Hello there~ I wanted to do a quick intro to explain a few things before you start reading. My story follows my OC, Kat, and she's our main character. Kat is 25 years old, and is going to be the same age as the Leon, Sonia, and Raihan generation.
I created my own explanations for how Pokémon and our Protagonist are able to communicate telepathically, and I'm not sure how much this aligns accurately with Pokémon lore. Kat's Pokémon team is as follows: "Oracle" is a female Delphox, "Valen" is a shiny female Ninetales, "Brutus" is a male Umbreon, "Bit" is a male Noivern, "Missy" is a female Mismagius, and "Flick" is a male Litwick.
My first chapter has plot to it, but it's mostly an intro chapter to get everyone familiar with the characters and the dynamic between them.
Last but not least, I do not own Pokémon or any of the characters, except for my OC, Kat. I hope you enjoy reading!
"Light it up, Flick."
I send a mental request and images of lit candles along to Flick, hoping he would catch on. He's gotten a little bit better with not setting things on fire that he's not supposed to, but it's not easy house training a Litwick.
Oracle and I discovered him several weeks ago, hiding amongst our altar candles. In the middle of the night, we were worried we might have let a spirit through the veil. Ultimately we had, since he had commandeered a small candle sitting on the kitchen table, and his spirit now resides within it.
We climb down the steps inside and wait patiently as Flick goes about his candle lighting duties, illuminating our small undertree hovel that we now call home.
Hopefully he avoids the dried herbs this time, Oracle sent over our mental bond. Like I said. It's not easy house training a Litwick.
I think he's starting to get the hang of it. At the very least he acknowledges the requests I send him now. I take out the foraged vegetables and mushrooms we collected out of my satchel, while both Oracle and I keep an eye on Flick.
That's what I'm worried about.
Oracle is what I like to call an intellectual Pokémon. As a Delphox, she's inherently a psychic type, which gives her the capacity for advanced thought. Most people wouldn't know since they aren't also psychic like me, but one look into her eyes would tell you there's more to her mind without her being capable of human speech.
Our mental bond snapped right into place when we met. I'm sure it has to do with both of us being able to read willing minds. But another part of me wonders how much it had to do with how our paths crossed each other years ago.
I was a child at the time, when I wandered into the forest behind my family's castle looking for Pokémon friends. A lot of Pokémon communicate telepathically, usually within the same species. And since I was born with telepathic abilities, I was always tapped into what Pokémon were communicating with one another. In a way I grew up in a different world, ending up with more Pokémon friends than human. I was definitely a weird kid.
One day I got lost in the forest until night fall, and I wasn't able to find my way back home. I stumbled upon Oracle healing a Caterpie with a gash in it's side. I hid in the bushes and watched her work her healing magic on the poor little guy. She knew I was there the whole time watching, amused and a bit curious. Once she was done and sent Caterpie on his way, she looked over, met my eyes, and our bond clicked. She could feel I was scared and lost, and asked me where I was from. I told her through our bond, she walked me straight home, I explained to my parents why I was bringing home a Delphox, and the rest is history.
Oracle tied up the herbs by the fireplace. You know what you need to do before he evolves, Kat. She gave me that big sister look with a side eye. She hardly ever uses my name unless she means business.
It's true we would need to do something about him, especially before he evolves into a Chandelure. The stories about Chandelures leading stray souls to their doom makes me uneasy. But not uneasy enough to kick him out of the house just yet, and that's if he ever evolves.
I've never met a Pokemon like Flick before. Usually Pokemon who are more beast minded will communicate with images and feelings. Then you have those that are at speaking level, who speak their own language and are even able to understand human language and communicate it back to me. There are rare cases like Oracle, and then there's Flick.
Our first week or so with him, he had little to say or think about. His mental capacity keeps growing slowly, which is the cause for Oracle's concern. I wanted to chalk it up to him being a ghost type, but he's nothing like our resident Mismagius, Missy.
She picked the name herself.
Oracle and I realized she was following us home one night when our path through the forest kept changing on us. About an hour went by and we found out she had been sending us in circles. We chanted a quick illusion breaking spell and she appeared before us, giggling. She was pretty proud of herself, and has remained pretty mischievous since.
