Sebastian Arc: 2

The following weeks were rough. Sebastian was the first pokemon Aria owned that could walk at her side and of course, she wanted to keep him released 24/7. As the leader of a squad of aron, Sebastian was aggressively curious to his new home. Establishing territory was priority #1. Digging holes, wandering into the woods, and marking his status was more important than housekeeping, following the rules, and playing tea party with a human. Roles of trainer and pokemon were reversed. It was not uncommon to watch Sebastian drag Aria across the lawn as she tried to stop him from running away with a metal tool in his mouth. Inside of the house, he devoured pots and pans, made messes, and crushed things under his condensed weight. Once, when Aria went to the second floor and Sebastian wanted to follow, he bulldozed into the stairs in a fit of rage because he was too small and heavy to climb them. Carol lost a year of her life to stress and Samuel's patience came to a knife's edge. Aria recognized the danger and was mortified at the thought of her parents taking her pokemon away. She had to prevent that at all costs.

Disciplining Sebastian was difficult but Aria soon found a way to make it work. When he started wandering, she walked the opposite way as if she had a purpose. Loneliness pulled him after her. He couldn't be a leader without a following. Aria praised him whenever he was well behaved and acted as authoritative as she could when he got into trouble. When Sebastian rebelled and charged, she learned to jump over, dance around, and doge him. Fatigue forced him to surrender. To control Sebastian's energy, Aria put him to work. He pulled large rocks out of the ground and broke them, dug holes to bury the pieces or moved them like primitive chess pawns. He tore out tree stumps and chewed them to mulch. Hikes through the woods became one of his favorite activities. Thrashing wild pokemon into submission was the best exercise. Aria taught him how to control his power and think before he acted, this way he could fight even more opponents. She also couldn't let him kill off the native pokemon population. The only pokemon that proved to be a challenge for Sebastian was the tentacool floating in the backyard water basin. The first day they met, Sebastian looked at Styx. Styx looked at Sebastian, then slapped him across the face with a poisonous tentacle. Sebastian was too rough with Aria for Styx's liking so he took it upon himself to discipline the aron. He threw out water attacks faster than a black jack dealer. Fights ensued between the two and when Sebastian cracked the holding basin while Styx was still in it, Aria intervened. She used their jealous rivalry to her advantage by training the two together. Forcing them to work as a team cooled tempers and added a little love to the hateful relationship. Sebastian tolerated the tentacool's clingy nature and Styx accepted the aron's presence. Peace returned to the Wicket household but disintegrated when Aria started going back to school. . .

"Why can't I take him with me?" Aria cried.

"Because pokemon aren't allowed in school, you know that."

"Then why can't I keep him outside while I'm gone?"

"Because you know how Sebastian is. He has to be supervised and your father and I can't watch him all day."

"But Styx gets to stay out all day while I'm gone!"

"Well Styx can't go anywhere and is a very well behaved pokemon."

"You just don't like Sebastian."

"I never said that."

"You were thinking it!"

"Don't use that tone with me young lady."

"You never liked him! You just want him locked up all day because you hate him!"

Aria ended the argument with a slam of her bedroom door. She threw herself into her bed and hid within a cocoon of blankets. The outburst would result in punishment but she didn't care. Leaving Sebastian in his ball for hours on end while she was at school was cruel and inhumane. Sebastian loved the outdoors too much for that. After a few minutes and a couple of tears, Aria shifted around the blankets to make a fort propped up by her head. She wiped her face and unfastened Sebastian's pokeball. He materialized in front of her underneath the sheet. The bed sunk under his weight and he struggled to gain his footing. A sniffle caught his attention. Sebastian looked up to Aria and saw the glisten of remnant tear stains. His steel confidence twisted. She had been crying again. Sebastian glanced back and forth in the soft light through the sheets. He didn't particularly like being stared at but there was no where he could run with such a soft floor. He had to cope with whatever Aria was scheming. She petted him on the helmet. The way she slid her fingers along the edges made his spine tingle. Aria pulled her hand back and watched Sebastian settle into his sink hole. He found a comfortable spot, tucked in his legs, and laid down. Carol's words echoed in Aria's thoughts. Why wasn't he a well behaved pokemon? Her brow wrinkled.

"Sebastian, do you like it here?" Aria suddenly asked.

