A/N: Holy shit, you guys. I'm so sorry. This is a good 9k words.
I did not intend for it to be that long... but the muse just kinda took me and said fuck it to what I wanted. I hope you're alright with that!
Below their feet, the sunset-coloured treetops made the quartet forget how tired they were. Over terrain that would otherwise be treacherous without their trusty balloon, the former Rockets drifted with eyes transfixed below. Route fourteen was caught in a permanent state of autumn, it's colours like something out of a sleepy painting. As they passed the wetlands, the forests became more dense, and between the exhausted morale and mesmerizing sights, they hardly noticed the thick clouds rolling in.
Booming thunder snapped all of them out of the reverie, and James nervously grappled at the handlings near the central fire. Panicked, Meowth pawed at Jessie.
"I t'ought it was s'posed to be clear today?!"
"It was, genius! You think I fibbed just to inconvenience you, personally?!"
"I t'ink ya got rusty at the whole readin' weather patterns business!"
"Would you like to give it a shot then, furbrain?!"
"Guys, this really isn't the time…" James said, finding his voice. "We should probably drop low and scan the area for—"
More thunder roared across the skies, sending Meowth's claws straight into Jessie's leg as the four of them screamed in unison.
"—shelter."
Jessie stayed cringing, her voice dark. "I haven't felt voltage on my skin in months. I am not going back to that life."
"Wooo~bbuffet…!"
James slowly began their descent, eyes frantically scanning the distance for something, anything. Even if it was just respite among the trees—this was a bad place to get caught in a storm. It wasn't long before he spotted some kind of orifice along the side of a cliff, and made a beeline for it, his heart feeling a lot lighter.
Steadily, they managed to land among the treetops without much damage to the balloon. It was a messy, difficult climb up the slick cliffside as the clouds fell open and rain began to pour down on them, but somehow, through a recent stroke of luck in their good karma, they managed.
A few things were amiss, once they were able to take in the surroundings of the cave—namely, it was lived in. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be pokemon—no, it was notably human. The remnants of a small fire were blackened and resting further in, and there seemed to be some makeshift sleeping arrangements kicked up towards the back.
"A traveler, do you think?" James inquired.
"Hopefully one dat doesn't mind a little company."
With the words resting anxiously in the stagnant air, the four of them made their way deeper. It wasn't until they began to sluggishly drop themselves into the bedding of vegetation that the chill set in. James shivered, jostling Jessie accidentally, and she took it as a sign to pull herself over to the dormant fire and make an attempt to reignite it.
From the corner of her eye, she caught her star pokémon glowing iridescently as she was sifting for sparks, and she shot him a look akin to a mother about to order their child to their room.
"If you Mirror Coat that rain off, you are going to regret it."
Wobbuffet whispered his name timidly, the light fading from around him, and he nodded.
With the fire going, the four of them sat against the cave wall with heads leaning on shoulders, hoping to find some warmth in each other. Eyes weighed down, muscles sore, minds swimming, the sound of rain slowly faded into white noise as it echoed all around them. Slowly, the world blurred into nothing as they blinked peacefully out of consciousness.
Most people jolt awake instantly in the presence of screaming, but the quartet was so used to rude awakenings at this point that they'd learned to slowly fade back into them like one would a peaceful morning with sunlight filtering through the blinds.
The source of the shouting was out of focus, for most of them—the fire had fizzled and night had brought darkness, as it does. They could only really take in her silhouette as it blurred in, but once Meowth spotted mountains upon mountains of hair, and the feisty looking fraxure lingering alongside the shadow, he somehow registered who it was.
"Dragon twoipette?" He snapped awake. "What are you doin' here?"
"What am I doing here?!" Iris continued to yell, and Fraxure shared her tone with outstanding accuracy. "I was sleeping here! What are you doing here! I had dibs on this cave, you know!"
"Have you not noticed there's a downpour?!" Jessie shot back. "We were trying to avoid being burnt to a crisp by the lightning storm raging out there!"
"Likely story! I'll bet you saw me come in here and were waiting for the perfect moment to ambush me!" She stood her ground. "But you've lost your touch! Falling asleep while you waited. Ha!"
"The nerve…!"
Jessie was ablaze when James put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. She stiffened, turning to look at him, and his eyes said it all without words—remember why we're here.
She gritted her teeth, then exhaled, annoyed. Anger was so much easier. James took the initiative.
"Iris, isn't it?" He said, his teammates' eyes widening. "We're not looking for a fight, honest."
"You really think I'd believe that?" She cocked an eyebrow. "Look, I'm not the same naive little girl I was back in Unova! I remember when Meowth played us all for fools, whimpering about how you fired him so he could infiltrate our group. I know your tricks! Don't think I've forgotten!"
Had there not been a child present, they probably would've cursed at that. They'd forgotten just how wicked they'd been in that region in particular. This was going to be more of a hurdle than it had been thus far. His voice uncertain, James pressed on.
"I understand," He said. "You remember how conniving we were. But take in the current circumstances—our balloon is parked right outside with nothing concealing it. There's a massive storm outside. Our clothes are still damp, and when you found us here, we were asleep with nothing to defend ourselves. Does that seem like the same people who tore blazing trails of destruction across Unova?"
Iris' stance loosened a bit, and she crossed her arms, deep in thought. "I suppose not… the Team Rocket I remember definitely wouldn't make mistakes like that."
"We honestly didn't know you were here," He added. "Look at us—we're hardly dressed for an ambush. Jessie is sequined. What about that screams stealth?"
The girl snorted, a smile somehow finding its way to her. "Alright, alright, so you either suck at your jobs now, or you're being genuine…"
Meowth scoffed. "Would ya believe both? Much as it won't mean nut'in' comin' from me to you, we don't really hang around that crowd anymore."
"Well… ugh… I suppose I'll go against my better judgment this once and let you stay," Iris said. "It's not like I couldn't easily take all of you at once in a battle."
What even brings you out here?" Jessie asked, willing her temper to subside. "We're a long way from Unova."
"Ah-ah-ah," Iris chided, a hand on her hip. "You're not in the clear yet. Sit."
They did, and she and Fraxure followed immediately. The girl and her pokémon stared into them, gazes piercing.
"You tell me what your deal is first," Iris ordered. "Then, you get to hear mine."
The former Rockets looked to each other, feeling a lot more contented and optimistic about the direction of the exchange, and began.
