(Author's Note: Hello there my readers! I'm back yet again with one another.
This chapter was...frustrating to publish. Every time I checked over it, something weird kept messing me up (everything would suddenly go bold, the paragraphs would be smushed together, etc.). Maybe it was the app (since I didn't have any of those issues when I used the regular site)?:/
Anyway...whereas the first two chapters were "what-ifs" and the third was events that could've transpired in the main timeline, this marks my first proper AU. More specifically, a crossover AU.
Hope you guys enjoy:)
Chapter Four: Friends
Concept: In the story that you know, the Madrigals obtained amazing magical powers when they turned five. In this one, however, instead of "Gifts"…they get friends.
"MIRABEL!" Said girl couldn't help but flinch at the sound of her Abuela's voice. When she turned around, she saw said woman staring in the doorway of Casita with an expression that seemed to be a combination of annoyance and amusement, "What…are you doing?"
With a bit of a flourish, Mirabel fully turned towards her grandmother with a bright smile, "The kids were asking some questions about the family, so Sylvie and I took it upon ourselves to educate them a bit." The small, pink-furred dog-like creature sitting by her partner's side smiled at Alma just as brightly.
Alma shook her head, trying (and failing) to hide the smile growing on her face, "As much fun as I'm sure you're having, we still have work to do for your primo's celebration."
"Gotcha Abuela," Mirabel turned back to the kids at her feet, "Sorry little ones. Sylvie and I have work to do. We shall continue this…another time!" With a bit of a flourish (getting the kids to laugh), Mirabel raced off toward Casita with Sylveon running quickly after her.
The moment the two stepped into their home, they were met with the sight of the hustle and bustle of party planning. Dozens upon dozens of people were moving throughout Casita, doing things from placing decorations to moving furniture for tonight.
Mirabel understood, of course. Tonight was her younger primo Antonio's fifth birthday: the day that he would get his partner and form a bond. That's how it had worked for the Madrigals for decades.
Fifty years ago, her Abuelo Pedro and Abuela Alma had fled with their newborn children (her mama, Tia Pepa, and Tio Bruno) from their village when it was attacked. Unfortunately, Abuelo lost his life when they and their neighbors were on the run.
At that moment, however…something had happened. In a bright flash of light (which wiped out the invaders), a Miracle was born.
A house (Casita) had grown from the ground as mountains had arisen from the ground and closed off the valley from the outside world. But there was something else, something that had only surprised Abuela even more (which she, at the time, didn't imagine was possible).
Within Casita's living room, there was a small cat-like creature asleep on the couch. Most of its fur looked black with tan ears and paws, as well as a small tuff of orange hair on the top of its head.
The little cat stirred, letting out an adorable yawn (according to Abuela) before it opened its brown eyes. The moment that it made eye contact with Alma, it leaped from the couch and began rubbing its head along her leg.
For a reason that she couldn't tell at the time, Alma knew what to call this little cat: "Litleo".
And things continued from there. Based on the magic from the "Miracle", Alma just knew that there was some sort of "bond" between her and Litleo. It would not at ALL be an understatement to say that the little feline was Alma's best friend within the Encanto.
And it was only with the passage of time that the "inner secrets" of this phenomenon were discovered.
"LUISA!" Abuela called from the second floor, "We need help moving the furniture outside!"
"Machamp and I are on it, Abuela!" Mirabel's older sister, an absolute mountain of a young woman, called back down as she dropped the barrels that she was holding. Standing next to her was a shorter (but still massive), grey-skinned creature with four arms. Luisa and her partner ran past Mirabel and Sylveon, "Careful you guys!"
"Champ, champ!" As the two "family muscles" ran to help move the furniture, Mirabel turned back around…only to be caught off-guard by the sudden gust of wind that seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
It came as no surprise to anyone as to the cause.
"My baby's night has to be perfect, and it's not perfect!" Mirabel saw her Tia Pepa pacing back and forth, a tornado already around her through her powers. Floating next to her was Castform, the tiny white creature trying (and seemingly failing) to calm his partner down.
