"KSS!"

"No," she ground out as she put on her coat. She didn't bother to add 'for the last time,' because he hadn't heeded the warning she'd already given him. Backpedaling would only show him that could push her rules without consequences.

He jolted in place and rolled off of her desk, towards the window. Tanya scowled at her Pokemon.

He'd been acting up since yesterday and was not obeying her orders.

A thought occurred to her as she grabbed her bag. From within, she retrieved Kakuna's Poke ball. "Return," she ordered. In a flash of light, the Pokemon disappeared from where he had been propped up on her desk. With a toss, the ball landed on the edge of her bed.

She turned and closed the door behind her, locking it.

Tanya sighed as she left her apartment behind.

Kakuna wanted to train. Tanya did not want to train him.

Not currently, anyway. With his mobility so impaired, any practice they got in would serve little use when he became a Beedrill. Instead, she would wait for a trainer with spare exp candies to find and fulfill the request she'd put out and have him evolve that way.

With any luck, leaving him at home would serve as punishment enough for how belligerent he'd been acting since his evolution. She hardly expected it to, with how insistent he had been about trying to train despite her orders, but she could always hope while planning for when the situation deteriorated.

Her research into other areas had proven much less frustrating than her Pokemon. She had a basic plan for challenging the Fighting-type gym and had confirmed some of the information she'd found online with Ichigo. Unfortunately, he hadn't actually challenged that gym in over a decade, which meant asking other people who might know.

From what she knew of her naginata teacher, Ikube would not take kindly to being asked questions that might make her challenge easier, even if most of the information was already public. The child she'd met a few days ago when she'd taken Weedle to the Pokemon Center was also not a viable source of information, since he'd not challenged Saffron's gym yet, from what she remembered of his rambling, mostly one-sided conversation with her.

Tanya wound her way through the city, heading towards a vaguely familiar Pokemon Center. Fortunately, Tanya could strike two birds with one stone.

Tanya's eyes briefly flicked up the building, confirming it to be the one she'd gotten her intermediate license at. Now that the patient was no longer on the verge of dying, he'd been transferred here, according to their translation team's group chat.

Tanya skipped the line in front of the Nurse Joy handling healing people's Pokemon and headed for the reception desk, staffed by someone who was not a Joy. He greeted her, and Tanya told him she was the coworker of someone who's Pokemon had been hurt during the incursion.

"That's too bad," the receptionist said. "Are they doing alright?"

"As far as I know," she replied. Team Four's group chat had been giving updates on everyone's health.

"Since he was released, he hasn't left his Pokemon's side. His name should be Hideyoshi Katsuka? He said he wouldn't mind me visiting, but could you ring him and just to be sure?"

The receptionist nodded and typed out a few words that would be read over the intercom in his room. They engaged in a bit of banal conversation about the mood of the city since the incursion, during which Hideyoshi responded. Tanya thanked the receptionist for their time and began following the man's directions.

His Pokemon would have died if he hadn't Evolved from a Primeape into an Annihilape. Even then, it had been a close-cut thing. Now, he was recovering and would be for at least a few more days. Hideyoshi was taking until next week to come into work again.

Eventually, after an elevator ride and a check in at another reception desk, she stood before the door to his Pokemon's room. She knocked, and the door promptly opened.

Hideyoshi stared at her with worn, tired eyes ringed with worry, an eyebrow raised and words on the tip of his tongue. She ignored it and bowed her head. "Hideyoshi. How are you and your Pokemon doing?"

He turned away from her and walked into the room. "As well as can be expected. I only got a few scrapes, but Annihilape…"

He was talking quietly, his gaze not straying from his Pokemon. Tanya mirrored his tone. "Indeed. I… wanted to apologize for how I worded my answer to your question about why I didn't like Pokemon."

His eyebrows rose, but again, she ignored it. She wanted information about the Fighting-type gym out of him, which meant smoothing over a few ruffled feathers. If getting that information meant walking back what she'd said, especially when she felt differently about her answer, then of course she'd apologize.

"If that's how you feel…" he trailed off. She shook her head.

"It was, but…" she sighed. "I didn't mean to imply that I thought other people's engagement with Pokemon had no value. I meant it only for myself, and with the incursion… well, I've been forced to reassess my values and have started training a Pokemon." A flicker of annoyance passed over his face.

