Leaf

  —

  I had laughed at Erin's exhausted irritation last night, of course. It had been hilarious the way my slightly older sister had moaned and complained around the table during dinner. Also before dinner. And after.

  Really, she moaned a lot, even if she had volunteered and didn't really mind…

  Erin was going to enjoy tonight, though…

  "And you say you've never tried to find the distance limit of your communion?" I sighed and shook my head.

  "No, Professor, I've never tried before…" He was practically vibrating in his plush computer chair as he planned out some… tests…

  I liked Professor Oak! He was the closest thing I had to a grandpa before my actual one came back into the picture, and was still more of a grandpa! He was kind and generous with everyone, not just mom and I, and he had helped more than a few single parents and their children out…

  "-No, no, what if the communion is focus based…? Ah, we can leave Hope here, take Morgrem along with us, and…"

  I was already regretting my choice to volunteer myself for some fae tests, though…

  Far more than I had thought possible, even after I saw Erin last night…

  "You're sure Tinkatuff is still too busy making her new hammer?"

  This was going to be such a long day!

  —

  Erin

  —

  It had been a nice week here back at the Ranch, and I especially enjoyed my 'revenge' on Leaf, considering she had looked more worn out than me by Professor Oak's tests, but now it was time to fly. Time to fly… to the Clan Blackthorn compound on the edge of Blackthorn City.

  I really wasn't opposed to getting some help, some training, from people who'd been doing this a lot longer than I had, even if you counted the time spent on the games. I wasn't even that mad about skipping Cinnabar and Viridian. Mildly annoyed, sure, but… Kanto had always had the weakest, ah, 'vibe'? Kanto would always be my metaphorical home in the Pokemon world, and now it literally was my home, but… I was still ready to move on.

  Which was good, considering we stood in the backyard in a group watching Lance land right now.

  I grinned as Lance finally released mom, only to pull Alex into another crushing hug. One that, while she was happy to receive it, was a bit embarrassing… also kinda tight, Lance wasn't weak…

  As his hands rose to rub our heads he just grinned evilly at the glares Leaf and I had ready to go. Nova only got a nod, one she barely managed to return through her nerves. Nova had been a bit more… focused lately, after that little 'conversation' I saw her have with Dragonair. Splash was still around, and his attitude may even have gotten better… Maybe.

  "You four ready for the flight?" We all nodded as a smaller Dragonite joined Dragonite next to Lance, Midir ambling over.

  We had broken out some long sleeves and thick leggings for this trip, but we would save our actual new outfits for when they were required. The trip there would be fine with Protect, of course, but that entire area was up in the mountains…

  We all gave mom some hugs before we left, obviously. They were a bit lingering, and more than slightly squeezing, but none of us said anything. Nova even found herself pulled into a brief, startled hug, not that it surprised me in the least. She may not be a part of the 'Journeying group', but Nova was cool, and mom was… a mom. She even pulled at Nova's goggles to make sure they were tight, too!

  I let Alex scramble up behind Lance, while I clambered up behind Leaf. Nova was left to the still unnamed, smaller Dragonite, and soon we were all ready to go. I smiled at mom over Leaf's shoulder.

  "Have a good time here, mom! Give us a month or two and we'll be the most insane first years to ever hit the Conference!" Leaf giggled from in front of me.

  "Yeah, what she said, mom! Love you!" Alex joined in with her own wide smile.

  "Bye for now, Ms. Greenwood! I'll try to keep Lance from backsliding!" That earned her a light elbow from Lance, but he just grinned down at her.

  "I'll be back as soon as I can, Patricia. Be safe." I could tell he wanted to say something else, but held himself back. The two of them did seem to be taking things kind of slowly, so that made sense…

  I was lightly smiling as we slowly ascended. Flygon had been fast, sure, but Dragonite? Dragonite were known for their speed, and this time I was prepared for the direct, in-your-face speed… right? Dragonite had been slow going to Mt. Moon, carrying Lance in her arms like she had been…

  As we leveled off, I found myself really hoping that to be the case…

  —

  —

  It was not the case.