That was one effect/advantage of the "bond" that forms between a Madrigal and their "creature": it enables the human to share in the unique powers of their partners (Luisa is super strong like Machamp, Pepa can alter the weather like Castform, etc.). Their powers aren't as "great" (for lack of a better term) as their partners, but it's more than enough to be something impressive.
"She seems tense," Mirabel looked down at the sound of Sylveon's voice.
"You're telling me, Sylvie." That was the second effect/advantage of the Madrigals' bonds with their partners: the ability to understand their speech.
(One interesting aspect of this is that each Madrigal could only understand the speech of their specific partner. Mirabel has always been able to understand Sylveon back when she called herself "Eevee", but she had only ever heard the others speaking in their unique language)
"Mi vida!" When Tia Pepa got stressed like this, Tio Felix was the only human who would get so close to her, "You're tornadoing the flowers! The flowers!"
"If it's flowers you want-," Felix, Pepa, Castform, Mirabel, and Sylveon all looked up to see Isabela standing on the second floor's railing. The confident smirk on her face worked well with the green and purple dress that she wore, the two colors have long since faded into one another (1), "-all you had to do was ask." Grabbing ahold of a vine (that Mirabel was positive wasn't there before), Isabela swung into the air…letting go and spinning like a top, a plethora of flowers of every color imaginable. As she fell, two vines suddenly shot out and wrapped themselves around her waist. Following the length of the vines led to the absolute goliath that was Isabela's partner: Venusaur. Venusaur set his partner down, with the young woman taking one last spin (spreading petals across the floor), "Thank you! Thank you! Please, hold your applause!" Felix, Pepa, and Castform smiled, while Mirabel and Sylveon shared a look.
"Thank you, angel," Felix spoke, which only made Isabela's smile grow.
"You're just so extra, you know that?" Mirabel commented to her eldest sister as her Tio and Tia began walking up the stairs.
Isabela met Mirabel's teasing expression with a raised eyebrow and a smirk of her own, "Aw, you don't have to be jealous of my amazing power and partner! Your gift is great too, and Sylveon's nice too," Isabela knelt and ran her hand along the small canine's back, smiling at how she let out a small noise of pleasure. "Besides," Isabela shot back up with a giant smile before linking her and Mirabel's arms, "You have some great qualities all of your own! Mi hermanita is so smart, funny, kind, and absolutely adorable!"
"Stop it, Isa," Mirabel tried to pull away, but Isabela responded by promptly grabbing her by her face.
"And OH, these cheeks! These adorable, chubby little cheeks of mi mariposita! I just can't help but pinch and squeeze them as much as possible!"
"ISA!" Venusaur and Sylveon shared a look before they each laughed at their partners' antics.
Eventually, Isabela decided to have mercy on her youngest sister and walked with Venusaur to another arena of the house (but not before pressing a kiss against both of Mirabel's cheeks and her forehead).
"Hola mama! Hola Blissey!" Mirabel greeted both her mother and her partner as she walked into the kitchen, placing the basket that Osvaldo had dropped off prior on a nearby counter.
"Hola mija," Julieta greeted back with a bright smile as she dried her hands from washing dishes. Her big, pink partner stood next to her with a smile just as warm, placing down a bowl full of arepas for tonight's celebration.
"Hola mija!"
"Hola pa-AHHHHH!" Mirabel couldn't help but flinch (translation: practically leaping out of her skin) at the sight of her father…his entire body covered with bee stings (his hand, ear, and nose, in particular having swelled up to almost five times their normal size). "Mama! Blissey! Bee stings!" As soon as she saw her husband, Julieta went to grab some food with an exhausted sigh of "Ai Agustin". Blissey simply face-palmed at the antics of her partner's mate. "Are…you alright, papa?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine Miraboo. It looks worse than it actually is." Before he could continue, Julieta promptly shoved an arepa into her husband's mouth.
"That's what you always say," Julieta glared at her husband (though, one of irritation as opposed to any genuine anger), who sheepishly smiled as he chewed the arepa. After swallowing, all of Agustin's bee stings promptly disappeared in mere moments (it looked like he had never been injured in the first place).
