Fairy 6.13: True Potential
Cuicatl

July 4, 2020

There isn't a proper captain for the dragon trial. The totem has made it clear he doesn't need or want one. A nurse is nearby running the smallest Pokémon Center in the region, but she's only there for the challenger's sake.

"I have a camera watching to see if anything goes wrong. But you'll be alone in there with the totem and whatever help he brings."

"That's fine."

It's just a dragon. It's possible you can talk your way out of the trial entirely. Which is good because you have very little confidence in this working out. You'd hoped to have a skarmory and machoke on your side. With your current team, well, you might be able to take down the totem alone. If he has any support at all your odds evaporate like the morning dew.

"Good luck." Gen gives you a quick hug. You lean into the touch.

"You've got this," Lyra lies. She has to know that you don't with her full team and diverse strategies. You should have picked up another permanent team member by now. But that would take another slot away from your mother's team. And. You don't want to let it go. As long as there's hope you must keep going.

You aren't sure you could if you weren't doing it for them.

"Thank you," you tell them. Sincerely. You like having multiple human people who want good things to happen to you. It's new. Pleasant. You don't want to let them down, even if you know you probably will.

You're not entirely sure if it matters whether you can make it to the finish line of the island challenge. Nothing you've heard about the Class V license says that completing it is a requirement. There are still ways to make money even if you're terrible at battling. Mostly? You're worried that Dr. Karashina or Kahuna Rodriguez or whomever you end up with will be disappointed in you. That whatever respect they have now will be gone if you can't defeat this kommo-o. That you'll lose the people who want good things for you.

At least the stars are good. A trenca for challenging the old and serious. A day for challenging the impossible and finding glorious victory or honorable defeat. You could not have asked for a better day.

And you have a plan. Or the skeleton of one with all the details unfilled. Details you'll struggle to fill in on the spot. Too loud. Won't be able to follow things. It's. You'll see how it goes. And if the stars are mocking you and you still fail and then everyone hates you and your life falls apart at least you've been there before.

You walk into the cave at the end of the canyon with Coco by your side. She's quiet. Probably nervous. You're pretty sure she believes in you, fully, even now.

You're going to disappoint her, too.

The echoes of your footsteps clash with the ominous silence around you. No wild pokémon. No humans. No machines. Not even a breeze. Nothing. The ground is smooth and unyielding beneath your boots. There's no sun on your back. And the air gets more and more humid and heavy the further you walk.

The cave is much longer than you'd thought. Even if it feels like you're not even going down that much. Just boring straight into the rock.

You can sense the change in the atmosphere. The echoes take longer. The space feels less suffocating. You're pretty sure there's even a trickle of water. You've made it to the arena. Time to put your ear protection in.

"Good job. I'll see you soon."

Coco nods beneath your hand. You move it to your sash and withdraw her. She's not held in the top slot anymore. Pixie retook it. Coco hasn't said much but you know she's annoyed. You just have no idea how Pixie would feel about the slight. She's hard to predict. Almost like a human child. Almost like a dragon hatchling. Completely alien to both.

You can hear the whistling of wind before a deep, shocking vibration races through the ground and up your legs. It's accompanied by the deafening clanging of plates that hurts your ears through the protection Dr. Karashina got for you.

You greet the totem by looking slightly down and towards the noise. It's relatively easy to make the growl-purr for submissive acknowledgement. It means you're standing before someone stronger or with a better claim to the territory. You're not sure he'll even hear it over his own noise. But Gen heard you when she was deaf? You… really need to do some tests on your gift.

The dragon just clangs at a greater volume and pace. "ARE YOU HERE TO FIGHT OR YIELD?" he asks. "YOU CANNOT DO BOTH."

"I will fight," you answer. "I just wanted to talk first." See if you could maybe get some mercy. If you were interesting enough to go easy on you or earn the crystal through an exchange of stories. The plant-eating dragons will settle arguments like that.

Alice thought they were cowards unwilling to bloody their teeth. Maybe you are.

"THEN SPEAK TO ME THROUGH BATTLE. SHOW ME YOUR DETERMINATION, YOUR WIT, AND THE COMPANIONS YOU KEEP. THEN I MAY KNOW YOU AND SPEAK IN PEACE."

