Rattata and Glameow

The castle was busy this week, which wasn't so good for Rachel. She scurried along the halls, trying to avoid being seen by the patrolling guards. From under a sidetable, the Rattata watched as yet another pair walked by. Ugh, it had been so hard to find food. But there wasn't much she could do about it. The human king was searching for a bride, and thus many women were staying here for the month.

And they were so rude, Rachel thought. She'd been screamed at, had things thrown at her, and had several Pokemon attack her, seemingly just because she was there. Normally, this was a great place to scavenge food, which is why she remained. But she didn't want to have to run and snatch snacks all the time.

Once the guards were gone, Rachel came back out and began sniffing about. Something smelled good in a room close by: some crackers, sausages, and cheese. But there were also smells of a human and an unfamiliar Pokemon. Maybe if she was careful, she could get some little bit. Especially if something had fallen to the floor.

She came through the doorway and peered around. It was a bedroom, being used by one of the potential brides. Thus, it was quite lavish, decorated with flowers. Rachel started to head for the wardrobe, which had a crawl space she could fit under. But a flash of violet sprang, trapping her under a strong paw.

Squeaking in alarm, she tried to struggle around so she could bite her attacker. "Eek, leave me be! I'm not doing anything wrong."

"You're not where you're supposed to be," the feline Pokemon responded, slowly extending her claws to press against the Rattata's skin. "I don't like others sneaking about my place."

The human then responded, in a gentle scold. She came over, but didn't seem scared. Once she encouraged the feline to let Rachel go, she looked over the smaller Pokemon.

"Hmph," the feline said, sitting back in a proud position. "She's had mercy on you, Rattata, so be grateful."

"R-right, I am," Rachel replied. She looked at the foreign Pokemon with the long corkscrew tail. "What are you?"

She twitched her whiskers. "I am a Glameow, peasant. I'm Miss Glinda, favored Pokemon of the Lady Calahan. So what are you doing here?"

"I came looking for some food," she replied. And as if the human was reading her mind, Lady Calahan soon had a cracker, piece of sausage, and slice of cheese by her. The Rattata curled her tail in delight. "Oh! Thank you, lady. My name's Rachel." Then she started nibbling at the offered food.

"Shouldn't that be Ratchel?" Glinda taunted.

She rolled her eyes. "I know, I've heard that joke a thousand times by now. No, I'm Rachel. That's how it's always been. So are you two here about the king?"

The Glameow nodded once. "Right. And this is very important for my lady, so you'd better not nibble any holes in her clothing or the like."

After swallowing a bit of sausage, Rachel said, "It's important for all of them, I think. Everyone's tense."

"Hmm." Surprisingly, the proud cat's ears tilted down. "That could be bad. My lady has been searching for a husband for some time, ever since her father's house burned down. We cannot rely on her family any more, so if we do not find her someone appropriate to marry, we'll likely end up on the streets."

"That is bad." Rachel nibbled at the cheese, then got an idea. "You know, you've been the first folks nice to me this week. Well, she has at least. Certainly most people wouldn't just give me food."

"You are a common Rattata," Glinda said, holding her nose in the air.

She brushed some food bits off her muzzle. "That may be, but I live in the palace. I observe things in hiding and I know the people here. Including the king."

That got her interest. "Really? Well Pokemon and humans can't understand each other normally, but my lady and I have been together for years. I can communicate things to her. May we ask for your assistance?"

Smiling, Rachel nodded. "Sure, if I get more food every now and then. Did you hear that the king has gone off on a two day hunt?"

Looking annoyed, Glinda raised a paw, showing her claws. "Yes… so very rude of him. I hope that isn't a sign for the future."

Rachel shrugged. "I'm afraid that's how it is. The king loves going on hunts. He's planning on throwing a feast and a ball with what he catches this time. Did you get word that he will be asking for gifts to show what the women can offer him?"

"Right. I just hope he returns the favors to the woman he chooses. We can't afford a wasted gift."