She had accused her mother of hating Sebastian. Carol was always yelling at him, sighing in annoyance, and fixing up the damage he had done. But what if it was the other way around? What if Sebastian did not like his new home and that was the reason he misbehaved all the time? He didn't like living on the reservation. He wanted to go home and be free. It would make sense. He used to be the leader of a squad in a resource rich cavern. Why would he trade that for a leash and a collar? Aria tried the best she could to teach him, train him, and make him happy but what if that wasn't good enough? What if she made a mistake by capturing him? Her hand curled into her chest. She blinked several times to try and clear blurry eyes. She remembered the day she caught the little aron and the request she asked of him.

"Sebi," Aria whispered. "Am I still your friend?"

Sebastian slowly opened his eyes and turned to Aria. Her voice was timid, tender, and on the verge of breaking. She smiled but it quivered with tears.

"If you don't like it here, you can just tell me. I can ask my mom to take you back to the mountain."

She spoke quicker now. Her voice trembled with each word.

"Its ok if you want to. I won't stop you. I'll even give you some more candy for the ride. It's just-"

She couldn't wipe up the tears fast enough.

"You don't listen to me sometimes and it gets hard and, and my parents want to take you away and, I-I can't. . . Don't make them take you away, please? Please be a good pokemon. You can tell me what you want and I'll try my best but-please don't go!"

Aria dropped her head. The sheets muffled her sobs. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him. Sebastian was tempted to scoff. He figured that something like this would happen. There was always someone trying to intervene on his territory. Carol and Samuel could not handle a threat to their leadership. Sebastian thought about going back to the mountain. Whinny little aron were better than Aria's parents nagging at him all the time. At least there he could iron head them back into place without criticism. He could be in charge again. He could go back to the mountain . . . that dark peat smelling hole, crowded in a catacomb with subjects, not friends. There would be no more mountain breeze, no more trees waving against a sky that opened up a world he never knew existed. There would only be a hole with a wall and a floor barely large enough to hold a small girl. There would be no more wild pokemon fights or hikes ending with a sunset over the Boulder outcrop. Aria would no longer be able to sneak him scraps from her plate or tell him stories about the time she scraped her knee on a rock. She was practically useless without him. If he was gone, she would probably break her arm or crack her skull. If he was gone, she would spend all day swimming with Styx, laughing and basking in the sun without a care in the world. Styx couldn't protect her like he could, not in that tiny little basin. There would be no more tickles around his chin, no more armor polishing done with the delicacy of a nurse maid, or bursts of laughter that seemed to make the world a little softer. Sebastian slowly opened his eyes and looked to Aria. She was crying again. . . and he would do anything to make it stop. Aria pulled a calm deep breathe from the sheets. Her face was hot and wet with condensation. She sunk into the bed, too tired to work against gravity. Something hard and round bonked against her head. She looked up and came face to face with Sebastian. He had moved closer. His eyes knocked away the clouds of sorrow over her head.

Sebastian didn't want to go back to the mountain, not when he had this one.

Aria smiled. She hugged the iron armor pokemon as tightly as she could. They would make it work. They would be able to stay together forever.

The following morning before school, Aria explained the rules to Sebastian at the bottom of the front porch. While she was at school, he was not allowed to wander, chew, disrupt, or attack anyone or anything. Her parents saw it as a cute effort but prepared to take matters into their own hands. Around thirty minutes after Aria left, Carol went outside to reign in Sebastian with a few tricks she learned over the past few months. She walked out onto the porch and was surprised to find the aron still sitting at the bottom of the step, exactly where Aria had left him. He could have been a lawn ornament by the rigidity of his stance. It was so unusual that Carol went back into the house and poked her head out an hour later. He was still there. Even as the sun began to dip along the trees, Sebastian remained at his post. Carol's heart went out to him. Whatever Aria had said, he took it to heart. All commands were dutifully obeyed. Carol walked down the porch and sat next to him.

"You've been a good pokemon today," she said.

Sebastian gave her a fleeting glance. He was expecting some sort of snarky comment, ploy to get him to do something, or reprimand. His silence instilled guilt in Carol. She had made such a fuss and now he was acting so pathetically adorable it could not be ignored. She held out a pokemon treat.

"Here, a reward for keeping watch."

Sebastian sniffed it, looked Carol over, and took it. She stood up and dusted off her pants.

"Aria's going to come home soon. Do you want to come with me to meet her at the bus stop?"