"Ah, gracias querida! What would I do without you?"
"With how clumsy you are, you'd definitely be dead by now without me," Julieta deadpanned.
"And your caring nature is only one of the MANY reasons why I love you with all my heart!"
"Blissey, Bliss," Julieta's partner muttered, which promptly caused Mirabel's mother to giggle.
"What? What did she say?"
"Oh nothing, mi amor," Julieta walked over to the stove, a teasing smile plastered on her face.
"Come on! She said something about me! You both know I hate it when you do that!" With a laugh (and a steal of some arepas), Mirabel decided to leave her parents in the kitchen to argue amongst themselves.
"Hola, sobrina!" Mirabel turned to see the green ruana and messy black of her Tio Bruno. Standing behind him was his partner Xatu, the tranquil look on his face that everyone has come to expect from him. "Excited for little Tonito's night?"
"Hola, tio. And definitely! I've been excited about his ceremony for weeks now. He's been hanging onto Sylvie and I the whole time, talking all about what his room will look like or what kind of partner he'll get. You know, he's been sketching out ideas for what they could look like."
"Oh really?" Bruno chuckled, with Xatu laughing behind him, "Let me guess: his design was seven feet tall, with giant wings and multiple eyes?" This time, Mirabel laughed out loud. "Hey sobrina, you mind sharing some arepas with your Tio Bruno? I've been meaning to pick up something to snack on from the kitchen, but your mama and abuela tend to be REALLY defensive about the food prepared for big parties like this."
Mirabel moved to hand him an arepa…only to snatch it away at the last second, smirking at the man's confused expression, "Nice try, primo. You can both drop the act now." Bruno and Xatu both looked at her with widened eyes, before the former sighed. In twin flashes of purple light, Bruno and Xatu disappeared…and were subsequently replaced by Camilo and his partner, Zoroark.
"How do you always know?" Camilo leaned against the wall with crossed arms while Zoroark leaped to sit on Casita's railing.
"You mean besides the fact that your description of Antonio's picture was exactly like the one that he specifically said was helped out by his hermano? Or the fact that Tio Bruno never actually snacks, especially not on days like today? Or the fact that Xatu does NOT laugh out loud like that?" At the two's wide-eyed and embarrassed stares, Mirabel laughed before tapping on her nose, "The nose knows. I've told you plenty of times before, you've got a scent that you can't get rid of easily. At her twin cousin's pout, Mirabel rolled her eyes and held out two arepas, "Just take them and go."
Camilo's pout did a COMPLETE 180, grabbing the food from Mirabel's hand and pressing a kiss against her cheek as he ran off through the hallway (Zoroark quickly following him, taking the second arepa for himself), "Thanks, Mira!" Mirabel made a grossed-out face as she wiped her cheek, looking down to see Sylveon laughing.
"I am not amused."
"That's because you have no sense of humor." In revenge, Mirabel promptly scooped up Sylveon in her free arm and mercilessly tickled the tiny canine's belly. Although this was meant to be revenge, Mirabel couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she listened to her partner's laughs.
"I told you to go a little higher, Tio Bruno!"
"And I told you, my arms don't GO any higher!" Mirabel looked up to see Dolores and Bruno working on placing a banner above the glowing golden door that Antonio would open in just a short time.
Well…more like Bruno was placing up the banner, with Dolores "directing him" (as she likes to put it). Their two respective partners were standing on the ground with her. But while Audino had a concerned frown on her face, Xatu was simply staring at his partner's antics (amusement evident in his eyes).
"Hey there, you guys," all four turned their gazes towards Mirabel, "Problem?"
"No," Dolores replied, "We just need Tio Bruno to hang the banner…that he's been trying to do for the last ten minutes."
"You know…if you're not going to help, I don't think you're in much of a position to complain," Bruno snarked back.
Seeing the narrowed eyes of her prima, Mirabel decided to get involved before things progressed to the point where it would…" slow the process" of preparing for little Tonito's birthday.
