Like No One Ever Was (Pokemon SI)

[Spearow]

now she knows he lost an arm, i wonder if she would offer to make a rotom arm prosthetic for him, her family is the number 1 rotom specialist in the world right now, right?

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter
The Journey continues
Cheers!

 

[Skyfyre]

now she knows he lost an arm, i wonder if she would offer to make a rotom arm prosthetic for him, her family is the number 1 rotom specialist in the world right now, right?

Click to shrink...

Probably not a rotom arm - having your arm controlled by a separate, sentient creature would probably be a bit disconcerting and difficult, even if the creature controlling it was quite helpful. That being said, they could help him with any material and equipment he would want to source for making a new arm.

 

[Skyfyre]

Spoiler: Patreons:

Thank you to my 58 Beginner Tier Patreons and an extra special thanks to RageLord, Nodal_Gravity, ExaltedRequiem, and HanShotFirst, my Ace Tier Patreons! Your suppot means so much to me.

"Cool ride, Professor, thanks for the lift!" Drayton shouted to the Professor atop the Brave Olivine, who was waving back cheerfully down. There wasn't exactly enough space for the ship to land amidst the tall, thin trees that made up the grove in Area Two of North Province. After dropping us off, the Professor and the crew had to head out to the League to get the mass of Tera Crystals secured to the ship for transit.

"Thank you, I'm looking forward to seeing you soon," I spoke less loudly than my friend, using Aura to carry my voice over the whirling propellers and up to Friede. Cap on his shoulder gave us a thumbs up, and they were off leaving us alone. Well, not quite alone.

"It's a pleasure to see you two again," Hassel said from behind us, clapping us on the shoulders. "Are you ready to face the dragon's den?"

"Yup. Isn't that a place in Johto?" Drayton droned while I asked sardonically.

"It's a figure of speech and the Blackthorns don't have a copyright on the name, not for lack of trying, mind you. Now, onward!"

The Dragon Guardian of the Elite Four led us through the sparse forest, his subtle presence warding off the powerful Scythers, Bisharps, Heracrosses, and even Ursarings (to only slight disappointment on my part - I shouldn't be catching more Pokemon anyways, I still have Anya to train up!). As we went, I said, "Thank you again for helping us meet them, I know I sprung this on you. And do you think they'll be alright with Drayton coming along? I know he's part of a Dragon Tamer Clan too, but…"

"It is no trouble. I know young Drayton from the connection between our clans. While he's never- while I don't believe he's ever been in-person, They'll respect his lineage." After a beat he added, "And if not, he has Dragons of his own to fight off any challenger.

My friend groaned at the idea of more work, but I saw the way his hands twitched to the Pokeballs at his side and the glint to his eyes. For all that he can be a slacker, he's got that drive to win, to dominate, that most Dragons have.

Hassel walked us through the clearing, and I noted how he eyed the land, drinking it in and comparing it to his memories, looking for any slight changes, like how he stopped for a second at a tree stump before carrying on. I didn't miss the slip up earlier either. My teacher really has been locked out of any information going on from his old tribe.

We continued, and for a moment I thought I saw a small beige-grey Pokemon practicing at the base of the falls, but when I blinked they were gone. Must have been nothing, I thought when my companions didn't say anything, and soon Hassel led us past the roaring falls, to a small crack in the base of the large stone pillars that towered over the remote valley.

"Through that crevasse, you'll find my clan. I wish you the best of luck and- well, the best of luck." There was something else, unspoken, on his face, for just a second. Everyone he knew growing up lays just beyond that passway. Friends… and family. I imagine there are all sorts of things he wishes to say to them, that he didn't get the chance to before, or hadn't thought hard enough but spent sleepless nights wondering ever since, or just the fact that his own view has changed and evolved since leaving and that might mean he views things differently now. But it's not enough to get him to come back to the clan, and in that case, any other message he could pass along would be skirting his banishment. He's here as a member of the League to direct a Champion with an official request to the Dragon Tamer Clan, that's it.

Giving him a sad smile, I nodded, and with Drayton we marched through the dark passage. It was a little small, and I imagined that for adults it was probably quite cramped. I wonder if they have another way in and out? It wouldn't surprise me.

It didn't take long before we were on the other side, and what greeted us were a pair of guards. They wore segmented armor and were even carrying bone spears, holding them to the sides to bar our path past the gate place right in front of the opening. "Halt! Who dares to enter the hidden village of Dragons?" The guard to the left asked.

Very nice. Quite rehearsed and a little forced, but a nice show. I wonder if they would have dressed up like that and done all this if the League hadn't already warned them of my arrival? "I am Nemona Glitterati, Champion ranked Trainer of Paldea. This is my comrade, Drayton. We seek an audience with your chief," I said, playing along.

The other guard spoke up as they both pulled their spears back. "Your arrival has been expected. Enter with care, and do not rouse the Dragon's wrath." Doing my best not to roll my eyes or giggle at the show of it all, I nodded and stepped through the gateway.

It opened up to a small valley, nestled within the pillars of black stone jutting up all around, like small mountains if Glaseado nearby didn't dwarf them to the point of making the comparison ridiculous. Sunlight streamed down, illuminating the rustic village.

There were wooden houses, and even a few tents on the outskirts, with some of the same tall thin trees outside the enclosure growing here too. Near the center of the village was a very large, three story building that served as a central hub and likely the place of residence of Hassel's father. Despite the old timey trappings, there were some signs of more advanced developments, like some mostly concealed wires to give running electricity throughout the town and some manhole covers painted to blend in with the stone ground indicating a sewage system.

The people took note of us as we entered, but with no alarm raised and no suspicious behavior on our parts, they just whispered, wondering about us. Or at least the adults are. I saw some kids running carefree, chasing after a Dratini and being chased by a Gible. Off in the distance, I could see some Dragons gathered in the fields and some huts on the outskirts of town. They even have a small pool for Dragons that prefer the water, like Skrelp, and a cave up and on the side of the rocks. Must be a great place for Bagons, Noibats, and Deinos.

We made our way straight to the center of the village, seeking out the chieftain, and there we found him. Hassel's father, Dominic, stood with his arms crossed in front of the largest building. It was obvious his relation, with his bright blonde hair and his yellow eyes. Where my teacher had well combed hair and bright eyes, Dominic's hair was wild, his eyes hard (a fact only accentuated by the long scar running over one of them). This was a grizzled man with an intimidating appearance. Physically, at least. My Aura sense has improved and when Hassel is upset by me screwing around or the like, I can feel that fight or flight instinct kick in far greater. Dominic seems just… lesser, somehow.

