Prologue: Season's Greetings

Oh, hey there. How's it going? I don't really know how I let myself get talked into volunteering for narration since I'm not really much of a storyteller... But since you're here and you're listening to me, I guess I can tell you one about a family I knew while growing up.

Alright, so this family lived in a detached home on the fringes of Icirrus City and weren't all that special… literally named the 'Doe' family, at that. It's admittedly a bit hard to decide where to begin my story about them, though I suppose the Christmas morning the kids got their first Pokémon is as good a moment as any.

I remember the snow was a little heavy that year and the weather was a bit cloudy. That's Icirrus City for you—if anything, it was the faintest grace that the Sun was visible at all at that time of year.

The tree was in the corner of the living room, decorated with tinsel and ornaments, with only a handful of presents left underneath it that the Does' clutch hadn't already gotten to. By the side was a window that faced northwards, where if you looked through it that day, you might have been able to see windmills and Dragonspiral Tower frosted with snow in the distance.

Anyways, the Doe family's made up of a husband and wife, along with three kids between them: John, Jane, and James. A bit bigger than the families we hear of in stories these days, because reality, like children, tends to be disorderly.

James was the younger son, around five or six years old at the time and had just started kindergarten a few months before. He had simple tastes back then which were easy for his parents to satisfy, which they did that year with a toy truck that he took a shine to the moment he got it out of its wrapping.

"Vroom! Vroom! No mountain's a match for these tires!"

John was the elder brother, and eldest child of the three. He wore glasses much like his father back then, and was in his last year of grade school. He had a bit of a habit of snarking and quipping at the time, and it didn't take a break for holidays. Christmas was no exception, which John proved by throwing in some unsolicited commentary as he rooted around for a final gift under the tree.

"Right, James," he scoffed. "So when should we expect that toy of yours to get across Twist Mountain?"

Snugly between the two in age was Jane, the Does' daughter. She took after John's sardonic tendencies a bit, since I distinctly remember her looking up from a music player after John's commentary and chiming in herself.

"Well, your gift can't be that good if it was just buried under the tree like that!"

Yeah, sibling rivalry can be like that. Normally, this sort of arguing between the Doe kids would continue on until the three got bored and opted to focus on other things. But that day, their normal banter was cut short after John pulled a small red-and-white ball from under the tree, which had been wrapped with a blue bow for the occasion.

"Whoa! Mom! Dad! You got me a starter?!"

There's been some debate in recent years as to how fitting it is to present a partnering Pokémon as a gift. Something about it objectifying the Pokémon and cheapening the bond between it and its trainer. I personally don't really see the connection given that Pokémon that don't like their trainers have a tendency to vote with their feet, but that's a talk none of the Doe kids or their parents were thinking about that day. Instead, Jane and James were more worried about being left out. Which if you've ever been around kids, tends to lead to lots of loud complaining.

"What?! Moooom!" Jane whined. "John's not old enough to have a Pokémon!"

Yeah, John got the honors of opening up that ball. It was just a run-of-the mill Pokéball, but hey, with that ribbon and polished surface, it would have been kinda hard for anyone not to get excited. I remember Mr. Doe really seemed to get a kick out of the occasion. But, being the ever-responsible type as a parent, he was quick to cut in and make a few clarifications to his children.

"Heh heh... You're right, he's not," Mr. Doe said. "But... it's not strictly his gift. It's someone your mother and I got to be a friend you could all share with one another and practice training a Pokémon with."

Just like that, John's beaming grin melted right off his face, and was replaced by a sour expression that looked a bit like he'd swallowed a Nomel Berry whole.

"Aw, come on, I can take care of it on my own!" he protested. "What's another year, anyways?"

Those three would wonder for years why their parents would insist on them taking care of a Pokémon together. Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Doe's made that decision because of some sort of legal thing about kids and Pokémon that I'm not aware of, but given how red-hot Jane and James' jealousy got in the thirty seconds or so before their dad explained they were sharing a Pokémon together, it was probably for the best. After all, nothing ruins a Christmas like heated bickering, and after Mr. Doe revealed their new companion would be shared Jane's worries turned towards topics like who their new companion would be.

"... So what sort of Pokémon did you get us?"

And James, being the rambunctious little scamp he was back then, really let his imagination get ahead of himself. He had stars in his eyes, as fantasies of going around with a Pokémon that would've made Champion Alder blush as his new friend swirled in his little head.

"Is it a Haxorus?" he asked. "Oh! Oh! Maybe it's a Volcarona!"