  It was better than Flygon's little trick, at least? We were moving fast, but not nearly as fast as Dragonite could go. That kind of speed required harnesses no matter the rider, and probably straps so your neck didn't snap…

  I was still very unhappy as we cut through the air, Midir and the smaller Dragonite flanking Lance. Leaf wasn't too happy, either.

  "Erin, I swear, if you throw up on me, we will fight. We will fight and Hope will help me. Maybe Morgrem, too…" Leaf was adjusting to fast flight much better than I was. I honestly wasn't taking it that badly… I just had the unfortunate feeling that my breakfast was going to make a reappearance, and I'd rather avoid that.

  Leaf would also very much prefer that I keep my food to myself, considering I was holding onto her… my head directly over her shoulder.

  "Leaf, I'll be fiiine… probably. Looking forward to this?" We'd already talked about this, obviously, I just wanted a distraction from the churning in my stomach…

  Leaf huffed a little underneath me, but was game enough to answer.

  "Oh, yeah, sure, take the fae specialist to the dragon Clan! I mean, yeah, I have Hazard and Whiplash, but still… I guess I should have some good opponents to fight, at least? How big is the Clan, now that I think about it?" I shrugged, an action that she could feel but not see.

  "No idea, actually. It can't be that big, I would assume. Let's say… ten families? Add in the members that aren't blood related… maybe a hundred?" I got the feeling I was either scarily accurate, or wildly inaccurate… probably the latter.

  We continued on in silence for another couple minutes, just gazing down at the mountains blurring below us, before Leaf raised her voice in a yell.

  "How much longer, Lance?" Not the worst question, really. My nausea had more or less calmed down by this point… mostly. The mountains below us were fascinating, sure. I'd never seen a mountain range from dragon-back, or helicopter I guess, so the view was amazing… but it was so dang boring!

  He glanced back, and I swore I saw his eyes roll!

  "We're about halfway there by now!" So a little more than an hour left? That could be worse… Still, maybe we should have used harnesses? I know Midir had used one, and maybe Lance's Dragonite's would have? We could have gone somewhat faster, at least…

  —

  —

  The weather had been nice in Pallet Town, a beautiful sunny morning, if a bit windy, but here in Johto, and above the mountains, that apparently didn't hold true. There was no rain or snow, but there were plenty of churning grey clouds above us obscuring the sky now, and the wind soon grew fierce, a cutting, biting wind that had us clumped up, moving slower. Lance's face was calm as he called us in.

  His aura was not calm.

  He was panicked, and I only had a moment to wonder why before I realized something kind of important about the gusts of wind that seemed determined to knock us off of Midir. Something a bit different than the usual.

  This wind was warm. Not very much at all, and in fact I would normally call it cool, but compared to the frigid air that had crept past Midir's Protect before? It was noticeable.

  "Change of plans, girls. I have something I need to do, now. Alex, jump on Dragonite." Alex glanced to the side, and Nova and the smaller Dragonite, before she turned confused eyes on Lance.

  "What's going on, Lance?" His face tightened up, but I had some horrible suspicions…

  "Alex, what does the air being warm all the way up here, when it was cold, mean?" Lance shot me a glare for that one, but… that hadn't been my horrible suspicion. Or, I guess just one of them? Because I had the feeling I knew what it was…

  The faces of the other girls twisted in confusion, but I met Lance's eyes, and after a quick request, felt a mental bridge creakily form between him and I. Hecate could do this, but between two humans was kind of hard for her. From what I could understand of her explanation, she didn't send words, she sent understandings, our brains just understood the words in them. Two humans, with minds that she still couldn't fully grasp as a Hattrem? It felt almost… crackly? Like an old wired phone, I guess?

  ""Yes, Erin?"" His calm words would have been more comforting if I couldn't feel the panic radiating from him.

  ""That's Moltres, right?"" The way he flinched was telling. ""Well, they don't just come out for no reason, correct?"" A mental head shake. ""Well, what could have drawn it out this time…?"" It took him a few seconds, then his look grew alarmed as I nodded.