Tanya didn't notice. She would really rather have not had to change her plans. She would have rather kept living a normal life without any Pokemon. As ever, obstructions to the peace she'd fought to reclaim endeavored to keep her away from her goal.

Eventually, he gave her a shallow nod. "I also wanted to thank you for putting your Pokemon in harm's way to fight off the Ultra Beasts."

That, finally, dragged his gaze away from his Pokemon to her. "'Course. I… I don't get how you could think about Pokemon like that, but… to each their own, I guess. Free country and all that. I don't… know you."

He looked back at his Pokemon. "He's alright, I think. Or he will be. I just…"

He swallowed thickly and let out a shaky sigh. "Why the hell did it have to happen to us?"

Tanya shrugged, as if it wasn't at least in part because of her. She looked away-

"Ape…?"

Her eyes snapped to the Pokemon lying on the bed, and Hideyoshi was on his feet in an instant. "Sorry for waking you up, buddy. Do you need anything?" Slowly, his limp hair began to reach up and away from the pull of gravity, gently floating like seaweed beneath the water.

He shook his head slightly, and then he turned his blood-red eyes to her. Their glow was unnerving, but she held his gaze.

"Annihi, ape nihila, ape Annihilape. An ilape."

He hadn't blinked, and she didn't either. Hideyoshi blinked eyes that had suddenly begun to tear up. What was she supposed to say in response to that?

After another moment of silence, she finally looked at Hideyoshi. "Sorry, I don't…"

He sniffed again and smiled slightly. "He was just saying it was seeing you that gave him the push he needed to keep going. He thanked you."

It was an intense battle, but Tanya managed to keep her incredulity off of her face. She also managed to keep it out of her tone when she replied to what Hideyoshi claimed his animal had said. "Er, you are welcome, Annihilape. And thank you for saving us."

The Pokemon nodded once and then began to drift back to sleep. Tanya almost rolled her eyes. She found it hard to understand how he cared so much about his Pokemon while also participating in using them for sport, but she knew well by now that humans were far from the logical idea she strove for.

"Well. Thank you for agreeing to see me, Hideyoshi, but I have training to get back to. I want to challenge the Fighting-type gym before-"

His gaze jumped up, and he did too after a second. "You're going on your journey?"

Now she rolled her eyes. "No, and neither am I claiming any wasteful state subsidies." Not yet at least. She paused for a moment. "Have you already faced this gym?"

He rolled her eyes at her previous statement. "Next you're going to say that Pokemon Centers are a waste." She did think that they probably were far more wasteful being subsidized with the government dole than they could be, but she kept that thought to herself, considering they were both standing in one. Tanya had more tact than that.

"Well, I imagine you've already looked at whatever's online, right?" he said. She nodded, and he continued, "Don't be overly reliant on that stuff. Generally, a gym leader might raise the difficulty if they think you're doing too well." Tanya frowned severely.

"Uh, fuck, first gym…" He scratched the back of his head. "The leader should only use two Pokemon, so whatever he picks second will be to counter whatever Pokemon you've already shown off. Um… what Pokemon did you catch?"

"I caught a Weedle," she replied, "and will evolve it into a Beedrill for the fight."

He nodded. "Well, the Fighting-gym is probably one of the only places it'll have much defensive value. Eh, you'll probably need TMs if you want to do any real damage." She nodded again. All of that had confirmed her suspicions. Not the greatest return on the time she'd taken to think up what to say to him and spend time here, but it was acceptable.

There was a faraway look in his eyes. "My last bit of advice: Don't sandbag. Leader Takenori doesn't like that sort of thing. I… tried it," he said, looking down at the floor for a moment, "and he upped the difficulty as punishment." After that, he trailed off.

She nodded. That, at least, was very useful information. She'd contemplated trying to play up how inexperienced she was or emphasize her age. She had doubted the utility of such a tactic, especially considering she went there almost every day to learn, demonstrating her dedication at the very least.

Well, Hideyoshi's advice put that errant thought to rest for this gym. She thanked him for the advice and his time and, one final time, for putting his pets on the line for the safety of her and everyone at Silph that day.

His eyes flicked to Annihilape, and this time, she wasn't able to stop her lips from thinning. She turned to his Pokemon and thanked him as well.