I wasn't so gauche as to immediately say that to his face however, instead bowing slightly as we approached him. "Nemona Glitterati," the man said slowly, his voice deep. "One of Paldea's newest 'champions.' What brings you to intrude upon the domain of the most ancient and noble first people of Paldea?"

First impressions weren't always everything, but they tended to tell you a lot about a person… especially when they had a runner from the gates and had likely already received a request from the League for this meeting (however much they might pretend and have the trappings of an ancient civilization, they had phones and computers here). My first impression is that this guy is a complete bag of dicks.

For his opening move, he had acted dismissive of my position and placed his own small group on a pedestal, all while neatly avoiding any mention of his son. It was almost impressive and I wondered if people like him practiced to be such jerks or if it just came naturally. Still, diplomacy hasn't failed yet. The reveal of what they could gain, at pretty much no cost to himself, should turn things around.

"I'm here to ask the Dragon Tamer Clan's permission in recruiting some of Paldea's Dragons in an experiment to help unlock potential long since lost. May we speak inside?"

"No." He refused me bluntly, shocking me a bit. "You will air your request out in the open, for all of my people to hear." The few curious people who had gathered before were now riveted, with more drawing around the village square with every moment. It left me off-balance. Is this part of their culture that I didn't know about? Or is this just a way for Dominic to try and humiliate me in front of his clan.

I persisted, trying my best to present a strong, yet polite front. "Goomys were noted to have once grown shells, evolving into a Steel and Dragon Type-"

"Not by any history of this land! We have carried the history of Paldea through our stories before the land was even called that, do not presume to know more than us." Dominic interrupted and I fought to keep a frown off my face.

"Of Paldea, I would not make such a claim. I'm talking of Sinnoh's past, when it was called Hisui. Goomys there could gain the Steel Typing upon evolving."

Drayton piped up here. "Gotta say, big fan of that combo. Be real interesting to see if we could get a second Dragon line with that Typing." that set off a flurry of mutterings among the clan. Steel is one of the best Typings to pair with several other Types, Dragon being one of them. It eliminates all of Dragon's normal weaknesses, adds more resistances, and with Dragons able to handle the heat, only adds two new Weaknesses.

I barely bit my tongue to avoid pointing out it would be a third 'line' though, when I realized that Dialga, probably wasn't considered as an appropriate Pokemon most people would have access to.

I continued. "While there are none known left in Sinnoh and the landscape has changed over the years, I've studied the environmental conditions there and believe we could recreate them in Blueberry Academy. If we could take some Goomys to live there for a time," I could already see the dark looks on some of their faces, so I hurried my explanation. "We could see if this new kind of Dragon could be rediscovered. And of course, an equal number of Goomys would be returned to Paldea at the end of the experiment."

Dominic held a hand up to forestall the discouragement from his people (and I noted hearing Mera's voice the loudest from that bunch). "How many would you need to take from us? How long would they stray from this land?"

"Thirty would be ideal. I believe that many could be returned within five years time, through eggs and those who wish to return. There are Goomy living on the Eastern coast of Paldea, near the marshlands should provide a reasonable place to find some willing to join me on this trip, as well as by the hills near Casseroya Lake. All I would need is your permission."

Dominic mused it over for a minute. "And you will not have it. Thirty Dragons to be taken from Paldea? Oh and you might breed a few more, but in the time they'd been gone, there would have been sixty or more here had they just stayed put, weakening our delicate ecosystem. I see no reason to support this."

"Thirty would be more beneficial, but I see your point. Twenty then would be far tighter but-"

"Still too many."

"Fifteen, and I'd be happy to have some of your clan help me and make sure the ecosystem isn't damaged by my efforts-"

"No."

"One," I finally said, glaring up at him.

He marched over, looming above me and with a sneer said: "No." This earned a few cheers from the crowd, but also a few frowns. I noted who the ones frowning were as he continued. "I do not bow to the whims of some child. Why should I let you get even a single Dragon?"

"I already have a Dragon, and Bahamut is stronger than any one you have." His nostril flared and he raised a hand - for what purpose I didn't know, only for our stand off to be interrupted. Clayton broke out from the crowd, marching up to us.

"Nemona, it is good to see you again!" He declared loudly. "You must be tired from your travels here, and we haven't offered you any food or drink yet." There was a meaningful glance at his chief, and Dominic turned away, waving a hand in mine and Drayton's general direction. A couple of adults escorted us to an open fire in the town, and food was quickly gathered and put in a pot to roast around it.

Some of the children came up, asking us about what it was like outside and my Pokemon. I released Bahamut, giving them the chance to 'ooh' and 'awe' over my Shiny Dragon, but then they started crowding in with a machine gun fire of questions.

"How did you train him to be so strong?"

"Will my Axew look like him when she's grown up?"

"I want a Haxorus too! I'm gonna get one when I get a Pokemon."

"Are you really a Champion?"

"How strong is a Champion?"

"I like your music!"

"Uhh, thanks," I told the girl who had made the last comment before a flurry of questions where asked ontop of what they'd already asked, leaving me a little lost on how to proceed, until Drayton saved me.

Swooping in, the toothpaste colored hair boy eagerly engaged them, getting along well with the kids. Is it because despite being fairly bright, he is actually a kid, unlike me? Or just his understanding of how these clans work? He seems to have a lot more energy here, but it might just be from being in a Dragon Tamer camp. There's an air to this place that's different from outside in a way that's hard to explain.

With that handled, I tried to win over the other clanspeople, explaining my plan in more details. Going over security features, expected length, results, and some of the specifics of the setup was tiring in it's own way, especially when I had to repeat the spiel several times to the different, small groups they were clumped in. Hopefully this will get them to listen and they can pressure Dominic into giving up on this stupid argument.

They would often ask how I got the idea and what the Goomys would look like, and I released Phantasm in way of explanation. With her illusions and my guidance, we were able to mock-up how a Hisuian Goodra would appear, and the display got quite a bit of attention, which is when I noticed Clayton strolling up, Dominic hanging back, the two of them having clearly had a disagreement of some kind or another.

"Good to see you again. Hadn't expected our paths would cross so soon," Clayton commented. He whistled lowly at the illusion. "Definitely a Goodra, but so different too. Is the goo supposed to be that color?" He pointed at the greyish purple goo 'dripping' off the fake Goodra. "Same with the eyes, not the usual green.

"Good eye," I said. Makes sense he'd know so much as an experienced Dragon Tamer. "As far as I'm aware, yeah, those are the correct colorations. A lot of this is recreating what was written down in old books; the first Pokedexes, really. But we'll likely be missing some details til we can create a true Hisuian Goodra."