  ""Yeah, I get the feeling something about me is interesting. Is Moltres associated with rebirth here? We kind of skipped over them in the Museum…"" Not that anything they wrote would have been accurate… probably. I had skimmed it, though, and it sounded like pure legends!

  ""They have been, in the past…"" He looked more panicked now, and it was easy to tell why. My intentions were so obvious, after all… Not that he didn't give it a try.

  ""Erin, you can't, what will you do if it's aggressive?"" I shrugged, the action drawing Leaf's attention. By now everyone could tell that Lance and I were having a talk.

  ""The same thing as if it's aggressive right now, die? This way there's less collateral damage, at least."" I felt Hecate pick up on my next idea, and she mentally slapped me so hard it felt like my head was ringing! Fine! No handing my bandoleer over…

  Lance shook his head and spoke aloud this time, and I felt the mental bridge dissolve.

  "You're not… entirely wrong, Erin. Okay, change of plans." His voice got hard for his next words. Lance wasn't a soft-spoken guy by any means, but this was one notch away from harsh. "Alex, get on with Nova." There was no room to argue with the face looking at her over a shoulder this time, and Alex simply hopped over.

  I had assumed it would be more dangerous to change mounts in midair, and it may have been, depending on the species. Trained Dragonite? Nah, Alex practically slid in behind Nova. It felt safe even as I felt my own body briefly fly free of anything that kept me from becoming an Erin-shaped pancake on the hard, rocky ground so far below. Dragonite easily caught me, of course, and I reached around to latch onto Lance.

  Lance twisted around to glare at Midir and the other Dragonite.

  "Get to the Midway outpost, then stay there. Got it?" They nodded at him, and Leaf finally broke the silence of the others. I think they all got it, especially as the heat continued to rise, but Leaf's shaky voice still called out.

  "What are you two about to do?" Lance gave her a kind smile. A kind, shaky, slightly-snarling smile.

  "We're going to go say hello while you three get someplace safe."

  They did not appreciate that answer, faces paling.

  Neither did I, even if I agreed with him…

  —

  —

  "Tell me everything you know about Moltres as fast as possible." I felt like a fool asking Lance that, but I didn't really trust my information to be all that accurate when applied to Legendaries! Look at Togepi!

  Lance was still panicked, and frustrated, as he responded. We were flying in the opposite direction of this 'Midway' place, and I had been unfortunately right. The heat seemed to follow us, and I swore I could see a faint shape behind the clouds so very, very close above…

  "Moltres is generally harmless, one of the weaker Legendaries as far as it's possible to rank them. Nests here in the Silver Range, we suspect there's actually a breeding population. There's a no-fly zone over the highest peaks because of them, set Moltres off and the mountains get bathed in fire. If we make it out of this alive you'll be able to see its mountains easily enough on our way past, they are scorched." Oof, that was… not great.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  It got worse as Lance continued.

  "I've actually fought one before. Well, I survived a fight with one, and nobody took any permanent injuries, so I consider that a win." Fuuuck… "It's rare to encounter one except for pissing it off, so not much else is known. Used to be worshiped as a local god of life, destruction, and rebirth. Generally keeps to itself…" He trailed off, because he had said more than enough.

  So basically we fight, we die? Joy… I had to assume it was me being 'reborn', right? Maybe Jirachi left some sort of… mark? Scent? I really hope not, some Legendaries could remain forever ignorant of my passing, thank you very much…

  The next five minutes were tense as Dragonite tried to pull as much speed as possible without ripping Lance's hands from around her neck. It was a delicate balance, and I silently cursed the lack of a harness.

  Also not-so-silently.

  "'Harnesses are beneath the Dragon Master Champion', right? Something like that? 'Nooo, I'll never want to go really, really fast, like if there was a hypothetical giant fire bird hunting me down!'" A bit unfair of me, because harnesses were kind of lame… the same way that helmets were lame, and saved lives.

