Tatsu never really thought much about the word 'fate.' The old Torkoal had explained it as being a series of developments that were beyond the control of a normal Pokémon. Only the gods had control over everything that lived; they and only they controlled everything. Did that mean the little Axew believed in fate?

Answer: No

If a Caterpie decided to come out of its hole, and a Spearow was flying by, it wouldn't hesitate to go for the kill. For Tatsu, it didn't mean the Caterpie was fated to die; it just decided to come out at the worst possible time.

The Caterpie was just unfortunate. Why would a supposed God like Arceus even waste his time on a Caterpie? Deciding the fate of a bug would be useless for a being who is claimed to be omniscient.

The meaning of fate is just a term to make an individual feel like they have some worth in life. Like destiny, it's an illusion to protect one's sense of self-worth. To give them a purpose that they are still needed in the world. The term fate is in fact just a lie to make us feel better. Though Tatsu knows that to make a lie believable, there always is a certain truth to it.

That is, everything was fated to die.

It didn't matter if the Caterpie was eaten by the Spearow. One way or another, the Spearow would soon also succumb to the same fate. This is the first lesson the older Pokémon teach the younger generation.

It's kill or be killed. Simply put. Survival of the fittest.

The little Axew hated weakness. The weak had no place in the world ruled by the strongest. Tatsu couldn't help but growl at the scene he saw before him. Three days. Three whole goddamn days, his so-called trainer took Tatsu as his Pokémon. It made him sick to his stomach that a human like that even existed. Their first quest had something to do with the silk of a Sewaddle, wanting to know how strong it was.

The spiky haired boy, Went outside of academy city through the woods south from here. It didn't take long to find the leaf covered caterpillar and obtain the Silk it produces, but by some unknown means,

The boy stepped on a paras.

Resulting the paras releasing poison powder. Fortunately it wasn't strong enough. Unfortunately it left him unconscious for a few hours. Leaving Tatsu to take care of the situation. The next day had something to do with finding a lost lillipup.

Having the bright idea of searching in the back alleys of Academy City, while in search of the lost Lillipup, Tatsu tripped, causing one of his tusks to stab a Trubbish. The boy and Tatsu both paled. The spiky-haired boy had suffered a fate worse than death, as Tatsu returned to his Poké Ball. The Shiny Axew had to admit it was partly his fault. In the end, the Lillipup was never lost; the puppy had hidden somewhere near the laundromat to take a nap.

Having heard that, the boy had been smiling even though tears were rolling down his face. The last day was the worst of them all. It made Tatsu almost feel sympathy for his trainer. It was yesterday morning.

A pesky bird found it funny to steal the boy's wallet, taunting him by flying close to his reach, yet far enough not to grab it. It was funny at first, until the boy threw a rock hitting a straight Tauros-eye on its head. The bird known as Murkrow took it very personally. The black crow flew off dropping not only the spiky haired boy's wallet, but also a lewd poké magazine.

Tatsu wondered if there were any cute pokémon breeders. Those beautiful females are what made life worth living. How they would feed you and scratch your chin. How they would let you sleep on their laps. The aura of onee-chans they radiate; it's what truly makes them shine.

Unfortunately, Tatsu would never know this because as soon as the porn magazine landed in his hands, a nearby girl immediately labeled him a pervert. The boy, in turn, tried to defend himself, only to end up in a lewd position with the said girl. As for Tatsu, he had no idea how it happened. All he knew was that anti-skill was nearby. You could already imagine what happened next.

That brought them to where they are now in North Academy City near the mountains. The thing they were searching for was something only the boy knew. Tatsu gave the boy a stinky eye.

"Don't give me that look you stupid reptile! This was the only quest that was available at the moment!"

The boy, Tatsu, still refuses to learn his name. Huffed in a slight Annoyance. It was clear as day they both hated each other's company, making the shiny axew all the more irritated. Who does this human think he is? Who gave him the ability to be so casual? Tatsu wasn't having it. He didn't like that the boy was so casual about everything. Doesn't he know he was weak? He should be in need of a better someone strong, of someone that would protect him. The last couple of days of all the pokemon the human boy had in counters. He didn't catch a single one.

It was that either the boy had faith in Tatsu or was just dumb. Probably the latter. Who would even put his faith on the shiny axew?

