Arice tilted her head to the side. "You do have a lot of bandages. They don't look too serious, though. Think positively!" she said with a double thumbs up.

I sighed, and contemplated telling her that I had actually killed a pokemon with a magical item (or whatever it was). I had pieced together that the girl with the pink ribbon had known something about it; she wanted to go to Buzzing Pond, after all. I decided that I would think about the fang later, and focus on the pokemon translator and my two pokemon.

"Hey Arice, I have to thank you for this translator." I noticed she was wearing one too. I put on the translator.

I looked to my two pokemon, and paled as I saw them battling. Like, actually battling.

"Hey! You guys are on the same team!" I yelled, forgetting my temporary happiness.

Grime looked at me, and bounded up to my feet.

"My lord, I apologize."

I did a double take at the deep voice I had just heard. "Did... you just say that, Grime?"

"Trainer, he very mean pokemon." A buzzing sort of voice stated in monotone.

"Wow! I can actually understand you guys!"

"I'll be taking my leave. I'll come back here in half an hour, ok? Bye!" Arice said, running off with her pokemon.

I watched her leave, understanding that Arice wanted me to be alone with my team. She may be annoyingly lucky and always happy, but at least she's understanding.

"My lord, you said you could understand us? So those translators work?" The deep voice said inquisitively. It was Grime.

"Yes! Wow, this is amazing!" I exclaimed, picking up my Poochyena. I was shocked at how warm and comfortable its fur was. I failed to remember why I had previously disliked this species.

"Trainer, he evil. Trainer, listen to me," The buzzing voice stated, again in monotone. It was definitely my starter.

"Poipole, stop fighting. Grime, why do you call me 'My lord'?'"

"Trainer, he evi-"

"My lord, it is becau-"

"Trainer, he evi-"

"because I am-"

"Trainer, h-"

"STOP!" I yelled. My two pokemon instantly shut up. "One at a time, all right!"

Grime immediately made a kicked Growlithe expression.

"Wow, that's some real talent there with that expression. Anyways, I'm sorry for yelling, you two. I just want us all to get along. So, Poipole, why are you mad at... actually, I should give you a nickname first..."

"Trainer, you as indecisive as ever." The buzzing voice montoned.

"Well, there are SO many things to catch up on, okay? It isn't easy. Arceus only knows what I went through after you fainted."

"My lord, he is but an alien pest, too weak to support you," Grime spat.

"Trainer, he evil. See? But I am kind pokemon. I am sorry for letting you down."

I walked to my starter and gave it a smile and a pat on the head. "No, I didn't expect you to win. Your bravery was beyond my belief. I'm happy to have you."

And for the first time in my life, I saw a little bit of emotion creep onto my starter's face; a hint of a smile. It was gone just as quickly as it had arrived, but I knew it had been there.

"My lord, I am deeply apologetic as well. I-"

"Grime, end your useless speech. Let indecisive trainer do things one at time."

"Thanks... I guess." I said, scratching my head. "Well, starter, you will now be known as 'Monotone'. Deal?"

"Heh... Monotone. Serves you right, vile denizen of mutated abodes."

"Trainer, he evil. I accept nickname. It better than Grime, anyways."

My Poochyena barked loudly.

"All right, Grime, your turn," I said, deciding to ignore their quarrelling for the time being. At least they weren't using pokemon moves on each other anymore. "I want us all to be friends. I don't need to be called 'my lord'.

"My lord... I would rather not speak of my past and depress you."

"Trainer, he evil."

"Shut it, you buttless vermin."

"There there. Grime, I will respect your wish. Just please keep in mind I want us all to be friends. And Monotone, Grime is a little harsh with words but he's still your teammate. As the starter, you are the most senior pokemon and you should be a little more mature."

Turns out that was the wrong thing to say. "MY LORD! He is no senior for being caught before me! I am stronger! I will prove it!"

"Trainer, he evil. He weak and too insecure about it."

That seemed to hit a nerve. Grime whimpered and pawed at its face. "My lord, I join you because you say you can make me stronger. Please, help me with this."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised to see a weak side in Grime. So that's why he suddenly stopped wanting to kill me. I was happy that at least one mystery had been solved.

"I will. I hope we can have a lot of fun together."

"Not with Grime around, no."

"Shut it *&^%head!"

"GRIME! No swearing!" I yelled. As soon as I said it, I realized something. Being a pokemon trainer meant being a parent. I would be raising these previously wild pokemon, who were immature beyond belief, into mature powerhouses. I was only 13 years old though; I was still a kid myself.

"If you say so, my lord."

"Thanks," I said, trying to catch my breath. "Now. I want you two to get along."

"Trainer, battles are one pokemon on team a time. There not teamwork."

I looked at Monotone. "There are double battles. Plus, in the wild, you'll need to work together. I hope to do a lot of exploring, so most of our time will be spent there."