"If you didn't have so many stories, I'd honestly think you were full of it!" Iris crossed her arms, leaning against the cave wall. "Ash worked his friendship speech magic on you, huh?"
"Somehow," Jessie rolled her eyes. "Believe me, it baffles us too. A twerp possessing a way with words is still a twerp."
She nodded. "Such a kid."
"In any case," James said. "It worked. And things have been going… surprisingly well, sudden rainstorms notwithstanding. Have we earned the right to be privy to your own tales, now?"
"Eh, I suppose so. I'm not really feeling any ominous vibes coming offa you lot," She grinned. "What about you, Fraxure?"
The pokémon chattered at her, his tone jovial. She affectionately ran a hand over the top of his head, smiling. "Looks like you're alright for now!"
They leaned forward, in unison, excited to hear what was going on in their time apart, and grateful that they'd managed to more or less earn the fierce dragoness' trust.
"You can't be a dragon master if you stay in the same place for too long," Iris started. "And I'd already made Unova my playground. So I hit up some other regions before eventually landing here. I've heard talk of some pretty incredible dragon types living here, and even Kalos native ones I've never seen before!"
"Dat's definitely true," Meowth added. "We've had more'dn a few run-ins with some angry dragons around these parts."
"Well! I've had nothing but fun," She smirked. "I went to Professor Sycamore's lab and got to meet his garchomp—what a sweetie! So affectionate and calm!"
The quartet shared knowing gazes, looking to each other and back to Iris. They were going to have to make a note to stop by again on their way out and offer their condolences to that pokémon in particular. The thought hadn't even crossed their minds…
"And the professor's aide—what was his name…? Alain…?"
Their eyes widened. "Alain's there?! How's he doing?"
"He had stories for me," She looked lost in her memories, for a moment. "About his charizard. It's so funny, when I first saw a charizard, Ash was the one showing me his… and he totally put me in my place, letting me know if it looks like a dragon, and talks like a dragon, it's… still not always going to be a dragon. I was so ticked at the time, that he knew more than me!"
"Twerpette, don't even sweat it…" Jessie told her. "You ever been to Alola? They have a dragon type there that's just a giant palm tree."
There were stars in her eyes. "That's so ridiculous. I love it."
"Anyways," James said. "Alain's charizard?"
"Yeah! He told me about mega-evolution. Said he used to have a stone that could transform his charizard into a dragon type! I mean, how cool is that?!"
"We're well-acquainted wit' dat one! We watched him beat da Kalos League with it! Heck, it even blasted us off once."
"Why am I not surprised?" Iris grinned. "Lemme guess the scene. You guys in your dumb balloon. Facing Ash and Alain, who have miraculously crossed paths because of course they have, and you've got a pikachu in hand that's looking more tired than scared."
"Okay, foist of all, my face is on dat balloon, and if we're bein' honest I resent it bein' called dumb—"
"Spot on, though," James affirmed. "It was one of our worse blast-offs. Those two made the Kalos League finals, you know."
"No way. Ash did?" She laughed. "I feel like I've said that sentence a good ten times in the last hour."
"So… did Alain show you his charizard?"
"Well… that's the thing," She pulled her knees to her chest, the glow of the fire suddenly illuminating her. "He said he gave up his mega stones. Switched them out for new ones. He still had his charizard, obviously—it was his most treasured partner. But it's mega forme was… different, now. I wanted to ask why, but something in his eyes told me I shouldn't have pressed him."
"Hm…" James mumbled, hand resting on his chin. "I have a guess or two."
"Kid's experienced a lot," Meowth said. "He went t'rough da whole 'evil organization I'm apart of just fell apart in fronta my eyes an' now I don't know where ta go from here' gig long before we did. An' he's so much younger…"
"You know, in retrospect, I guess we've grown a little fond of the edgy twerp," Jessie added. "We really do need to visit him before we head out."
"I see…" Iris said, deep in thought. "That totally makes sense though… I still remember what he said when he showed me his charizard's new forme."
"Yeah?"
"Charizard erupted in this rainbow flash of light, and that's when I felt it… the sun got so much warmer, like it was shining only on us," She explained. "And when I asked him why he changed stones, he told me it was because… 'Life is better in the sun… where it's warm, and we're free to grow strong on our own.'"
The sentence hung there on the air, and Iris saw something enter the expressions of the faces opposite to her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was notably calming. She felt at ease.
"Do you think that's what he meant?" The girl inquired. "Learning to be a better person?"
"No doubt…" Meowth said, voice almost otherworldly in its wisdom.
"Even though I didn't get to see the dragon type charizard, I couldn't help but feel grateful to have spent time with Alain anyways," Iris told them. "And then after that, I made my way into the mountains, where I lived among a whole flock of noivern, for a while… I felt really at home with them!"
"Don't doubt it," Jessie smirked. "Your pigtails match their ears."
"Hey!" She shoved her. "That's a compliment, I'll have you know!"
"And I never said it wasn't!"
"Well, anyways. Right now I'm on the road again, trying to pull bits and pieces of lore together that I've heard about a really strong dragon type."
"Really," James inquired. "What kind of strong dragon type?"
"Stronger than pretty much any other in Kalos," Iris explained. "I haven't gotten the chance to learn much about it, other than it's a really powerful dragon, and that it supposedly protects the order of this land."
"Hold da phone!" Meowth interjected, voicing the groups thoughts. "We know dat one!"
"Really?!"
"Yeah! It's right around here!" He beamed. "We're barely any time away at all on foot, let alone in da balloon! We could take ya to see it!"
"That was so easy…!" She was absolutely glowing. "...Wait. That was too easy. This better not be a trick."
They four of them practically fell backwards.
"No, seriously! We got up t' our typical deeds over in da wetlands near here a long time ago. There's a dragon dere dat fits the bill poifectly!"
"It'd do us some good to stop by," Jessie added. "We have pokémon to apologize to, there. And taking you there could be some of our apology to you, perhaps?"
"Artfully convenient? Yes. But like you were saying, we're really no match for you in our current state," James said. "If not escort you, we can at least point you in the right direction?"
"Hmm," She mused. "How's about… I'll tell you in the morning. Once this rain has cleared up. Deal?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Meowth affirmed.
Grateful for her generosity in letting them stay, they made themselves comfortable adjacent from the makeshift bed they'd crashed earlier. As rain continued to drown out the world around them, they fell back into repose, eager to hear more of what Iris had to say, eager to help her along on their own.