"And ya think any Goodra can become one?" He asked and I paused.

"Ehh, any Goomy. Once they evolve to Sligoos, some of their 'potential,' for lack of a better word, gets locked in on that path. A non-Hisuian Goodra will likely have more endurance and be faster, not weighed down by that shell - possibly even have more ability to use the quick, lashing motions for moves like Power Whip. But then Hisuian Goodra will likely be tougher and able to take Shelter within their shell- ah, sorry about that," I said as I noticed his indulgent smile as I had started rambling. "I'm not trying to say that this will obsolete regular Goodras, just that this presents new opportunities."

I do honestly feel that by Type combination alone, Hisuian Goodra will be stronger on average. But that doesn't mean everything. Pokemon in this world can go far beyond their limits on a game screen, and the 'meta' for battling is quite different when anyone could potentially reach the greatest of heights with any Pokemon. Hmm, I should do a study into 'Potential' and how unevolved Pokemon that are trained very hard like Ash's Pikachu might tap into it while keeping their original forms. It would be a hard quantity to verify however, and I had other things to focus on at the moment, so I shelved it for later.

"I see," he said, slowly nodding. "It'd be a sight to see, if the two kinds of Goodra got to clash," he remarked wistfully.

"I know, right!" I cheered, my battle hungry brain already envisioning it. After a moment the smile fell off my face. "Unfortunately it doesn't look like that will be happening any time soon." Okay, realistically I have a backup plan in Kitakami, but no need to blab about that in Dominic's earshot lest he use it as an excuse to kick us out entirely.

"Perhaps you'll be able to convince him over a hot meal," Clayton offered, though he didn't sound optimistic. From a basic read of his Aura, I got the feeling he had more on his mind and was planning something, but I couldn't question him on it before he walked off, talking to Mera and some of the others I didn't recognize. Not long after that dinner was called. As we were heading over to the circle, Drayton pulled me to the side.

"You need a new strategy here. Had no clue this guy hated you this much; you could have warned me." The boy gave a long-suffering sigh.

"I've never met him before today. Besides, Not really sure what to do here," I hissed back. Clayton means well, but I think his goal is more in discrediting Dominic in front of the clan than helping us out. It was understandable, especially if his position and team were too weak to currently directly challenge the man. Now there's a thought…

"What are the odds Dominic would accept if I challenged him over this?" I asked. It feels kinda rude to just assume they solve things by duels, but on the other claw… Dragon Tamer clan.

Drayton said, "Ehhh," and winced slightly. "In most cases you'd be right; you tried being polite and got shot down; showing off your strength in a way they respect could do a lot of good. But this guy really has it out for you. No way he accepts an outsider challenging him."

"I see…" A plan began formulating in my mind. Hashing out a few details with Drayton quickly, we soon took our seats in the large circle formed around the pot of stew. Bowels were handed around with it, and this time the concoction made by the Dragon Tamer clan smelt good, and tasted even better. Ah, this is what they can make when not on the road for weeks. Much better.

Beside me, Dominic gulped his bowel down quickly, dropping the bowl on the grass in front of him. "So hasty," I commented between spoonfuls.

"I don't need to waste time." His blunt words were hardly subtle. Need to provoke him again, but how?

"Feels like you're missing out here. This is the opportunity of a lifetime." He snorted derisively.

"The chance for what? You to take our Dragons and then maybe give them back years later? Even if by some miracle you succeed, what would be the benefit for this land? The Goomys returned or brought here won't be changed."

That brought me to a stop for a moment, which I had by slurping up some stew. Surprisingly cogent point. "Very well, we can alter the deal to send a number of Hisuian Sliggoos equal to the number of Goomys you send. Might take a bit longer than a few years, but you'll get your due in time."

I wasn't honestly super happy with that deal, it would be much more annoying to deal with. But I also didn't expect him to accept it. "No." He surprised me with the reasoning, however. "Why would we trust you or anyone from the League after they stole our land."

"I- wait, is this about the League taking back that hunk of rock?" He nodded sharply and I ran a hand through my hair, sighing.

"Uhh, Nemona? What's this all about?" Drayton asked, looking a little lost.

"Right. Up over there," I pointed out at the direction of the Grand Cliff, even if it was blocked from sight by the stone encircling the village. "Is a large chunk of land. It's barren, inhospitable, and generally unused. When the League was first founded, that land was gifted to them, along with some small sections here," I explained.

"And then your League decided to snatch it up again without a word of warning at the end of the last summer!" Dominic snarled and I heard many sounds of agreement from the rest of his clan. Dammit, should have realized this would come back to bite me.

"Ouch, stealing a Dragon Clan's lands is not a great look…" Drayton began and I winced until he added: "Surprised you lot have put up with it so meekly, then." I swore I heard one of the clanspeople hiss at Drayton, riled up as they were by his words.

"Of course they aren't doing anything other than bitterly complaining; they weren't using that land for anything! That's why the League took it away!"

"You seem remarkably well informed of the situation," Dominic narrowed his eyes at me, suspicious. All that bluster was just to win over his people, he knows that I shouldn't actually be too involved with the League, and in most cases, for most of their current decisions, that would be true.

"I've talked to the Chairwoman and Elite Hassel about such things in preparation for this meeting. You haven't been particularly communicative about your thoughts on the matter." He let out an angry huff at that, as if it was unreasonable of me to expect him to deign to reach out to the League.

Steepling my hands together, I continued. "Still, I can see that is upsetting to you, so why don't I try to get the League to offer you some land nearby the marshes?"

"What?" He blinked, looking confused.

"The lands nearby the marshes are generally unpopulated. It would be easy to find a place for some of your clan, and unlike the Grand Cliff, there's a couple of Dragons in Dragalges and Goomys nearby." That earned a few interested and some event excited, whispers from the crowd.

Holding a fist up in the air, the chief silenced the clan. "And this deal is presumptive on us taking your offer?" Before I could answer, he continued. "Perhaps you have forgotten, but we are Dragons. We don't bow and scrape to Leagues or little girls just for a pittance of the worst land you can offer us, far from our ancestral homes."

"I thought all of Paldea was 'your ancestral home' before? Or is travelling around too much for the famed Dragon Tamer Clan?" He grit his teeth almost loudly enough to drown out the sound of mutterings his way. "Doesn't sound like everyone agrees with you." I pointed out and he snarled, rising to his feet.