  I wouldn't mind a life saver right about now, in fact. I felt the heat continuing to slowly rise, and I didn't know how this situation could get worse.

  Of course, I apparently love tempting fate.

  The cry that rang out from above us was primal. I knew right then and there that it had not been made by a normal Pokemon. It sounded like… like the roar of fire, compressed into a cry. Like a raging wildfire, but so contained, focused.

  Then the aura hit us like a giant sledgehammer.

  Dragonite yelped slightly as she dropped out of the sky, control over her flying energies lost momentarily, and immediately dove for the closest plateau. Lance groaned out some curses, but I was a bit busy, personally.

  Busy listening.

  "Why do. You smell. Of us?" Okay, wow, good bit clearer than most Pokemon… also, fucking ow ow ow OWW! Aura speech had never hurt me before, but that hurt! It didn't feel deliberate, more like… interacting with a really small animal. Even if you're as gentle as possible, you're still interacting with a being you could just casually… break if you applied too much pressure.

  It could just break us…

  I tried to get my thoughts in order as we stumbled into a landing on a wide, snowy plateau, but it was hard. I didn't even have the presence of mind to release Lance at first, simply going with him as he leapt from Dragonite's back. He was thumbing his belt, but I was glad that nobody else joined u-

  Of course, mom took that moment to join us with a thunderous roar, one that was also laced with aura.

  "Talk! Face! Daughter!" Yes, mom, it is kind of rude to hide behind the clouds like that, but could you not invite the Legendary in for a chat?!

  Even as I had that thought, though, I took a good look. Mom was scared. I had never seen it on her, but she wasn't stupid. She was putting up a good front, but this wasn't something that she could fight and win. This wasn't something that we could fight and win… but she wasn't about to cower.

  The cloud cover, so close and turbulent above us, began to glow. First a single small orange spot, then it began to grow, larger and larger until there was a giant halo of orange in the sky above us. The sense of dread grew as well, greater and greater as the glow intensified.

  Then it broke through.

  Moltres had never really captured my interest in the games. I mean, sure, it was cool, a phoenix… but I had a Fire/Flying already in Charizard, and you got it right before the Elite Four… It was also kind of plain? I mean, phoenix, sure, but it didn't have any cool patterns or anything, it was just a bird, whose crest, tail, and wings were fire. Boring. Plain.

  Unremarkable.

  Of course, that had been a game, as I was frequently reminded.

  This was reality.

  Moltres wasn't exactly a kaiju, but as it cleared the clouds and became visible I felt my breath hitch. My heart may have skipped a beat, as well…

  Moltres looked to be about the size it was in the anime… The anime that had always been rather loose with Pokemon sizes. It was easily moms size, and may have been bigger than her standing… It looked almost exactly as it had in the games and anime, but I was far from disappointed.

  I had always found fire to be beautiful. A candle's calm, controlled flame. A campfire, ever-shifting and warm. The roar of a huge bonfire, the soft glow of embers in the dark. Fire was beautiful no matter the source, a painting that changed by the moment with air currents, fuel consumption, a hundred different factors.

  I wasn't some pyromaniac, of course. I think appreciation of a good fire is just built into the human experience, personally, and I practiced good fire safety. No, I just… liked fire. Fire was usually my first choice for starters, for magic in games, fire was just… cool, okay?

  So to see the literal living embodiment of flame burst through the cloud cover, brilliant orange-white flames a radiating halo around it as it honed in on us?

  Even as I lightly squealed in giddiness, though, I felt my heart seize up. This being was above me in a way I had never encountered before. Charizard and mom may be far beyond anything I could ever do, even if I was a fully-trained aura knight with, like, every power they had ever had, but they were still… normal. They still inhabited the same realm of existence that I did. Legendaries seemed to exist a step above the rest of us.

  Moltres may not have been one of the stronger Legendaries according to Lance, but it was a Legendary, and the Flame Pokemon didn't disappoint. The heat that we had been feeling came rolling in full-force, and I saw snow begin to rapidly melt around us. Mom and Dragonite's Protect's were more than welcome, even if plenty of the heat still came through.

