Chapter 1: The Day it All Began
Sawada Tsunayoshi felt that his life took a turn for the absurd when his mother invited in a traveler from the groomers. It happened from time to time, as his mother was a well known pokegroomer who had settled down and ran a small business in Namimori. Mostly they were locals, relatives of locals or friends who would stay for the day, weekend or week as travel was restored between the Isles.
It wasn't that unusual as the Gravity Isles were a small place of the world and very difficult to get to region; impossible to enter or leave at certain times of the year. Therefore while the Gravity Isles had places to stay -mainly in the pokecenters for traveling trainers- there really wasn't a great business for tourists except for those who were from other islands in the island chain.
(There were less of those than people would think as it was a popular school trip to visit other islands.
That some students already had because they had visited relatives all over the Isles was beside the point.
So the tourism industry in the gravity islands was pretty much dead with no hope of revival.)
So being a long-time resident of the Gravity Isles his mother would bring home the occasional stray to feed good food instead of whatever the pokecenter would feed the traveling trainer.
And Tsuna could see how it happened, judging by the ninetales at the blue-haired man's side:
"Hi, my ninetales needs some grooming."
"Oh, she's gorgeous, so tell me all about her while I get to clean her up."
The ninetales' owner would tell his mother things and where he was staying and then his mother would insist on feeding him a proper meal.
What Tsuna didn't expect:
"Tsu-kun! I found you a mentor for your poke-journey! You've been putting it off and now all your peers have been out on their journeys for years now, but better late than never right?"
"Urk." Tsuna said. There went his hikikomori existence on Canzone Foresta of the Gravity Isles.
He had liked not having to go outside and deal with people who called him dame-Tsuna once he had finished his compulsory education; terrible grades but he still finished it! If anything, school had taught him that he was not meant for a pokejourney as he was not smart enough or athletic enough to actually you know, survive a pokejourney! He'd die and then his pokemon would die! Plus his mother would be all alone!
Not that he actually had a pokemon to go on a journey with. If he needed a pokemon he normally used his mother's Furfrou, Puff. His father had tried to give him a few but he wasn't around often enough to know that Tsuna was scared of small dog-like pokemon thanks to his Snubbull!
Tsuna could groom pokemon with the best of them -his mother was a world-class groomer, like his father was a world-famous poke-coordinator much to Tsuna's embarrassment- but he wasn't a trainer or even a pet-owner.
He really had no idea if he was even registered as one. His mother was good about forging his signature on paperwork. And then filing it.
He was pretty sure it was a crime, but it wasn't like the Gravity Isles were like the rest of the world and he could tell a Jenny; the clan of police Officers were scarce in the Gravity Isles, possibly because of Hibari.
Hibari was technically on his pokejourney but he and his Lucario came into town at least once a year and bit all the violators of his rule to death. Most of the daily work was done by the Disciplinary Committee or the Liquidation Committee which was a bit worse because Adel was also a Gym Leader in the local Terra League and so had no time for dealing with idiots. Kusakabe and his Grovyle did a good job of keeping Namimori safe anyway.
"But mom, won't you be lonely?"
"Silly Tsu-kun, I've got friends and since I know you'd be safe and learning how to be a man I can meet up with your father. Why on his last contest, I noticed Parsley had soot marks in his mane! Whoever groomed that Pyroar had no idea what they were doing! It's a miracle that Iemitsu placed as well as he did! My poor husband."
"Wait, so you were just staying here because I was?"
"Tsu-kun it was obvious you were struggling so I stayed to help you through school and beyond but you're thirteen now. A lot of other kids have been on their pokejourneys for years by now and are experienced trainers going onto other careers. Your mother wasn't the best at everything, which is why she traveled with friends and an experienced trainer. Daemon here is willing to take you along to the next region he goes to. Show you the ropes."
"But we don't even know each other! And who dresses like that?" Tsuna said in protest, appealing to logic and common sense.
"Let me, Mrs Sawada." Daemon said smoothly in a voice that Tsuna knew would have his classmates 'kyaa'-ing at the sound. They hadn't even been introduced -properly- and he was already murdering what little self-esteem Tsuna had. The man -he was an adult, although he looked young- had oddly styled blue hair, purple eyes and dressed in an odd military like fashion. "My name is Daemon Spade. This is Maria," he said petting the ninetales. "She's been my companion for some time now."
"He's done a couple of league challenges before and has dabbled in various pokemon contests and other events, so you should be fine with him. Plus doesn't he look trustworthy?"
Tsuna would rather trust the resident pokemaniac and fellow hikihomori Irie Shoichi's online friend Byakuran than this guy. Tsuna got bad vibes from Byakuran from a couple of photos of him on Shoichi's screen. Tsuna did not want to meet him.
Tsuna did not like this. At all.
"But I don't have a pokemon!"
'Well, Mama's been planning something like this…" She said as she left the room for a bit and returned with a pokeball. How weird. His mother normally didn't keep her pokemon in pokeballs because she was claustrophobic and she worried that they'd be too. "Here. I got this little guy from a breeder friend of mine."
"What is he?"
"He's a fox pokemon, so we won't have those issues you have with dog-type pokemon. Plus Daemon already has experience with fox-type pokemon so you'll really benefit!"
"Stop trying to sell him so hard Mom!" Tsuna whined, as he took the pokeball. "Is this guy even registered to me?"
"Yup! It was one of the first things I did after realizing he was a perfect starter for you!"
Great, Tsuna was pretty sure that was several laws broken there. Maybe? A few moments later Tsuna realized that Daemon and his mother were waiting on him, released the pokemon, showing a well-cared for Fennekin.
"Not the Vulpix I was expecting but still a fox-pokemon." Daemon admitted, as the two foxes sniffed at each other. "It'll be interesting. I haven't worked with a Fennekin before, although I've seen a Delphox at work before. Can't forget that as it was a very impressive showing."
There was something about how Daemon said that which suggested that his mom had been taken advantage of by a mass-murderer or something. Now, Tsuna knew he was doomed to end up dead in one of those 'accidents' that happen to trainers that aren't publicized on the news.
This was not going to end well. He was going to suffer at the hands of this con-artist killer. Then he'd die.
Later, Tsuna would look back and reflect that his thought then was so accurate. Well, the first one was accurate. He still wasn't sure how he managed to not be found in a ditch dead. Daemon was a vengeful ghost after all and despised weakness and he hadn't been anything special back then; distinctly under average really.
Of course back then, he hadn't been the youngest winner of the Rainbow League either or anything but a teenager turning into a full-fledged hikikomori. Tsuna missed those days.
Things made sense then. The Stella Region/Kingdom didn't and did not care to either. He really missed his hikikomori days.
A/N: Had this up on AO3 for a couple of days. Pokemon solves writer's block. The key to writing Daemon is pokemon. Who would have thought?