"That doesn't matter - I am the leader here!" He caught himself as he saw my smirk and shook his head. "That is to say, I know what is best for the clan. You are a little girl with no experience. This would be and unconscionable risk-"

"I'd say I have plenty of experience," I interrupted releasing Notch. The Legendary Fairy Type smiled joyfully, twirling around through the air, eliciting awe and horror in equal measure from the Dragon Tamers. All of the Pokemon they had out would bare their fangs while still cowering from the innocuous diamond covered Pokemon.

"Get that thing away from us!" Dominic demanded, a slight quake to his voice. "Then leave this place; you are not welcome here!" Damn, didn't realize Notch would be that scary to them. Thought it would just be more impressive.

Drayton cut in. "That's a little harsh, don't you think? She was just trying to prove that she's done the impossible before." He snapped his fingers as if in realization. "Oh right, you don't have any Steel Types. Yeah, that would make Notch a pretty big threat to you, huh?"

"The Typing doesn't matter you idiotic brat!" Dominic snapped, and Drayton flashed me a grin that looked far too sharp.

"Kinda feels like it does. I know my clan would love this opportunity if Goomys were native to Unova."

"Then your clan is as foolish as you are." It was as if everyone sucked in a breath at once. That went waaaaay too far. Good. Hopefully we can end this now.

"Nah. I'm a bit of a slacker, but my clan? They work damn hard and are just as sharp. But if you're so keen to talk Buffolant dung, how bout we settle this with action." Despite how laidback he usually seemed, there was a cold determination behind his words that had the older man stiffening up.

"Now see here-"

"No, you've insulted me and my friend one too many times, so we're having a battle." None of the tribe members around were arguing or going to Dominic's defense. The older man gritted his teeth before marching out of the circle.

"Fine, it's been a while since I needed to teach the younger generation a lesson."

"Because that worked out so well the last time?" I shot sarcastically. He whirled back to face me, only to stop cold as he saw Notch, still floating beside me, their arms crossed. Without another word he continued away to a pit at the edge of the valley.

Drayton, the rest of the tribe, and I, followed. There was a ring of rocks laid out around the pit which none of the spectators stepped past but no barriers or technology to protect any Trainers (or audience members) standing on the outskirts. Hmm, I should make something portable to make official barriers like they have on League courts, for when you want to battle in the wild. Of course, even if I had something like that here, I doubt any of these people would accept it, for multiple reasons.

It was still something to think on, but I put that thought to the back of my mind as the Trainers squared off. "I'll make this quick, one on one," Dominic declared.

"Wow, what a joke," I muttered aloud, earning me a confused glance from Clayton. I explained, "One vee One only favors you if you have just one powerful Pokemon to use. It's the sign of an inexperienced Trainer, or at least one who's out of practice. I don't think he knows much about Drayton, but being so young, usually that would favor him, as young kids tend to only have one well-trained Pokemon."

To be fair, if that was all the threat Drayton posed then Dominic would hardly be that badly hurt by that ruleset for the match, but still. It all shows that he isn't taking this seriously. I saw Clayton nod, but also look up a little uncomfortably at Notch. Sighing, I recalled them to let Clayton and the others relax.

The signal was given, and the two battlers released their Pokemon. Drayton predictably released his Duraludon while Dominic, almost as predictably, released a Baxcalibur. The same Ace Pokemon his son had… but, at the same time, so much different.

While Dominic's Dragon gave off an impressive roar, I felt much less danger from that Pokemon than I did from Hassel's. Or even the Duraludon. I'd only seen Drayton's Starter a few times in action so far, and knew next to nothing about his foe, but something told me he was stronger.

That was put to the test immediately as the battle commenced. Baxcalibur was the first to rush in, sweeping in with a Breaking Swipe to steal the power from Duraludon's Dragon Claws, the tail strike pushing him back just far enough that his claws barely scratched the pseudo-Legendary.

Recognizing that Duraludon was slower, Drayton waited, giving a signal to his Pokemon. It was obviously missed or ignored by the chieftain, as Dominic had his Dragon rush in with an Ice Fang. The sharp teeth barely sunk in before the Steel Type exploded in a Steel Burst, that had his body shifting to make a number of spikes that jabbed into the foe and forced Baxcalibur to back off for a moment.

Drayton used that chance, calling for a "Laser Focus." Duraludon locked his sights onto his enemy, and Baxcalibur met it head on. Or rather, 'back on,' in this case.

"Glaive Rush!" Dominic called with an exaggerated wave of his hand (leaving no doubt as to where Hassel got at least some of his flair for the dramatic). His Pokemon turned around, sliding back blade first towards Duraludon, hitting him with a heavy 'clang.'

For a moment I thought about trying to let Drayton know about the weakness of that Move, but I didn't have to as Drayton ordered an immediate counter attack. "Before he can turn around, Flash Cannon!"

"What!?" Dominic cried out, unprepared for the sudden reversal. His Dragon was the same, having no time to defend himself against the Super Effective blow. Most Dragon Types wouldn't be able to weather such a powerful attack and strike back. But Duraludon's Steel Typing, naturally high physical defense, and Eviolite let him just shrug that off.

The battle continued, now with Dominic on the back foot. He tried to keep his distance, calling for Ice Beams and Blizzards. Drayton's Starter took those attacks worse than the Physical ones, but that was balanced by Baxcalibur clearly having far less skill with those. The return fire of Dragon Pulses and Flash Cannons hammered hard into the chief's Ace Pokemon.

"Pay close attention to Dominic," I said softly to Clayton standing beside me, keeping my eyes focused straight ahead on the battle. "Every flaw in his technique, what his strengths are… you've probably seen him fight before, but an outsider's fight can give you new ideas for what you need."

'To overthrow him' went unspoken, but from the grunt he gave, I figured it was understood. One day soon, hopefully. I'm already tired of this guy, can't imagine how hard it's been for Hassel.

When it came time to end it, Duraludon calling up a massive Draco Meteor barrage, I even heard some cheers from the others in the clan. It really is an incredible show, I thought as the purple flamed rocks smashed into Baxcalibur with his back to the edge of the arena. With one final cry, the Ice Type fainted and fell over.

There was silence as Dominic, his teeth clenched tightly, recalled his Pokemon and marched up to Drayton. Very stiffly, he bowed slightly to the boy. "My apologies for doubting your skill-"

"And intellect," he pipped up brightly, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"That too," he ground out. "The Unova Dragon Tamers have a bright future with you." Then, as if to wash the words out of his mouth, he declared to both of us. "You have shared in our food and enjoyed or hospitality. You can leave now." It was clearly not an offer but a demand.