It was a strange feeling—still surprising, to them—the idea of being excited to give someone a hand, rather than to take. But it surely wasn't unwelcome.
The sun was high in the sky when they made it to the wetlands—the rain having cleared and the earth soaking into their soles. Iris was hardly prepared for the terrain, and she thanked her lucky stars that—of all the things to be grateful for—she ran into her former enemies. Without their transportation, she knew she would've had to traverse the inconvenient routes for much longer than she probably would've liked. They'd taken the balloon most of the way and elected to leave it on some elevated ground nearby, so as not to lose track of it or wind up with it literally stuck in the mud.
Fraxure, perhaps hoping to prove his endurance, had started the small trek toward even higher ground on his feet, but had given up quickly and was now hitching a piggy-back ride on his trainer. Despite the mischievous nature that had suddenly come when he evolved, he managed to still be a bit of a baby at heart. Iris hardly seemed to mind, the desire in her heart greatly outweighing the minor discomfort of the journey.
The former Rockets weren't lost, per se, but they were going solely on memory of how to get to the cabin where their target resided. Thankfully, finding higher ground wasn't proving to be too difficult. With one last push up a particularly tall hill, the group dragged themselves to freedom, the single tree on top of the incline giving them respite from the sun and the haze and the humidity that seeped into their lungs. They felt it wash away as they breathed in the shade.
"What are those…?
Iris's question dropped the trio's eyes to the bottom of the hill, where a gathering of floette and flabebe were gently swaying on the nearly stilled winds. Without letting them answer, she excitedly skidded down the hill, and Fraxure followed, just a little bit more hesitantly.
"Wait up!" Jessie shouted, and the rest of the group came dashing behind the young dragon trainer, willing their feet not to trip over themselves down the steeper terrain.
Iris halted easily at the bottom, her momentum rolling around her like waves. It was a hard contrast to the former Rockets, who went skidding to a stop, slamming into each other's backs, barely avoiding falling over faces-first into the mud and typha.
"I've never seen those pokémon before!" She said, as if she hadn't just performed a professional marathon down a hill with complete ease. "Are they grass types?"
"No, actually," James corrected. "If I recall correctly, they're pure fairy types."
"What's a fairy type…? That's not real… is it…?"
Meowth stared at her, agape. "Ya mean you been in Kalos all this time 'n' ya never hoid of a fairy type?!"
"Don't get me wrong, Kalos has cool pokémon! But I've mostly just been getting to know the dragon types."
"Oh man," Meowth laughed. "Jimmy, tell her."
"Jessie, you tell her."
"Tell me what?!" Iris whipped her head around to face them, annoyed at the secrecy. She hardly noticed the claws gently grazing the fabric stuck to her leg.
"These things? These cute, tiny, precious darlings?" Her expression darkened. "Dragon killers."
The young girl froze, peering into Jessie. "What do you mean…?"
"For the longest time, it was a universally accepted truth that dragons could only be felled properly by ice, and other dragons," James explained. "But then, fairy types started popping up. Mostly in Kalos. And it threw the type chart into complete chaos."
"You mean…?"
"Yeah," Meowth affirmed. "Fairy types are majorly effective against dragons in battle. It threw everyone for a loop."
Iris looked to them, then to the fluttering of pokémon, then back to them, her eyes and mouth opened and unchanging. It was a good thirty seconds before she said a word.
"THOSE things?!" She questioned. "They're so small! How? What—?!"
"I feel like I'm witnessing a truly life-changing moment, here," Jessie observed. "I'm honoured to be a part of this."
Iris stayed staring, trying to take the information in. It was then that she was hit with vague waves of heavy emotion, snapping her out of the aporetic trance. Suddenly, she became very aware of a small pain near her feet.
Fraxure was beside her, his claws trembling and affixed to her leg. She'd been so caught up in the spectacle, she didn't notice that he was frightened from the beginning. Any disbelief she had washed away the second she saw his face—fearing the unknown and suddenly unsure of his abilities.
Iris wanted to lean down, to caress her partner, to speak calmly and kindly and let him know that these pokémon wouldn't hurt them so long as they didn't provoke anything. Before she could do anything, however, a looming presence began to tower over the lot of them. Iris' eyes made their way downwards, almost mechanically so, and when she registered the shadow painted on the ground below, her stomach sank for reasons she could not comprehend.
There was no reason for her to fear what she could not see. But Fraxure was still shaking, and his fear bled into her tenfold. She desperately gathered up every ounce of courage that she had and stuttered her head around to face what had come upon them.
She didn't recognize the elegant terror of a pokémon in the slightest, but she didn't need to. Her escorts were there, their words aghast in their wisdom.
"That's…"
"Florges!"
"Oh, man."
There was no time to think about what Iris wanted to do. Florges ignored the girl entirely, her sights set on the former Rockets.
With an ear-piercing cry, the pokémon began to glow with a burning rose-coloured light, it's brilliance positively blinding, challenging the sun itself. Iris nearly cursed under her breath—the idiots weren't doing anything! They were sitting there, paralyzed in fear, clinging to each other like a helpless group of children.
Not that I'm much better, The thought assaulted her. Ugh, fine!
She broke free of Fraxure, who uttered his name in worried dismay. Channeling all her strength into her next move, the dragoness leapt across the divide, ramming into the trio at full force and knocking them clean over. It was then that Florges fired off her attack, searing beams of moonlight cascading across the wetlands and scarring blackened trails into its previously murky waters.
She and her escorts went tumbling out of the blast radius, unharmed, and had little time to celebrate their spared lives. Fraxure had run right after his trainer, and she could hear him agonizing for her as she blinked her eyes open. Caked in mud and fully soaked, she saw the florges advancing towards all of them, unconcerned with anything that wasn't taking out the people she was lying weakly on top of.
They pulled themselves up with relative ease given the circumstances, and to Iris' surprise, immediately lowered themselves, again. Their hands in front of them, their heads bowed, their knees bent into the soft earth—Iris couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was as if they cared nothing for their lives. This pokémon wasn't going to hold back, they needed to run—
Words failed the former Rockets. They hoped, at the heart of things, that actions could speak better. Under the surface, all of them shared a core belief in that moment—if this is a blast-off, we'll take it as atonement.