Your head is already pounding and you haven't even done anything telepathic yet. That's going to give you a brutal migraine but. Can't just let your pokémon suffer while you get off unharmed.

"Fine." You reach for the third ball from the top and send out Nocitlālin. "Let's go."

{Is it just the kommo-o?} you ask her. You didn't hear anyone arrive, but you wouldn't have.

{Negation;

Supporting unit of Class_Hakamo-o present.}

Great. He brought his kid. You take a deep breath, lean back against the cave wall, and brace yourself for the fight ahead.

Now, who do you go for first? Father or child? Damage the bigger threat or knock out the smaller one to let your other pokémon fight one on one? The latter. You'll pick on the child. Might even distract the father.

{Psychic, hakamo-o.}

Noci can stay above the battle and attack. Her telepathy isn't the best and it won't be quick, but it doesn't come with much risk. The kommo-o booms louder than ever and you hold your hands over the earplugs, knowing it won't do much.

{Alarm Lvl 8: Class_Kommo-o Using Attack_Clangorous_Soul}

Bad. By the time the hakamo-o is down you'll be facing an even stronger dragon. Coco and Leo won't be able to handle that.

{Switch targets.}

There shouldn't be that much the smaller dragon can do to Noci, anyway. She can fly and they can't.

The noise gets a little quieter until you hear something clang off of Noci's armor. Probably switched to some kind of projectile. Damn it. You were really hoping they were both going to be melee fighters. Guess it was too much to ask for.

{Alarm Lvl 3: Class_Hakamo-o Using Attack_Substitute}

Both are boosting? You're sure that the hakamo-o is setting up bulk up or dragon dance behind that substitute. Either way, whoever you focus on, the other will be boosted up. At least soulblaze hurts the user. Shatters plates and scales from vibrating too much. You'll take that over whatever hakamo-o is doing.

{Switch targets again.}

It's not like hakamo-o can even do much back to Noci. And the very, very loud soulblaze means that it is a one on one for now.

And then, nothing. Just the growing roar of the soulblaze. Nothing else over it.

{Update?}

{Class_Hakamo Has Attempted to Scale Wall 3 Times;
Attempts Unsuccessful;
Substitute Armor Broken;
Class_Kommo-o Continues To Use Attack_Clangorous_Soulblaze}

No damage, then. Maybe she'll even be able to knock the hakamo-o out before the kommo-o finishes setting up. They're a fighting-type. Can't take too much punishment, right?

The roaring stops. Shit.

{Protect!}

It doesn't really mean much. She can hear it stop, too, and is way faster at thinking. Hopefully it helps. You hear something strike against a barrier, hard. Good. She got the protect up. You'll remember to thank Dr. Karashina for the TM. What was the totem's attack? Aura sphere? Focus blast, even? You hope it wasn't an aura sphere. Then all your dodgy plans go down.

{Status update!}

{Alarm Lvl 6: Power Reserves at 71%, Malfunctioning Heat Vent}

What? It's doing that much to her power? You knew protect was exhausting but… maybe it's just better to let her armor take the damage.

{Zen headbutt hakamo-o, finish them off!}

{Initiate Ramming}

The reply is instant. Your thought ends and her response begins. What a good metang. So, so eager to ram things.

Hopefully he won't attack so close to his kid. Hopefully. Hopefully…

You hear another metallic clang and the sound of something shattering.

{Alarm Lvl 9: Carapace Dented, Power Reserves 50%, Heat Vent Malfunctioning}

{Why did the power go down?}

{Attack_Aura_Sphere Partially Bypasses Carapaces, Targets Power Reserves.

Shit. Like dark-type moves. Better and better.

{Grab hakamo-o. Zen headbutt the totem.}

Hopefully he won't attack his own child head on.

{Affirmation}

The hakamo-o clangs in alarm as Noci scoops him up. His fists clang off her armor as he charges. The energy changes as an aura sphere is launched. There are two big impacts one after another.

{Status update?}

{Alarm_Lvl_11: Deformation Across 17% of Carapace; Power Reserves 28%, Heat Vent Malfunctioning}

"Okay. That's enough. Thank you."