"Hey Dolores," Mirabel threw an arm around her prima's shoulders, "You know, I saw Mariano helping out downstairs with his abuela. And I'm pretty sure he was looking for youuuuu." If Mirabel's words didn't cause Dolores' cheeks to darken, then the way that her youngest prima wiggled her eyebrows at her certainly did.
"I, uh...I should go so "Hi" then. Hmph," Dolores promptly ran down the stairs to greet her boyfriend, with Audino quickly following after her.
"Thank you, Mirabel," Bruno gave his sobrina a grateful smile, "It'll be easier to deal with this banner without the peanut gallery criticizing me every two seconds."
"Can't Xatu move things with his mind?" Mirabel asked with a raised eyebrow, "Couldn't he have finished this earlier?"
"You know as well as I do that he loves to watch my suffering as opposed to doing anything to alleviate it," Bruno shot a glance at Xatu, who only gave him a mocking wave with his wing.
"Well…good luck Tio!" Mirabel gave a twirl as she waved at her tio with a hidden grin.
"Oh, so I see that you enjoy my suffering too!
That only made Mirabel smile more.
The glasses-wearing girl stopped just before reaching the nursery (knowing that's where Antonio would be), seeing Pyroar lying down outside of the door.
"Hola, Señor perezoso," Mirabel teased as she set Sylveon down, running her hand through Pyroar's (RIDICULOUSLY soft) mane. The large cat opened a single blue eye, grunting at the young girl before shutting his eye again. Sylveon ran over and began licking Pyroar's cheek (being as close to him as Mirabel herself was to her abuela before the larger creature gently pushed her away with a paw to the face. "Antonio is still there, right?" Pyroar nodded, with Mirabel nodding and opening the nursery's door.
Mirabel closed the door after Sylveon quickly followed her within, the young teen taking a seat on Antonio's bed (Sylveon quickly jumped on after her). The young girl took a blue-wrapped present out of her bag, taking a moment to stare at it with a sigh. Sylveon shared a confused look with Mirabel, but her partner simply placed a finger over her lips.
"Everyone's LOOKING for YOUUUUU," Mirabel spoke into the room in a teasing voice, but nothing happened. No sound, no movement…nothing. With a sigh, Mirabel dangled the present a few inches off of the ground by its ribbon, "This present will self-destruct if you don't take it in THREE…TWO…OOOOOOOONE-OH!" Suddenly, she felt the present being quickly snatched from her grip by…something from underneath the bed. Mirabel and Sylveon shared an amused glance before they both stood up and crawled under the bed, finding the youngest Madrigal poking at the present with a frown on his face. "Hi there, mi primo. Nervous?" Antonio didn't speak, simply nodding his head. "You don't have to be. You're gonna go up there, get your room, get your partner, and everything is going to be great."
"But what if it isn't?" Antonio asked in a whisper, with both Mirabel and Sylveon's hearts breaking at the honestly scared tone in the young one's voice. Sylveon in particular moved in closer to Antonio and nuzzled his cheek.
"Well," Mirabel started, "In that IMPOSSIBLE scenario, then I guess that it'd only make sense that you'd move in with the second youngest of the house: Sylveon and I. Forever. And we'd get you all to ourselves," Mirabel began playfully pinching Antonio's side, with Sylveon licking his cheek. Both of them enjoyed the sound of Antonio giggling. "Well, come on then," Mirabel moved closer to Antonio, motioning her head towards the present, "Open it, while we still have time." Antonio opened the present with a smile, which promptly grew when he saw what was inside.
It was a stuffed animal, not much smaller than Sylveon was back when she was known as "Eevee". It was a jaguar with golden, multiple black spots, and a bright pink nose.
"Wow," Antonio muttered, running his hand along it as he examined it from every possible angle.
"I know you're an animal guy," Mirabel spoke with a smile, "And I know that you'll have your new partner to snuggle with…but, I also know how much you love your stuffed animals anyway. So, this should help chase away some of those worries (even though they're not needed)." Antonio gave his prima a smile before setting his head against her shoulder.
