A/N: Guess what her nature is.


A Rash Pidgey


"It's hot out."

Leila nodded. They were walking, after all.

"My feet are tired."

She sighed.

"We've been walking a lot."

She wondered if she should just pity him.

"… can I ride on your shoulder?"

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "I was waiting for you to ask that."

Ruairi looked up at her. "Didn't wanna trouble you," he said as she knelt down. "I hoped you'd offer…?"

Leila sighed and picked him up. He scampered up her arm and settled himself over her left shoulder, his tail reaching around to curl around her neck. "It's easier for me if you're blunt about what you want," she chuckled. "No need to beat around the bush."

"Yeah, but…" he sounded forlorn. "We only just got onto Route 2. And I'm tired. And I've never walked around this much in my life! I feel like a wimp."

"Well think about it this way… you'll get stronger," she reached up at began scratching him behind the ears. "And you get to see the world. If you need to, you can always go back in your ball."

He let out a little exhale. "Yeah. I know. But this is exciting. And you know, we'll be going into the forest, so if something comes out, or wild pokémon or… yeah," he ended lamely.

Leila understood the sentiment. He was being protective.

"Well, thank you for staying out here then," she giggled. "Keep me safe, oh great strong Fennekin."

He poked her in the side of the head. "Oh powerful one, fear not, for I will be your guardian on this pilgrimage through the mysterious, magical land of Kalos."

Leila raised both eyebrows at him as she continued walking.

"Did you… just talk like that?"

"I was trying to sound mystical."

She considered it for a moment, then shrugged. "Hmm, not bad."

They would have continued further had a Pidgey not suddenly dived down at them.

Leila yelped and jumped back. Ruairi came with her, apparently frozen in the same shock. Then he launched himself off her shoulder and onto the ground, leaned forward in preparation to attack.

The Pidgey remained airborne, flapping its wings as it gazed imperiously at both of them.

Then it opened its mouth and began chirping at them.

Ruairi's entire position changed from one of combat to one of confusion.

Leila wasn't sure what was happening.

"Um… translation?" she asked the moment the Pidgey stopped.

"She wants to join us," he answered. He sounded confused too.

Leila stared.

"What?"

The Pidgey began trying to talk again.

"Wait wait wait hold up!" Ruairi shouted. The Pidgey shut her beak. "That's my trainer, Leila. Or Lel. I call her that too. Yes, she can understand pokémon, but only if she gets to know them. So no, she didn't understand what you just said. We're just starting out, so we're new at this. You want to learn combat and battle and have a trainer, I get that, and plenty of pokémon do. But are you sure?"

The Pidgey released one emphatic screech.

Ruairi turned around and looked at her. "She says yes."

"I… yeah, sounded like it," Leila said unsurely. "Okay then, uh… and I'm guessing this is purely because I can talk to Ruairi."

The Pidgey shrugged and chirped.

"Pretty much, she said," Ruairi translated.

Leila blinked.

"Okay then," she answered weakly, deciding that she had to go with it. Then she glanced at Ruairi, then back to the Pidgey. "Can I give you a nickname?" The pokémon nodded. "All right. How about… Fi?"

The Pidgey pondered it for a moment, tilting her head back and forth. Then she gave an extra flap with her wings and nodded with a happy caw.

Leila smiled and pulled a pokéball out from her bag. "All right then! Welcome to the team, Fi! I'll let you right back out, I promise, I want to talk to you after it's official."

Fi let out a triumphant cry as she held out the ball. The pokémon flew forward, tapping the button in the center, and in a flash of red light, was drawn in.

The ball wobbled slightly, then beeped.

Leila and Ruairi both released long breaths.

Then she threw the ball back up, and Fi reappeared in another flash of light.

"… okay, so I gotta say I was not expecting this," Leila held up finger, chuckling weakly. The ball returned to her hand, and she tapped it into her bag again. "Pretty sudden."

Fi settled herself into the grass and replied with a series of cries.

"I mean, really though?" Ruairi asked, now fully relaxed and gazing with a puzzled look on his face. "Isn't that kinda rash?"

More cawing. Leila thought she grasped something though.

"Here, take a poképuff," she reached into her bag once more, pulling out the box of puffs. She figured that with Ruairi around, she would need a more permanent container. "You too, Ruairi."

"Oo!"

She passed the puffs around, one to Fi and one to Ruairi. She took one for herself too.

"So, you weren't just waiting around looking for trainers were you, or – wow these are good," Leila practically melted as the poképuff hit her mouth.

"Toldja," Ruairi smirked.

Fi began her bird speak again, clearly proud of something. She pecked at the poképuff happily.

"She used to eat crumbs, or find ones that people threw away. Sometimes she'd steal them," Ruairi related.

Leila frowned, even as she continued chewing on her own. Seriously though, these are amazing. Must be the Mew Heart in me though, loving pokémon food. "You won't have to steal them anymore," she replied. "I'll be getting plenty. Though I'm starting to think I might go broke buying these all the time."

Fi tilted her head. She squawked in question.

"Money. Humans earn it by doing things, and then they buy stuff using it. It's all transferred electronically via trainer cards for trainers though. So… yeah, stealing isn't really something we like."

Fi nodded and spoke again. Mentally, Leila could feel something forming very quickly; that same bond she had with Ruairi, although this one felt very different.

"Oh, we… met yesterday, actually," Ruairi chuckled, clearly replying to Fi. "Even won a battle! Left for the journey this morning! It's pretty fast, if you think about it."

"Yeah, really," Leila smiled. "Professor Sycamore – he's a pokémon researcher in Lumiose City, we're headed there – he wants a bunch of us to do something for him, and go on a pokémon journey in the meantime! It's me and four other kids, we're actually supposed to meet just outside of Santalune Forest."

Fi brightened. She began her speech again, but this time something felt very close, and there was a warmth that made it easier and easier for Leila to reach and hold onto, and then –

" – this route like my own tailfeathers! I can get you there in no time, and those kids – actually, this girl in all pink with two hair tails out of her head, and a boy with a blue top and black hair are just up ahead, they came through a little before you did, are they familiar?"

Leila nodded dumbly, a little shocked at how suddenly the understanding of Fi had come. "Yeah, that… that sounds like Shauna and Calem. Wow that kicked in… super fast. And all at once."

Ruairi stared at her. Fi let out a victorious shriek.

"And now I can talk to you!" she cheered. Her voice, translated to a human speech equivalent in Leila's mind, sounded like a fully mature adult, though young and very enthusiastic. "See, this wasn't a bad decision at all! We'll be great together, I just know it! Teach me to fight, trainer!"

Ruairi still stared at her.

"All at once?!"

"Yeah…" Leila replied, still shocked.

"But, for me, you said it came in like, like gradual spurts!"

"Maybe I'm getting better at it?" she said in a small voice.

"And you had to like, tell me your family history and everything before you could understand me!"

"… so does anyone want more poképuffs?" Leila offered frantically.