You withdraw her. Still two on one. The kommo-o is boosted. You don't know how hurt the hakamo-o is. The match is lost. Only thing you can do is play it out and try to salvage some honor. Maybe if it's close Dr. Karashina will give you another chance before dropping you.

If the aura sphere tracks your pokémon, dodging goes out the window. If it goes through armor, then Leo and Coco can't take them well. You made the wrong decision. And you're not going to let your pokémon pay the price alone.

You send out Leo. You've tried something with him and Coco briefly in the last few days. Something you could do with Searah and your brother. Sharing impressions. Not senses, those make no sense at all, but a general idea of what the world around them is after it's all been put together in their head. It's useful. It hurts. You're doing it.

{First impression, hakamo-o.}

You finish slipping your mind around his as the first slash connects. The dragon is drooping a little, swaying on his feet. Almost trips over himself as he tries to shield. Psychic damage. Some physical. A few broken armor plates. The totem moves behind him, vibrating his plates as the noise assaults Noci's ears. And probably yours. You aren't really in your own body right now to check. Energy fills the air. Clanging scales, not soulblaze.

Noci lands a vicious slash to the chest alongside a gap in the plates. Blood flows down. The scent dominates his impression of the scene. You urge him to move forward. Slash. Deeper. He obliges and the dragon howls in agony as his father roars behind him.

Close combat. He hesitates a fraction of a second and then does it. He hates exposing himself fully to slash with all arms. It still works. Shatters more armor plates, digs deeper into flesh. The hakamo-o cries out a plea for mercy and droops down to all fours. Fall back. Give him time to retreat. He slinks off the sidelines, defeated.

One on one.

The totem throws out a fast projectile—aura sphere—protect. The barrier comes up just in time. You feel the strain in Leo's body, feel the shield come down, see him blast forward towards the totem. He screams again and Leo can feel his own armor vibrate and his senses blur. He lunges. He slashes. He draws blood again and again. The totem jumps, physically flying over his head as he ducks down to dodge. A ball of energy slams into his back and shakes you out of his mind.

You gasp in pain and reach to your eyes on reflex. Everything hurts. How did you not notice that everything hurt? Your ears feel like they'll give out if the totem roars one more time, your eyes feel half-melted, your brain is on fire. The fight is going on out there. Leo is still going at it. You can salvage this. Maybe. Get in, attack, protect when the totem jumps. He'll still be worn down by clanging scales filling the air but—maybe—

You take a deep breath and dive back in. He's up against the totem drawing blood. Good. He knows what to do. You relay the plan and pause. Slip out? No. You need to see if the totem changes the pattern. He doesn't. Jump. Immediate protect. Burning muscles, less than last time, no damage. Leo turns—smaller aura sphere, straight to the face.

"I." Shit. Back in your own body. Hurts even more. {Close combat. Armor can't stop him.} Not entirely. You slump against the wall and try to focus on your breathing instead of the loud loud loud scales clashing. You want to cry. Why? Nothing. Nothing has happened. Just hurts. You can deal with hurt. You've always dealt with hurt.

Leo's clever. He doesn't need your help, right? No. He's getting beaten up out there. For you. You should. Help him. Again.

Figure out a plan first. Can't dodge. He's learned to use small aura spheres on the protect and then another small one after. Slashes can cut around plates but there weren't many gaps. Soulblaze broke a lot of armor. Maybe just close combat? Yes. Just close combat. Can't dodge, anyway. Sound or aura.

{Just keep using close combat. Tell me when you have to stop.}

There. Simple plan. You don't need to supervise. Just. Break. Then help Coco. You take a deep breath and release it through your nose. Doesn't help your head. Just distracts you a little.

What can Coco even do? Also close combat? Ice fang? Dragon tail? She's not big enough for dragon tail to do a lot. What would she get her head around for ice fang? No. Probably close combat. She wouldn't let you use a Z-move. Should you be using one now? A finger brushes along your forehead. Yours. Didn't realize you were moving to touch it.

Nope. Not using a Z-move now. Bad idea. Even for you.

You hear something—Leo, probably—crash into the wall.

{Good job.}

You withdraw him. Was about time, even if he somehow wasn't too badly hurt.

Alright. Last chance. Let's see what your precious girl can do.