"Thank you, Mira."
"Anytime, Tonito." Sylveon wiggled her way in between the two, causing Antonio to laugh out loud as he ran his hand through her fur. At that moment, all three suddenly saw the alarm clock being bounced along the floorboards by Casita. It was time. "Okay hombrecito, you ready?" Antonio gave a confident nod before he moved to leave under the bed…just before both he and Sylveon were pulled into a tight hug by Mirabel, "Sorry, gotta get one last squeeze in!" As much as Casita loved to see the love between her family, they had a schedule to keep. All three of them couldn't help but laugh as Casita's floorboards began flipping underneath them, pushing them from under the bed. "Alright, Casita! We're going!"
"There's the birthday boy!" Felix called out, getting the rest of his immediate family and their partners to turn to see Mirabel and Sylveon walking down the stairs along with Antonio whose smile had turned shyer than only a minute ago). "Gracias Mirabel," he thanked his sobrina, who nodded. "Look at you, hombrecito!" He ruffed his youngest son's hair, "You look good in white! Taking after your papa, no doubt."
"My baby," Pepa's eyes were already growing wet, "Look at you, all grown up."
"Mi vida, you're going to get him all wet," Felix slightly pulled Pepa back with one hand as he used the other to wave away the cloud already forming over her head. Camilo and Zoroark shared a mischievous grin before they both transformed in a flash of purple.
"You MAKA your papa and mama so PROUD!" Camilo had turned into a shorter version of Felix (maybe two or three inches taller than Antonio) and smushed his younger brother's cheeks while Zoroark had turned into a shorter version of Pepa and began "fake crying" while kissing Antonio's cheek.
Both of them were successful in bringing a smile to the tiny boy's face.
While Pepa was still trying to calm herself down, Felix didn't look amused, "I don't sound like that!"
"I doN'T SOUnd like THAT!" Camilo mocked with his hands on his hips. At that moment, both Dolores and Audino turned their eyes as they listened to…something.
"Abuela says it's time," Dolores spoke with a warm smile. Antonio's parents and siblings gave the boy smiles and comforting pats/squeezes (with Camilo and Zoroark making another joke before being told to knock it off) before they all walked through the curtain. Mirabel and Sylveon stealthily moved to the side, each giving Antonio a comforting smile.
After another few moments (filled with Alma giving her speech about the formation of the Encanto and her husband's sacrifice), the curtain suddenly flew open…and Antonio was met with the sight of dozens upon DOZENS of excited faces within Casita, two spotlights immediately shining on Antonio's tiny body
Mirabel looked on with sympathy as she saw her little primo all but freeze up at the eyes on her. A glance into the crowd let her see how Dolores and Audino looked at Antonio in concern, the two of them no doubt heard how his little heart beat wildly in his chest.
She then saw Antonio turn his gaze to her before he held out his hand, the poor kid looking only a few seconds away from bursting into tears.
She knew this was going to happen. Of course, she did.
(Three Days Ago)
"Can Mirabel walk me to my room?" Antonio spoke up during breakfast that morning. Everyone turned towards the youngest Madrigal, who grew shyer as he looked down.
"How…come, mi nieto?" Alma asked with a raised eyebrow, Pyroar having picked himself up from the floor to take a better look at the boy.
"I don't want to walk to my door alone," Antonio moved his remaining food around his plate with his fork, "I want Mirabel to walk with me." All across the table, everyone was giving different forms of warm and bright smiles.
Mirabel in particular looked like she was about to melt.
Camilo sighed dramatically, holding the back of his hand to his forehead as he leaned his body closer to Antonio, "Ai, to think that I've been stepped over! Mi gemela has stolen mi hermanito!"
Mirabel stuck her tongue out at Camilo, "Well…if we're twins, that means that Antonio is MY hermanito too!" The glasses-wearing girl promptly scooped Antonio up from his chair and began kissing him all along his face, getting the smaller boy to laugh out loud. After a moment, she set Antonio comfortably in her lap before looking towards Alma, "Could I? I'm okay with it if Antonio really wants me to."
