A father's pride

Nightsong and Twilight Fang were playing by the pond when a familiar face appeared. The hyena's eyes lit up.

"Rainbow! Nice to see you there."

The male Butterfree grinned.

"Nice to see you too, Mightyena. It's been long since last time."

"I know. You're often at your nest to take care of your kids. How are you doing?"

"Fine enough. I occasionally fight Pokémon in the forest to keep my skills sharp, but otherwise, my life is fairly quiet."

Nightsong chuckled.

"Quiet? With a mate as hot-blooded as yours, I thought it would be more interesting than that."

Rainbow sighed.

"It is, but not the way you think … Our children give us more problems than we both expected. This makes our family life anything but quiet."

Twilight Fang raised a brow.

"Children? I never saw any Caterpie around."

His mother licked him.

"Actually, Bubble and Rainbow have three children. I sometimes act as a babysitter to them."

The Butterfree nodded.

"Yep, two boys and a girl. Silk Thread is the eldest and quietest of the trio. Leaf Powder is younger but more agitated. Finally, Hard Candy is … special. He inherited his mother's pink coloring and is very stubborn, as well as lonely. They …"

Two Caterpie suddenly rushed at the trio.

"Daddy, Daddy, Hard Candy's gone at the training area again!"

Ranbow's eyes widened.

"Again? One of these days, he'll get himself killed!"

Carrying the two Caterpie on her back, Nightsong, Twilight and Rainbow ran at the place where Ash's team was working. A pink little caterpillar was watching a fight between a Blastoise and a Charizard, cheering along a Clefable, Wartortle and Haunter.

"Come on, Blazefire! Get him! Fry him!"

The Charizard growled and ducked under a Hydro Pump.

"I'd really like to, but … ROAAAARRR! Take that, Hard Shell!"

He opened his eyes wide and channeled solar energy in it. The Blastoise gulped.

"Solar Beam!? Uh-oh …"

His Withdraw did nothing. The blast of concentrated light scorched his shell so hard that a simple Dragon Tail was enough to take him out. Blazefire crossed his arms.

"So, Hard Shell? Still think being Gary's Starter gives you the right to mistreat Ash's teammates?"

Nightsong smiled and explained.

"Fleeting Flash being with our Trainer, Blazefire is our actual leader, with Starlight as his second in command."

Twilight frowned.

"They are the two strongest of the team, right?"

"Yes. Strength and loyalty are the two main criteria that determine our rank in the team. Hard Beak is impressive, but the fact he was rebellious for a long time kept him at the bottom. And even Blazefire suffered from that after he went mad and sent Ash in a coma for two months. To what I heard, Flash was fairly pissed …"

"Indeed." Rainbow nodded. "One main rule of being a trained Pokémon is that you should never, under any circumstance, hurt your Trainer. The only exception is very bad treatment. If your Trainer keeps hurting you, then you have a right to retaliate."

Twilight winced. A little away, the little pink Caterpie went to the dragon.

"That was an impressive fight! Congrats!"

Blazefire turned to the creature and raised a brow.

"You … You are one of Timid Rainbow's kids, right?"

"Yep. I'm Hard Candy."

Starlight came and smiled.

"I've seen him come to the Training Area several times. He doesn't train yet, but he's always watching us."

Heavy Blast crossed his arms.

"Really? What is he doing there is he doesn't work with us?"

Candy lowered his head and mumbled something. Shadow Grin frowned.

"What? I didn't hear you."

"I don't have an attack yet."

The Pokémon looked at one another.

"Not yet? How old are you?"

"Six months. And yes, I don't have an attack. I'm the only one in the family, and as if it wasn't enough, I'm pink! You know how hard it is to be a pink boy? No one in the forest takes me seriously! Do you have any idea how much that pisses me off? I wish my first attack is strong enough that I make them eat their words! I mean, my big sister Silk Thread can use String Shot and Leaf powder can use Sleep Powder! These attacks are very useful. Me? Nothing."

The little bug sighed. Starlight looked at Blazefire, Shadow and Blast and made a small gesture. The three left immediately, Heavy Blast for the pond, the Haunter to his hangout at the library and Charizard to get his wounds healed. Lucky Lucky should be done with his opponent by now. Rainbow came to his son, Nightsong and the three kids with her.

"Candy, why did you leave the nest again?"

"I heard Blazefire was fighting. I wanted to see him." The pink Caterpie smiled. "And I wasn't deceived: the fight was awesome! You missed something, Dad!"

Silk Thread shook her head.