"Well the king admires the tapestries hanging in the halls, and often orders new ones. She may not be able to get an entire tapestry done, but if she does a little sampler of the king at the hunt, he would appreciate that."

"Is that so? At least that's something she likes to do. Getting the idea across, that could be tricky. Stay here, if you will." The Glameow then hopped onto the bed, where Lady Calahan was sitting. Glinda nudged the tin of sewing supplies until the human looked at it thoughtfully. "What does he like to hunt?"

Rachel took a few hops towards then, gripping the last of the cheese. "Dangerous ones, mostly. I believe he was going to look for wild Tauros this time."

"Hmm…" Glinda went to an open book and pawed at the pages. Maybe there was a picture there.

Looking between the Pokemon and the book, the lady got an idea. She laughed happily, then snatched up a red ribbon and came back to Rachel. The Rattata was nervous, but all the young woman did was tie the red ribbon around her tail. It was nice, so Rachel left it on.

Rachel spent the next day around the kitchens, but when the king returned with his hunting party, she came in to see how Lady Calahan's gift fared. However, she couldn't get too close as there were too many people and Pokemon around. She did notice when the king picked out the lady and a few others for some purpose, then sent everyone off. The Rattata quietly trailed Calahan.

They ended up in a wardrobe closet. Glinda the Glameow had settled by the doorway she had her eyes partly closed and was purring contentedly. However, she still noticed the careful rodent Pokemon. "Oh, it's you Rachel."

She smiled. "Hi Glinda. How're things going?"

"Decent enough. The king was pleased with my lady's embroidery and talked for a good length of time with her. Now he's sent a number of our rivals home while asking us to stay for the ball. It seems that he has even offered to give my lady her choice of the dresses here as she has few clothes of her own." Her whiskers twitched. "Now, of course, we have to find one that the king will like."

"Oh yes, that is a problem."

Lady Calahan then came over to Glinda, whistling in a particular manner. She then noticed Rachel, still wearing the red ribbon on her tail. Smiling, she knelt down and patted her back, careful not to get nipped at. Then she offered a piece of rye bread that she had saved.

Squealing happily, Rachel took a large bite of it. After swallowing it, she said, "Wonderful! This is my favorite bread, you know. Your lady is very kind."

"She is a little soft-hearted around small Pokemon," Glinda admitted.

"I can help you with the dress in exchange," Rachel said. "Lots of women fail to get his attention because they try too hard. He's rather a prude, believe it or not, and dislikes low necklines or much skin showing. And he likes women who wear pearls. I'm not sure if it's the type or woman who would wear them or if it's the pearls, but most women he reacts favorably too are wearing them, I notice."

"That helps. Why don't you stick around and help me help her?"

"Sure. I like her." Rachel then scampered up the wooden pole onto the rack where the dresses hung and looked around. Glinda walked by her lady's side and offered comments as Lady Calahan pulled dresses out to try. Thankfully, she didn't seem too drawn to the flashy dresses that would bother the king.

Eventually, they found a dark blue dress that had a chest piece with small pearls sewn into it. Lady Calahan picked that one, then opened her hand up to Rachel. She said something in a soothing tone.

"I believe she appreciates your help," Glinda said. "And she's offers to take you back to our room. I'm not sure about becoming buddies with a common rodent, though I greatly appreciate your insight and helpfulness as well."

Rachel giggled as she hopped onto the lady's hand. "I think you'd like to be my friend more than you say," she countered. "And I don't mind being taken in as a pet. It means better food more often."

The Glameow smirked, but twirled her tail about. "Well if we're going to get food regularly, you'd better hope the king picks my… our lady as his bride."

Although it took another week, in which Rachel offered suggestions and Glinda got the ideas through to the human, Lady Calahan was picked to be the king's bride and soon-to-be queen.

...

Glameow Diamond entry: It claws if displeased and purrs when affectionate. Its fickleness is popular among some.

Rattata Soul Silver entry: Living wherever there is food available, it ceaselessly scavenges for edibles the entire day.