Missy's nature works out well for all of us. She keeps the wandering trainers away from our home, and we set her loose every night so she can get up to as much innocent trouble making that she enjoys. Oracle and I always make sure anyone who is lost in the forest find their way back to the path they need to be on.
As if she could hear me thinking about her, Missy floats in through the wall by the door. Ooh, what's for dinner?
We were thinking a healthy mushroom curry for spooky night, Oracle replied.
Missy immediately lights up and heads over toward the couch, I love spooky night.
I send a smile her way, as I get out our scrying mirror from atop our altar table. Oracle and I use the black obsidian mirror for our witchcraft. That includes anything from foretelling future events which are usually foggy at best, checking on Missy doing her perimeter checks, seeing where our Pokemon family have run off to, to picking up radio waves so we can watch scary movies. All in the name of spooky night.
I set the mirror on the low table in the center of the room, and bring up some psychic energy to show me where Valen might be. It shows me her running through the trees nearby, and I send her some images of the hovel through the bond I have with her.
She sends back feelings of happiness and hunger. Thankfully, Oracle has already started making her curry.
Valen is also an intellectual Pokémon, which is pretty common for a Ninetales. Though through the mirror, it's harder to communicate words and we can almost always just send images and feelings.
I watch her rare white and blue colored fur through the mirror and see that she's hurrying her way back from her running path in the forest.
Is dinner done yet? Brutus walks into the living area from the small bedroom, stretching out his front paws as he fully wakes up from his nap. I feel like most people think of mystery and elusiveness when they think of Umbreons, but Brutus is anything but.
Well maybe if you woke up earlier to help us gather food, dinner would have been ready earlier, Oracle says with a friendly jab.
That would involve me giving up on my beauty sleep, Brutus replies with a lick of his paw.
Lazy and a bit vain, that one.
Brutus, like Missy, is what I classify as a speaking level Pokémon. He can speak to us, but doesn't have the capacity for advanced thought. It doesn't stop him from being sassy.
Knock knock.
I walk over to open the front door as Valen steps through. All that sleeping and no training leaves you soft, Brutus, Valen jokes as she heads straight to him and nudges him with her muzzle.
Why should I train when I can relax? He quips back with a swish of his tail. Valen mentally rolls her eyes at him and they both get settled with Missy on the couch.
I bought a large red half moon couch for all of us soon after we all moved in years ago, minus Flick and Missy. I used some of the large inheritance in the bank account my parents set aside for me, and bought the couch and enough pillows where we could all lounge comfortably.
"Maybe if you wanted to train with me more, we could defeat the 'unbeatable' champion," I say with air quotes as I walk up to the mirror to channel in a, well, channel.
We all know you don't really want that kind of spotlight, Oracle says as she looks over from the cauldron with her big sister look.
I look over at the others on the couch, and they nod in agreement.
"Well maybe I'm tired of watching him win the championship. Every. Single. Year."
That gets a giggle from Missy and a low chuckle from Valen.
Brutus sends me an incredulous feeling, well we've beaten the gym challenge once, I'm sure we can finish the championship.
"We beat the gym challenge as a challenger with a fake name, and that was years ago. We'd have to go through the entire process again," I say back.
Well this time would be a piece of cake. When you decide, then we can start training harder. You know where to find me.
Yeah, at the foot of my bed.
As I'm sifting through radio waves, I feel a little flicker of heat at my neck. I look down at my shoulder and see Flick, completely mesmerized by the mirror. I can't tell if that's a good or a bad thing. "You think that's cool, huh Flick?"
No reply whatsoever.
Missy floats over, come on Flicky. Join us for the movie. She floats him over with her so he can watch from the couch. Missy has taken on a big sister role with him, and maybe she'd be the one to really get through to him if he grows into something more.
All right everyone, the curry is ready! Oracle sounds suspiciously chipper, and the look on her face tells me she's concerned about Flick's interest in the mirror. She makes her way to the couch as well, with six bowls floating behind her.
