Unexpected Friend

Through the large window in the lab, M-21's gaze follows the intense session of fetch Takeo and his Pidgeotto are currently having. Their voices don't reach, but Takeo's face is one of utter amusement, and whenever he throws the disk in the air and Pidgeotto storms to take it, he bursts out in laughter and showers his companion with pats.

M-21 watches and admits to himself that he is jealous. Being a low-ranking failed experiment didn't give him the rights to have a Pokémon companion. He always watched Jake and his furious Kabutops butcher people and Pokémons alike, mercilessly, with crude brutality and delight. He feared Mari's Persian and how it was always too quiet to hear it coming, and how evil its eyes looked. They were not evil Pokémon in origin, but they were trained to hate and kill, and they were extremely swift at fulfilling their duties.

But if the Union was a terrible example on how to train and raise Pokémons, the place he is now is a totally different matter: he has seen Frankenstein feeding warm poffins to his Giratina – a Legendary Pokémon, dammit! - and treating Pokémons he stole from the Union for reintroduction-in-society purposes; he has seen Raizel, a man who was fated to die because of his tremendous power, managing to make even the most vicious, most dangerous Pokémon warm up to him. He sees Takeo and Tao playing with their Pokémon companions – the ones assigned to them by the Union, Pokémons that they treated with respect and protected – every day, smiling and laughing and causing a mess inside the house.

Pokémons don't like him. Frankenstein had spent days trying to find him a perfect companion that could also help him cope with his trauma, but wild Pokémons could feel what he was, and they stayed out of his way and became hostile. The only ones not fearing him are his friends' Pokémons – Frankenstein and the others often insisted to gift him theirs or to share, but M-21 always refused. He was not going to deprive his friends of their only companions, and was even less inclined to take a healthy Pokémon away from the hands of a caring trainer like Frankenstein. He was meant to be alone, and M-21 accepted his fate without putting up a fight. After all, it was better this way. He did not want to be miserable if something happened to his Pokémon, and didn't want his Pokémon to be miserable if something happened to him. Death, to M-21, was simply a matter of "when".

He still feels lonely from time to time, despite having accepted the truth as it is. He is surrounded by people that care for him and Pokémons that like his scratches, and yet, it does not fill the empty hole inside his chest.

He hears Tao approaching and quickly moves away from the window, faking interest for one of Frankenstein's scientific books he happens to spot on the table. It's about eggs, and M-21 doesn't understand a single word, but as long as he looks occupied, Tao won't ask questions.

"Oh, M-21, didn't see you here!" Tao greets, followed by his Raichu jumping around and complaining. About what, M-21 hasn't the slightest idea, but Tao seems to understand him just fine and hands out a candy, promptly devoured. "Are you up for some water games outside? Pidgeotto stole the pipe Frankenstein uses to water his flowers and has declared war against us, it's going to get messy!" he adds with an impish smile and rubs his hands together as if having some kind of secret super plan to overthrow the flying tyrant.
M-21 sighs and puts down the book: "Frankenstein won't like it if you mess up his garden."

"We won't!" Tao reassures, but M-21 knows that a water fight will undoubtedly cause an indecent mess that will later lead to Frankenstein having them clean everything by hand. Tao clasps his hands and makes him puppy eyes, and his Raichu proceeds to do the same, jumping on his lap and peering at his face from up close.

Uncomfortable, M-21 shifts on the chair and stands up. "No, thanks," he says to a pouting Tao, "I wanted to go on a walk anyway. You guys have fun, okay?"

Raichu loudly protests, but Tao shushes him down and gives M-21 a thumbs-up. Having escaped from another social event, M-21 heads toward the safe path that leads to the pond.


The pond is a quiet place he likes to go when he feels thoughtful, or worried, or when he wants to be left alone. The household is lively, but it can get a bit overwhelming and M-21 needs some time out to unwind. Frankenstein was the one who told him about the place, having noticed how stressful it was for him, who was not used to have so many people around, suddenly being literally surrounded. That man might be a bit rough on the edges when it comes to human relationships, but no one can deny he is an observant caretaker.

A flock of Spearows flies above his head, temporarily clouding the sun. It's then that he notices something erratically moving in the water, splashing around and squealing desperately. M-21 stands from the patch of grass he was sprawled on and tries to get a look on what is happening, thinking it might be a Pokémon hunting. It's not: the high-pitched, frantic cries speak of distress. Something is in danger. M-21 rushes along the pond to see a young Starly flapping its wet wings trying to escape from the water, its body too heavy for the Pokémon to lift.