Alma couldn't help but smile at the hopeful smiles on the faces of her two youngest grandchildren. "Well…if that's what Tonito wants, who am I to say no?" The smiles of everyone present only grew at how Mirabel and Antonio cheered amongst themselves (Camilo and Zoroark soon joined in).
Mirabel stepped forward from behind the curtain, taking hold of Antonio's hand while Sylveon quickly stepped over to his other side (nudging against his leg for a moment).
"Come on," Mirabel whispered to her primo, "Let's get you to your door." Antonio grabbed ahold of Mirabel's arm, keeping his gaze off of everyone in the crowd as the three of them began walking.
Although there were murmurs of confusion spread throughout the guests, the Madrigals each looked on with proud smiles. From the moment that they saw the terrified expression on his face, they were all even happier at the decision for Mirabel to walk him to his door.
With a shared glance, Mirabel's hand and Sylveon's feelers both glowed a pink color. In an instant, Antonio could feel himself relax and his fear being chased away. As the three of them walked, Mirabel got an idea to lessen Antonio's nerves even more.
"~Feliz cumpleaños a ti~," Mirabel began to sing softly, her beautiful voice being perfectly audible to everyone due to the near-silence of Casita, "~Feliz cumpleaños a ti~. Feliz cumpleaños, querido Antonio. Feliz cumpleaños a ti." By the song's conclusion, the small group had reached the top of the stairs. Felix and Pepa stood off to the side with proud, teary-eyed smiles while Castform floated above them (tears in his own eyes as well). Alma stood in front of Antonio's door, a warm smile on her face and the "Madrigal Candle" in her hands. For once, there was no trace of laziness to be found in Pyroar. He stood tall next to Alma, an impassive look on his face but a proud look in his eyes.
Mirabel gave Antonio a comforting squeeze on his shoulder and Sylveon nuzzled his leg as the two moved off to the side. Antonio took in a deep breath as he stepped forward to place his hands on the candle.
Alma gave him a big smile as she moved a hand to caress Antonio's face, "I'm so happy for you, mi nieto. And I know that you will accomplish spectacular things." Pyroar stepped forward and nuzzled Antonio, giving him a quick lick on the cheek.
With a slight giggle, Antonio looked forward at the shimmering golden door in front of him. He took in a deep breath and stepped forward to grab ahold of the doorknob.
At that moment, the room was flooded with a bright golden light that was like a miniature sun. As the light began to dim (shining only on the door itself, as opposed to shining across the entire room), there was a single white orb of light that materialized out of nowhere. Antonio's eyes were so wide that it looked like they were about to pop clean out of his skull (which would have gotten his family to laugh, if they weren't focused on the magic) as the orb began slowly drifting toward him. The youngest Madrigal held out his shaking hands as the orb's shape began to…change.
It had elongated into a thick, rope-like shape before the light disappeared and the new creature fell into Antonio's arms.
It was a small, snake-like creature with a blue outer body and a white underbelly. It had (what looked like) a big white nose and two large white ears (that looked like fishtails). As it slowly opened its eyes, they were revealed to be a bright red color.
The room was still silent as Antonio stared into the eyes of his new partner.
"Hi," the young boy spoke after a few moments, "I'm Antonio."
"Tini," the tiny creature (though, still pretty big in comparison to Antonio) replied.
"Your name is "Dratini"? The newly-named creature nodded before he wrapped himself around Antonio's torso, nuzzling the tiny boy's cheek (causing him to laugh). As everyone present watched the adorable interaction between the two new partners, the lights of Antonio's new door finally disappeared.
In its place was a more solid door, exactly like his family. It showed an image of Antonio as he was, with his eyes closed and a kind smile on his face. Two large wings were coming from his back and a tail coming from behind, as well as two large eyes placed above his head. These eyes gave an intense glare that was…not angry, but firm (not unlike the stares that Pyroar would give to the rest of the family when they annoyed him or did something that they weren't supposed to).
