Swablu, Charizard, and Aerodactyl

The winds were strong and steady, carrying him over the grasslands. Cutting through the earth was a wandering stream, searching for its way to the river. The ground below seemed like an ocean of green, with the plants being blown in steady waves by the restless air. While it made smaller Pokemon hide, he was quite fine with that. The only ones who would be out today were the strong ones, like himself. It meant that he would have a better chance at finding a good battle today.

With the winds stirring his flames, Charizard felt confident today. Like he could take on anybody and win. His record supported that feeling; ever since evolving, fewer and fewer Pokemon could match his abilities. When it came to the skies, he was the ruler of his home area. He still wished that someone around here would give him a good fight.

He caught sight of another flying Pokemon coming towards him. Charizard discounted it as a potential battle, though. It was a little blue bodied bird with fluffy white wings, like clouds. A Swablu wouldn't be much of a match. He ignored it.

But that didn't mean that Swablu would ignore him. "Hellooo!" he called, chirping lightly. "Isn't the wind great today? Fast enough to be exciting, but not so fast that it makes it hard to fly."

"It's good enough," Charizard replied indifferently.

Swablu shifted directions to fly alongside him. "Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing of concern to you," he replied, hopefully gruff enough to send the little Pokemon away.

It wasn't enough. "You want to race with me? I'm fast!"

"No." He swished his tail, then sped up his flight.

To his merit, Swablu did keep up. "Do you want to play something else then? It's a fun day, we ought to make it…" his prattle got cut short by a shriek.

Charizard turned his head to see a larger flying Pokemon had dove into Swablu. It was an unfamiliar Pokemon, stone gray with blue under its wings. It had a thick clawed beak, hooked talons, and a wing structure like a Golbat. From the look in its black eyes, it was a predator, trying to catch Swablu. While he didn't care much for Swablu, the stranger seemed like a worthy foe.

So Charizard slowed a bit to let them get ahead, then snapped his jaws at the stranger's legs. It let go of Swablu; the small Pokemon kept screaming and flew about in a panic. However, he was out of the way. "You!" He faced the stranger, his jaw aching as the stranger had tougher skin than expected. "This is my turf. You don't fly here unless I give you permission."

It screeched at him. "You're picking the wrong fight," it said, in a voice that seemed female. "I am descended from the kings of the sky. I am Aerodactyl, and you don't stand a chance against me."

"They couldn't have been very effective kings," he replied to her. "I've never heard of your kind. But everyone around here knows that I, Charizard, am the most powerful Pokemon in the sky here."

"Well everyone where I came from knew that," she retorted, her pride making her angry.

"Then go back to where you came from, or fight me to prove your worth."

"Looks like we're fighting then," Aerodactyl said, then lunged ahead to snap at him with her hefty beak. "I came from a rock in a museum and I'm not going back."

That made no sense whatsoever, so Charizard ignored it. He lashed out with his claw, concentrating energy like steel. As the air currents forced them to move apart to stay aloft, he looked to see what impact it had on her. It didn't seem like much, though. And the predatory look in her eyes, judging if he'd make a good meal or not, was unnerving. He did his best to hide that unease as he circled around to get a clear shot. When he saw an opportunity when she might not turn away, he took a deep breath, then sent a plume of fire at her.

At her cry, he shouted over, "My fire breath can melt anything, and will burn you to a crisp."

Then she laughed. "Not likely," she sneered, then turned and rushed at him. A gray glow appeared around her body. On seeing that, he expected her to ram him, but no. Rocks materialized in her wake, then crashed into him when she passed over his path.

The pain was horrible. Most of his body was covered in tough scales too, but his wings weren't. They had to be flexible so he could fly. Gritting his teeth so that he didn't scream, Charizard crashed toward the ground by the winding stream. He tried to catch some air to soften his landing, but he still skidded several feet.

Aerodactyl made a primal cry in the air. "You don't know true royalty when you see it!" she called out, then circled up into an updraft.

Well he'd found his new rival, Charizard considered with a scowl. He didn't think he could lose so badly anymore, though. After checking over his injured wings, he settled down to rest and recover.

-+-

She had indeed come from a rock in a museum. Humans had brought her to life from a stone. Although she knew that, Aerodactyl couldn't explain it any more than that. What she could explain, though, was that she was not going back to the human habitation. They lived indoors, in artificial caves with small rooms and artificial things.

At first, she had liked the attention. It was all she had known. But then instinct stirred in her heart stronger than it had before, driven on by a battle she'd had against another one of the museum Pokemon. She couldn't fully explain that either, but she knew that she was meant for an open place like this, where she could rule the skies over a land of prey and servants.