"What about-" Drayton began before Dominic cut him off.

"That match has nothing to do with my decision on the Goomys. I will not grant you permission to take any from Paldea." Drayton looked upset, but I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Very well, we'll make our farewells," I told Dominic and the man stomped off to deal with his bruised ego. And… is he crying? It was faint, but with my enhanced hearing, I could indeed hear that from the man, though he was walking away with his back turned to us. Huh, guess Hassel does get that at least in part from his Dad. Then again, Hassel cries over happy things, this guy is just butt hurt.

I didn't have too much attention focused on that as I instead found a small group of the Tamers led by Clayton gathered and waving me over. There were a bunch of them, mostly on the younger side, but still adults, save for one of the girls who had asked me about how I battled. Curiously, I even spotted Mera among the group, the woman looking uncomfortable, but standing her ground.

"What's all this about?" I inquired, hoping that they'd have some other answer to the obstinate problem in our way.

"While Clayton's decision is final for the authority of the clan, we can still make our own choices. All ten Tamers here have Goomys of their own, and they're willing to place them in your care for this experiment. They should help you get a colony started over at Blueberry Academy, and then can return here, a changed Dragon."

"Really?" My eyebrows shot up. That's a huge showing of trust, especially from-

"Yeah, really," Mera rolled her eyes. "I still think Terastalization is a cheap tactic, but that kind of strength Duraludon has… I want it," she said with a fierce gleam in her eyes. "Besides, I've seen you fight Hassel and heard about how you fought off a bunch of Dragon Poachers. You might not be the worst brat ever," she finished turning away from me as she held a Pokeball out.

I think that might be the most backhanded apology I've ever received, impressive. Nonetheless, I took the Pokeball and thanked her. The rest handed me a bunch of their Pokeballs, which led to a bit of confusion before we got a marker and began noting down who each of the ten Pokeball belonged to.

"Thank you for arranging this Clayton-" I began before he held a hand out. Following his gaze, I turned to see a Goodra waddling over with something oval shaped in her arms.

"I don't have any Goomys of my own to give, but Nessie was impressed by your dedication - much as Dominic might pretend otherwise, we all watched your Gauntlet matches in the meeting room. She's interested to see if you can make her kid tougher than she is - and that's no easy feat, let me tell you!"

I could barely pay any attention to his words, stuck as the Goodra walked up to me. Holding out the pale lavender spotted egg, I took it gingerly in my arms. There was a bunch of goo sticking off of it that I usually would be uncomfortable with but I paid no attention to as I held it close to me, as if it was the most fragile thing in the world. Staring into the purple giant's emerald eyes, there was a moment of understanding that passed between us, and I nodded, trying to convey all my conviction to her.

Since she let go, it seemed to work, the Dragon Type trundling back. Gulping, I turned to Clayton. "I won't let you down. Thank you."

"I know you won't. This was rougher than a Druddigon's scales, but we'd like to have you back again someday. And maybe you can give me and Goodra a good battle on that day." I gulped at the intensity of his gaze while feeling fired up at the concept of fighting him, Pseudo-Legendary Dragon vs. Pseudo-Legendary Dragon. "Hopefully, It'll be soon." There was a look of determination in his eyes as he gazed past me, to where Dominic had marched off. We might not have scored all the Pokemon we need here, but at least that's a chink in Dominic's authority. Hopefully Clayton will widen it until the day comes when Hassel can return home, and that's worthwhile too.

With that we made our proper farewells, and I left hopeful that I might get to see more of the village in the future.

Spoiler: A/N:

I know I've said this a bit before, but wow did this chapter fight me hard. I knew where I wanted to go, but getting there just felt so awkward. Still does, a little, but I'm happier with this final version than I was with how it went before.

And now Nemona has received her first Egg! Given how much has been going into this arc, she was always going to end up with a Goomy of her own, but this felt like the perfect time for her to have an egg to look after. Given it wasn't always in the plan, and Clayton being a minor character, I didn't have time to foreshadow this more. Hopefully it was still enjoyable, however.

Next up, we get a return to Kitakami to gather the last of the Goomys and maybe explore some other stuff there. What are people looking forward to/thinking will happen with the Goomys? Let me know down below or on the Discord. And if you want to read more and have a bit of money to toss my way, I have a a Kofi and a Patreon, subscribers to the latter get early access to the next ten chapters. Thank you, and I hope you're having a great day.

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter

 

[Skyfyre]

Spoiler: Patreons:

Thank you to my 57 Beginner Tier Patreons, and an extra special thanks to RageLord, Nodal_Gravity, Exalted Requiem, and HanShotFirst, my Ace Tier Patreons!

"Thanks again for coming," I told Kieran and Carmine as we walked from the bus stop past the winding rice paddies into Kitakami. As we walked, I adjusted the incubator on my back, currently holding the Goomy Egg I'd been given. There hasn't been a ton of movement from mit yet, but that's normal.

At least, it was normal according to everything I'd read, which had been a lot, on the subject of both Pokemon Eggs in general and Dragon Type and Goomy Eggs in specific. The wait at the airport and plane ride over had given me plenty of time to furiously study it, much to the bemusement of most of my team. It's my first time with an Egg, give me a break!

"No worries," Kieran said with a soft smile, while Carmine laughed boisterously.

"Of course. You'd need the best guides of Kitakami to help you here so it's only natural we'd offer to help," she preened. Kieran and I rolled our eyes, but we were well and used to her behaviour. As much as she boasts, Carmine is also quite kind, refusing to take my BP as payment for this.

"Alright O' wise guide," I said half-mockingly. "Our first step will be in convincing the mayor of Mossui Town to let us take so many Goomys. What would be the best approach there?"

"Money," she deadpanned and I nearly tripped at how quick and concise a response that was. Oh man, if I fell over and onto the incubator… okay, realistically, nothing bad would happen. Incubators are built incredibly tough in general and this one is top of the line. I'd have to get smooshed to paste before anything could even scratch this. I still felt a little worried, and I wondered if this was what being a mom felt like.

"Soooo, am I just supposed to bribe him or…?" I could afford it, but I really don't think that's legal.

"Uh, I mean it might work. B-but you should just offer promotions for the town and especially the inn," Kieran advised. "He really likes to increase the tourism here."

"Got it." I nodded, taking in the sights of Kitakami. It really is a beautiful place, I thought to myself, looking out at the green fields, running streams, and Pokemon playing about happily. The road carried us up to the town square, a few people waving happily at the siblings beside me as I marched into the Inn.