  I was almost stunned with awe, entranced by its beauty, and terrified of it on a bone deep level, all at once. I felt like I was riding the world's most stunningly beautiful, terrifyingly dangerous, legendarily rare roller coaster, and I was just standing still!

  Moltres apparently didn't believe in circling a few times, and simply swooped right in. It landed twenty feet from us with a thump, and I felt my breath catch. More. Catch more. Because it was caught. Holy fuck. Shit! I liked living this time around, okay? Could we maybe keep it going? I'm on a new days-without-dying streak, and I'd love to break my old record!

  The sheer pressure was insane, and I swore I could see the air vibrating from it, waves of pressure. Waves that were distinct from the actual waves of heat I could see rolling off of it. Is this what it was like for a normal person in front of mom? Holy shit, Leaf and mom- Patricia were crazy for adjusting! Also badass, what?!

  Lance took a single step forward, then one back as he was glared at. Moltres turned to me, and though there was no glare, there was demand.

  "Why do. You smell. Like us?" Again with the 'us'... I had to assume that meant Legendary, though, so…

  The pain was intense this time, so close to the source, so loud. I did my best to ignore the thudding, grinding pounding in my head, even as I felt a tiny trickle of blood run from my nose. Joy…

  I cleared my throat awkwardly, shuffling my feet a bit. I had told more than a few people my story, but… this situation was a bit new…

  "Well, if by 'us' you mean Legendaries and Mythicals in general, then I don't know for certain, but I have a few theories…" It looked intrigued as I began to speak.

  It was so fucking hot, though! Turn your internal reactor off for a minute, please!

  —

  —

  Moltres was quiet after I finished my story, and I took the chance to just admire them. I assumed mom, Dragonite, and Lance were doing something similar… that, or just glaring. They may have just been glaring… I wasn't, though! Not at all, even through the sheer pants-shitting terror that hadn't faded in the slightest.

  Its fire-feathers appeared to be darker at the base, and as the flames shifted it honestly looked a lot like embers there. It then grew into wispy, almost lacy-looking fire near the 'ends'. There were clearly feathers in there too, I could see them, but the actual flame coating the feathers made them almost-! Oh!

  The feathers were like vermiculite! That stuff you put in gas fireplaces to look like glowing embers! The fire caused every feather to radiate like embers, and the effect on the giant bird as it shifted was honestly one of the most wondrous things I had ever seen. I could easily see this bird starting religions, especially on a dark night…

  It shifted to look at me, and now its look was purely curious. The thunder of its aura was still the same, though. Still painful.

  "Not know? Think Wish Granter?" I nodded, and it shrugged! The giant fire-bird shrugged at me! "Boring. Waste of time. No fire." It began to shuffle around, to turn and leap from this ledge, when I opened my big mouth for some reason.

  "Boring? No fire? Well, excuse me, I was busy admiring your fire, actually!" I grinned for all of a second before I realized I had just said that, just talked back to a Legendary! A Legendary that could paste me, my team, along with Lance and his team, and maybe come out of it with a large bruise, a broken bone if we got insanely lucky before death by immolation.

  I ignored the glares from the others as Moltres turned and locked eyes with me. It looked amused, and that irritated me… which it should not! It was still making me feel like I was two seconds from relieving myself, and three from vomiting, but could I have a proper, developed sense of self preservation? No! No, I could not, not me, not Erin Greenwood!

  It finally huffed out a dismissive laugh, turning away. It's next words, only to me this time, were quiet, calm, and damn near gentle! It had been practically shouting before, and that had apparently been a choice!

  "Half pass. Half fail. Amusing, though." What? I was amusing?! Why?!

  I glared at it as it disappeared back above the cloud cover. After a long minute of silence the cold came back in full force as I stood there in the… mud. The mud from all the melted snow…

  Lance's sigh was long, deep, and from the soul. The poor guy sounded like he literally exhaled his soul out, and judging from his face, that was accurate! His eyes closed and he took a deep breath in, held it for a moment, then released it. He took another deep, shuddering breath.