M-21 wonders what to do. His first instinct is to dive into the water and bring the Pokémon to safety, but he is also aware that, sensing the abomination he is, the Pokémon will only become more agitated and worsen its already grim situation. Maybe he can call Frankenstein and ask to have one of his Pokémons help out, but what if it doesn't make it in time? M-21 can't stand being useless and watch as a small, innocent, scared creature dies before his eyes. He's seen enough of it already.

The water isn't too cold even though it's barely April. M-21 doesn't have to swim too long before he's close to the squealing Starly, and the water only reaches his shoulders when he stops to put his feet down. For a moment, M-21 hesitates.

"It's gonna be fine," he voices, both to himself and the Pokémon, reaching out with cupped hands. The Starly whimpers and squeals, but does not fight or resist being lifted by two foreign hands. It's probably too scared, M-21 thinks to himself as he glides through the water with the small dripping thing in hand, to focus on sensing his aura. It looks young, flapping his wings with the strength of something that desperately wants to survive. M-21 knows what it feels like, longing to live so much to make you fight against the stronger forces pulling you down.

He reaches the shore and struggles to climb out, clothes wet and heavy, but through trial and error, they both manage to get on safe, dry ground.

"You're safe now," he says. The Starly ruffles his feather and sprinkles water everywhere around, then looks at him and cocks its small round head, squealing once. "You can go home," M-21 adds with a huff and unbuttons his clothes. They will never dry properly if he doesn't squeeze the water out of the fabric, and Frankenstein can forgive wrinkles - if given some time - but not clothes that smell like seaweeds.

Starly is still there watching him with enraptured curiosity as if M-21 was some sort of new, interesting wonder. He's not really comfortable, but does wonder why the hell the small young thing has not stormed away from his ugly aura yet.

"Haven't you heard me? You are safe now. Your parents must be looking for you. Go," he motions Starly to get away with his hands, but the bird Pokémon only seems even more interested and tries to peck – with no intention of causing harm, M-21 recognizes – at his long fingers.

He tries again, but Starly keeps coming back. When he lays on the grass to wait for his clothes to dry, the bird starts pecking at his hair. Every attempt to send it off results in a big failure, as it appears that Starly isn't interested in leaving his side any time soon.

"You aren't going to leave me alone, are you?" he asks somehow exasperated to it, as Starly cutely jumps around, chirping happily, pecking at his wet clothes. It doesn't answer; instead, it clumsily flies in his lap and rubs against his skin.

He doesn't know what to do. His hands hover around that round body for a moment, unsure, and then land on the soft plumage. They sink in the soft feathers, and M-21 can feel the fast heartbeat of the creature through his palms.

They remain like that for a long time, M-21 shirtless and still gazing at the top of the trees and clouds, Starly propped on his chest, still, chirping quietly as to not disturb his rest. It did not try to leave, and M-21 has stopped trying to send it off. Instead, sometimes mindlessly brushes its feathers and accepts tiny gentle pecks. It feels good to have something this soft and vulnerable putting its trust in his hands. It feels good to have the chance to experience this feeling firsthand. Will Starly follow him home, or will they part ways the moment he needs to go back?

When Tao calls to tell him they're preparing dinner, and that Frankenstein wants him home to give a hand, M-21 grabs his clothes and then, gentler, picks Starly up to his face.

"I have to go home," he tells to a squealing Starly. "You do what you want," he adds, putting it back on the ground. He doesn't want to see it go back to where it belongs, and so turns and starts walking.

Starly isn't following, M-21 checks a few times on the road back home. It was supposed to be like this, he's not disheartened: he got more than he could ever hope to receive, and it's satisfying. It's enough.

But then, as he starts to see the lights of his house, a gentle weight settles on his left shoulders, followed by a high-pitched chirp. Starly looks at his profile with its glimmering black eyes; M-21 stares back and, relaxing, offers the Pokémon a tiny smile.

With renowned confidence, he moves toward the house. Frankenstein will help him figure out all he needs to know about his new partner.


The idea was stuck in my head after discussing it on Discord with qdeanna. The AU prompt was "Pokémon AU but with characters having the canon powers and dynamics". Get yourself a totally unbetaed and random M-21 fluffy snippet. I'd like to write more about this AU, so expect to see more of it.

You can find this on my tumblr profile, too!