Mrs. Doe got a little worried by her little one's fantasizing. I doubt she really expected her husband got them the likes of a Champion's signature Pokémon to practice training with... but letting expectations run wild like that would've spoiled the present. After all, their new partner was supposed to be a Pokémon that wasn't that out of the ordinary, at least not for people from this town. Which Mr. Doe was quick to remind his children of.

"Not exactly," the father said. "I chose a Pokémon a bit more related to home to be your first Pokémon."

You see, kids in other places in Unova sometimes get a Lillipup or a Purrloin for Christmas or for their birthdays. Well, in Icirrus, people following local traditions would often give Pokémon that live around the ancient ruins in the north called 'Dragonspiral Tower' instead. There's some fascinating folklore about them supposedly being guardians of sleeping gods and watching over the lands around, including all of Icirrus City.

Not that the Doe kids likely had any of that ancient history on their mind right then and there. Instead, they were focused on figuring out what sort of Pokémon they'd be training. And as it happened, their father already had a Pokémon of his own he'd received in similar fashion as a child himself: a purple weasel about John's height, who was resting and playing around with his wispy fur next to the tree with a knowing smile.

"So you got us a Mienfoo to be friends with Duke, then?" John asked.

To be fair on the kid, a Mienfoo wasn't all that bad of a guess. They're warm and fuzzy, they're hardy in the winter, and they aren't particularly big or hard to feed and care for. Such traits make them fairly common first Pokémon for growing up around Icirrus even among less traditionally-minded folk. But Mr. Doe had other plans when picking out a Pokémon for his children, as he gave an impish smile back and pushed his glasses up against his brow.

"Well, I actually considered it… but no, I didn't get you a Mienfoo," he said. "But I've given you enough of a hint. I think that you'll appreciate your new friend more if you see what kind of Pokémon she is for yourself."

In retrospect, that probably wasn't the smartest thing for Mr. Doe to say that in front of his wife. After all, she fully expected that her husband was going to give the kids a Mienfoo, and after he flatly said he'd gotten them something else... well…

"... Dear?" Mrs. Doe asked. "If you didn't get the kids a Mienfoo, what did you get them?"

It made her ever so slightly antsy that maybe he'd done something foolish and gotten his children that Haxorus or Volcarona after all. The Doe kids had plenty of questions of their own after their father's revelation, but they weren't anything like the ones on their mother's mind. And they were all quickly sidelined in favor of more blunt ways of satiating their curiosity.

"Come on, John!" James insisted. "Open it already!"

"Alright! Alright!"

James hastily undid the bow around the Pokéball before aiming it at the center of the living room carpet and tapping the release button. The Doe children watched as a red light shot out and a form that was much bigger than any of the three had expected filled in. Much to their and Mrs. Doe's surprise, when the light settled and the Pokémon inside fully emerged from the ball, they saw that rather than some Deerling or Pidove, she was a blue-winged hunchback of dragon with a red, crested head and a gold ribbon about her neck.

"Gon..."

Now being drug out in the middle of winter takes a lot out of a Pokémon that needs warmth like a Dragon-type, so the new member of the Doe family was understandably drowsy. The dragon yawned and shuffled off for the tree, where she stretched out and started to curl up under it. All the while, the Doe children looked on in quiet awe, before their excitement proved too much to handle, and from oldest to youngest, they made their feelings known.

"Awesome! All my friends will be jealous when they find out we got a Druddigon as our first Pokémon!"

"Aww! She's so cute curling up like that!"

"Thanks for the Christmas present, dad!"

The Druddigon blinked and raised her head at the youngsters' racket, giving a low grumble over their loud, excited chatter that was depriving her of rest. The Mienshao shuffled up, and after giving a playful wave, spoke a greeting to her that was answered by a tired growl. Satisfied that the new family member had made a suitably positive impression, Mr. Doe turned back to his children with a wry smile.

"Well, I was going to put her right under the tree with that ribbon," he said. "But I decided that keeping her in her Pokéball for a little while would be more of a surprise for you."

The children excitedly cheered and voiced their approval of their father's presentation, musing about how well it worked. All the while, Mrs. Doe had had a deepening scowl cross her face, as she was far from enthused about suddenly having a large, carnivorous reptile added to their family's ranks.

"Dear, I thought you were going to get them something easy to care for like a Deerling!"