"Hello, we're here to see the mayor," I told the woman at the front desk. She smiled kindly at me and brought the man forward. He had a somewhat timeless look to him, appearing just as he had the last time I'd been here. Over two years already. How time flies…

The bald man greeted us kindly. "Kieran, Carmine! So wonderful to have you back so soon," he declared with only a slight twitch to his smile. Carmine downplays it, but I know they're seen as troublemakers, at least a little. Still, overall, he seemed in a good mood, though part of that may have been how his eyes were fixed on my very flashy jinbei. "And what brings you back, Miss Glitterati?"

"You remembered me." I said, a little surprised. Hadn't realized I'd made that big an impact.

"It's good in this business to keep a note of everyone you can."

"Mayoral business or Innkeeper business?" He just gave me a broad smile that clearly said 'both.' Turning back to the receptionist I asked for the fanciest room to stay in for at least a few days.

"Weren't you going to stay at our place?" Kieran asked and I saw Carmine pouting beside him. Giving them an apologetic smile I explained.

"I don't want to impose, and you guys would have to clean up the guest room and everything…" More important however, is the way the Innkeep's eyes lit up at that. I was nowhere near as good as my parents when it came to winning people over, couldn't even match Cyan in that regard, but I'd learnt a few things from my family at least for these kinds of situations.

"Besides, we don't know how long we'll be in town to complete our experiment." I continued. "On that note, is there somewhere we can discuss this?" I asked the mayor and he straightened up.

"Of course." He led us to the coffee table with a slightly nicer set of couches and seats than the ones on the other side of the small foyer and sat down. There was no one else around, likely due to it being the low point in the tourism for Kitakami, the winter months seeing few guests to the inn. I took my seat opposite him, but took a moment to double glance at Carmine with her rigid, back-straight posture, in contrast to Kieran, who was practically hanging out of his loveseat.

"I got your email about you asking to catch an unusually large number of Goomys, is that right?"

"Correct. I have a non-invasive experiment to run with a decent sized group of Goomys. We'd take at least twenty to join us and live at Blueberry Academy for a few years, then return that many back, from those who wanted to return and with new Goomys born from Eggs since who wanted to opt out."

That's the most difficult part of the balancing act here. I need to find those willing to leave their homes, at least for a time, and then find an equal number to return. The return part is a future Nemona problem however, and I can likely find enough willing to give Eggs to send back, however.

"If you insist," he said with a shrug, causing me to blink. "Honestly, they've been a bit of a pest around here, we had to drive them off the crops and break up disputes they'd get into the Applins with. I don't think we've seen many of them in recent times."

"Not nearby Mossui Town, but there are some caves in Oni Mountain that have them!" Kieran piped up brightly. "Uhh, on the other side of the mountain from the Oni's Maw," he added quickly at the older man's stern gaze.

"Sounds like that could work then. Ah, but you need permission to gather so many Pokemon from here, don't you?" I nodded. Kitakami has remarkably relaxed catch regulations, but I still wouldn't be allowed to catch more than two Dragon Types from here without getting permission.

"I wouldn't mind letting you do so, your um, experiment sounds like an interesting idea," he stated with the tone of someone who had only skimmed the required reading. "Kitakami is a rich environment, full with plenty of interesting Pokemon that are sure to catch Trainer's eyes. It would be nice if more people around the world could see that. Like, if, say, we got an endorsement from a Champion," he finished with a pointed look my way.

I gave him a polite smile. "I can do that." No real issues with it, honestly. Kitakami is a great place, and it would be nice if more people heard about it. Maybe I can tie a song into it? But what would fit? I could just say I dedicated a song to Kitakami, but that didn't feel right, but trying to capture the mini-region in a song was tricky too.

Hunting High and Low? It has a sense of new frontiers and freedom to it, but the 'hunting' part might not work. Similar issues with Black Diamond from the same band. I could change some things around, play with it and see what works. Or maybe something about a monster to tie into the legend of the Oni? I don't want to vilify Ogerpon or raise too much interest in her yet though.

Clearing my throat as I caught myself getting lost in my thoughts, I added, "I'll talk to the teachers and see if we can arrange a field trip here in the future." That caused all three of them to light up.

"All our classmates coming over here? W-Wowzer…"

"Yessssss! I can show them how great our region is!"

"A school sponsored trip… we might need to renovate the inn and add more rooms just to fit everyone!"

If this was an anime, this would be the part where his eyes turned into dollar signs. I kept a grin plastered on my face as I stood up and offered him my hand. "Does that sound like a good deal then?"

"Of course, of course! If you can get regular field trips set up to our town, you don't even have to send any back after," he eagerly offered as he reached down to shake my hand. Considering how you mentioned the Goomys as being 'pests' before, that's not really some great offer. I took it anyways, knowing it would make things much easier.

With that settled, I dropped my suitcase in my room before meeting up with my friends. Heading out of the inn, we waved goodbye to the innkeeper, wishing us well from the doorway. As we crossed the bridge separating the town from the wilderness, I asked my companions:

"Okay, so, what is his name?" Felt way too awkward to ask in there.

***

Kieran gave one last longing glance over at the Oni's Maw before dragging himself along the path around the mountain. "You can go look for her later, okay?''

"Yeah…" he said with a sigh before perking up as we walked along the rocky path. It had been pretty chilly down below, but the hike up (and Slugmas passing by) had Carmine wiping her brow of sweat.

We were travelling along the same path we'd travelled before to the Crystal pool for the mask their grandfather made for Ogerpon and where I had met Notch, but rather than ascend those steep stairs to reach the water, we continued around the mountain.

"I'm kinda regretting the winter uniform too," I commented to the taller girl who just gave me a miserable look. Fair, especially considering I'm using my aura to call on a cooling breeze and to lighten my steps. It was still tiring in its own way, Aura usage draining me, but these subtle tricks weren't too hard to maintain. I was also eager to start working on those techniques more consistently; I'd had my journey and Turo to worry about before, and I took things easily after that, but getting more mastery of my Aura was a goal I hadn't forgotten about.

As we neared our destination I held a hand out as I saw a Terastalized Lampent floating in our way. Atop her lamp head floated a Grass tera jewel hat, which looked a little silly, but did nothing to take away from the danger this Pokemon posed. Of course, I had Bahamut out, leading the way for us, and the Dragon Type stomped forward, giving off a low greeting cry. The wild Pokemon seemed ready to defend itself, but her flames shrunk a little as Bahamut nodded his head to the side, indicating we just wanted to pass.