A gentle hand was placed on Tatsu's crown, snapping the little axew from his thoughts. Storm blue met those of light coral. Concern met confusion. It took all Tatsu's willpower not to amputate that fucking hand his. The shiny axew did not need anyone's pity.

He's a dragon type for Arceus sake! As a dragon, Tatsu should be strong. No. Tatsu is strong. No matter what anyone said of him. Tatsu isn't just a rare collector just because he looked different from the others. Tatsu isn't the kind of pokemon who will be looked down upon. He'll prove to anyone, how fierce a dragon can be. Tatsu will prove that he isn't weak.


Kamijou felt the last three days draining to say the least. The ridiculous things he had gone through in the past few days made him want to stay at his dorm. Only to find out a day before, through Komoe-sensei's phone call, that he hadn't achieved the minimum amount of tasks to take the weekend off. He just hoped that today might be his lucky day. Kamijou couldn't help but groan. Who was he kidding? This day would surely lead to another disaster. For the last three days, Tatsu hadn't really helped a lot. No, he hadn't helped at all.

On the first day of searching for Silk from a Sewaddle, the little Axew refused to give Kamijou a helping hand. It didn't take long for Kamijou to find one, but it would be a lot faster if he had two. When returning to his dorm room, the little reptile straight up ignored Kamijou for the rest of the day. The only time the Axew would come near him was when Kamijou had to feed it; even then, the Axew would eat in silence. Whenever Kamijou tried to approach the little dragon, it would start to be on its defensive.

For the past three days, the Axew had been growling, biting, and refusing to take orders. Kamijou wasn't the kind of person who liked to boss others around, but the shiny Axew Pokémon was becoming increasingly bothersome; Kamijou began to wonder if he should have accepted Komae-san's offer after all.

The most inconvenient part was that Tatsu just denied being in battle. The times when a wild pokemon approached, the little reptile went into its pokeball in a flash. This left Kamijou with only one option. Running away. Without Tatsu, battling wild pokemon would only result in hospital visits. And with Kamijou's misfortune, his catch rate would be around less than 1%. Nevertheless, Kamijou noticed some important details about his pokemon.

Tatsu grunted Kamijou's hand away from him. He mounted his right leg and disappeared into its pokeball. The boy's shoulders seemed to slump. It looked like Fate really liked screwing with Kamijou. "Hah... Now isn't the time to feel depressed. This Kamijou-san has a job to do." He continued on his way towards the base of the mountain. Today's quest involved berries.

Lum berries, to be more precise. A small, palm-sized fruit that was mostly used for medicine. Lum berries were used in many ways. The juice they provided was one of the bases for creating a potion. Kamijou didn't get most of the explanation, but the Politoed doctor from the Hybrid Poke Hospital in District Seven requested to find some near the foot of Mount Terra. From what Kamijou could remember, the name Terra was given in honor of the Pokémon Terrakion. Legends spoke that the Pokémon from Unova came to the mountain to watch over the weak.

Creating a biome for Ground and Rock-type Pokémon. The legend attracted many visitors, especially hikers, all hoping to see a rare sight of Terrakion. Since hiking caused a disturbance to the local Pokémon, tourists were only allowed to hike halfway up the mountain.

Only experienced trainers were granted permission to hike further. This made Kamijou a little relieved that it wouldn't be too dangerous. Safety procedures like rangers were all over the place. So meeting fully-evolved Pokémon was zero percent. So nothing could really go wrong. Following the mountain trail, the terrain became rockier and harder to hike. Plant life seemed to grow less the more Kamijou went upwards; more rocks appeared. The evening breeze gave him a slight tingly feeling, causing Kamijou to zip up his hoodie. Kamijou wanted to finish this job as fast as he could so that he could go home. Meeting Pokémon at night wasn't in his bucket list.

"!"

A minor movement beneath Kamijou's feet had him on edge. His face went pale. The scene before him looked like something out of a horror movie. A hand emerged from beneath the ground, as if the dead had been resurrected. A wild Geodude appeared, seemingly rising up like some sort of zombie.

Growling at Kamijou, the sturdy rock ball went for the attack, rolling towards Kamijou with sudden speed. Just as it neared him, Kamijou jumped out of the way, barely avoiding being hit. A grimace appeared on his face.

The sudden landing combined with the minor cut didn't make it any more pleasant. Geodude wasn't pleased that he missed his target and rolled even faster. Kamijou, who was ready, dodged in time from the Geodude's next rollout.