I want Bit to watch this with us too, chimes Missy.
Brutus audibly groans, he doesn't really fit on the couch.
I don't care, Flick and I can share a bowl.
Valen interjects, he doesn't understand movie plots, Missy.
I look back from the mirror and make eye contact with Missy, and I know she's about to win this one. But he understands love.
I sigh. She's got a wonderful point.
"Alright, alright, fine. It'll be good for him to stretch his wings." I reach over to my poké ball belt hanging by the door for Bit. He's the only one who doesn't mind staying in his poke ball for long periods of time, but I don't like to leave him in there for too long.
I step back, aim in front of the couch, and release him from his ball.
Missy squeals in happiness, as Bit takes in his surroundings, stretches, and gets comfortable on the back of the couch. I can tell from our bond that he's feeling happy and relaxed. Missy wasn't wrong.
Bit is pretty large for a Noivern, so I usually hitch a ride on his back when I'm traveling a long distance. Otherwise, Valen will almost always let me catch a ride with her.
"Alright. I'm starving, so it's time to eat and watch this movie," I say with a smile.
Say less. Valen adds.
I sit in the middle of everyone, soaking in the feeling of being comfortable and at home, a feeling I grew up always yearning for. Oracle sifts through the channels. Brutus is snuggled up next to Valen. Missy is trying to teach Flick how to eat physical food. Bit is perched behind us waiting to see what movie we decide on.
Ooh, a haunting on armor isle is on again. Oracle says.
Everyone audibly groans.
If we left it up to you, we would be watching this every Friday, Valen jokes.
I chuckle, as they laugh and jab at each other like old friends.
Like family.
These are my favorite moments with them, away from the world where we can all just be us.
"I wanna see that new movie that just came out, if we can find it," I say. "Something Ghastly or something at the Inn."
A Ghastly time at the Budew Inn, Valen laughs at me.
"I was close!" I chide back.
That gets another laugh from everyone.
Oracle manages to find it on the airwaves.
As with every good scary movie plot, it starts with a dark and stormy night.
The movie starts off with a young couple getting lost on the road and they stop in a nearby rural town, and inquire about a stay at the Budew Inn. Which we know by the title is probably haunted by ghastlys. The next thing I know, I wake up to the credits rolling. I must have fallen asleep at the beginning.
I look over and I see Oracle fighting sleep, when everyone else had given in.
Flick floats out from behind the mirror, only to stare back into the front of it. I look back to Oracle, he's doing it again.
Oracle yawns and sits up, gently moving Bit's wing out of the way. He's slumped across the back of the couch.
She looks over at Flick and has a moment of recognition, and is fully awake now.
"Come here Flicky," I do my best Missy impression.
Oracle tries to send him images of the cozy couch and a request to join us.
Neither work.
I'm about to get up, gently trying to move Brutus out of my lap when the mirror changes.
The image in the mirror just looks like murky fog at first. As it shifts, I realize I'm looking at passing clouds. A large purple bony Pokémon appears on top of a castle, and starts devouring everything with the power emanating from it. The region of Galar ceases to exist as we know it.
The image changes to the Chairman standing next to a man in a black business suit. They shake hands, and a book passes between them. It then changes to my parents sitting on the ancient throne of Galar. Then an image of a rusted sword and shield laying in a foggy grove, with the 'unbeatable' champion, Leon, standing in front of them. Then the mirror turns back to its icy black glaze.
Flick turns to us, and for the first time in his existence, he giggles.
Oracle looks at me with concern, we need to cast a circle and figure out this prophecy. But first, we need to do something about Flick.
I don't want to send him back, or release him. He's becoming part of our family. I've grown way more attached to him than I intended to, in these last few weeks. And I can't help but think that our Pokémon family, especially Missy, would be very disappointed to have him leave us. I would be very disappointed to have him leave us.
Then we'll think of something, together. We can cast the circle tomorrow at twilight, after your parent's annual banquet. She gets comfortable again.
Dang. I forgot about that insufferable banquet. I hated dressing up.
We need to at least show face so your parents know you're still alive.
Fine. But I don't have to be happy about it.