Aerodactyl settled in one of the scattered trees and observed the grassland. A few local Pokemon were watching her warily and curiously. They didn't know her, like that foolish Charizard didn't know her. However, they seemed wise enough to know not to mess with her.

Weren't there supposed to be others like her around? She could definitely manage by herself. That Charizard was the only Pokemon to challenge her since she left the human habitation far behind. He wouldn't be a problem.

But as she watched the setting sun turn golden, she wondered if being on her own would be a problem.

-+-

Charizard woke up to an odd sensation; something was brushing over his scales in circular patterns. He bolted upright, getting a small squeal in response. Now that he was fully awake, he realized the he felt strangely damp. He looked down and saw Swablu getting back to his feet. It was the same bird; Charizard recognized the red marks where Aerodactyl's claws had dug into the smaller Pokemon's back. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Oh, you are back awake!" he cried happily. He bobbed his head up and down eagerly. "I am washing you."

This didn't strike him as normal behavior. Then again, he'd never paid much attention to the Swablues before. "Washing me?"

"Oh yes, your scales were quite dim and in need of a good wash and polish. And your bruises needed to be cleaned so they healed well. Pokemon always need to look their best, as you never know if you'll run into an old friend or a new one, or your mother, or someone you may love. Besides, I can't help myself when I see something dirty. You look much nicer now, although I'm not quite done yet." He spoke so eagerly and rapidly that he didn't seem to take a breath in between all his words.

"Why are you washing me?" Charizard asked sternly, sending a puff of smoke out of his nostrils. "I'm the most… I was the most fearsome Pokemon of this land's sky. And you only ran into me today."

"Oh, but you saved my life, Charizard!" He started bobbing again. "That scary gray Pokemon would have killed me, I know. But you distracted it from me enough for me to get away and hide. I can't thank you enough, but I can try. I'll help you get revenge on that beast!"

He snorted. "I doubt you can do that."

"Um, well, I can sing in a really charming way; it puts Pokemon to sleep." Swablu puffed his feathers up to appear bigger. "And I'll be big and powerful too. I hope soon, but I don't know when. I can help you then better. But for now, I'll just wash you and help you look nice. Will that work?"

"I've never needed washing before and I don't need it now."

The small Pokemon looked disappointed, losing his puff and appearing smaller than before. "Oh, is that so? But it's so nice to be clean and good looking. Look at me; I wash myself three times a day and groom my feathers constantly." Swablu held his fluffy wings out, then noticed some smudges from his grooming of Charizard. "Oh, I should go clean this up before it gets to be gunk. But I wasn't done with you yet."

As much as Charizard was annoyed at the unasked for bath, he wasn't completely cold. Seeing Swablu get disappointed like that tugged at his heart. He had been smaller and weaker before. Maybe not quite as hyper… or obsessed with cleanliness. And Swablu wasn't too bad, just too trusting. Besides, some Pokemon had funny ideas about being saved and became overly pushy with their gratitude.

He wouldn't be much good against Aerodactyl, Charizard thought. And the Fire Pokemon wanted to defeat that stranger himself. However, an ally would help when his authority was being challenged.

"Although, I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I let you finish your cleaning," Charizard admitted. "And if that's what you want to do to thank me, fine, go ahead."

Happy again, Swablu gave a cheery whistle. "Of course, I'll do a great job! Let me wash up my wings so I don't go smearing more dirt around." He hopped over to the stream and went right into the water.

Charizard would never be able to bring himself to do that willingly. But every Pokemon had their own way of living. He wondered for a moment what Aerodactyl's way of life was. However, she was now a rival, a strong one at that. Strong rivals made his fires grow stronger. It was better to consider how to approach their next battle.

...

Emerald entry: A Charizard flies about in search of strong opponents. It breathes intense flames that can melt any material. However, it will never torch a weaker opponent.

Sapphire entry: Swablu loves to make things clean. If it spots something dirty, it will wipe and polish it with its cottony wings. If its wings become dirty, this Pokemon finds a stream and showers itself.

Emerald entry: Aerodactyl is a Pokemon from the age of the dinosaurs. It was regenerated from genetic material extracted from amber. It is imagined to have been the king of the skies.

I kind of imagine this as a start to a cheap kids cartoon series, with the two rivals battling it out for control over their lands, and the annoyingly cheerful little sidekick that one (or both) side has. That kind a show has its charms, you know?