The kommo-o purrs at Coco. "Hello, hatchling. I will not hold back against you. Are you sure that you want this fight?"

She growls in response. "I do! I will win."

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Mother doesn't lose."

Your heart drops. Oh. You do. You have. Badly. She's going to be very disappointed with you when she figures that out.

No point stalling. You link minds and prepare for battle.

The big dragon has a lot of armor broken. A few deep slashes. Lot of blood. (It stands out to her more than Leo.) Arms held in front of legs. Hard to trip. Big. Hard to bite. Can still bite. Can always bite. Close combat. Get close, break more armor. Then bite? Then bite.

Coco runs forward, ready to strike. A blur of silver runs towards her and she stops just in time. Hits ground in front of her. Lot of dust. Something rushes through and hits her on the head.

You recoil into your own senses and hiss. Not getting better. But you don't feel it when you're linked and Coco deserves every chance she has.

She's attacking the big dragon close up. Thrashing against. Plates break. Not trying to dodge. Air is loud and filled with dragon feeling. Painful. Hits in waves. Every wave hurts. Big dragon jumps. She lunges forwards and weaves around a silver blast. A sliver hits. Feels like Nocitlālin's metal attacks. Flash cannon.

His arms are still up from the jump. Get under. Get in. He swipes down. She avoids. Dragon tail the legs. The tail swipe hits—and the big dragon gets knocked into the arena wall. Good. Bite. Somewhere. Anywhere. Ice fang. The attack hits on the arm. The big dragon screams. And flails. And Coco flies. You feel her hit the rock and slide down. Wait, are you sliding down? Where—who are you?

"ENOUGH," the totem bellows. "You fight well, hatchling, but you lack the power to finish this battle."

Coco—you—she growls in defiance even as blood trickles past her eye.

"Watch me."

"I do not mean to insult you." The dragon walks closer. No clanging scales. No booming voice. No attack. "You are simply being held back from your true potential. It is not your fault, but hers." He gestures towards Mother. You. Her. "Allow me to free you from the limits the humans placed upon you."

He reaches down to your throat. You bite. He hisses but ignores it and cuts. Something falls to the ground. The rock on your necklace. The… the ever…?

Everstone.

Energy surges through your body like you can't possibly imagine, filling every scale, every blood vessel, every cell, and building and building until you can't fit inside of you anymore. Then it bursts and burns and grows.

You, Cuicatl Ichtaca, gasp. Your body is curled up on the ground. There's blood on your chin. You brush it off with a trembling arm. Everything hurts oh gods does it hurt so much too much you want to die. This was a mistake. You shouldn't have done it. You won't do it again. Z-power hurts but this is far, far too much.

You. Coco. She—evolved? You hear a roar. Not the kommo-o's roar. Then you hear armor shatter and smell the tang of blood fill the air. The two clash. Slam each other around. To the walls. To the ground. The kommo-o screams. Coco roars in triumph and anger and it sounds nothing like her. It sounds everything like her. Just more so. You can barely focus on it. Barely think. Just exist. Breathe. Try not to die. This was stupid. You were stupid. You are stupid. Could have broke yourself even more. For what? For…

"I YIELD!" the totem screeches. "I YIELD."

You struggle to move. Your hearing feels weakened, though not gone. Your head still burns in pain. Not even a migraine. Hot iron poured directly on your brain. Even your eyes hurt. You're not in a good spot to do anything. You still want to curl up and rest and die. But you have to. So you will.

A kick off the wall leaves you standing. A few wobbly steps bring you closer to Coco. And then she breaks into a run and your legs turn to goop as you fall onto your ass.

She slows down. Lowers her head down towards you. The world feels like it's spinning and the only things grounding you in place are her breath in front of you and the ground below. You lean forward and wrap your arms around her snout, doing your best not to throw up directly into her nostrils as your stomach suddenly jolts. She's probably not as big as her mother. Tyrantrum still have some growing to do after they evolve. It's hard to imagine her bigger than she is now; your arms can't even reach to the back of her head.

"I'm so proud of you." It's true. You are. The license problems, getting food on the way out — that's for later. When you don't want to curl up into bed and die. "You're so strong." No. Then she might think you only love her strength. You swallow down bile and keep talking. "You're also kind. And clever. And curious. Whatever happens, I'm proud of you."