With a nod from his abuela, Antonio stepped forward and opened the door to his new room…beginning a brand new chapter of magic for the Madrigal Family.
(Author's Note: Annnnnnnnd scene!
(1): That's a reference to the colors of "Grass-Type" and "Poison-Type" when it's looked up. Representing Venusaur (obviously).
And that's our first AU, boys, and girls! Hope you had fun. In case anyone is curious as to how I chose the Pokémon for each Madrigal, here it is.
-Alma and Pyroar: I wanted to give Alma a Fire-Type. Partially because of the symbolism with the candle, but mainly because I thought that Alma herself worked well with the duality of fire (Alma can be a kind woman and a harsh matriarch, just like how fire can be a giving of warmth and life just as it can be a harbinger of death). I toyed around with giving her a Steel-Type for this reason but thought that a Fire-Type would work better.
The choices I came to were between Pyroar and Charizard, with me deciding on the former because of how well it worked. Male Pyroars were very much like male lions: usually very lazy, but ferocious for their prime job of protecting the pride. I thought that this in particular would make Alma and Pyroar serve as the two necessary aspects of Encanto's leadership: Alma is the "leader" who handles the complex matters, whereas Pyroar is the steadfast warrior who protects the Encanto from threats.
-Julieta and Blissey: This one (I feel) is obvious. I mean, OF COURSE, I was going to give the Madrigal's healer the most well-known healing Pokémon evolution line;)
-Pepa and Castform: These two are also a no-brainer. Just like Pepa, Castform's emotions are also tied to the weather.
-Bruno and Xatu: This one was actually the most difficult for me. At first, I wanted to give him an Alakazam (because it was an intelligent Pokémon and a powerful Psychic-Type). Then I thought about giving him either a Dark, Ghost or Poison-Type (types that could be viewed as "negative", similar to how Bruno was viewed by the villagers in canon). For a long time, I had decided on Absol. Much like how Bruno was demonized for his ability to see into the future, Absols are demonized for their ability to sense upcoming natural disasters. Then, I decided on Xatu. Not only is it a powerful Psychic-Type, but it also can see into the future (meaning that Bruno could still have his canonical power).
-Isabela and Venusaur: I knew that Isabela needed a Grass-Type, but I didn't want it to be one that could be viewed as "beautiful" or "cute" (such as Meganium or Lilligant). I wanted it to be something that looked more…wild. I had decided between Venusaur and Torterra, with me deciding on the former because it looked "uglier" than the Sinnoh starter (not that I don't like Venusaur, it's just that Torterra looks more badass between the two).
-Dolores and Audino: This choice was similar to Julieta and Blissey, with Audino having excellent hearing just like Dolores.
-Luisa and Machamp: I had thought that a Fighting-Type would work best, with Machamp and Lucario being the prime candidates. For a while, I even thought of choosing a Pokémon that was "strong" without being a Fighting-Type. I had thought that Tauros would work well and had even considered Snorlax for a moment…but, eventually, decided on Machamp.
-Camilo and Zoroark: Yet another choice that was fairly obvious, with two shape-shifting tricksters. It was between Zoroark and Ditto, but I felt that the former worked best.
-Mirabel and Sylveon: I wanted someone to have an Eevee, and thought that it worked well with Mirabel (the two also work because they're the "normal ones" in their extraordinary evolutionary/family line). When I found out that Sylveon could send out a "soothing aura", I thought that it was the best "Eeveelution" for Mirabel.
-Antonio and Dratini: Now, I had decided on the other Madrigals' partners due to either their personalities and/or their canonical Gifts. Since the Pokémon and their partners can communicate with one another, it wouldn't make sense to give Antonio his canonical Gift. I thought that a Dragon-Type would work well, the primal aspects of a dragon (I think) working well with Antonio's animalistic power in canon. I wanted to give him something big enough that he could ride on like Parce. It fell between Dragonite and Haxorus, and I had decided on the former since it's a flyer.