He nodded absentmindedly and went back to staring at his Pokemon, and she turned to leave, her mind already occupied with planning for how she would punish her Pokemon if he continued to act up. She doubted she could confine him to his ball like sending a toddler to stand in a corner, and she didn't want to deny him food that might impact his health and ability to defend her. Perhaps denying him the carrot instead of threatening the stick would work?

-OxOxO-

Denying him the carrot did not work, because Kakuna wanted 'the stick.'

More specifically, he wanted training. Even if he could hardly move, even if he couldn't lunge with Poison Sting, he wanted to train. If he was being driven by his instinct, Tanya could hardly blame him.

Despite that, Tanya really really wanted to blame the bug when she woke up with multiple String Shots over the top of her covers, keeping her from getting up. He'd been similarly difficult yesterday when she'd gotten back, having used String Shot to close her door and all of the cabinet's in her kitchen. He'd categorically refused her attempt to assuage his instincts with treats.

Of course, Tanya was not so unprepared as to be majorly affected by a little string. Still bound by her blanket and the string, she wiggled beneath to loosen up enough room for one of her arms to maneuver. Once it was free, she reached beneath her pillow to retrieve the spare knife she kept there.

"Just so you know," she threatened as she began to cut the string away, "we have a lot to do today." She knew she was mostly talking to herself, but hopefully, it would recognize the tone of her voice and associate it with punishment. "I am going to go get the exp candies after breakfast. You will eat them until you reach level nine. We'll head to that tutor who said he could teach you Iron Defense. You'll get your last exp candy, evolve, and then we can finally get back to training."

She finished with the last of the string binding the top half of her body and finally slipped out of the bed. She looked around the room for her wayward pet, her knife gripped in her off hand. "I can't leave you home for the tutor, but I can for the exp candies. I won't threaten you with things you might interpret as training, so how about I keep you from training instead, hmm? Perhaps we'll start with hours after your evolution, and if your disobedience continues, a few days?"

She wished she could back those threats up, but there wasn't really a way for her to convey that his actions now would have repercussions in a few hours. Not to an animal. Leaving him home hadn't really done anything, so perhaps ignoring him while she was at home would do the trick.

She didn't say another word after her last threat. Instead, she went about her morning, making them both food. She did not acknowledge his chittering from above her desk, where he had stuck himself to the slats holding her mattress aloft, only barely doing so by forking the leafy greens and mushrooms she had prepared him into his mandibles.

She ignored him as she left to pick up the candies from the Pokemon Center in Ochre the exp candies had been left at and a Pokemart to pick up more supplies. She ignored him when she returned, she ignored him while doing further research about the Pokemon that called Japan home, and she ignored him while she was making their lunches.

By that time, he hadn't bothered trying to get her attention for over an hour.

Only when she finished hers and finished feeding him his lunch did she finally decide to pay attention again. She retrieved six of the seven XS size exp candies she had obtained and set them down on the table in front of her Pokemon.

"I have one more for you to consume after you learn Iron Defense," she said. She picked up one from the table and held it before her Pokemon's mouth.

His mouth did not open.

"Kakuna," she warned. Still, he did not budge. She sighed, hot frustration pushing through her teeth.

"Was my treatment of you earlier not enough of a punishment?" she asked rhetorically. "If so, there are others I could try." She did not name the ideas she'd thought of – submersion in water seemed like a quick way to demonstrate her displeasure with him – because she really, really did not want to lose his loyalty, no matter how obstinate he was currently being.

All of her effort would be wasted if he ran off upon becoming a Beedrill… or turned on her the moment he evolved. The men and women who had worked under her during the war had not put up with her harsh training standards out of personal loyalty to her, but because they had no choice but to serve according to the law and would have been imprisoned if they had shirked their duty.

No law or creed weighed upon the decision-making of the insect in front of her, regardless of how limited his mind was. He would have been easier to convince if he were smarter.

He did not open his mouth.

Her tone dropped further. "I will force feed you if I must."

He hissed at her. He said, "Kaka."

One of Tanya's eyes twitched, and she reached with her empty hand towards his mouth. "You little-"

"Kukana!" her Pokemon shouted, the bottom tip of his carapace glowing purple. Tanya lurched away as he wobbled in place until he fell off of her desk and rolled across the ground. He jerked in place, attempting to fling himself in her direction and failing.

