Chapter 101, everybody! The Krabby are living up to their name.

So the first time I ever heard of Pokémon swarms was in Gen III when they were announced on the TVs occasionally—caught my Surskit that way. Apparently in Gen IX they're a common occurrence and what are we doing looking down the barrel at Gen X seriously.

In other news: thank you to Dragonkeeper10, thor94, Cyan Quartz, B0bbles, BlastShooter87, Speed Reader, LongNightDragon, and kazikamikaze24 for the reviews! Two updates in a row and it's when FFN's notification system is down. X'D

Pokémon © Game Freak; Nintendo

And now, for something completely different:

In other news, many bookstores are no longer stocking the Fifty Shades book series after many complaints of the "hot Skitty on Wailord action" present in the books. The Pokémon League would like to request that you not contact us asking what that means.

The next morning saw them waving the aliens off as they jetted off for Professor Oak's—Ash anticipated an interesting conversation the next time he checked in.

"Should we be concerned?" Misty asked. "I mean yes they're eggheads but they're also aliens."

"They had the proper documentation," Brock pointed out.

"It was all in some alien language, how could you tell."

"I mean that was cool," Ash pointed out. "How many people can honestly say they chatted with aliens?"

"Hillbillies mostly," Misty said. "Not that anyone ever believes them."

"Yeah but we have pictures."

"Like that's ever helped."

Bulbasaur opted to follow them outside his ball this time around; it was nice and sunny and the extra chlorophyll gave him a boost so he could follow around easily. Not anything like Vee, who apparently was part gas molecule, but enough that he was maintaining a nice trot next to Brock.

It also gave him the chance to participate in a couple of battles, since there were fishers on the bridge they were crossing—specializing in Water types, which meant easy leveling for both himself and Pikachu.

Indeed, things were going well until they started along the trail on the other side of the bridge.

"Hey what are those?" Vee asked, looking at the beach.

"Krabby," Bulbasaur said, looking over.

"Really? They don't look it."

"The species is called Krabby," Darkrai said, floating by. "Very tasty steamed with Old Bay."

"No explaining the food chain again," Bulbasaur told him.

"Should we try catching one?" Ash asked, looking the beach over.

"I don't know," Brock said. "Those bigger ones look like Kingler—those can be dangerous if they get those claws on you."

"So we don't let them get their claws on us. Hey Krabby!" Ash hollered. "Any of you want to travel with us?"

Bulbasaur flung out a Razor Leaf to stop the sea of Bubble Beams aimed at them.

"That felt like a no," Misty said, tugging a ball off her belt.

"There are nicer ways to say it!" Vee said.

"Bug off!" a Krabby barked, shooting a Water Gun at Vee.

"Hey!" Pikachu yelped, narrowly dodging being included in the blast. "Not cool!" he barked, shooting a Thunder Shock at the Krabby.

Unfortunately this got all the Krabby and Kingler on the beach upset at them.

Bulbasaur and Pikachu fielded most of the Bubble Beams with Swift and Razor Leaf, but there were far more attacks coming—Bulbasaur threw up a Protect, Darkrai intercepting with one of his own when Bulbasaur's failed under the assault.

"You see the trouble you people get into when I'm not around?" Darkrai asked them.

"Except you were right here," Misty pointed out, releasing Oddish.

"Details."

"Get the trainers back, we'll cover you," Bulbasaur said, steeling himself and rooting his paws to the ground. Their party might be strong, but the Krabby and Kingler outnumbered them and would win by sheer attrition; this was a fight they were better off fleeing. Misty and Ash started to give orders, the latter cut off by Darkrai plucking him up and shooting away, pausing only to scoop up a sodden Vee.

"Sweet Scent laced with Poison Powder and Stun Spore," Bulbasaur told Oddish, prepping another Razor Leaf. "Then start with the Razor Leaves—we need these guys on the defensive so we can take off."

"Pish," Pikachu noised, leaping forward and letting loose a Discharge—Bulbasaur threw up another Protect, scowling at having to waste one on a teammate's move—grimaced when another wave of Krabby advanced over the fallen ones.

"Good grief were these guys swarming!?" Misty squawked.

"Maybe," Brock said—waved at Darkrai when he came back. "Misty next."

"You really expect me to leave the cook for last," Darkrai said.

"Hush and do as you're told."