She rumbles in contentment and you can feel your bones rattle in response. So big. Bigger than Alice with room left to grow. More like a force of nature than a hatchling confused and curious about everything around her.

"See how long my teeth are," she rumbles.

Oh. Well. Not too much different from before.

You hesitantly hold out a shaky hand towards her. You can feel her massive lips pull apart as you reach out, trying to keep your hand towards her lower lip. Don't want to hurt yourself on the serrated tips. When you find the bone you slowly trace your finger up. And up. Until you finally reach the tip. Curious, you put the base of your hand at the bottom of the tooth. Your fingertips can barely, carefully curl around the top. Probably won't be long before that changes.

"They're very good teeth."

She gently pulls back. You can feel her radiated joy.

You slowly pull away and walk towards the totem. Early in your journey you tried to walk on a boat after a near-sleepless night. This reminds you of that. Just worse.

"I'm completely blind," you tell the totem. "Can you help me find the crystal?"

He barks (booms). Your mind, still stretched too far out of your body, can feel something approaching quickly. Next thing you know there's something small nudging your leg. You reach down with a cupped hand and the crystal falls in. Coated in saliva. Was that… did a dragon carry that in their mouth? It's fine, your hand was just in Coco's mouth, it's just kind of weird.

"YOU WISHED TO SPEAK AFTER THE FIGHT."

You wince and try to shuffle muddled thoughts into place. "Tomorrow?" you ask. "I…have a headache…now and need to heal my team." You don't want to admit to being psychic right on camera. Helps that your excuse is true. Even thinking hurts.

"VERY WELL. RETURN IN PEACE WHEN IT PLEASES YOU. A WATCHER OF THIS PLACE SHALL SUMMON ME."

He bounds off, scales continuing to clang without meaning and echo off the walls. It shakes your bones and stomach and your brain still feels like it wants to melt away and seep out of your nose. Walking isn't going to happen.

"Coco?" you ask gently. "Do you think you can fit through the face." It didn't feel cramped and the totem must walk through. Should be fine, right?

"Yes."

"Good. Can you let me onto your back?"

She gasps in excitement and lowers herself to the ground with a thud that would've knocked you back over if you bothered to stand back up.

"Thank you."

You have to stand before trying to pull yourself onto her back. It's not too hard. When she's sitting down like this, belly to the ground, you're still taller than her. That's going to change. Even if you do keep growing a little bit. (Up two centimeters since the journey started!)

Then you kind of have to pull yourself onto her back, face down, arms and legs wrapped around her like a baby to their mother. You'll figure out how to sit up, eventually, but you aren't feeling up to it today. Should probably get a saddle first.

Not sure how you get one. Last you checked, and you did check, no tyrantrum was registered as a ride pokémon. Which. Waste of potential. Why would you bring back giant dinosaurs and then not ride on them? Assuming her spine can take it. There was a lot of disagreement on how their bones would even support their weight. Some scientists talked about the largest copperajah in comparison and you've heard they can't really hold riders on their back well because they didn't evolve to do that. That one still hasn't been solved because the earliest tyrantrum were still mostly rock and the latest ones haven't reached old age and died yet. Point is, you'll have to make sure Coco isn't being hurt by this.

Later.

You're not walking back right now.

Like, you don't think you physically could.

It's fine, thrilling, even, when Coco lifts you up. And up. And up. Until it finally stops. You press into her skin a little more tightly. Leathery. Not really scaly. A few feathers beneath your head. Uh. Your head is probably above her arms? You weren't paying a lot of attention to where you were on her back. Just that you were on it.

It's only when she starts moving that you realize the problem. Vibrations surge through you. To your stomach. And with your head and the Z-move and the totem—

{Stop!} She does. Suddenly. And it throws you over the edge. You manage to lean over just a little, push some hair out of the way, but you can't stop yourself from vomiting. On your precious Coco. Not a lot. Genesis didn't police you this morning so you didn't eat. But. A little. And it's gross and embarrassing and she deserves better.

"Are you… trying to feed me?"

