zephyr came over to see if she was alright and they both just stared at what had caused Dalia to lose her balance. A Violet and Red spotted Egg.
"What should we do?" Zephyr had only seen eggs from a distance before. He knew nothing about raising one, or even how wild Pokémon went about caring for them. Dalia had never been bred, and thus had never dealt with an egg either.
"There you are, guys, you scared me half to death!" Kris came out of the trees and saw them, she was so focused on getting to them, that if Dalia hadn't snapped her jaws shut near the girls legs she would have stepped on the egg. "Its an egg!? Wow! I wonder what kind of Pokémon it is...I've never seen these markings before."
Zephyr looked at her. "Should we take it with us? Or should we leave it behind, what if its mother is nearby?"
Kris looked at him, still not used to be able to understand him. "We could try asking the Pokémon around here if they know anything..."
Zephyr decided to ask the Buizel. Who responded with a rather sad story. "No ones really sure what kind of Pokémon it is, a human left here about a week ago. No one dares to go near it, in case the human comes back. By the way, keep the freak away from us. Trainers are way too fond of beating us up and leaving us behind."
Zephyr nodded to the Pokémon and walked back over to Kris. "Did you hear that." She nodded. "I think its best if we take it. I mean, I don't know the first thing about hatching eggs, I really don't...but I was hatched by a human, so was Sophia. Pretty sure Dalia was too. So its not that hard right?"
Kris looked at him and smiled. "Its not overly difficult, but it certainly isn't easy either. Besides this one is pretty darn close to hatching anyway. Like today or tomorrow I think. Here feel it. I promise you wont hurt it."
Zephyr placed his nose on the eggs shell, and felt a stirring with the hard object. He stepped back startled. Dalia went next and shook her head. Sophia was too busy bouncing around like a Spoink on Rare Candy to take the time feel it.
Dalia was looking at the egg with a strange expression on her face. Zephyr wasn't sure if it was concern, or wistfulness. She wasn't old by far, she had plenty of time to have eggs of her own. But then, some Pokémon couldn't lay eggs, not through any fault of their own, it just happened. Maybe she had tried once and failed? He shook his head. He would wait for a better time to ask. He should probably bring a few berries just incase she ripped into him...
The group left the clearing, the egg securely fastening in a pocket of Kris's backpack. They made their way through the thick forest that was the Mango Islands largest island, called Seedpit. It was populated with fairly common Pokémon, they saw plenty of Ratattas and Bidoofs. Yet Kris never had any of them attack. It wasn't until they came across a Growlith that she had Zephyr go out and face something.
"Zephyr, use Wil o' Wisp!" Zephyr sighed. Obviously this girl had no idea how to battle. If he used that move, it would end the battle too quickly. He darted forward and slammed the Growlith with a headbutt. The fire-type was knocked dizzy and wobbled for a bit.
"Use a Pokeball! Now!" Zephyr, made sure she heard him, and thankfully she listened and threw the ball. They all watched, ensnared by the sight of the wobbling pokeball. With a click they were successful. "Excellent. Now lets set up camp. We can heal our new friend and introduce ourselves."
Chapter Seven: The Hatching
Zephyr lay awake, not sure why, but he could not sleep. He watched his companions. Sophie was on her back legs twitching as she dreamed. Dalia was quietly snoring. The young Growlith, now named Jordan, was apart from the others, still not sure of what think of his new place as a tame Pokémon.
Crack. Crunch. Crack.
Zephyr twitched his ears and stood, searching for the source of the noise. He followed it to the bag. It took a few moments, but he managed to open the bag. He hated zippers. He looked inside, and the egg had two huge cracks in it. He was so caught up he couldn't even breath, let alone call attention to it. But Dalia must have felt something. He felt her soft fur brush his side.
"Its hatching." The words came from both at once. They watched as the egg cracked more. And then the pieces fell away revealing a small dark brown and black shape. "What is it?"
The two adult Pokémon exchanged a glance and then the shape uncurled revealing something looked like a cross between a Growlith, a Houndour and a Zorark. It looked up at them, eyes wide. The eyes were a bright blue color and ringed by black markings that looked like human eyebrows.
"Momma? Daddy?" Its voice was a squeak. To a human the words would have been "Lu? Lubo?" Zephyr stared. Dalia gaped. The little Pokémon, a very rare kind, mentioned only in legends of a far away place, squeaked with joy and slammed into Zephyr like a missile.
"Guys? Whats going on? What's with all the noise?" Kris looked around bleary eyed until she saw the little, newly hatched Pokémon. This woke up her instantly as she scrambled over to see what it was. "No way! Its a Lubo! I thought they were a myth!"
Kris pulled out the Pokedex Professor Maple had given her. It had no info. She pulled out her Tabphone and entered the search program. "Lubo. The Mythical Baby Pokémon. Lubo is an ancient, presumed to be mythical or now extinct Pokémon, said to be the first one to partner with humans. They are characterized in ancient texts as being small, brown with black markings with vivid blue eyes. They are believed to be a normal type. Lubo is described as having two evolutionary branches. Some depictions show Lubo evolving into Guarbo, the Shadow Wolf Pokémon. Others show it evolving into Xerobo, the Mystic Wolf Pokémon. Other evolutions have been described, but these are the two most common."
Zephyr looked at the little Pokémon that was, at that very moment, chewing on one of his tails. He looked at Dalia. "Help?"
Dalia shook her head. "You're the 'daddy' help yourself."
Kris looked at the both. "Daddy? Wait does that mean Dalia is the Mommy? Wait... is it a boy or a girl?"
Zephyr used his nose to flip the little one over. "Girl. And it called us Momma and Daddy. From what I know of the legends of Lubo, it lives in packs with its parents, and siblings. They are a very family oriented Pokémon, and supposedly would wipe out entire areas of life if one of their young were harmed."
Dalia looked at the little Lubo. She was really unsure of what to think. While she was trying to figure out how she felt about being 'mommy' the little one bowled into her with a squeal. "Wait! I'm not-" She was cut off by a headbutt to the chin.
"Dalia?" Zephyr stepped over and pulled the little Lubo off the Espeon. "You okay?"
"Not really. That hurt!" She shook her head as she stood back up. The little Lubo grinned at her from its place at Zephyr's feet. "Little we need to have a serious discussion about what is and is not acceptable..."
Kris stared. It was like watching one of her mom's shows...only with Pokémon and instead of people... "You guys gonna be alright? I mean are either of you even capable of being parents?"
Zephyr felt his tails twitch in annoyance at the statement, and Dalia narrowed her eyes. Zephyr was the one who responded. "No more so than you would be in the given situation. We are quite capable in this regard, Kris. Unlike humans, we Pokémon have powerful instincts in this regard. That's why even a week old Vulpix can raise an Eevee. Try that with a human child."