Normally, she drove down to the bottom of the mountain but she had some free time and could use the exercise. She hoped it would cheer him up and it did. Carol started down the driveway and Sebastian scurried after her. He had to run to keep up but his growing excitement gave him energy. Carol smiled as he raced along at her side. She now understood why Aria enjoyed walking around with him so much. It was like walking next to a miniature tank. At the bottom of the mountain, Carol and Sebastian waited for the bus. It arrived and dropped Aria off on the other side of the street. She lit up in a smile when she saw the welcoming party. Sebastian stamped his feet in place. The ache in his soul finally went away. He would never take Aria for granted again. Carol had never seen either of them so excited. Aria ran over, petted him, and surprised Carol with a grateful hug. The three then made the long trek back up the mountain. The following morning, Carol spotted Sebastian's tiny frame diligently hiking up the road/driveway. He had gone down with Aria, waited for her to get on the bus, and was on the way up. The trip was utterly exhausting for a pokemon his size and build. Between yesterday and today, he had never walked so much in his entire existence. When Carol put a bowl of water and some pokefood next to him at the bottom of the porch, he had never been so happy to see her. Sebastian ate his snack and napped in the shade of the front lawn for the rest of the day. Carol did not have to worry about him running off ever again.

From then on, things were different. Every morning, Sebastian escorted Aria down the mountain to the bus stop, came back, and napped. He would meander around the yard in the day, digging, moving rocks, or using Styx as entertainment. Soon his meandering turned into patrolling. It started around the house and slowly expanded into the woods. He no longer had to be prompted when it was time to drop Aria off for school or pick her up. Despite his rivalry with Styx, Sebastian hung around the pool during the day and shared the tentacool's company. He finally submitted into his role of obedient pokemon and Aria didn't plan on wasting the change of heart. A small tournament being held at school lit a fire underneath the pair. Aria's enthusiasm for battle training blossomed. She talked with the troopers working the reservation about matches, rules, and pokemon attacks. They were happy to fuel her passion but most of Aria and Sebastian's training was done on their own. They practiced moves on wild pokemon, trees, and rocks. To stay physically fit, they performed exercises and drills. One day, while Aria was out testing Sebastian's iron head against a rock, the unexpected happened.

The aron was engulfed in light, shed his old iron armor, and became a lairon.

The moment stunned Aria into silence. She had never seen an evolution before. Sebastian was also a bit disoriented. He had a new body, shape, and weight. It was like being born again. The moment was so thrilling for the two of them that Aria forgot about the school tournament that afternoon. She never had the chance to show off the pokemon she bragged about so often. Aria did not have time to be heartbroken over it. Sebastian's evolution opened up a world of discovery and they quickly realized that evolution was not always a good thing. As a lairon, Sebastian was too heavy to go on the porch or into the house. He could no longer cuddle onto Aria's lap or sleep with her at night. It separated the two and the longing Sebastian had for his trainer grew every night he slept alone. It only fueled his desire to spend every moment he could with Aria and that desire began to manifest itself.

There were times when Aria withdrew Sebastian only to find the iron armor pokemon out and about at her side. He was out of his ball so much that Aria mistook it for forgetfulness. As he grew stronger, Aria realized that he could release himself from his pokeball if given enough motivation. Once, Aria slipped and fell into a ravine during one of their hikes and broke her arm. Her cries of fear and pain were enough for Sebastian to will himself out into the physical world. Another incident happened after a day of magical happiness where everything just seemed to fall into place. Aria withdrew Sebastian after a rousing game of tag. He reappeared seconds later, not quite ready to go in. It did not happen so much that his pokeball was considered broken but it was enough to raise suspicion. The bonds between trainer and pokemon were unexplainable by researchers but there were rare occurrences upon which a love ball was used to capture a pokemon and it resulted in a closer than normal relationship between pokemon and trainer. Sebastian was male, Aria was female and the capture had been directly one on one through consent. Traumatic and emotional experiences right before capturing also facilitated stronger relationships. It didn't help that Sebastian batted away the love ball on the initial capture attempt. It could have inflicted a miniscule amount of damage to the capturing system. All of these things helped explain why Sebastian became so attached to Aria and was able to will himself out of his pokeball through the strength of their bond. Aria and her parents did not give it much thought. After all, it saved her life on occasion.

And so, Aria grew older. Sebastian matured. By the time they were allowed to enter the high school tournament, they blew away the competition in an unbelievable display of cooperation and skill. It earned Aria a fierce reputation and several challenges outside of school. A unique and unmistakably strong bond forged between Aria and Sebastian. They were undefeatable and inseparable. The only thing that could truly test their merit was Fate. And Fate had a funny of way of using pain as a guidepost.