Now Mrs. Doe's worries weren't totally unfounded. After all, Druddigon are significantly larger than Deerling and eat quite a bit more… have sharper teeth and claws too, not that that ever seemed to be an impediment for starters people fawn over such as Totodile. Normally, a person when confronted about such doubts of their judgement would attempt to argue the merits of their actions, to convince the other side that their misgivings were unfounded…

"Now, now. A Druddigon is easy to care for."

And usually one would back up their argument with far better claims than that simple sentence. Mrs. Doe was wholly unimpressed with her husband's retort, which did little more than to deepen her scowl, and even his Mienshao partner couldn't help but find himself also narrowing his eyes and tilting his head back skeptically.

"... Shao...?"

After sensing his appeal had achieved the complete opposite effect on his wife, Mr. Doe rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and quickly amended his words.

"... For a Dragon-type Pokémon, of course," Mr. Doe said. Mrs. Doe let out an exasperated sigh in reply, before gesturing off at the Druddigon under the tree.

"Dear, she's physically larger than all of the children!" she fumed. "Why on earth would you get them a giant dragon like that as a first Pokémon when you could've just as easily gotten them a Mienfoo?!"

Mr. Doe was a bit chastened by his wife's reply, and after seeing the worried glances his children were giving him over the prospect of being denied their new companion mere minutes after being introduced, he paused and thought to himself. After a moment's hesitation, he opted to try and sway his wife by offering a more serious-minded argument.

"Dear, I already thought of that. Which is why our Druddigon has a smoother hide than many others," he explained. "And exposing the children to a variety of Pokémon is important too! We have a Mienshao already, and even if he's been a good companion, he's hardly the sort of Pokémon children who haven't gotten licensed yet should practice with for training a Pokémon."

Mrs. Doe maintained a flat expression at her husband's reply. Sensing that at the least, he hadn't soured her mood further, Mr. Doe gave a tilt of his head back and closed his eyes with a cheerful smile.

"I wouldn't be trusting the children with her if I didn't think she was good-natured," he insisted. "And Druddigon are practically synonymous with this town. With how dutifully they watch over Dragonspiral Tower, wouldn't you want someone like that looking out for the kids?"

It was at this point that Mrs. Doe realized that there was little that could be done to put the genie back into the bottle. Her children's expectations had been set, and her husband's argument had given them hope as they'd given pleading glances back. She could insist her husband care for the Druddigon and keep them out of her children's reach for a few years, but one way or another, it was a foregone conclusion that the large, blue-and-red lizard's presence would be a new fixture around the house.

"I was under the impression that it was the windmills that were synonymous with Icirrus City, dear," Mrs. Doe grumbled.

Now, one of the things that had run on Mr. Doe's side of the family was a tendency to poke gentle fun at others. He was no exception to his family's pedigree, since his immediate response to his wife's protests was to give a small chuckle in reply and pipe up with a witty retort.

"Oh come now," Mr. Doe insisted. "If the kids went off on a route, would you trust them with a Deerling by their side or with a Druddigon?"

"I'd trust them with neither!" Mrs. Doe snapped, pointing back at the Dragon-type by the tree. "Travelers aren't allowed on Routes on their own without licenses!"

Now Pokémon and humans have always had a tendency for the details of their words and sentiments to be lost in translation from their different tongues. For the Does' Druddigon, she had to parse the parents' disagreement along with the drain of winter tiredness, and her attempts to paw and tug her ribbon off her neck. Which altogether, left her a touch confused and unsure what was going on with the humans about her. Sensing that something might have been amiss, she shuffled out from under the tree and sat up, rubbing her eyes briefly before giving a quizzical tilt of her head back at Mr. and Mrs. Doe.

"Druddi... Gon?"

Mrs. Doe and the Druddigon's eyes met for a moment, as the mother looked into them and saw a hint of puzzled curiosity staring back. Mrs. Doe hesitated briefly, and sensing he had an opening to sway his wife, Mr. Doe leaned in beside her and made an appeal to her marital confidence.

"Don't worry, dear. She was calm enough to not cause trouble after all that racket, wasn't she?" he reassured. "It'll be a learning experience… for everyone."

Mrs. Doe faltered briefly, before sighing and conceding. And so the Doe children's first brush training Pokémon began, with their first real partner being that blue, rough-hided Druddigon they met in front of their tinseled tree and presents.

There was much that awaited them after that day: names to pick, seasonal weather to dodge, early awkwardness from sudden life changes like… Well, we'll get into some of those next time, since those were a saga in and of themselves.