Darkrai and Misty exchanged startled glances at that, but did as Brock ordered. Good—because the mob of crab Pokémon still felt way too overwhelming.

"Distance attacks only, don't go charging in," Bulbasaur said, stopping Pikachu from running in with a Volt Tackle. "You get in the middle of that and they'll mob you and rip you apart."

"BACK!" Oddish hollered, releasing another multicolored cloud and shaking it towards the Krabby. One lunged to grab him, got sprayed in the face with an Acid for its trouble. "BACK TO THE FOUL PIT FROM WHENCE YOU CAME!"

"I didn't come from a foul pit!" a Krabby yelled back, lunging with a Crabhammer prepped—got zapped out of commission by Pikachu, who kept up a rain of Thunder Shocks to keep the other crab Pokémon back—Bulbasaur loosed more Razor Leaves, glanced back to see Darkrai was back—

"Last hurrah time," Bulbasaur hissed to Pikachu, looping a vine around Oddish and flinging him back to Darkrai—fired off Razor Leaves and threw up a Protect as Pikachu loosed another Discharge, felling enough to make them fall back—

A Scald from a Kingler got through the Protect.

Pain—pain of the familiar kind ate through reason, through memory—couldn't see, pain and the memory it snapped to the fore was all that existed—

No.

"NO!" Bulbasaur practically screamed, panicking in his sightlessness and feeling the burns gnawing away at him—nothing else, only those burns and that old pain. "No! NO! Don't leave me! Don't leave me! I can be better I promise!"

"Bulbasaur, you're okay! Stop thrashing!"

No—not this again—please—

And then he was knocked out.

Bulbasaur came to with the sensation of dull aching pain pulsing through his skin.

"Ow," he noised, cracking his eyes open and trying to work his mouth—it felt like he had tried to swallow a Cottonee whole.

"Oh look, he's up," Pikachu said, looking over. "How you feeling?"

"Terrible," Bulbasaur said, rolling his eyes to minimize bodily movement at the moment; Brock was next to him, having apparently fallen asleep sitting up against a tree trunk. "What happened?"

"You started freaking out," Pikachu said. "Which I guess is normal, seeing as you were pretty badly burned. You kept hollering out 'don't leave me.'"

Bulbasaur blinked—he knew why he had cried out like that. The memory of his former trainer, who had left him with burns just as bad—the pain had triggered the memory.

"What else did I say?" Bulbasaur asked, working to prop himself up.

"Not much—Darkrai knocked you out."

"Do what?"

"He did—you should have seen Brock yelling at him," Pikachu said, smirking at the memory. "Although I guess it was a good thing, seeing as how you stopped thrashing like that and Brock was able to treat you."

Bulbasaur looked back at Brock, digesting this. Brock had tended to him—Brock was, most certainly, not the trainer that still haunted his nightmares. Brock was a good egg.

And then there was Darkrai.

"Why did he do that?" Bulbasaur asked.

"Well, there's that thing about wanting to become a Pokémon doctor, and the fact that he is your trainer, as you're constantly stressing to me about Ash—"

"Not Brock—Darkrai."

"Oh. I haven't the foggiest. You'd have to ask him."

Bulbasaur planned to.

The next several days had Bulbasaur not leaving Brock's side for nothing—he wanted to make sure it got across that he was grateful, that he thought Brock was the best…that he loved him.

Eventually, however, he did finally leave his side to seek out one Pokémon in particular.

Said Pokémon was loitering on a nearby hillock, watching the moon slowly rise.

"I heard you knocked me out when I was having my breakdown," Bulbasaur said.

"It seemed like the best course of action," Darkrai said, not turning around.

"I see," Bulbasaur said, coming up next to him and sitting down. "I…want to thank you," he added. "For…stopping me before I said too much."

Darkrai said nothing, so he continued. "I get it," Bulbasaur said. "Why you don't want to air out your past. I suppose it should have occurred to me earlier. Just…thank you."

"Whatever," Darkrai said, sounding dismissive.

Bulbasaur sighed, looked at the evening sky.

"Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?" Bulbasaur asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Darkrai sighed.

Yes, yes he did—Darkrai could have knocked Bulbasaur out or chased him off or floated away. The fact that he did none of those things spoke droves to him.

And so, Bulbasaur settled down and watched as the stars came out.