The sickly pink light returned, enveloping all that it touched. Iris jumped to her knees, her arms outstretched and shielding the others, hoping to every god she knew that Florges would take mercy on her, a stranger to whatever happened in these lands all those years ago. Instead, the pokémon paid Iris no mind, her goals clear and the anger in her heart all-encompassing.
The girl wanted to step forward. Wanted to defend. Wanted to fight back with her team. But despite all the friends she had, despite some diversity in her team, she could not escape the throes of her empathy. Fraxure's fear was her fear, his uncertainty her own. If he wasn't confident, if he wasn't brave, she had twice as many hurdles to overcome. The ability to love vastly and completely was both a blessing and a curse. No matter how much she wanted to become his strength, her body would not move.
It felt blazing, now—the light all around them. If you asked Iris how she thought she would go, she probably never would have told you 'hanging out with old enemies, moonblasted into the sky.' Life, however, is full of surprises.
The girl shut her eyes, arms shaking, legs glued to the ground. The moonlight was warm, growing warmer, warmer—
Iris heard the explosion, the impact. She felt nothing but a pang of something unidentifiable as it struck her spirit. Her heart sank and her eyes snapped open, wondering what had spared her. She couldn't make out the silhouette in front of her—towering and lavender and glistening with moisture despite the burning air all around them—but thankfully, pokémon had a habit of introducing themselves unintentionally.
"Goo-DRA!" It roared, in a voice that sounded like it wasn't meant for such an action. Despite this fact, the florges opposite to it seemed to falter, her previously steadfast demeanour falling from her stance.
Florges' response was frenzied, manic, desperate. As if she was begging for something. Goodra's was far more composed, its voice authoritative, but calm. As if it simultaneously sought to protect both her, and the humans she had set her heart on ruining. The flabebe and floette hung on the breeze, chattering nervously, watching.
Iris turned swiftly around and gripped at Meowth's shoulder. "Hey, master negotiator! You still in there? What's going on?"
Still looking dazed, he shook the shock from his spinning head, focusing.
"Uh, well—" He stuttered. "Florges is askin': 'How can you stand dere an' protect dese guys, when dey pitted us together all those years ago? When dey nearly tore dese lands apart with their wicked deeds?'"
"You weren't kidding! Geez!" Iris flinched. "And the… other one?"
"Goodra… Goodra's sayin' dere's no use in fightin' you, twoipette, 'cause you didn't do anyt'ing wrong. And Florges is mad, she's sayin' dat it doesn't matter, cause if you're wit' us, den you're an enemy too."
The larger pokémon stomped its foot, then, shouting its name with conviction.
"It says… 'Stand down. If dere is injustice in dese wetlands, I alone will deal wit' it. An' should I need help, I promise I will not hesitate to call upon you.'"
Iris felt powerless in the face of the argument, and it completely tore at her. She simply watched as Goodra continued to stand its ground, its tone constantly fluctuating between firm and sympathetic, lilting. There was a pregnant pause, suddenly, the absence of sound in the air absolutely chilling Iris and the former Rockets to their cores.
Florges' eyes moved away from Goodra, and she made a noise of bitter resignation. Motions looking heavy, she turned and began to float away.
The fairy disappeared onto the horizon. No human in the vicinity felt safe moving until they saw her silhouette disappear. When she was surely gone, Goodra slowly shifted its body around, expression rigid as it sized Iris up. She sensed the pokémon was going to say something, but the former Rockets behind her spoke before it could.
"That's it," Jessie noted. "That pokémon. Goodra is the dragon type we took you here to see. It lives here in the wetlands and keeps the peace after we… uh… after we did what we used to do."
Iris stared at them, expression slightly awed. "This… this is a dragon?"
"One of the strongest in Kalos," James said. "It used to travel with the twerp. He caught it when it was just a tot, completely unevolved."
They could've predicted what she was about to say when she swiveled around at a breakneck pace to face them, but never how loud and flabbergasted her tone actually ended up being.
"I'm sorry. Ash? Ash Ketchum? We're talking about the same Ash, right? He caught, tamed, and evolved fully one of the strongest dragon types in the entire Kalos region?" She kept on. "The same Ash who I once witnessed choke on air for a solid ten seconds because he was talking about pokémon with too much enthusiasm?! The Ash who once described a flock of pidove as 'good fluffy boys'?! That Ash?!"
"Yeah, twoip really cleaned his act up in Kalos…"
Iris turned back around. Goodra seemed to have softened a little at the mention of its trainer, but she could see that it still carried suspicion in its heart. She reached out—hoping to touch a hand to its face, to connect with it better—but it pulled away, defensive. Iris saw this, lowered her arm, and took a step back.
"Hi, Goodra," She said, voice soft, inviting. "My name is Iris. This is my partner, Fraxure. I used to travel with your trainer, a long long time ago."
It tilted its head, curious. "Googoodra…?"
"Yeah!" She made some vague hand motions, imitating the aforementioned. "Immature, messy hair. Always wearing a dorky hat. Ends up going on five-minute long tangents about his dreams even when no one asks? Ash and I go way back."
A sparkle entered the dragon's eyes, and most of the apprehension that was previously there seemed to vanish. The trio behind Iris watched, mystified at her as she spoke.
"You're probably wondering why I'm with Team Rocket, huh?" She said. "I go way back with them, too. I've witnessed firsthand the terrible things they've done to people like you and your friends here. I need you to believe me when I say those people are not the people I stand beside."
"Dra…?" The pokémon inquired, and Iris understood what it meant.
"The truth is, they've been working hard to make up for the bad things they've done," Iris explained. "I didn't believe it at first either! But they took me all the way out here to see you because they knew I wanted to meet more dragon types. And they were on their way out here even before then, because they wanted to come apologize to you and everyone they hurt."
Goodra's eyes grew larger, and it peered into Iris.
"You don't have to forgive them, I'm sure," She turned to them, and they nodded towards her and Goodra in affirmation. "But that's why they're here. Not to hurt anyone. And I'm here because… because I heard some amazing things about you."
Carefully, she stepped forward again, raising her hand slowly. This time, Goodra did not flinch. It let her bring her hand, calloused and worn but somehow comforting as could be, to its face. Her instinct was almost to recoil at the texture of the pokémon—slimy and viscous and so different from the sturdy feeling of scales and fire she was used to—but instead she focused inward. Her touch washing over it, Goodra leaned its head down to meet hers, and when she closed her eyes, it soon followed.