"You want to fight?" she asked rhetorically, her frustration bubbling. "Once you eat this damn candy, then you can! Yet you refuse. Are you that upset, or is there something else? These things apparently get left behind by Pokemon when they shrink down, occasionally. If you know it will make you stronger, why do you insist on making this harder than it has to be!" she shouted.

He had stopped wobbling, and Tanya swayed in place slightly. "I don't want to risk getting poisoned," she said quietly, "but I am not watching you level up the 'regular' way Kakuna Evolve in the wild. That could take weeks. I- I don't have time for that."

She balled her fists. "I need stronger Pokemon. If I'm going to live-"

"Ka."

Tanya blinked and looked down to see that Kakuna had rolled over and was now looking up at her. She cleared her throat. "Thank you."

He ate each one reluctantly. "Now, let's get you that move, then we can give you the last one-"

He hissed at her again, and she narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth to rebuke him…

Then, she changed her mind. He desperately wanted to battle for whatever reason. Since he'd acquiesced to her demand he eat the candies… perhaps some reciprocation was in order.

"Fine," she muttered. "One battle. If you don't evolve, then you eat the candy and we start the real training."

That, finally, mollified him, and his tone was cheerful. She could only sigh in relief as she returned him and headed for the door.

-OxOxO-

The hiking stick she'd bought at the store was serving her well. That it was taller than her and could serve as a (poor) replacement for a naginata was an added bonus.

Kakuna had been practicing using Iron Defense on the walk from the tutor to this spot off the beaten path of Route 8. With that move, there was no way that her Pokemon would lose if they ran into the first two stages of the Weedle or Caterpie lines. Even against some of Kakuna's poorer matchups, Tanya had little fear that he would really lose, with all the berries she had purchased.

She would have preferred to stay on the Route itself, but Kakuna had particularly poor matchups against almost everything that one was likely to encounter. So, she was trudging off the beaten path, having her Pokemon use Iron Defense, and-

Something invisible landed on Tanya's face, caught, and made her trip unceremoniously as she tried to remove it. "What in the-"

She ripped whatever had gotten tangled in her hair away and scowled at the translucent thread. spider silk. That meant-

"Arak!"

The Pokemon jumped down from the canopy, and Tanya rolled out of the way. She scrambled for her walking stick and found it quickly. "Kakuna?" she asked.

He cried from somewhere off in the bushes. The Spinarak paused, and then, with a mighty jolt, the top of Kakuna's head poking out from the foliage jerked towards them, flopping towards them both.

The Spinarak chittered, and then it turned away from Tanya. She brought out her phone and quickly scanned it. Her phone only had the most basic of scanners, which meant it would identify species, gender, if its species expressed sexual dimorphism, and level. What it's moves were could be guessed based on the species but not known, and there was some variance.

"Poison Sting," she ordered, already mentally preparing for what was likely to be a boring battle.

Kakuna had already been using Iron Defense, so that move and Harden would be useless for this fight… although with how it resisted both Bug and Poison-type moves, that probably didn't matter.

Rather than the tip of his carapace glowing purple, a dot of purple energy built up on his forehead and then rocketed off in the Spinarak's direction.

The projectile missed badly. Not unexpected, considering Kakuna was lying on the ground on his side, with at least half of his vision obscured by tall grass. The Spinarak stayed where it had positioned itself, crying out its name and then-

Dark green splotches of energy rose from the ground around Kakuna and latched onto his hide. Tanya frowned and looked at the results from her scan.

That certainly wasn't Poison Sting or String Shot, which meant it was Absorb or Infestation.

"Poison Sting, to the left," she called out as she poked at one of the moves. The Poison Sting missed, though by less this time, and Tanya shook her head as the video played. No, there hadn't been any energy floating through the air back to Spinarak. The Spinarak launched a Poison Sting at Kakuna and missed.

She watched the other video and nodded; that move had been Infestation, then. She read its properties.

One of her eyes twitched. It did special damage, which meant her ploy to use Iron Defense had been for nothing but training. Furthermore, if a Pokemon was hit by the move, they lost an eighth of their total health each turn… and they couldn't flee from battle.