  Then he slammed his face into his open hands and groaned out a scream of frustration.

  "Can it NEVER be easy with you?! It is a two! Hour! Flight with passengers, and we run into Moltres?!" He shook his head in frustration, hands going to his temples.

  "Wait, sorry, not your fault… that part, at least! If the Legendary capable of turning us to ash is leaving, let them! I don't care if they lightly insulted you, don't talk back to them!" Judging by the intense frowns on Dragonite and mom's faces, I was going to get a series of lectures… Lance got me first, though, obviously.

  As I let Lance's deserved bitching wash over me I reflected on the previous half hour. That just happened. I just ran into a Legendary… One of the safer Legendaries, as far as they went, but still! Moltres was still far more dangerous than one of the Tapu… probably?

  I had assumed they were a bit more… out there than the games and anime showed, and I had been correct. That had been a Pokemon, sure… The same way that a Wishiwashi and a Sharpedo were both Pokemon… It was… more than us. Just more… everything, filled with power in a way that terrified me. It had been flame in a very real way, like it embodied the concept of flames.

  And it had permitted us to continue existing in the same world that it did…

  —

  —

  Midway was disappointing. It was just a large, plain stone building on top of a lone peak that served as a hub for all air traffic and patrols over the Silver Range. It was mostly used by Rangers, but there were a few Ace trainers there as well, called in for the potential emergency.

  The two of us landing there put that to rest, though, and we were soon back in the air. We were clumped up quite tightly as we flew this time, so we could easily talk. Not that I wanted to… Well, Nova was the only one I had an issue with talking around. I liked the older girl, but she wasn't at that level of sharing yet.

  She was still justifiably curious.

  "That had to be Moltres, right? What else out here would produce that much heat?" I remained steadfastly quiet as I clung to Leaf, and Lance had been staying quiet as well.

  "Lance, why not just tell us? Then we'll stop bugging you two-" Lance cut Alex off with a shake of his head. He glared around briefly before raising his voice to be clearly heard.

  "All of you want answers, and all of you are owed them. You can get them on solid ground, inside with a cup of tea, not on dragon-back!" They quieted back down at that, but they certainly weren't happy…

  Oh well, too bad… Technically Moltres, its existence, and its location were all classified. The kind of classified that everyone kind of knew, sure, but the fewer suicidal idiots determined to steal a Moltres Egg or some insanity the better. Leaf and Alex would get the full story later, and Nova would get… something. Everything but why it was interested in me, basically…

  "Why not just tell us now, though?" I sighed as Leaf just kept going. Why did I expect thirteen year olds to let something go? Wait, I'd do the same thing in their shoes? Sure, but I wasn't, so I got to complain!

  —

  —

  Blackthorn City was beautiful.

  It was on the smaller side compared to the other cities I had seen, but location in the mountains aside, that made sense, because it was a plateau city! Two enormous plateaus, connected by gigantic bridges, were each absolutely packed with buildings. Those two plateaus were obviously the main city, but the smaller, higher plateau slightly north of them was apparently our destination.

  Half of it appeared to be large walled manors and full-blown mansions, and I even saw a couple of gated neighborhoods. Obviously the rich sector, especially in a city that probably placed a lot of importance, and therefore price, on square footage.

  The other half of the smallest plateau looked more like a castle, considering the huge, thick walls that surrounded it, moat included. There were a few smaller manors inside, a small forest, a small lake, and what appeared to be a town, but what really drew my eyes was the huge mansion sitting towards the very back, behind another wall- Oh, it was a castle town, basically…

  It was the largest mansion on the plateau, and I didn't have to be told that this was the Blackthorn compound. I mentally shifted my estimate of the Clan's numbers a bit higher. Considering the number of normal-looking homes I saw inside the compound? There were many more Blackthorns than I had anticipated…

  I appeared to be correct. That would explain why almost fifteen people in fucking purple robes ran out and bowed at the waist as Dragonite landed in the front yard of the huge building. They dispersed as Lance jumped off, though, thankfully. I understand showing respect, but that had been… weird. Almost creepy… Oh no, I was already starting to regret this! Clans just sounded like generational cults! Shit, what did I agree to?!