"You shouldn't leave the nest without one of us tagging along, Little Brother. You don't have an attack yet. If something goes for you, you can't defend yourself."

Candy simply turned to Clefable and sighed.

'See what I mean?'

Rainbow nodded.

"Your sister's right. You should be more careful, at least until you get your first move. I know you want to have one but …"

"But I won't if all I do is stay at the nest all day. If I want to grow up, I have to move around, explore, experience. I don't remember hos Silk or Leaf got their first attack, but I won't stay in the hollow of our tree 'til I finally get something like Tackle or Harden!"

Leaf shrugged.

"At the same time, if he keeps watching them train, he'll have some battle theory to put into practice when he gets his move. What he does isn't stupid."

Starlight stepped in the middle of the family.

"Rainbow, let me talk with him. I know how it feels to be rejected for being different."

The Butterfree nodded.

"Alright, I trust you. Let's go, kids. Your mother should be back."

Nightsong decided to leave too. She wanted to pay Delia and Nina a visit. Starlight led Candy by the pond and sat at the wharf. The little bug went at her side.

"So … you too suffered from being different?" He slyly asked.

Clefable nodded.

"I did. Contrary to most children of our colony, my father was a Breloom. A Breloom is a Grass-Fighting Pokémon known for its powerful punches, hence the reason punching attacks are my specialty. Because of the Fighting part, I was always more hot-blooded than the others. This caused them to cast me out for being violent, temperamental and rash. Believe me, I suffered from it."

Candy winded.

"That must've been hard."

"It was. Fortunately, Ash and his friends happened to pass by our colony and helped us save our Moon Stone. Seeing him fight, my mother insisted that I go with him and fight at his side. I accepted … and I never looked back. At Ash's side, I evolved from Cleffa to Clefairy, and finally into Clefable. Now there are only few people who can boast to have won against me, and I'm proud of it." The fairy smiled. "Being different isn't a bad thing. I was different from the rest of the colony and look at what I've become! So what if your color isn't the same as the other Caterpie or you don't have an attack yet? I heard that, the longer an attack takes to appear, the stronger it is. Maybe your first move will be something totally incredible. And when it appears, I'm certain it will be really impressive." Winking, the girl left the place. "Normalcy is underrated, kiddo. Keep that in mind."

Candy watched her and turned to the pond, he closed his eyes and thought about her words.

'That's right. Being different isn't a weakness, it's a strength. Because it forces us to overcome trials the others don't have to face. Adversity, scorn, xenophobia … But it doesn't matter. I know I have the strength in me to face it all. And I swear on Zekrom that I will make it. I will become the strongest Butterfree ever! Even if it takes my entire lifespan!'

His mood up, he returned to the forest. It didn't matter how long he'd have to wait. His first move would come one day. And he knew what he would do with it. He was reaching a clearing when he noticed several Pokémon asleep. This surprised him. Given their position, this sleep wasn't natural. The soothing tune of a flute made him freeze. He had hung around Ash's team long enough to recognize a good number of attacks, and this one sounded incredibly like …

"Grass Whistle!"

The kid instantly jumped in a bush and hid. Who in Celebi's name was making that music? The tune stopped and a strange brown Pokémon with a long nose and a leaf on its head jumped from a tree.

"Alright, where did he go? Pinky! Pinky! Come here, little pinky …"

Candy growled. He hated being called Pinky.

"Come on, come so I put you to sleep. Then I'm gonna beat you up …"

"If that's a fight you want, come and get some, you son of a Muk!"

The creature turned to him as the Caterpie emerged from a bush, fire in his eyes. The little bug stood valiantly before his opponent. No, he didn't have an attack. Yes, he would still fight. This bastard deserved a good beating for using underhanded tactics such as putting Pokémon to sleep to rough them up. The Pokémon crossed his arms.

"Have you seen your face? You won't last a second against me, even if I hold back … which I have no intention of doing, by the way."

"Fine by me. I'll take you on no matter what you throw. You're a Dark-type, right? Your kind is known to be vicious cowards like that …"

This made the Pokémon freeze.

"I am a Nuzleaf, you pink punk! Yes, I am Dark, and I'm a Grass-type too. And you being a Bug isn't gonna stop me."

"Bring it."

"Well, you're asking so kindly …"

His head leaf glowed green and he rushed toward the kid. Hard Candy faced him without flinching. It was mad, he knew it, but he wouldn't back down. He swore himself he would become the strongest Butterfree ever. Better start somewhere, right? As if to answer his determination, a strange power grew inside of him. It was strong, raging, beating in his head like a headache, a storm that was just asking to be released. Release it, the kid did. The energy took the shape of a powerful buzzing that deafened the Nuzleaf and woke the sleeping Pokémon with a start. The Dark Pokémon clutched his head.

