Drillbur and Krokorok

Turn, turn, turn, through the dirt and the rocks. He enjoyed the feeling, so much so that he'd tunnel underground without purpose or destination, until he got tired and had to sleep. Then he'd tunnel again. Well, that's what the Drillbur would like to do. But, he had things he had to do, others he was working for. He paid attention to where he was going, eventually coming up in the middle of town.

There was a diner here, one that had the front part of a propeller-driven plane attached to its wall like it had crashed through and just been left there. The people here were nice; they'd even installed a button by the door that made it easier for Pokemon like him to get it open. If he tried to use the handle, his claws might poke holes in the door. He walked in and went over to the counter. There weren't many people in this time of day, so he could tap it to get attention from the staff.

A waitress he was familiar with came over and patted him on the head. "Oh, hello dearie, nice to see you again! Here for the usual?"

The Drillbur nodded. This was a common enough errand that he was recognized here. To pay for it, he offered a nice stone that he'd found while tunneling around the other day.

Taking it, she put it by the register. "Newbie, we need to get a package for the soldier together."

"What soldier?" a cook on duty asked.

"There's this guy out on one of the rocky beaches that thinks the Great War is still going on. This Drillbur comes by to pick up food for him."

As usual this person couldn't believe it at first. "Seriously? It's been years since the war ended."

"Right, but nobody can convince him of that. He still has his weapons and armor, so if we don't help him out, he'll come shooting up town just to get some food. Most of the town agrees, but we can't go up to him directly."

"I guess that works?" the cook said, but he helped out with putting together the package. They made sure to put it in an unmarked back, then set it in the side bag the Drillbur wore. After patting the waitress' arm in thanks, he left the diner and drilled back underground to get back home.

The ground changed, becoming harder. He headed towards the ocean. When he found a comfortable familiar scent, he emerged between a pair of free-standing rocks. This whole beach was scattered with them, giving many places to hide. On top of one of them, a Krokorok stood guard, watching over the beach. She'd been up there all night on watch, since her eyes were adapted to see heat as well as light.

Happy to see his beloved okay, the Drillbur called out and waved his paw at her. She waved back, then jumped off tall stone with a nuzzled her head against his. While it wasn't a long trip, it still took him out of their home territory and they were technically free Pokemon that could be captured. They did have a human they belonged to, just not with Pokeballs that would keep them from being taken away by other Trainers.

Their human was in a small fort he'd built up of stones and dried leaves. He didn't speak much, but he had helped them out when the Krokorok had gotten ill while they were waiting on a group of their eggs to hatch. For that, they would watch over him even if others thought he was crazy. He thanked the Drillbur for getting the food, then told the Krokorok that she should get some sleep. She was a hard worker, sometimes more than was good for her. Agreeing with their human, he patted her side and made sure she went off to sleep.

When she was, he took up her position as guard to make sure the area stayed safe.

The Krokorok usually slept through the morning and early afternoon, spending the rest of the day with her beloved Drillbur. They liked to toss around the smaller rocks, playfully practice battles near the larger ones, and sometimes even just sit to watch the ocean waves come in. As long as they were together, it would be a good day.

That day, he had picked up on someone coming into their territory first, a vibration in the ground that he identified as a car. She jumped to the top of a nearby boulder, then hopped over several to get to a taller one. While good jumping skills were not a skill her kind was known for, there were Pokemon in her bloodline that were. From up there, she could see the car coming their way. It didn't turn at the usual intersection, so she waved down to her partner and indicated he should go intervene. It was safer than letting their human know, since the human tended to use his gun against trespassers.

He gave her a responding wave, then rapidly dug underground to get to the road. He was good enough to be able to emerge at the side of the road well ahead of the car, in order to wave for the car to stop. While they did stop, one old man emerged and spoke with the Drillbur. The human was dressed in a uniform similar their humans', only fancier and in better shape. Her beloved dug back into the ground while the man walked over towards their human's shelter.

Flipping herself off the boulder, the Krokorok considered what to do. She didn't want people to be hurt, but she should bring this to the attention of her human. Maybe the uniform would make the difference. Hoping it did, she went over to fishing in the ocean. "Krokorok," he said in words that weren't like the others on the island. "What's the matter?"

She pointed out towards the road, giving him a hand signal that indicated it was a stranger she didn't know how to respond do. The soldier put up his fishing gear ad headed back towards his fort. Staying outside, he waited until the other human could be seen. The Krokorok waited, thinking it might work out. After all, the human hadn't hurt her beloved.

The Drillbur popped out of the ground, giving a signal that this wasn't something to worry about. The other human called out their human's name, which surprised him. "Admiral? I didn't think someone like yourself would come to me."

"It's something I had to come take care of myself," the admiral said. "We've wondered where you wereall this time. What's your status, soldier?"

He saluted. "Sir, I was assigned this post and told to hold this ground. I lost contact with the rest of my unit and a large number of people have attempted to give me false orders in order to get me to surrender. But I was not trained that way and have held my ground all this time. In the past few years, these two local Pokemon have helped me out greatly to get by, although we can't do more than continue to maintain this post."

"That's fine," the admiral said with a nod. "Your devotion to duty is remarkable, truly unmatched. Even so, the war is over. You are now to return home with me."

Although their human hadn't listened to anyone else, he agreed to this. "Yes sir. It's too bad that we couldn't fully take this island, but I have done my best."

The Krokorok took her human's arm and patted it affectionately. He was odd, but he was a good person at heart. At his other side, the Drillbur clapped his steel claws together in celebration.

"You did well for your circumstances," the admiral said, glancing over at her. "And it is good you've gotten some Pokemon to assist you; they seem to be excellent companions from how they reacted to my arrival. Would you like to bring them back with us?"

"Can that be done?" the solider asked, surprised to hear that. "I would miss them greatly if I had to leave them behind.

The admiral nodded and handed over two Pokeballs for him to use. And with that, they were able to travel to an entirely new place, to see the homeland that their human was so devoted to.

...

Drilbur White entry: It makes its way swiftly through the soil by putting both claws together and rotating at high speed.

Krokorok White entry: The special membrane covering its eyes can sense the heat of objects, so it can see its surroundings even in darkness.