Iris willed her heart to become one with its. No words were spoken. She was at the doors to Goodra's spirit, and they were tightly shackled with thick, heavy chains. She did not dare rattle them, did not dare disturb them where they resided. One by one, in her patience, she watched them slowly unlock and fall to the floor. She pushed the doors open and stepped inside.
These visions were never something of clarity, to her. But she learned to understand patterns in them, over time. For instance, the occasional red flash—where everything drained of colour—told her that these were demons Goodra still struggled with, at times. She saw the pokémon there, a minuscule lump of goo, eyes thankful but tainted with fear. Felt how that fear paralyzed it, how all it took was the sight of a single dapple of pink fur to send the small dragon reeling back into its memories, where it could not escape back to the present. And Ash. Iris saw Ash, smile bright as ever, heart never faltering. In Goodra's memories, the boy was enveloped in a light that was warm like a fire on a winter's night. Rapturous, and positively brilliant.
The snapshots of the pokémon's life started in colour and faded to an angry crimson. When Ash stepped into them, the colours quietly made their way back one by one.
Iris shut the door on the way out, careful to reposition all the locks before leaving. When she felt she had done a sufficient job, she bowed in reverence, and walked away. Her eyes opened, slowly.
Goodra pulled its face away from hers, gently, a string of moisture forming in the separation between them. Iris met eyes with it, her voice more calm than anything Goodra had ever heard in its life.
"Good child…" She cooed. "Gosh, you've hurt so much for one so young, huh?"
From behind her, the former Rockets whispered, voices hushed and awed.
"What a transformation…"
"That's the same kid who was loudly chiding us a mere day ago?!"
"Ya definitely gotta hand it to her. She's got a heck of a heart."
Iris didn't hear them, paid no mind, her hands still trailing across Goodra's face. "You were scared of fairy types, too, huh? I don't blame you! I only just met some for the first time and they kinda give me the creeps…"
The pokémon uttered a bit in response. She nodded sweetly.
"It was still very brave of you to stand up for me like that," Iris smiled. "Thank you so much for your courage."
Goodra was completely soft now, the tension in its stance gone, the hint of a smile forming on its face clear as day. Iris pulled her hand away, and the all-encompassing serenity within her began to subside. She was suddenly very aware of the slime and mire and overall poor state of her clothes, and she shuddered with an unflattering noise.
Shaking the discomfort, she spoke again.
"Team Rocket!" She called to them. "You guys okay back there? Sorry if I blinked out for a second, there."
"We're fine." James affirmed.
"Speak for yourself," Jessie shoved him lightly. "My hair is ruined."
"My toe beans are wet…" Meowth wailed, scrambling onto James' shoulder.
Iris rolled her eyes, and turned back around.
"Goodra, I know you might not trust me still after all you've been through. But I honestly just came here to get to know you!" She watched the pokémon blush, slightly, and carried on. "Would you mind showing me what your life is like here? Your friends, your favourite places? If not, I understand that, too."
Having mingled their souls for that brief moment, Goodra had no hesitation in its answer. It immediately raised its arms up excitedly, babbling its name and eager to introduce its world to her own.
"Really?" She beamed. "Thank you!"
A breeze kicked up, passing across her cheek and reminding her with a shiver that she was absolutely covered in mess from head to toe. She let out a pained laugh, frozen there.
"Frax?" Her partner inquired.
"...but first, pitstop back to the balloon. We should probably change clothes."
The former Rockets let out a collective sigh of relief.
It was late afternoon when it happened.
They'd definitely been enjoying themselves. Despite Goodra's continuing distrust of the trio, it knew genuinely that if anything went down, the combination between it and Iris would be more than enough to take them on.
The dragon had shown them the warden's house, introduced them to Quagsire, watched intently as they did their bows and apologies, offering themselves up for any manual labour that could be done. The warden definitely had some for them, and as they got to it, Iris and Goodra had continued to wander and see the sights. The language barrier wasn't too much of a problem, when it came to dragon types. Iris adored that about them.
The group had reunited, after a few hours, and presently they were perched atop one of the various cliffs that sheltered the wetlands within their walls. They'd been chatting idly, waiting for the sunset to dye the sky and give them the ok to set up a camp and view the stars, untainted by the city lights.
Their peaceful morale was shattered at the sound—panicked shrieking, not one voice but many. It was one of the more eerie things the group had ever heard, collectively, and rather than let it startle them, they sat there with the ominous feeling it brought bleeding into their bones.
Goodra shot up, and the rest of them soon followed, anxiety gripping their hearts as they walked towards the untethered noise. In the soon darkening horizon, they made out the shape of a mass caught constantly in motion, hovering several feet off the ground, approaching rapidly. As it neared, Fraxure took an involuntary step back, and that compared with the sight of flower petals blurring into focus led Iris to the conclusion of what the object was.
It wasn't until Goodra broke into a run towards it that they were able to see it clearly. Likely the same masses of fairy type pokémon from earlier, and on top of them—Florges, the blue crown of petals around her looking wilted and her expression painted with agony.
The fey were near inconsolable as they twittered to Goodra, tears in their eyes and worry falling hard off the sound of their names. Iris could feel entirely the indescribable amount of pain the dragon was in as it gently picked up Florges, its heart heavy with concern. Meowth was at Goodra's side, facing the hysterical mob, his words exasperated.
"Listen, I need ya to speak slower! And one at a time!" He instructed. "No one can understand what you're sayin', and we can't help if ya don't!"
A single floette stepped forward, her composure there, but with glaring cracks littered across it. She spoke urgently, her arms thrown into motion, her flower swung around like a weapon.
Goodra was receptive, nodding, pushing away the anguish gripping it as it listened. Meowth turned to the humans, quickly digesting the important details and working out how to phrasing them correctly.
"She says dat Florges was on her way back home when dey was ambushed by an angry scollipede," He relayed. "An' it came for da floette, but Florges protected her an' took da attack full force."
"That's not regular poisoning," Jessie cursed. "That's a toxic attack. This could be bad."
Iris bit her lip. "What can we do? There's not a pecha plant for miles. Who knows if we'd even find one if we went looking?"
"What about the spring?" James inquired. "Isn't it capable of healing pretty much anything?"
Goodra shook its head, expression heavy as it spoke.