For a Pokémon with no legs, it sure was fast. Kamijou wiped the sweat off his brow as he slightly touched the Pokeball containing Tatsu. He hesitated, wondering if the shiny Axew would even be of any help to him. The past few days had felt like Tauros's shit. No way Tatsu would listen.

Having no more time to think, the Geodude changed its strategy. With a swift movement, it launched itself at Kamijou with incredible speed. Kamijou couldn't react in time as the Geodude tackled him. Fully aiming for his gut, Kamijou gasped.

The blow forced the air out of him. Kamijou felt his back ache as he fell with a painful thud. Dropping Tatsu's pokeball in the process. A click sound was made and the Axew was released from its pokeball. The little dragon's eyes grew wide.

Out there, his trainer was being beaten to the pulp by a Geodude. In normal circumstances, Tatsu would probably laugh at the situation. Before the Geodude could go any further with its assault, Tatsu tackled the round rock, putting his full weight behind it. The Geodude only grunted as it faced his new opponent.

Kamijou, seeing an opportunity, pushed the geodude of his stomach. Coughing Hoarsely. "T-Tatsu-san!" The Little dragon ignored his exclamation as it focused his attention towards the wild geodude. Standing between Kamijou and the rock ball, Tatsu took a battle stand, flaring his nostrils. The Geodude stood there, hesitating to see a dragon-type pokemon before him. Kamijou, clutching his stomach, moved to a sitting position. Kamijou's vision had to adjust properly. A rollout to the stomach made him nauseous.

It honestly surprised him To see Tatsu protecting him. Does that mean Tatsu never actually disliked Kamijou? The spiky haired boy took deep breaths. He felt too dizzy to think straight. The shiny axew gave a side glance before focusing his direction back to the wild geodude.

Both Pokemon gave the other a stare down. Geodude kept his gaze on the shiny axew, studying to see any openings. Tatsu snarled. showing his canine teeth. Giving the geodude a clear warning to back off. The living ball of rock gave a light scoff(?).

It took a step forward. Kamijou and Tatsu's bodies tensed. Geodude had enough information. Using his ground pounding arms, geodude made the first move using sand-attack. Sand and dust blocked Tatsu's eyesight making him suffer from temporary blindness. Geodude, wasting no time, bashed the little axew.

Crying a yelp of pain Tatsu stumbled a little, trying to find his footing in the blurry world he was seeing. The sudden attack now came from the back. Pushing Tatsu planting face to the ground. Attack after attack kept coming. Each blow getting more violent. The little axew scratched violently around the air, hoping to hit geodude by some miracle. The situation wasn't looking good for Tatsu, as the Geodude threw another batch of sand into Tatsu's eyes. Light bruises and scratches became noticeable, the longer Geodude was keeping up with the steady assaults. Tatsu was on the defensive. Protecting his small frame as best as he can. Kamijou had to do something. with a hoarse voice he forced his shaky legs to move. Darkness tries to overwhelm his eyes. No is

'Now is not the time to sit on you sorry ass Touma. Do something!'

With a hoarse voice Kamijou spoke his first command praying that Tatsu would finally listen.

"To your left!"

Having heard Kamijou, the axew aimed his claw towards the said direction. Leaving a clean hit on geodude's eye. Recoiling back in pain, Clutches its right eye. Tatsu made his distance. Standing next to Kamijou. The little dragon resumed his stance. Kamijou gave a sigh of relief together with a look of worry.

For one part he was glad that Tatsu finally listened, what made him worry was Tatsu's wounds. Scratches and minor cuts were all over the place. The most noticeable was the large crack on his left tusk. The battle continued as an enraged Geodude fired small bits of stones towards the dragon duo. Seeing the move rock throw coming, both Tatsu and Kamijou, dodge the opposite direction. Kamijou turned white as a sheet. The rocks flew past him by an ich piercing the rubble as a bullet.

The angry ball of rock wasn't finished. He was far from it. Having his sleep disturbed by a human and humiliated by its pet lizards. The geodude was too far gone back off. Forming itself in a ball form the Geodude rolled faster. The target it chose was Tatsu.

Before Kamijou could decide anything. Tatsu acted on his own. Dashing forward, he whipped his Tail with incredible strength. Causing the geodude to fly against a boulder. Ultimately ending the fight as the ball of rock slumber into unconsciousness. Kamijou wasn't sure what happened. The finishing blow axew made sent geodude flying. As if his tail was made out of iron.