Tanya looked up from her phone and watched as the dark green splotches reappeared for a moment, causing her Pokemon to wince and close his eyes. She sighed despondently as the Spinarak used Absorb.

Tanya couldn't even really pick up her Pokemon and try to walk away – the move would tell the Spinarak exactly where she was until it ran its course in… five turns, if her Pokemon didn't faint. "Poison Sting," Tanya said again, her tone even more flat. This time, it was actually on track to hit.

The Spinarak dodged to the side and launched a Poison Sting of its own. It hit, and the Infestation reappeared again.

The Spinarak began to reposition itself, sneaking closer to Kakuna. She told him to use Poison Sting, the move finally hit… and then it used Absorb, regained its energy, and used String Shot. The force behind the move bounced both the string and her Pokemon up into the air slightly. Her gaze tracked her Pokemon and watched as he was stuck to the roots of a tree.

Tanya watched as the Spinarak crept closer to her Kakuna. "Wait a moment," Tanya said. As ordered, her Pokemon did not move. The Spinarak was right next to her Kakuna, its pointed mandibles glowing bright purple, about to bite down into her Pokemon.

Tanya smacked it away with her walking stick. Her Kakuna's eyes darted between it and her.

She just stared down at her Pokemon, debating how best to pursue this battle. The dark green energy from the Infestation flashed again. She crouched down and fed her Pokemon an oran berry.

"There's no way you have the skill to use your Power Points to alter one of your moves," she said as she worked at cutting away the string. "So. I'm going to prop you up, and whenever it gets too close, I'll smack it away and feed you so you don't faint."

Because there was no way he was winning this otherwise. Even though her phone said the Spinarak was a level lower, Infestation was just an objectively better move than anything her Pokemon could do.

But he wanted a fight, and Tanya had said he could have one.

Still, she was going to ask. "I don't suppose you'd be up for running?" she asked. Kakuna hissed loudly, and Tanya winced. "Fine, fine."

And that was how it went. Her Pokemon would shoot Poison Stings at the Spinarak, it would use that move back or Absorb or Infestation or String Shot. Sometimes, the Spinarak would dodge. Sometimes, it would miss. A few times, Kakuna even managed to dodge out of the way of a badly-aimed Poison Sting.

Tanya gave orders, and she stared off into the distance. She was struggling with raising a Pokemon to level ten. She didn't have the support of a government or an army or even a company. She was on her own, with a handful of people she could call acquaintances.

Was it even possible for her to resist Interpol? They had support from every country on earth.

Perhaps if she turned herself in, she could guarantee herself good treatment? If she could find someone with an overriding sense of duty or morality, would they protect her?

For the second time, she smacked the Spinarak away and gave her Pokemon berries.

No, why would anyone stick their neck out for her? She wasn't important. She was a liability to public safety, and if someone illogically sided with her, then it would still only be two people against the world. Her best bet would be to never get found.

The Spinarak landed another String Shot, covering all of Kakuna. He managed to get a Poison Sting through, but it missed by a country mile. The Spinarak advanced again, warily eyeing Tanya.

She rolled her eyes at it and smacked it away when it finally tried to land a blow on Kakuna. It rolled with the blow and was back on its feet fast, but not faster than Tanya could slice through the String Shot.

"Poison Sting," she said again as she backed away from the fight. It landed. Tanya thought.

Could she change tactics?

She grimaced. Going on a journey to get stronger sounded like a faster way to gain strength for her Pokemon, which was true. However, getting that strength would mean little in the face of an organization like Interpol. On the other hand, if she rose through the ranks at Silph, was there a possibility she would become important enough for them to help her in spite of Interpol?

That sounded unlikely to Tanya's mental ears. Such a move would be against the self-interest of Silph Co., which meant that she'd have to have some leverage over the people making decisions for Silph as a whole.

Corporate espionage sounded like a wonderful way to end up in prison.

So, was traveling her best option? Maybe in terms of getting found out, but if an Ultra Beast appeared, there was no way she could take one on with her current Pokemon, and no one knew why the Ultra Wormholes had appeared in Kanto in the first place.

Tanya was stuck in limbo, perfectly exemplified by the plodding battle taking place before her. The Spinarak was about to try a direct attack against Kakuna. She raised her walking stick once more-

It launched itself towards her!