  ""Erin no curse…"" 'Hecate, I'm serious, this was a bad idea-' ""Erin, stop. Can't run now."" 'No… No, I can't, can I? Nice contraction, by the way!'

  I felt her pride radiate out briefly. Contractions were hard for most speech-capable Pokemon to wrap their heads around, and after talking through aura, I could understand. 'Can not' was ironically much easier to say than 'can't' through aura. Casually using one in mental speech was a good sign of Hecate's growth.

  When I hopped off of Midir there was a taller woman standing there with long light blue hair pulled back into a ponytail, glaring at Lance. She wore a similar suit as Lance, simple dark blue pants and a jacket, along with a dark cape… because who doesn't like a cape, I guess? Cloaks were much cooler, though, like mine-

  ""Cloak much bigger than cape. Furrier also call it cape. It is cape. You lie to self."" 'Dangit, Hecate, I know! Let me have this! You know how hard I try not to let my inner chuuni out! Cloaks can serve many purposes, capes just look cool… theoretically, because capes are lame, of course, and what I have is a cloak…'

  The woman walked over, eyes locked to Lance, still glaring. Lance stiffened momentarily before he moved to meet her, smiling widely.

  "Clair, you didn't have to greet me!" She swept right past him, glare instantly turning into a smile as she enveloped Alex in a crushing hug. She released her after a long moment, pushing her back by the shoulders.

  "Look at you! So much cuter already!" Alex's face erupted in red and Clair left her alone… long enough to turn to Leaf with a wide, mocking smile.

  "You must be Leaf! Thanks for being there for Alex, but from what I've heard, maybe keep your fashion sense to yourself?" Oh, Clair was that kind of person. The kind to poke at others for their own amusement… I see, I see…

  I met her wide smile with a wide smile of my own, speaking before she got the chance to. I had done my own research, of course…

  "Hi, I'm Erin! Thanks for being such a cool… cousin, I guess? Cousin to Alex! Say, when we come back through here for our eighth badges, will we also have to complain to the Clan after we beat you up and you pitch a fit?" Her face grew crimson, smile faltering, and Lance began to laugh uproariously in the background. Him, Dragonite, and more than a few Clan members and Pokemon close enough to hear, here on the front lawn of the gigantic mansion.

  Apparently Clair had pitched a fit, same as she had in the games. Lance didn't know the details, to his and my frustration, but it had been her first year as a Gym Leader, and probably stress related…

  Still funny as hell to bring up, considering her red face.

  Lance managed to catch his breath long enough to point at her.

  "Sorry, we didn't raise her right, she can never introduce herself. This is Clair Blackthorn, Gym Leader of Blackthorn City, a Dragon Master, and a huuuge brat even at thirty." We began chuckling as she whirled on him, ringer raised.

  "And this is Lance Blackthorn, Champion of Indigo, First Heir to Clan Blackthorn, and a huuuge prick even at thirty two!" Now we actually laughed, because she was so right! Also so wrong, but it was amusing.

  Lance cleared his throat with a frown, though, and she jerked a little before straightening. Her next words were almost ceremonial, too, although… it made sense that they were?

  "Clan Blackthorn bids you welcome, be you Clan member, friend, or stranger." She smiled, and I knew the next words weren't ceremonial.

  "Welcome to Clan Blackthorn! I hope you're ready for some fun and exciting lessons, right? So eager to begin learning?" Damnit, she looked like Lance… So amused for the future…

  Still, I needed some training, we needed some training, and we should basically get the VIP experience…

  Right?

  It wasn't the most pleasant thought to dwell on, but I was basically Lance's de-facto daughter by now, so this should be a nice, cushy experience…

  Right?

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