Details weren't important for now. Tatsu won, and Kamijou was glad for that. The said tusk pokemon himself landed on his belly. Letting out a tired sigh. His tail twitched as if in pain. the little axes gave a labored breath. Having the adrenaline leave his tiny body. The little wounds on Tatsu's body began to catch up. Kamijou stood next to axew. Skillfully, Kamijou took Tatsu in his hands, Making sure he didn't hurt him.

Tatsu gave a weak protest. Kamijou wouldn't let go though. Using his free hand Kamijou opened his smartphone before clicking his tongue and closing it again. Going back to find the nearest pokecenter would take too long. So his only hope was to find the nearest ranger post. Having newfound determination Kamijou with Tatsu in his hands rushed further up the mountain Terra.


"It's fucking boring out here!"

"Quite your bitching and shut up."

"Can we just go back to our post?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to shut up, Tamaki-san?" she snapped at her fellow companion. Tamaki didn't seem to hear or simply ignored the girl. With hands in his pockets, the young man gave the brunette a bored look.

"But Momo-chan! We-"

"What did I say about calling me by my first name!"

"Fine then, Ozaki." A playful smirk plastered on his face as he poked his finger on her cheek. The fact that she had been paired with this good-for-nothing flirt irritated her to no end; if only she hadn't lost at rock, paper, scissors.

"As I said, we passed this part of the mountain three times already. Can't we just call it quits?"

Ozaki held back a sigh. Doesn't he know about having a good work ethic? Double-checking is a good way to ensure safety. Well, triple-checking in this case. Moving past the boulder, Ozaki didn't bother to answer Tamaki's questions. People like him aren't worth her time.

"Hey Ozaki."

"..."

"Ozaki-chan"

She just had to endure till her shift was over.

"Ozaki-chaaaan.."

Ozaki could than finally enjoy a nice bath….

"Momo-chaaaan!"

"FOR ARCEUS SAKE! WHAT NOW!"

Tamaki let out a loud whistle.

"For someone quite reserved as you, you're sure feisty. Tell me are you into bondage?"

Ozaki was disgusted. Why did boys only think with their dicks? The spiky-haired boy from yesterday was the exact same! Reading porn magazines in public, he had no shame whatsoever. And the positions they somehow managed to land on... The slight pink that made its way to her cheeks. The embarrassing moan she let out made her want to use dig. Hiding herself deep underneath the ground and staying there. Ozaki forgetting that she was alone, made Tamaki's mouth drop.

"W-woah, s-so you really are into bondage are- bleugh!?"

A swift kick in the shin, and Tamaki was clutching in pain. This should shut him up for a while.

"What was that for!" The boy cried.

The brunette only huffed in response folding her arms, looking rather satisfied for the damage she caused.

"It's your own fault for being a pervert. Next time you won't get off with just a kick!"

Tamaki rolled his eyes. Girls are always so overacting for the smallest of reasons. Massaging his shin, Tamaki decided for a safer Topic to discuss.

"Have you heard of what the board of directors have been up to?"

Ozaki raised her eyebrows. She had heard some rumors about the directors communicating with the nominated seven. In other words, the beta testers of the system QOP. Out of a population of 2.3 million, the nominated seven were put in a special category, receiving benefits such as early software updates and exclusive items. Most importantly, they got Pokémon from rare breeding processes. Ozaki had never met one of them personally; she was kind of curious about who they were.

"What about them?" She asked

"Oh curious aren't we?"

"Do you want to be tied to a rock?"

"And here I thought you weren't into bo- ouch! OUCH! WAS JUST KIDDING! YOU'RE TWISTING MY ARMMM!!"

letting go Ozaki placed both hands on her hips, frowning while looking down at the pitiful Tamaki.

"You were saying?"

"Right…. There's a rumor that the board of directors are creating a sort of power up."

"Power up? You mean like Typing gems?"

Tamaki shook his head.

"More like, on the level of mega evolution."

A gimmick? That didn't sound all that surprising since they were talking about Academy City. The regions of Galar had G-Max, while Kalos had something like Mega Evolution. Lastly, Paldea and Alola had Z-Crystals and Terralization. So it doesn't sound new that Academy City was working on it.

"That doesn't sound like something revolutionary. Academy city is years ahead in terms of technology."

"I wasn't finished. Apparently the beta testers are using the new feature as we speak. Rumor has it that Pokémon can now switch abilities."