You giggle and your head pounds in time. {No. Just sick. One of Gen's pokémon will clean it off. Will also clean any blood you got on you.}

She's too big for your baths, now. You don't want to think about that.

She pauses for a few deep breaths that lift you up and down. {Did you use a crystal?}

{No.} Worse. She doesn't need to know that since you'll never do it again. Neither does Gen. It'll just be your secret.

{Then why are you sick?}

"I don't like loud noises."

She rumbles. "Should have drawn more blood. Shown him how good my teeth are."

{Would've just made things louder.}

"Fine."

Coco stops at the end of the tunnel and slowly lowers herself to the ground. You push yourself up, rub her back, and slide off. You fall to a crouch and then manage to push yourself upright. And immediately get pulled forward into someone aa they wrap their arms around you. Person is soft. Hair is where you would expect. Smells like you would expect. Gen. Just. Wish she didn't startle you like that.

"That was incredible," she gushes. "You did so well."

You roll your eyes. Not that she can see it since your face is tucked beneath her head. You hate that she can do it. She loves doing it. You don't say anything. Being pressed close, there, isn't all bad. I barely did anything. All Leo, Noci, Coco."

"And you." She relaxes a little. You pull back and lean into her side and she wraps an arm around your shoulder. Good. Soft. Warm. Helps with balance.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Ichtaca. I know it wasn't your fault." What? Why is the nurse apologizing? You search your memory for something but just thinking too hard hurts so you stop.

"What?"

"The everstone. You don't have a license for a tyrantrum and, well, it's on video. You didn't intentionally evolve her. I'll write up a formal request for a short-term waiver for you, at least until you can apply…"

You stop listening to her words as your mind begins to try and work faster than it should right now. No license. No Coco. You've applied. Waiver. Keep her? For now. If they grant it. If they don't then no Coco and no Alice and no Searah or Renfield or no no no no no no no no no no no—

You're lying down. There's something soft and warm beneath your head. You try to lift it and remember that everything in your brain still burns.

Delicate fingers run push the hair off of your forehead. "It's okay," Gen whispers above you. "I'm here."

"What…" your throat is dry. You have to swallow to make it less painful to talk. "…happened?"

"You had a panic attack. We brought you inside. You feel asleep. The nurse took your hurt pokémon to look at them. Pixie's here, if you want."

You idly tap your stomach. A fox pounces onto it and, well, maybe having her lying on you there isn't a good idea.

"Can you lie on my legs?"

The fox whines but does curl up there. Good.

"Don't worry," Gen says. "We can take care of everything for a while. Just rest."

You yawn. Rest. Good.

You can do that.

July 5, 2020

You still don't feel like a living person yet. But there's work to be done. A little. You still spend most of the day alternating sleep and being pampered by your girlfriend, but there are a few things you need to do.

"Do you have to molt?"

Leo shifts with the soft clack of chitin.

"No."

Really? You'd thought she'd taken some strong hits.

"Not now." Oh. That makes more sense. "Will after the canyon. Not safe here."

You take a deep breath. Moment of truth. He might leave you just for asking this. "Could I cut back your food a little in the canyon? Maybe once every three days instead of every other. Coco evolved and she needs more food than we have. I don't want to starve you and can figure something out. Just. Never mind. This was a bad idea. I shouldn't have asked."

"Will it take as long to leave the canyon as it did to enter?"

"Probably a day more." Slow uphill, you won't be rushing to get Gen to safety. Hopefully.

"Feed me today. Let the Coco fight instead of me. I won't need to eat until we leave."

"That's a lot of time, Leo. We can take it slower. Maybe skip three days at first—"

"I do not need to eat if I do not fight."

You know what he's doing. It's what you do. And you're not going to let him. "I know that isn't true—"

"No. It is. Here you have more food than you would ever need. Down in the ocean, where most of the other-me's live? I've never been there. I know, though, that there's nothing. Not for months. Or years. I could go that long without eating if I had to."

Oh. You'd read something like that. But you'd thought that he was different. Maybe a different species entirely. He's always been very food motivated.

"You've been eating whenever I've fed you."

"Was afraid there wouldn't be food the next time I need to eat. There will be. I trust you."

You start to tear up. You shouldn't. Of course your pokémon trust you. But. You crouch down and hold out a hand. He scuttles under it and you pet his head with the pressure he likes. "Thank you. I won't let you down."