"Stop it! Stop it! Arg, it hurts! Please, I bed you, make that buzzing stop! Aaahh …"

Candy growled. Slowly, the buzz faded to leave his opponent panting. The kid grinned.

"Will that be all?"

The Pokémon looked at the other kid in surprise. There was a couple of Raticate, two Pidgey, an Abo and a Beedril.

"Bug Buzz! And an impressive one at that!"

Candy nodded.

"That's my first attack." He looked at the Nuzleaf. "And I'll use it again if you don't clear the place fast."

"As if, you damn …"

*SWOOSH!*

Before he could say another word, a strong Silver Wind blasted him against a tree. A pink and purple Butterfree appeared. The purple one frowned.

"Dare."

Candy turned to the duo.

"Dad! Mom!"

Bubble came to her son.

"Nice Bug Buzz. The whole forest heard it."

"For an attack that strong, I'm surprised that bastard can still stand." Rainbow growled and looked at the creature. "Just to make things clear: I'm among the nicest Pokémon in this forest. Hurt my children and I'll show you how strong you can become with a good Trainer."

The Nuzleaf rose from the tree and stretched.

"Bring it. I'm not afraid of a 'trained Pokémon'. You guys are pussies to rely on Trainers to grow stronger …"

Bubble turned to her mate and nodded.

"All yours, darling."

"Perfect."

Flying around to activate Agility, the butterfly unleashed a devastating Acrobatics on his opponent, soon followed by Aerial Ace. Nuzleaf rose to see him charge Hyper Beam.

"Leave. Now."

The place was empty the next second. Candy's jaw was touching the ground.

"Oh, wow! I would have never guessed Dad was that strong!"

"Even I am not that powerful." Bubble admitted. "What your father said is true. He is usually among the nicest persons you'll meet around, but Ash is an excellent Trainer. He let your father retire from Pokémon battling after the Indigo Conference so he could raise you with me. Your father sometimes goes to the Training Area to keep himself sharp, and no one is stupid enough to challenge a Butterfree who fought an Arcanine and won."

"Dad … beat an Arcanine?"

"And a Flareon."

"… Okay. I'll be going, then."

The first thing the kid did was going to the pond. Starlight was there, training an attack that looked like a silver Solar Beam. She stopped when she saw Candy.

"Well, already back?"

"You were right! My first attack appeared, and it was awesome!"

"Really?"

"Yep! It was Bug Buzz, and I beat a Nuzleaf with it!"

The Fairy nodded.

"I told you your first move would be impressive. Welcome in the Corral, kid."

Further in the forest, Rainbow was dancing happily in the air.

"He defeats a Nuzleaf in a single move for his very first battle. And with Bug Buzz, at that! Okay, I was expecting something special, but that …"

"I get it you're happy for him." Bubble smiled.

"Happy? I'm so proud of him!"

As promised, here is the update. Gotta say this chapter was fast to write, even though I now have to focus on my paper. I don't like German ... Anyway, I'm pretty happy. Didn't really turn out like I planned, but it isn't deceiving at all. In fact, it's even better than what I wrote in my notes. What do you think of it?

Next chapter, our favorite Clefable gets a bigger spotlight ...

- ultima-owner: True Names are usually meaningful and reflect the nature of their bearer. Here, the little Caterpie is called Hard Candy and it's very easy to see why. Same way with Pikachu/Fleeting Flash. He's fast, and he's electric. As to how do they know, it's something a perent knows by instinct. After all, who else is meant to know a kid better than those who raise him?

- MafiaMello: Twilight Fang won't join he will end with will be revealed later, after some development. As for Nightsong, sure she's nice, but she's also a Dark Pokémon and her type isn't known to be cuddle bugs. She murdering a Pokémon and caring for a kid the next second is perfectly in-character to her. And you're right about Ash's team being ferocious. Contrary to what that Nuzleaf believes, trained Pokémon are always stronger than wild ones.

- Amalgam24: I answered the True Name question with ultima, above.

- cook563: the originality of the story is the reason I made it in the first place. Ash's Pokémon are just too interesting for me not to develop their personality and make a tale about it. They were already characters in and out of themselves in the previous story ... and I thought it would be fun. For the Orange Islands, the story is nearly finished (four-five chapters more at best) so you'll see this part answered soon enough. No spoiler.

Well, see you soon!