Ozaki still did not feel impressed. Mega evolution has already done that. Swampert mega evolved from the ability, torrent to swift swim. Switching from abilities was in Ozaki's case nothing new.

"So what? Switching abilities isn't something to be proud of doing. I Don't what sort of classes they gave at your school, but you should know that changing a pokemon's ability without natural evolution would mess up their chromosomes. It will do more harm than good. Ability pills are banned in this region for a reason Tamaki." Ozaki scolded her partner.

"This has nothing to do with ability pills!" retorted the boy.

"Anyway, this is more about the bond of pokemon and trainer. They were experimenting on something called Reality Ascendance. From what I've heard, Pokemon and humans would have to share their DNA through blood transfusion. By doing that, the board of directors had discovered something amazing. They found a way to basically create a new ability altogether based on the pokemon and trainers worldview!"

Sparks shone brightly around Tamaki as he spoke with passion. Except for the whole blood transfusion, he looked kind of cute without acting like a perv. Though that spiky-haired boy was definitely cuter. Wait... What was she thinking? How did that boy come back into her mind!?

"Where did you even hear that?"

"From the academy city message board. You can always find the juiciest rumors there. Like the underground pokemon matches in district 15. Where trainers force pokemon to fight to the death for entertainment."

"Whatever the case," directing her thought to the present. It's only for beta's. Meanwhile we have a job to focus on. I first want to check the Lum berry tree."

"Why there? We have enough berries at our post."

"You'll see."

Tamaki gave a confused look. Ozaki didn't blame him. The Lum berry tree was known to be a safe haven for both pokemon and humans alike. It was remarkable that pokemon around the tree wouldn't attack humans on sight. So remarkable that it became the most popular tourist attraction on Mount Terra.

The real reason why Ozaki decided to do her usual exploration route three times was because the pokemon were restless. All of them seemed to be on edge for some reason that Ozaki had no idea about. So, as a Pokémon Ranger, it's her job to make sure that both pokemon and humans alike live in a safe environment. As they made their way to the tree, Ozaki and Tamaki noticed even more unsettling things along the way.

Broken pieces of rock and boulders with large claw marks became more noticeable as they went. Pokémon battles were a norm on the mountain, be it between trainers or wild ones. What was concerning was that these battles were never this close to the Lum Berry Tree. Ozaki hoped that nothing bad would happen. That everything at the Lum Berry Tree was as fine as it had always been.

Oh, how cruel fate can be at times.

A soft cry was heard, gaining both the rangers' attention. Following the sound, they were met with a horrifying sight.

The Lum Berry Tree had been broken. It was bent with so much weight that it just snapped in half, like a pencil. What surrounded the broken tree was a massacre. Cleffas, Machops, and Spearows lay motionless at sight. Deep cuts and bruises were visible on their bodies. The sight made Ozaki's stomach twist and turn.

Tamaki wasn't doing much better himself; he was trying his hardest not to vomit. A little cry came from an injured Clefairy. The light in its eyes seemed to be struggling to stay on the edge of life and death. Tamaki didn't hesitate. He pulled out the basic medic kit and began examining the fairy Pokémon. Deep gashes ran from one eye to the other, exposing internal organs such as the liver and intestines. it begs the question if the Clefairy was even savable in the first place.

Tamaki said, "We need to get back to our posts as quickly as possible."

"But what about them? We can't just leave them!"

"We can't waste time! Whatever pokemon this was, it is going to terrorize the lower half of the mountain."

Ozaki didn't wait for an answer as she was already moving. Throwing a pokeball. Ozaki summons a bulky canine Pokémon with striped fur and magnificent manes.

"Chico-chan take us back now!"


The metal horns screeched all around as the beast marked his territory on the mountain. His domain was one he would claim for himself alone.

Others should find a place elsewhere. The strongest alone has the power to decide the fate of the weak. That is the reality of the strongest who come from atop Mount Terra. The monster made of metal will ensure that anything - be it humans or Pokémon - faces his rage.


And done. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter. Honestly, trying to write Tatsu's point of view was kinda hard since I didn't really know how I could put him into words.

The fight scene between Geodude and Tatsu was the most painful thing to put into words. How would a Geodude even use Rollout? Where does he even get the speed from?

I did enjoy the little expansion of the world building. Maybe that's just the only thing I'm good at…oh well.

Criticism and reviews are always welcome.

Nicko out!