Food. You can do food. That's such a small thing to want. Almost too small. You'll make sure it's there.

July 6, 2020

Noci slows to a stop and lets you off. She's a smoother ride than Coco. Almost too smooth. You rode on her again this morning and it was a lot more enjoyable when you were only half-dead. It felt real. The rise and fall of her chest. The blood flowing beneath her scales. It felt like Alice. You're glad that she's bigger. That she's grown. But a part of you wished that she was still smaller. That you could still take care of her, physically. She's too young, even if she's evolved. She shouldn't be the person other people look up to yet, literally or figuratively. It's exhausting. It's terrifying. Realizing that there's no one else to catch you if you fall. And that if you go down, so will the other people you love. You were at least eight when that happened. She's not even a year old. It's not fair.

You'll still do everything you can to protect her and care for her. Maybe even more than you were before. She should still be a child. You hate the totem for making her grow up that fast. Even if it's natural for tyrunt—tyrantrum.

There's a rumble nearby. The clanging of scales. The totem is coming. You put your ear protection back on. You'll definitely still hear him through it.

"You came," he rumbles. "I did not think you would."

"Why not?" You weren't sure you were going to, either, but it felt rude not to accept the totem's invitation after saying you wanted to talk.

"You were only speaking to me in hopes of getting an easier match."

Oh. He noticed. You don't want to lie to him. Don't want to confirm it.

He clacks his scales together in a way that sounds like laughter. "Tell me, how did you learn the ancient tongue?"

"Alice, a twice-split spirit raised by my mother. Ellas was my main caretaker."

"And do you think this gives you the right to our tongue? Or customs?"

"Ellas gave them to me. Reshiram talked to me in the language. If I'm around dragons, I want to talk in their language."

"You shouldn't."

He stops vibrating entirely. No clashing plates. No sound at all.

"Isn't that rude?"

"Not as rude as pretending to be one of us." He's still quiet, for a kommo-o. Barely audible over your earplugs.

"Excuse me?"

"FOOL." Oh. There's the volume. "WOULD A DRAGON MOTHER STRANGLE HER OWN HATCHLING? WOULD THEY HOLD BACK THEIR PROGRESS OR CELEBRATE IT?"

The everstone. "I wasn't allowed to raise her yet! I still need a few weeks. Then I was going to remove it."

"WHO WOULD NOT ALLOW YOU? THE HUMANS?"

"Yes!"

"THEN YOU FOLLOW THEIR RULES, SUBMIT TO THEIR SYSTEMS, BENEFIT FROM THEIR STATUS. YOU WANT TO BE A DRAGON BUT YOU WILL NOT ACT LIKE ONE. WILL NOT BE GOVERNED LIKE ONE. WHAT USE IS KNOWING THE LAWS AND THE LANGUAGE IF THEY DO NOT BIND YOU?"

You growl. A warning. It's pathetically small compared to his. You can't really bring yourself to notice.

"A REAL DRAGON WOULD BURN DOWN CITIES TO PROTECT THEIR HATCHLING'S GROWTH. WOULD FEAR NO HUMAN LAW IF THEY HAD THE STRENGTH TO DEFY IT. YOU DO NOT HAVE THAT STRENGTH. ALL YOU HAVE IS THE POWER OF A REAL DRAGON YOU HELD BACK FOR YOUR OWN CONVENIENCE, ONE YOU FORCE TO LIVE BY YOUR OWN SPECIES' CODES."

You clench your tiny, human fist. "I've always liked dragons more than humans," you growl. "I couldn't choose how I was born."

"THEN MAKE YOUR OWN SPECIES SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF. DO NOT STEAL OUR BLOOD."

He leaps away with a massive, echoing crash. The conversation is over. He didn't want to talk to you. Didn't see you as worth talking to. Saw you as beneath him. Weak. Scaleless. Human. You lower your head.

"The humans never wanted me," you tell nothing and no one. "And I guess you won't take me, either."

You turn around and start walking back. Noci hovers behind, offering to guide. You don't care. She has her place in whatever hierarchy the metagross have. She's never dealt with this. For now you just want to be as alone as you can safely be.