She fell backwards without hesitation, ducking beneath the spider. It sailed over her head, and she spun back around with her walking stick pointed at it. "Dammit," she muttered. She looked over her shoulder at Kakuna and looked back. She muttered under her breath, "Usless-"

"KAKUNA!"

With a mighty cry, her Kakuna flung himself away from the tree, positioning himself between her and the spider. It chittered challengingly, and Kakuna answered by lunging towards the spider… as best a cocoon could.

Somehow, he managed to actually land a Poison Sting, which sent the Spinarak tumbling into the grass.

Tanya could only blink at the display and then, slowly, she allowed herself a small smile. "Well, if you really do want to get stronger, tenacity like that will certainly help."

Letting fear and hopelessness grip her wouldn't make things better. Even if only by a small amount, winning this fight would.

Her Pokemon waited a moment, and then, with another cry of his name, he flicked up into the air towards where the Spinarak had gone. It reappeared and tried to land a bite-

Only for it to reel back as the move did next to nothing – probably exactly one hit point of damage – and its mandibles blunted against Kakuna's shell. Her Pokemon flicked forward and landed another Poison Sting.

The fight still stretched on, though Tanya now kept Kakuna between her and the Spinarak. Every once in a while, when Kakuna managed to knock his enemy away, she'd toss an oran berry to him.

Eventually, the Spinarak ran out of String Shot. Then, Poison Sting. Then, after nearly half an hour, it ran out of PP for Absorb.

That was when it started to look for ways to escape.

Tanya would not let it. When it tried to flee, Tanya lunged towards it and knocked it back towards her Pokemon. The fight continued.

It kept using Infestation, and, eventually, her Pokemon would land a blow that knocked the Spinarak around. Tanya would give it an oran berry and a leppa berry, and the fight would start again.

It kept trying to scuttle away, but Tanya positioned herself between it and escape every time.

Finally, its stamina was flagging. It had paused, between attacks, chittering or speaking its name over and over to Kakuna, who would respond in kind. She wondered what kind of communication was taking place.

"It can't last much longer," Tanya encouraged. Between counting the Poison Stings that Kakuna had managed to land and how many moves the Spinarak had used, it couldn't have more than three HP left and two PP for Infestation.

Kakuna launched another Poison Sting. It dodged to the right, only for Kakuna to come sailing down through the air, landing point first on the head of the Spinarak.

The effect was immediate. The Pokemon shrank down, and a great light began to emanate from Kakuna.

"Finally!" Tanya cried. She had watched a lot of videos about Pokemon battling, and she was certain that the adage about battles between bugs being boring was very entrenched in fact, after that absolutely 'stunning' display.

It hardly mattered now.

Tanya's jubilation faded into a scowl as her two-foot-tall Kakuna began to grow in size. From his back, two wings began to grow. The head split off from the body, separated by a neck. Two arms emerged, from which spikes grew and grew and grew.

Tanya blinked, and then she gulped. Right, no matter how uninspiring that battle had been, it hardly mattered now. She held her hiking stick in her dominant hand, top pointed forward and haft laying across her other arm. Her off-hand was positioned over the Poke ball clipped to her belt.

Slowly, the light began to fade. The body elongated, and legs sprouted from the bottom. Another point began to grow from the end of its body, which was becoming less angular.

Would he betray her? She didn't think so, but she couldn't be certain. If she was a foot-long insect, killing a source of food and protection was probably not a good idea. On the other hand, he might want to exercise his new power to leave her behind and obtain freedom… and it was possible he would see her as an obstacle to that.

Worries and doubts swam through her mind, and her off-hand inched towards the ball. If she returned him, she could fling the ball away. That would give her time to use the repel she'd bought to keep him away. Barring that, she'd defend herself with her walking stick.

The rainbow light intensified for one second longer and then, with nary a sound, the light faded, leaving a three-foot tall bee with two two-foot-long spears for hands. He looked down at his body, inspecting it and rubbing his spears together.

He held them up, running his antennae against them, then rubbing them against his legs, against the stinger on his thorax, even against the lower of his two sets of wings. Then, hesitantly, he took to the air.