"My lord, I will listen to anything you say except befriend a scumbag like this trashy weirdo."

"Grime... oh well, I hope with time you guys can get better at teamwork," I said.

I looked up at the sky to notice many clouds dotting the bright blue sky. It wasn't as hot as the day before, but it was still uncomfortable. The heat and arguments were sapping my energy faster than I would've liked.

"So Grime, could you tell me your moves, gender, ability... that stuff?"

Grime sniffed the air. "I'm a proud female with the ability... the ability Rattled; when I'm hit by bug, dark, or ghost type moves, I get faster. I know Tackle, Howl, and Sand Attack. Powerful, right?"

I smiled. "Yep. I already have some great ideas for your battle style. Focus on swift and decisive action." I turned to Monotone. "You are great for slowly hacking away at opponents. A nice contrast, I would say."

"My lord, may I battle now? I itch to show you my strength."

"Hey!" Arice said, running over to us before I could respond to Grime. "I have all the supplies we need in my backpack!" She had a new blue cap on. It was a few shades darker than her hair. She also had her two pokemon with her.

I noticed her and smiled. "Let's get going!" I turned to look at my pokemon. "You guys ready? You'll get to battle wild pokemon!"

"YES MY LORD!" Grime shouted.

And we were on our way to Petalburg City.

There were only two humans in our group now, but we had four pokemon together. Grime preferred running in wide circles around us, chasing as many wild pokemon as it could to defeat them. As it wasn't yet strong enough, Arice's two pokemon often had to run to the rescue. Monotone stayed right next to me, saying it was ok with being my 'last line of defense'.

"Having more than one pokemon is fun!" Arice exclaimed while we were walking.

I nodded. "But they're so hard to handle, aren't they?"

Arice shook her head as we turned a corner. "It's all part of the experience." She suddenly stopped. "Ah, looks like your Poochyena fainted."

I looked in shock. Several meters away, a Taillow had managed to defeat my pokemon. Arice's Mudkip quickly dispatched it with a few well-aimed Water Guns.

I ran over to my pokemon's fallen body, half on the path, half in the the grass. Arice handed me a revive, and I healed Grime. I thanked Arice and scolded my Poochyena.

"Grime, you stupid weakling," Monotone said with a hint of a snicker.

"My lord, I am terribly sorry for overestimating my skill. I will be more careful next time."

And the day went by just like that. We ate bread and cup noodles, drank plenty of water, peed and pooped in the grass, and had to revive Grime a half-dozen times. At least she had pep, which is something my starter seriously needed.

It was soon night time. Arice and I got in our sleeping bags and said good night to our pokemon as we returned them to their pokeballs.

"That was pretty boring. But I feel accomplished, having managed to survive this long. It's all thanks to you," I said to Arice.

"Aw, it's nothing. So anyways, I wanted to talk to you - alone - about something."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well... you see, there's a pokemon species I would really like to have one of."

"That's it? We can definitely hunt it after we find Ray. What is it?"

I heard Arice's sleeping bag shift on the ground. "I don't know the name. But it's the pokemon that ran me away from the group yesterday."

"Ran me away... oh! Pheromosa. Wait, that's an Ultra Beast!"

Arice laughed. "Really? Still, I want it. You'd help me catch it?"

"Yep. That can be our adventure after Ray."

We settled into silence after that. Our conversation had been a little awkward and random. Plus, I was actually hoping she would forget about the Pheromosa. Those were nearly impossible to catch. They could be found in the wild all around Alola, but they were extremely rare, Beast Balls were super expensive, and they moved so fast that landing a pokeball on it would be next to impossible.

As Arice's breaths evened, I looked up at the moon. It was a perfect circle that night, and shining silver. Which reminded me of the silver-colored fang in my pocket. I didn't want to use it; something that could kill pokemon didn't belong in this universe. I thought about burying it right there, but my paranoia won over. What if some pokemon dug it up or something? And what does that girl with the pink ribbon in her hair have to do with it?

As I continued to contemplate the matter, I slowly fell asleep.

Reek was angry. Very angry. He knew he should have taken one of the trainers hostage, but he hadn't thought of that before. His plan was ruined; he had needed to run away from the powerful girl with the pink ribbon, but not without losing all of the pokemon he had brought with him; all but two of his total team.

He had a family that needed him back in Ultra Megalopolis. A family he couldn't return to until he got back that Poipole.

It isn't over, young boy. Even if I only have two pokemon... Oh crap, wait; That girl has way more pokemon from our world. She has two Naganadel, plus many others! She's more important to capture. Yes... I will first defeat her, then find that young boy and mutilate his corpse for troubling me so. Oh yes...

Chapter 8 MC/age/pokemon changes:

Viewpoint Character's Poipole gets a nickname: 'Monotone'.

Reek is down to just two unknown pokemon now.