"Goodra says we're too far from da spring for it to be safe," Meowth translated. "Not ta mention it'll be dark before we get there. Even in da balloon, it'd be too risky."
"Risking it is still better than just lying around hoping Florges makes it through!" Iris declared, rising to her feet. "What better option is there other than to try?"
Jessie had been oddly quiet the entire time they were wildly brainstorming, her eyes surveying the damage on the pokémon with unbreakable focus. Before the hysteria could reach its peak from around her, she turned to her comrades, expression staunch as she cut through their panic.
"James, get me your pocket database."
"Uh," He responded, but didn't question it. "Yeah, sure."
It was a device they'd kept on them for quite a few years. A small, electronic notebook full of information on flora and fauna around them, if one was looking for the technical definition. If one was short on time, "bootleg Pokédex" would do just fine. Meowth had taken it upon himself to acquire one, much to the chagrin of James, who was perfectly comfortable lugging around pounds upon pounds of flashcards constantly.
Jessie was flitting through it intently, brow furrowed in concentration, clearly looking for something. James noted, quietly, that to say technology was not her forte would be a severe understatement. It seemed that when the going got tough, however, she was able to turn herself into the ultimate jack of all trades. She navigated the menus and submenus with an ease he'd never seen in her before.
"Ah-ha!" She interjected. "Look."
She brandished the notebook, where a multitude of photographs littered the page, rich with information. It was a plant, stuck in some vertical stone, with bell-shaped petals that glowed a luminous pink in the moonlight.
"See these? They're called nightcress," Jessie explained. "They grow on cliffsides like the one we're on right now, and they're ridiculously easy to spot in the dark because they glow. They can be used as an anti-venom in a pinch, effective enough that we'll be able to keep the little sprout alive long enough to get to the spring."
"How did you…" Iris marveled at her.
"Not important, I'll tell you all about how brilliant and talented I am when there aren't lives on the line," She responded, and then turned to Goodra. "Have you seen this around? Is there any nearby that you could take us to?"
The pokémon seemed hesitant, its previously confident eyes now downcast, but it eventually nodded.
"If cliffsides need to be scaled, leave it to me!" Iris boasted, grinning. "That's my element!"
"One of us can stay here, someone should probably keep an eye on Florges—"
Before James could finish the thought, the pokémon in question roared past her pain, voice dripping bitter resent and arms struggling to bring herself up. Her words were barely coherent, but the anger in her eyes was apparent to everyone there.
"Translation?"
"She's ticked."
"Yeah, I got that, genius!" Jessie told Meowth. "But why?"
"Ain't it obvious?" He said. "She doesn't wanna be left alone wit' us! Ya really expect her to hang around some people who sat by manipulatin' her while her family was in da same kinda peril?"
"Well we can't just leave her here," James noted. "Even if she's fine suffering rather than risking being looked after in the hands of enemies, I'm not fine with that."
An uncomfortable silence fell over them, punctuated by the slowly sinking sun into the mouth of the world's edge. They stared into their predicament—the helpless, vengeful pokémon as it laid there in pain—agonizing over what solutions there were. The sound of claws on grass broke them from the trance, their eyes traveling downwards.
"Fra~xure!" The pokémon said, fists balled and chest broad.
His stance was strong, but his tiny legs were shaking, and Iris crouched down to meet his eyes.
"You wanna stay?"
"Frax." He affirmed.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "I can tell you still don't feel a hundred percent confident around fairies. Can you handle it?"
She could easily see he was nervous, and willing every part of himself to be brave. He nodded, refusing to back down, eyes fierce despite the underlying uncertainty. Iris knew she had to have faith in her friends—in her pokémon—but there was a part of her that knew she would never forgive herself if he suffered any lasting damage just because she wasn't diligent enough in protecting him.
A splash of light against the fading dusk around them brought Wobbuffet to life, interrupting their internal monologues, as he was often known to. He enthusiastically introduced himself, a contrast against the intensity of the situation. His trainer turned to him.
"What, you?"
"Wobba!"
"...wait. That's actually a good idea."
Jessie kneeled down besides Florges, whose eyes were bleary and dilated as they moved up to hers. Had the fairy not been so weak, Jessie was certain she would've gotten a swift attack to the face. She let her words come out firm, certain, and hopefully—hard not to put faith in.
"Wobbuffet is one of us," She noted. "But he can't attack you unless you attack him first. Understand? He's literally incapable of taking advantage of you in any way."
From beside her, the patient pokémon saluted. Fraxure stepped closer to him, feeling much more confident not going it alone. The combination was ideal—Fraxure had some semblance of trustworthiness in him, if Goodra approved of him. Wobbuffet was not only a pacifist, but a willing and eager shield of protection.
Whether or not Florges was happy about the arrangement was debatable, as her expression was equal parts scorn and misery, but she definitely wasn't foaming at the mouth and teeth bared, anymore. Taking it as a good sign, Jessie rose to her feet, nodding at the rest of the group.
Iris looked to Goodra, and Goodra looked to Florges. It spoke a few sentiments of comfort, expression soft and accommodating. Meowth didn't need to translate—they all understood what the sentiment was.
"Take care of her, Fraxure," Iris told him. "You too, Wobbuffet."
Fraxure smacked the scales on his brandished chest with a balled fist, confident. Wobbuffet saluted, expression same as always.
She wasn't exactly in the best hands. But they certainly were hands.
The cliffside that bore the nightcress wasn't far from the one they'd been resting on—the tree they'd been sitting under previously was still a speck on the horizon—but it was steep. Not even the slightest hint of an incline within it.
They'd had to go on foot in order for Goodra to direct them, and right about now they were regretting it more than ever—it would have been so easy to lower the balloon and yank it off the cliff. Iris, on the other hand, didn't waste any time regretting, let alone thinking. She saw the lustrous flora like a badge of honour against the drab grey stone and practically backflipped off the edge of the earth, movements agile and hands working alongside nothing but the rugged feeling of nature.
"Twerpette!" James shouted after her, worried. "Be careful!"
"I'm fine!" She grinned, slowly lowering herself. "I do this all the time!"
Goodra loomed at the top of the cliff with the others, nervously watching her as she worked. Thankfully for Iris, it wasn't too pristine of a cliff. There were plenty of rocks jutting out that she could easily get a hold of, and she had definitely encountered more difficult terrain in her lifetime.