She seemed convinced, drifting to the side and letting us proceed downwards. Given that she floated up to check the rest of the path first, she didn't quite take him at his word, though. Of course, none of the Pokemon there had been hurt on our way past, save for one uppity Houndoom that got promptly swept aside by Bahamut's tail before turning their own and fleeing. In fact…

"Hey, was it just me, or did that Lampent seem rather afraid of you in particular?" I asked Carmine, realizing that the Terastalized Pokemon had likely been staring directly at her.

"Urk!" Her grunt confirmed my suspicions. The Pokemon on the way up generally gave us a wide berth, implying that they were used to and had been fought off by at least one member of our group. She confirmed my suspicions with her next words.

"That's just how training works! I don't have any fancy facilities to battle in or train up my team, so I have to challenge wild Pokemon to make them strong," Carmine defended herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I get it, that's how I trained too, but you waited to see who was willing to challenge you, right? Or at least offer them berries after you finish thrashing them?" From the way her cheeks lit up an adorable red, I took it to mean that she had not. Kieran snickered behind her.

"She didn't think of anything like that. No room for any thoughts in her head beyond 'how to surpass Nemona.'"

"Shut up Kiki!" She whirled on him, shaking a fist and he just stuck his tongue out at her. It's nice to see them like this. Kieran gets quiet and shy in public, but he can have quite the biting retort of his own when he's just with close friends. Someone unfamiliar with them might not understand and be upset with how Carmine talked to her brother in public, but I knew it to be no different than how she was here. I also knew that the first person to insult or make fun of Kieran (besides herself) would face all of her wrath, as a few of the more egotistical jerks at the Academy had already learned.

At the edge of a drop off in the rocks was a faded sign that read 'To The Chilling Waterhead.'

"Looks like we're on the right path," I said, about to recall Bahamut to climb down the wooden ladder placed up against the cliff wall before he just jumped over, landing down with a heavy thud. A cheeky smile grew on my face before I followed suit, jumping down with a slightly less dramatic entrance (but no less impressive for it), the winds slowing my fall as I landed as light as a feather.

"Show off," Carmine grumbled as she got off the ladder after climbing down the slow way. I just beamed at her and Kieran as they joined me, the Kitikami siblings and everyone else in my friends circle having been informed of my Auric abilities. Except for Drayton, Chumley and Sally. I like them but I'm not fully sure I trust them yet, at least that much. Though, Drayton probably already knows about Aura and the other two likely aren't interested in such a thing.

The cave itself had a wide, yawning entrance within the mountain face, one that narrowed down as we wound down the path, eventually coming up to a deep opening. Many stone paths and walkways crossed over and down through the large shaft down, with numerous side passages out and around, heading further into the mountain.

The space was also teeming with Pokemon of all sorts. Quagsires waddling around on the ground, ignorant of the hisses of Sneaslers scrambling around the icy stone floors and walls, with Noibats gleefully swooping down from their perches above. Chiming sounds rang out through the entire cave system, echoing around.

I was a little lost, shivering from the drop in temperature. I wonder if it's so chilly down here because of all of the Ice Types, or if they make their home here because of the cold. But that still wouldn't explain why, naturally, this part of the mountain interior would be so icy. Though it could be that one led to the other - perhaps some Swinubs and Sneasles relocated here at some point, leading to a drop in temperature which in turn drew in more Ice Types? But that wouldn't explain why environments all around the world weren't changed like that. Unless the cave system forms a micro-environment mostly sealed from the outside world! That in general the environmental conditions follow the landscape and features therein, but a closed off space might adapt to the Pokemon involved.

While my friends also had their teeth chattering over the cold, they knew the environment much better and quickly set to tracking them Dragons we sought down. Unfortunately, a half an hour of searching found no Goomys, but they did find signs of them.

There were clear indicators of Goomys within the cave, slick trails covering the icy ground, but nothing to be seen of the Pokemon themselves. Following the trails was a complicated process, due to the winding tracks, twisting caverns, and especially the wild Pokemon. After our run in with that Piloswine, nobody wants to cause another disturbance and bring down the mountain on our heads. I have no clue how some people explore caves regularly, these places feel like death traps. Nowhere to easily get out of the way if it all goes wrong.

Thankfully, most of the other Pokemon we ran into were unbothered by our passing (or possibly unaware in the case of the Quagsire we went around), until we reached the bottom. There, near the exit, a Dudunsparce drilled her way out of the ground and glared at us, puffing herself up in the face of Bahamut.

Rather than let a fight break out (even if I had every face my Dragon would win), I sent out Dun to help smoothing things over. This worked a little too well, when the other Dudunsparce waggled her tail at him, causing Athena to pop out of her ball on her own accord, glaring daggers out at the wild Pokemon.

With that settled, the wild Dudunsparce quickly tunneling away from the fierce Fighting Type, we continued out of the tunnel, emerging onto the rocky mountainside, though far lower than we had been before. "Now who's terrorizing the wildlife?" Carmine asked.

"That's not the same - Athena didn't even fight the Dudunsparce and- oh." I stopped myself as I realized the Kitakami girl was just teasing me.

A pause filled the air as we climbed down before Carmine sighed and spoke up. "You don't need to worry so much about what you say, you know, right?"

"Hmm?"

"Like that!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger down at me before almost losing her grip and scrambling back as we continued our descent. "It was harder to tell when we didn't hang out as often or mostly chatted online, but none of us are gonna get mad at you if you say something dumb or weird. Like, look at Kiki."

"Or you," the boy shot back under his breath.

"Shut up Kiki!" Despite her words, her voice held no heat to it. Turning back to crane her neck down at me, she continued. "You act awkward, but you don't need to. We like you for you, Nemona. Now hurry up!" She shouted at the end, as if embarrassed by the openness of her feelings. I felt my face heat up too.

I know that I'm weird for my age… and in general. There were friends I made in my first life and then I would… say the wrong thing, or do something wrong, whatever it was and they'd distance themselves from me. And there were a few (a very select few) that stuck by me. I wonder what they thought when I was go- no, none of that. I'm sure they mourned and moved on and are fine, like I am.

Still, there's a reason why I gravitate to socializing during games, eschewing parties or large social gatherings, and talking online, when I have the time to craft a perfect message. It is nice though, to get some reassurance that it'll be fine. I'll try to relax more.

We chatted a bit more, mostly about inconsequential stuff, but I didn't try to filter back my thoughts, even if they were a bit rambly. That talk died down as we followed the trail of goo down the mountain and across the wide, grass, windswept plains. The individual trails converged, the group gathered up, and I spotted almost two dozen of them gathered together by a tree.