The buzzing was immediate and loud, even though he wasn't flying very fast. Tanya licked her lips, her hand inching closer and closer to the Poke ball on her belt. She had more reach than one of those spears with her weapon, but even if she landed a hit, simple wood wouldn't do much… which assumed that she would be able to hit it at all-

BZZZZZ!

He darted towards her. Her hand lashed out, her thumb on but not depressing the button that would open the ball.

Before she could press down on the ball, he stopped, hovering in front of her. She blinked at him, waiting.

"Beebee! Dri bee drill! Beedrill, beedrill!"

What was he…

Hesitantly, with one hand still grasping his Poke ball, she let go of the walking stick, and brought the hand up. She saw it tremble and scowled at it.

Her hand no longer shaking, she placed the hand on her Pokemon's forehead.

"Beebeedrill!" he exclaimed. He jolted forward again, pushing up into her hand. His antennae twitched and flicked through the air, bending at the joint in the middle and at their base to touch her hand and her jacket.

Slowly, she contracted her fingers, digging into the ever-so-slightly… fluffy exterior. Then, she relaxed them, and then she repeated the action, until she found she was scratching the head of her new Pokemon.

She blinked thoughtlessly as he responded positively, his antennae rubbing up and down on her sleeve, his wings beating and buzzing faster and louder. He drifted closer to her, and Tanya decided to use her mouth – which was hanging open in incredulity – for something useful.

"Good… job?"

"Drilldrilldrill!"

Finally, the hand that had been hovering over the Poke ball fell away. In response, her Pokemon slowly raised his arms up to his side. He cocked his head slightly.

Tanya continued to blink owlishly at her Pokemon. Did… it want a hug?

Tanya opened her own arms hesitantly, and Beedrill floated forward. He grasped onto her-

His buzzing wings stopped, and Tanya almost toppled over. She gripped him tightly, gritting her teeth. "You- you're a lot heavier," she commented.

She stabilized herself, and Beedrill's lower legs stretched down to the ground.

Then, they just stood there.

Her, a girl that appeared to be in her early teens but actually had the mind of a man in his thirties inside, who had gone to war and survived long enough for peace to come around.

Him, the pet three-foot tall magical bee.

Hugging.

"What the fuck is my life?" she griped. She let go of Beedrill, and he backed away. Tanya sighed – because, really, what the fuck was her life? – and then she looked up from her justifiable but unproductive questioning of an uncaring world to see her Pokemon jabbing at her from a safe distance away.

Or, more accurately, he was jabbing at her and her walking stick.

He was like an overexcitable dog.

"The first thing you want to do is fight?" she asked. "Bee," he responded, dipping his head while holding out his arms as he had just done.

"Fine," she conceded as she stooped down to pick up her stick. "But you're a lot stronger and faster now. You'll probably beat me."

"Bee."

Tanya paused, and then she shook her head and readied her 'weapon.' He rose into the air, and dragged one spear against the other, as if to wipe away dirt or blood. "Alright. Three, two, one… GO!"

She lunged forward, aiming for his abdomen.

He darted forward, then back, and then, crying, "BEE!" he brought his spears down on her walking stick.

She tried to hold it fast, and the stick splintered where Beedrill had smacked it. With her attack blunted, he maneuvered through the air to rest his thorax stinger against her leading leg.

"I yield," Tanya said. Beedrill backed away, bobbing up and down in the air, crying his name as he jubilantly raced between the trees.

"I'll have to buy a new one you know," she griped.

His victory dance immediately stopped as he rushed to her side in a storm of sound and brushed up against her arm.

"But," she added, "you evolved, at least. Which is good. You've got four levels to go before you fight the gym, but-"

Tanya stopped herself and shook her head. Right, he couldn't really understand her. Despite how bizarre he was compared to her last two lives, he was still just an animal.

Even if she vaguely recalled bees needing to be social in order to build their hives, that didn't mean he was sapient. Different breeds of dog were social and possessed intellect to different degrees. That didn't mean they were on the same level as humans. Certainly, bees hadn't been either.

She cleared her throat. "Good job." She scratched the top of his fuzzy head and turned around. Her Pokemon followed after her, buzzing about and dodging between trees as she continued at a more leisurely pace.

He'd told Ichigo he would beat the gym within a week, and she intended to fulfill that goal.

-OxOxO-

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