*Hope that this was enjoyable. Now, I'll say this: this is the first chapter of this story where I'm not sure if it will get a sequel chapter. The previous three all had some element that could be continued, but I'm honestly not sure about this one. I will say that I am considering something, sort of an…AU of this AU. In this universe, each Madrigal is given a Pokémon partner on their fifth birthday (with the ability to communicate with them and even share in some of their power). In this timeline, I had primarily chosen the Pokémon based on the Madrigals' personalities (Alma and Mirabel), canonical Gifts (Julieta, Pepa, Bruno, Isabela, Dolores, Luisa, and Camilo), or because I thought the Pokémon would fit (Antonio). In this "AU of an AU" idea, the Madrigals would still get Pokémon partners…but the Pokémon in question would be completely random. No similarities or connections to the Madrigals whatsoever…completely random choices, which would result in different powers (and possibly even personalities) from the Madrigals themselves. Would anyone be interested in something like that? An AU of this AU?
Regarding this universe…like I said, I don't know if I'm going to continue it. Because of that, I'm going to put some extra information on this universe below (just in case it doesn't get continued).
1. Even though Alma knew that Litleo had appeared magically like Casita, she actually thought that he was just a normal cat at first. She didn't realize how wrong she was until a few days later, when (due to Alma cuddling with and tickling him) the poor mother got the shock of her life when he shot a literal flamethrower from his mouth.
2. However chaotic you imagined the triplets' ceremony to be in canon, it was worse here. While Julieta cuddled the adorable Happiny and Bruno marveled at the cool-looking Natu, Pepa was caught completely off-guard by Castform. She actually thought he was a ghost at first, so she screamed…which caused Castform to scream and his powers to go haywire within Casita. Happiny began crying while Natu pecked furiously at Bruno's head when the boy irritated him by (accidentally) pulling his wings in shock. It took Alma a whole thirty minutes to calm everyone down.
3. Isabela and Bulbasaur were known as the "Golden Pair" in their youth, because of their adorable nature and versatile powers. When Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur, however, people within the Encanto began to judge him for his looks. He became viewed as the "ugly half" of the pair, with many people's respect for him dwindling drastically. When these thoughts came to Isabela's ears, however, it stands to reason that she WASN'T happy. Because she wasn't pushed into being "perfect" in this timeline, she had the full support of her family as she…" taught the people a lesson". Let's just say that people learned that Isabela Madrigal would NOT stand by and do nothing when her loved ones are being mistreated (especially her partner).
4. Audino was the one who got Dolores and Mariano together. After she noticed that the two had feelings for one another, she began constructing plans to get them to admit their feelings. After nearly two weeks of failed plans, however, Audino quickly lost her patience and locked the two in a closet (telling Dolores that she wasn't going to let them out until they were honest with one another). Her partner was angry at her for a while, but Audino remained smug about how successful her plan was.
5. Ever since he was a Machop, Luisa's partner always loved to spar with her to push them both to their limits. Initially, Luisa wasn't a fan (not being a violent person at heart) and only did it for Machop's sake. However, she soon began to enjoy it as sparring with Machop in their room was the ONLY time where she could TRULY let go. They began having weekly sparring sessions that turned into a friendly competition, where they would calculate who won more matches at the end of each year.
6. Before the ceremony, Camilo thought that his family only got Pokémon partners and shared their powers. He wasn't aware that each Madrigal could understand their partner. So, he thought that his being able to communicate with Zorua was part of his special abilities. The two had tried to prank the family by shape-shifting into one another…only to fail within five seconds, when the human members of the family couldn't understand "Camilo" and perfectly understood "Zorua".
7. The night of Mirabel's ceremony, she was ECSTATIC to find Eevee in her arms. She was so adorable and so soft, that it was two days before anyone could convince Mirabel to put her newfound partner down.
8. When Dratini finally fully evolves into a Dragonite, he would throw Antonio on his back and have the two spend all of their time in the air (giving poor Pepa a heart attack the first time).
Hope that this was a good chapter to read.
Constructive criticism ONLY…no flames, please.
Review, Favorite, Follow, and I'll see you guys next time:)