The girl had the plant in her sights, now, but the distance of the closest rock to it still meant she was going to have to stretch to her limits in order to reach it. Eyes lit with perseverance, she angled her body and extended her arm as far as she possibly could, her muscles nearly screaming at her to stop as she contorted. Her hands grasped air, and air, and air, and she closed her eyes, pushing further…
"Almost… almost…"
Iris' fingertips grazed green, and she immediately yanked, pulling the nightcress out of the rocks where it was nestled, and reveling completely in the feeling of relief as it came over her. She smiled up at Goodra and the former Rockets, waving her catch excitedly in the night air as she called up to them.
"I got it, you guys!"
From above her, the group cheered, happy to see the success so swiftly.
"Alright, getcha butt back up here!" Meowth beamed. "We got work ta do!"
"On it!"
She steadied her grip, wriggling around as she attempted to shove the plant into her pocket. When it was safely secured, Iris pushed her feet forward and made a motion to grab the next rock in line, feeling confident in her abilities. She reached her hand up, the top of the cliff seeming mere inches away, and gripped the outcropping with all she could muster.
It made contact with her hand, where it sat for a moment, before promptly crumbling into nothing.
Quick as Iris' reflexes were, there was nothing for her there. The cliff's steepness made it impossible to grapple to another raise, and there were no loose vines, nothing but her and the air and the deep chasm she was bound for. She pawed blindly at the pokéballs in her pocket in that split second, her hands running over their energies, desperate to find her dragonite's—with each passing second she grew more and more convinced that this was it, this was it—
The sudden lack of gravity hit Iris full force, so hard she nearly winded herself. She was no longer falling. Her eyes shot open, and she hadn't even realized she had closed them. There was a discomfort up her whole arm, but as she looked up to the source of it she told herself she would take the feeling a thousand times if it meant never having to feel the impact of the ground.
James had dove after her, both his hands wrapped tightly around her free arm. Jessie had come after him, halfway off the cliff herself. Meowth was last, of course, his strength only making the smallest difference, but still giving it his all.
"Don't you dare, twerpette!" Jessie shouted through gritted teeth.
"We had a rule in Team Rocket and we have it still!" James added.
"Eit'er we all survive," Meowth said. "Or none of us do!"
Goodra stood a distance from them, seemingly stuck in place. Its eyes were transfixed on the struggling trio, its expression unreadable. After a moment, as if being snapped out of a trance, it shook the awe from its face and stumbled over quickly, arms tugging at Jessie's waist.
The added strength was enough despite the dragon's slippery grip—with one final shove, the entire group was pulled up the cliffside, their bodies piling on top of each other roughly and uncomfortably. They all stayed there, for a moment, the urgency of their circumstances momentarily pushed from their heads. Iris was the first to roll herself over, checking her pockets to make sure everything and everyone was still accounted for. James soon followed, much more gracefully. Jessie stayed where she was.
"Get off!" Meowth cried. "Yer crushin me ta death!"
She rolled over, adrenaline slowly pouring out of her, movements more fluid and tired. Iris laughed, and thanked them for saving her, and took their scoldings to be more careful next time with surprising grace. Then, she beckoned them forward, back to where the pokémon in trouble was.
Goodra's eyes stayed on the former Rockets as it walked them back, a distant galaxy inside them silently exploding.
It was hours later, in the spring, and the crew of humans and pokémon were awoken by the sound of Florges' name. They gradually blinked their eyes back open to see her there, making her way over to Goodra. She was on her feet—or, rather, as on your feet as you can be when your primary method of transportation is floating—looking a lot better as she curled up tenderly besides the dragon, not bothered at all by slime in her petals. The group was eased to see her, for once, and they fell back into dreams.
When they opened their eyes again, it was nearly noon, and Goodra was at the mouth of the cave, watching nature as it breathed alongside Iris, Fraxure, and Florges. They began their morning routines, with Jessie practically leaping out of bed and the boys lethargically following behind her, before deciding it was time for them to set off.
Iris had elected to walk them back to the balloon, at the very least—she was worried about their reputation amongst any pokémon who didn't know of their reformation. She stood there with them as they were about to make their trek back, listening intently to what they had to say.
Jessie was leaning down to meet Florges' eyes now, and Iris found it curious that she was the one initiating. Of all the Rockets, the redhead had definitely seemed the least unlike her old self—same old typical egomaniac villainess with a temper—but every once in a while, the storming waters parted and something grossly unseen revealed itself to the world.
"Florges, listen," She started, and Florges did not turn away. "What we did to you and Floette long ago is unforgivable. What we did to everyone here, really."
The pokémon stared at her, eyes unmoving, ears open.
"Humans are selfish beings," Jessie continued. "Capable of cataclysmic mistakes. Life-altering ones. Mistakes that oftentimes are undeserving of forgiveness.
"Despite these truths… some sentimental humans will still offer their apologies up, gaining nothing from it, in the hopes that it might help guide their victims to serenity."
The pokémon's eyes widened. Jessie could feel Florges' gaze on her heart.
"Humans are selfish beings, capable of incredible mistakes, and I'm sorry we had to be the humans that made you aware of this all those years ago," She finally said. "We all are."
Florges' gaze was not necessarily one of forgiveness—but intensity, gratitude, and understanding.
The four of them bowed—to her, then to Goodra, offering it many similar words—and set off, their hearts feeling full at the smile that the dragon wore as it waved from behind them. Whether or not anyone in the wetlands had forgiven them was up in the air; but it was also irrelevant. The reformed Rockets had done what they could, they had put their skills to work, they had helped someone they previously wronged. It wasn't a failure, so by definition, it was a victory. That was simply the quartet's way.
From beside them, Iris noted this, her hands behind her head as she walked, her smile serene.
"I guess you were genuine, Team Rocket," She said. "You really are trying, huh? Guess I'll have to try twice as hard, then!"
"Just try 'n' keep up, twoipette." Meowth grinned, elbowing her playfully.
"You're on!"
"In any case," James interrupted the friendly fire. "Thanks for giving us a chance. Knowing you, we were pretty sure we were going to leave that cave in a blast of neon fire."
"Eh, risks are what make life fun," Iris told him. "And you guys helped me out a lot, so I don't regret it. But y'know..."
Jessie looked to her, curious. "Hm?"
"Goodra wasn't the dragon type I was initially talking about."