There, in the center of the field, a small group of Goomys and one Sliggoo were huddled up nervously, being harassed by a foe who terrified them. Flying above with malicious glee in their eyes was Ribombee, menacing the dozen or so Dragons.

The Sliggoo fought back valiantly, Spraying Acid at the Fairy Type, but the Ribombee nimbly evaded the attack before doing a 'bombing run,' dropping Pollen Puffs that disoriented and dazed the Dragons.

Before the Fairy could fly by for another attack, Bahamut stepped up, followed swiftly by Dipplin and Sinsitcha. The Ribombee turned to face the new threats, sneering. My Dragon gave a warning growl, but they didn't bother to respond, simply diving straight at him, tossing a Pollen Puff at his face.

Catching the attack expertly on his tail, he knocked the pollen aside, spinning around again in the air, his tail flashing with Steel Type energy as he continued his rotation before smacking into Ribombee hard.

I winced as I heard the crack before pushing it aside. Never fun to see a Pokemon get hurt, but that Bug was picking on the little Goomys for no good reason. Glancing over, I saw the Ribombee get back, flying limply to eye level with Bahamut and begin 'yelling' in my Pokemon's face. My Dragon reared back slightly but I held a hand out, motioning him down. If she doesn't want to attack any more, we don't need to continue things. I was also worried it might lead to serious harm, since the Ribombee looked the type to push herself, and given the difference in strength between her and Bahamut, she could end up being maimed or worse, and I wouldn't want that on Bahamut's conscience.

Stepping forward slightly, though still placing Bahamut between myself and Ribombee, I asked, "What seems to be the problem here?"

Ribombee angrily buzzed, waving her arms about in the direction of the Goomys, which caused them to cower for a second. After that second was up however, the little Dragons made a cacophony of noise in response, screeching back. This went back and forth for a moment before Carmine whistle sharply.

"Shut… upppppp!" She shouted, and the Pokemon went silent, even some of those beyond our small section of the field, for a moment, before going back to their games and foraging. The taller girl beamed brightly at me before gesturing a hand forward. I appreciate the quiet - they were giving me a headache - but now it's too quiet, and I can get to the bottom of it.

My hand drifted over Notch's Pokeball for a second before moving past it. Throwing a Legendary Fairy Type into the mix will only put them more on edge. Possibly the Ribombee too, given the Rock Typing as well. Opening Athena's ball instead, I asked for her to translate.

Ribombee seemed fascinated with Athena and what she was doing, and as she pushed her emotions clumsily at me, I got the feeling she was trying to copy my Pokemon. I remember now, Ribombee's are empathetic in nature, capable of using Aura like Lucarios can. Athena was far more skilled (and more importantly) far more in-tune with me than the wild Bug Type, so Ribombee's words mostly just splashed over me like a distorted echo.

['She claims that 'the slug-Dragons' were 'disturbing the peace.'] I didn't need to hear Athena's derisive snort to understand what she thought of that, and as I looked around the lush, peaceful fields, I couldn't help but agree with that sentiment.

The Goomy pack was eager to make their side heard as well, wailing back, with the Sliggoo eventually becoming a central voice for the group. ['She claims that they were just trying to find a new den to live in.'] There was no judgment in Athena's translation, so I crouched down slightly to stare Sliggoo in the eyes as I talked directly to her.

"Why leave the caves? It didn't seem too dangerous."

"Goo goo, sligoo!"

['The constant ringing. A bunch of Chimecos and their Chingling children moved in to the passage beside them and were making a bunch of noise. And- too crowded?'] There was a slight disconnect with the translation. As good as Athena was at being in-tune with me and i was at reading her, the use of Aura really only stretched to feelings and impressions. Getting actual words out of it took skill on both of our parts and it wasn't perfect.

"Well, I don't think you were doing anything wrong coming here; there's plenty of space you could use here." Cheering ensued, one of the Goomys already beginning to slide up the nearby tree, eyes eagerly fixed on an apple hanging off of one of it's branches. Ribombee moved aggressively towards them, but Sinistcha floated in front of them with a sinister expression on their face, one which had the Fairy Type shivering.

"That being said," I began, raising my voice over the din. "I do have a third option, if you're interested. We could take you with us to a far off land, with plentiful food and space to live. One that could see you changing and becoming tough enough that you wouldn't ever have to worry about getting bullied around like that ever again."

The Goomy's turned, shocked (so much so that the one climbing the tree fell off with a squishing sound that had me worried for a minute before seeing the ball of goo easily right himself and continue to stare on with the same starry-eyed wonder the others had). I waited for a moment before asking, "So, who wants to come with me?"

That led to a flurry of eager responses and cheers (even some from Ribombee, whom I assumed was just happy to have 'won' and reclaimed complete dominance over this tiny section of the fields), but those quickly died down as the Sliggoo argued with her pack. A sidelong glance to Athena told me that their leader was mistrustful of me. Or maybe just distrustful. The difference there is subtle but important. She might just be worried for her family rather than having a bias against me.

"You want to know how you can trust me? I know, I'm promising a lot, and you haven't seen much of what I can do yet, but…" I knelt before them, sliding the incubator case around in front of me. The group gathered around, squishing sounds filling the air, and I eyed the trails they left behind. That is something I'll have to get used to. I've never been the greatest at dealing with that kind of muck, but even still. I don't doubt I can do it.

Showing the Egg clearly within the glass, I said. "This is a Goomy Egg. One day, a little guy or gal just like you is going to hatch from this. And I'm going to raise them in the same place I'm taking you all, to become big and strong. To build an iron shell that will keep them safe from any harm. Doing that will take time, so I'm hoping that you can help protect them and raise them alongside me."

This time I got a unanimous round of cheers, one which had Ribombee flying off in a huff, and even I winced before using Aura to dampen the sound around my ears. The trust I offered them was clearly being returned, with the Sliggoo even coming up to give me a hug. Yup, this is… very sticky. Much goo. Ah well, I can get cleaned up later. I returned the hug to the squishy Dragon, a smile splitting my face.

Spoiler: A/N:

This chapter was split up by me playing Hollow Knight Silksong, so I hope it turned out okay. Recently I've been feeling like these chapters have been fighting me, or just not quite coming out perfect, but I've revised them a lot and I hope they're good enough (at the very least, I'm excited for the next chapter as we still have some adventures in Kitikami left). Still if you have any comments or criticisms please let me know in the Discord. and I'll see what I can do. And if you want to read more and have a bit of money to toss my way, I have a a Kofi and a Patreon, subscribers to the latter get early access to the next ten chapters. Thank you, and I hope you're having a great day.

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter
The Journey continues
Cheers!