The four beside her nearly fell flat on their faces at the statement. Iris almost flinched at the collective noise of awed confusion they made, her eyes wide and her hands raised in defense and hoping she hadn't ruined their uplifted mood.
"What do you mean?!"
"Why didn't you say something?!"
"What ot'er dragon types even fit dat bill?!"
"Wobbu~wobbuffet?!"
She laughed nervously, eyes closed now, trying to reassure them.
"You guys seemed so excited! I didn't know how to bring it up! And by the time we'd gotten here, you'd already gone so out of your way, and—"
Iris paused, composed herself, and pressed on.
"The dragon I was looking for was strong like Goodra. And it definitely maintained order like Goodra. So I understand why you mighta went to it in your heads first!" She explained, and their expressions softened to curiosity. "But this one had no trainer, certainly not Ash. It was virtually untamed. The closest thing it had to a trainer was a single human friend.
"That friend, she was a little girl… even younger than I was, when I started my training! And somehow, fate brought her into the hands of this massive beast.
"They became very close, and later on when the dragon ended up on a rampage that tore through the city, and threatened to swallow the whole world… the girl calmed it. With nothing but love and a voice that dared to pierce through the fear… she called out to the pokémon and healed its pain. She saved the world with her kindness and understanding for this single dragon in its most raw and terrifying form."
The former Rockets shared shaken, knowing glances, their jaws hanging wide open as Iris continued.
"I haven't ever seen what it looks like myself," She said. "I just know it's massive, and a brilliant green, and snake-like, with scales that kinda seem to… blink in and out of existence. No one ever really seems able to describe it."
They'd had enough. They spoke loudly, in unison, and unrestrained.
"SQUI—?!" A pause, then a re-do. "ZYGARDE?!"
"Zygarde…" Iris repeated. "Is that its name?"
"Kid," Meowth started. "We know dat one, too."
"You what?!" Iris marveled. "Okay, now I know you guys are messing with me!"
"Take into account our circumstances!" James reasoned. "Has half as much strangeness happened to you this year, or last year, than the year that you were traveling with the twerp?"
"...Oh man, no—"
"There's something about that boy, I swear," He continued. "He just attracts wild adventure to him like cutiefly to honey."
"It's annoying," Jessie added. "Sometimes I want my life to be a little relaxing, believe it or not."
"Wow…" Iris said, ignoring her. "You've seen Zygarde… what was it like?"
"I'll do you one better," Jessie informed. "Stop back by Sycamore's lab when you get the chance, understand? Ask if he knows where Malva is. Or if he knows anyone who has the tapes from the Great Kalos Crisis. I don't know if they're on lockdown."
"Tapes… tapes?!" She beamed. "Are you saying there's video of Zygarde? Are you saying that I might get to see it in action?!"
"Provided you know the right people, yes," Jessie grinned. "Try not to fall too in love with the beautiful newscaster relaying the information, though. I hear she isn't on T.V. nearly as much as she should be."
Meowth rolled his eyes. James' were half-lidded, a smile painted on him, humouring the statement.
"Were you guys… there in the crisis?"
"Up close and personal," James said. "We more or less saw everything."
"So the girl who traveled with Zygarde… did you…?"
"Oh yeah, we knew dat one," Meowth immediately answered. "Long before she ever met da t'ing. Feisty little blonde, dat kid. Waaaay too much spunk in her tiny body. Her brot'ers' da geeky twerp runnin' Lumiose's gym. If we see her around on dis humble pilgrimage, we can let her know yer lookin' for her."
Iris' head spun. She couldn't believe how much more information she suddenly had, and she worried she wouldn't remember it all. Dark as Team Rocket's path was, they certainly picked the right person to follow around—the scope of their lives seemed ridiculously lush with experiences.
"Guess I'm heading to Lumiose after this!" She cheered. "Ugh, I hate trying to navigate that city, I feel like everyone's looking at me knowing I'm a tourist, and the cabs are so expensive—! But if anything's worth it, it's Zygarde...!"
"Best of luck." James told her, extending a hand.
"Thanks!" She said, shaking it. "Seriously, I know we got off to a rough start, but I'm leaving here with a world of direction, and before I had none! I can't wait to see what else is out there."
"Least we could do after all we put you and ya friends t'rough," Meowth nodded, arms crossed. "Take care, awright?"
She smiled, and laughed quietly in affirmation, before waving wholeheartedly and setting back off to camp. As she disappeared into the horizon, all of them could see her wings—brilliant and decorated in scales and growing stronger every day.
They ascended over the marsh's surface, air clear and skies blue and hearts feeling light with the promise of tomorrow, drifting across the lands that had been their home for the last handful of hours. It was strange, but every single one of them knew they would miss the unremarkable wetlands as they passed them by.
"Y'know," Jessie said, breaking a comfortable silence. "Lemondrop and dragon twerpette are actually way too similar in personality. Do you think they'd even get along in the first place?"
"Who knows?" James responded. "Let's hope the answer is yes, for the world's sake."
"Lest we perish in da fires of an unholy collision between opposite dragon rage."
Meowth said it with a paw raised, eyes closed, dramatic air; and the group dissolved into laughter after a beat. All of them were imagining the spectacle, no doubt.
The wind felt divine as it reached down and brushed their faces, offering them solace from the burning sun above. Smiles unwavering, they thanked it for its service in carrying them onward towards their next adventure.
A/N: ...woo! I felt kinda apprehensive about this, but I really wanted to give Iris the Kalos cameo she never got. It was petty and maybe just a little bit racist to give her the shaft when every other pokegirl got their day in the sun. So I knew that as soon as I had the opportunity I was gonna try.
That being said, I hope I characterized her okay! I was very nervous about getting that right. Pokeani has so many spunky female leads, I really worry about them all bleeding together... I'm nervous that Bonnie and Dawn in particular will just feel the same as how I wrote Iris, here ^^;; I even watched an episode of BW dubbed to get her mannerisms down-which is saying something, cause I dislike BW and I /really/ dislike the dub :P
Nevertheless, I'm proud of how this chapter ended up, and I hope you guys are too! Thanks a ton to all my followers on tumblr who listened to me complain about how I'm trying to write but I keep getting distracted by Magikarp Jump. Thanks a super ton to Ven as always for beta'ing this for me. You're the Frost to my Lynch.
Most of all, thank you, readers! Wouldn't have the confidence to do this without ya.
As always, I will continue to do my best!