Story Notes:
Pokemon isn't mine, and will probably never be mine, so any and all characters and settings that are official Pokemon/nintendo proterty are copyright to them. This IS a fan work, and the plot and setting is not intended to be commercial.Inspiration for this (if you can't tell) is Miralage's 'An Electrifying Valentines'. Rairai and Keiden I've had in my head for a while now, and I've intended to write this for ages. If anything, I thank Miralage for giving me the inspiration to write another Pokemon story.
A fresh start.
The lone Raichu scurried through an alleyway, making sure not to be seen by any of the larger, carnivorous Pokemon that roamed the darkness. She was young; barely a year old. The cold wet streets offered her little in the way of meals. She wasn't clean anymore; dirt, mud and water had messed up her fur, painting her a murky brown instead of the healthy orange she was supposed to be. Life wasn't fair, she knew this much. She'd, once, been the loyal companion of a local rich man. He was wonderful, caring, considerate. He kept her warm, well fed and happy. She was always cared for; not pampered, though that would have been nice, but treated fairly. She always had a warm or cool place to sleep depending on the weather, a full stomach when she grew hungry and soft sleeping place.
Now she was hungry, the last time she had eaten she couldn't remember.
She was tired, she hadn't slept soundly in weeks.
She had no home except a cardboard box that didn't keep the cold out as well as it would for a larger Pokemon.
Worst of all, she was alone. Not even the other strays in the streets wanted anything to do with her.
She stepped through a puddle, her tail dragging pointlessly along the ground behind her. She hadn't been able to lift it in weeks, her body beyond the strength required. Any attempts to use electricity would have been pointless. Even if she had the charge, the constant drizzle of rain and the high humidity would only cause her to electrocute herself; but she hadn't had enough electricity to do anything for a week or more, her body had used the charge in her cheeks to fuel itself, and now she was truly running on empty.
When her master had died of old age, his greedy and selfish children had snatched up their inheritance. All of the rarer Pokemon had been kept, like trophies; while the rest were either treated like slave labor, or just kicked out altogether.
She had been his prize Raichu. She'd won several contests, was a natural beauty, and always knew how to rile the crowd, but the new female of the house had tossed her out by her tail, calling her a 'damned disgusting rat'.
She wasn't a rat, in any sense of the word.
A door nearby opened, and a shop owner threw a cardboard box at her, hitting her before she could scurry out of its way.
"Damned rodent!" He angrily called after her.
The words stung at her ears and only depressed her more. She scurried home as fast as she could, but was met by a new scent. Curious, she sniffed about the box before peering inside. Another Pokemon, a Delcatty, had taken up residence, and she didn't look pleased to see her peering in. With an angry swipe she sent the lonely Raichu packing,fleeing as fast as she could.
Now she was completley homeless.
She stopped running and sat underneath a wooden crate, breaking into tears. Life wasn't fair. She'd started so happily, what right did it have to take that all from her? She didn't do anything to bring this upon her, she'd always been faithful and friendly, never harming anyone. She'd helped to power half the city when it was cut off once. All she wanted was for her torment to end. Be hind her she heard a car drive past outside the alleyway.
She came to a decision.
Halbert strolled down the streets of Littleroot idly. He'd been here only a short while, and already the weather was making him regret making the journey at all. He was about five foot nine with piercing blue eyes and a brown tri-corner hat that hid his bright red hair. His clothes were mostly hidden by a large brown leather rain coat that hung about his shoulders and draped to his feet.
Though the town wasn't without merit, 'little' suited its name just perfectly. Compared to other towns he had been in, Littleroot was tiny; he could have strolled from one side to the other in less than an hour, whereas he had been in towns that took at least two to get to the center. Not that it wasn't without its own unique charm, every city has at least one.
Right now, that charm was trying to steal his wallet.
The would-be thief was lifted from the ground by a Dragonair who had been watching carefully from above, and promptly dumped on his ass. Halbert turned to see his Dragonair lifting him by the scruff of his shirt.
Years ago, a meteorite had struck the planet sending a unique compound known as 'evo-dust' across the surface of the globe. Though it had no effect on humans whatsoever, what it did to Pokemon was profound. Almost every species had an extra, humanoid evolution added to thier evolutionary tree. Along with adding the shape, it gave these Humanoid Pokemon the ability to understand and speak English. His Dragonair had evolved into what she was by being given a Heart Scale to hold and put through rigorous training.
Now she shared the shape of a lamia or naga. Human-shaped torso with arms, hands and even breasts, though they did little more than emphasise her feminine shape with wide hips. Where legs would have been was a long Dragonair tail, extremely dextrous and even complete with shiny blue beads. She had no hair, but her wings had increased in size along with the rest of her, and she still sported the horn on her forhead. Her muzzle was short, currently holding an angry snarl, and she still had a large blue bead at the base of her neck.
Officer Jenny strolled out of a nearby building and summed up the scene.
"Alright, whats going on?" She asked, strolling up to them.
The Dragonair turned to her. "This man tried to lift my master's wallet." She said, her voice like that of an angel. "I was only protecting my master, I swear."
"Damned bitch, dunno what she goin' on about!" The struggling man growled.
"Actually, if I might be so bold;" a little voice called, belonging to a Persian humanoid at a nearby window, "she was. I may be a cat, but I ain't stupid."
Jenny sighed and grabbed the man by his ear. "Alright, c'mon." She growled. "I'm writing you up, come with me."
Halbert sighed, watching Jenny drag the failed thief away by his ear before he reached up and stroked the Dragonair.
"That was a nice catch, Keiden." He said. He had a deep yet youthful voice, and he turned to the Persian inside the window. "Thanks." He said, flicking a coin in.
"Think nothing of it." He replied, turning to his breakfast, which his master just happened to put on the table.
Halbert and Keiden turned back down the street, dawdling idly once more. He stepped aside for a woman carrying a cute Snubull politely. He considered himself a gentleman, and the sidewalk was only small. He turned his head up to talk with the floating Dragonair when something caught his attention, and he quickly turned her attention where his was aimed.
A little Raichu, standing in the middle of the road, completley ignoring the fact that she was dead in the path of an approaching car.
Quick as a flash, Keiden whipped from his side, moving across the road with all the speed she could manage. She snatched up the Raichu, coiling herself up tightly and rolling across the road to the far sidewalk, before carefully moving back to Halbert's side. The Raichu was struggling against her grip with all the strength she could muster, which wasn't much at all.
"Oh dear, she's a mess." Halbert said, noticing the streaks of mud and dirt that she left on Keiden's otherwise flawless skin.
"Rai!" She snapped. "Rai raichu chu!"
Keiden seemed to be a little shocked at these words, and she only seemed to tighten her grip.
"What's she saying?" Halbert asked.
"She wants me to put her down." She replied. "And let her kill herself."
"What? Why would you want such a thing?"
"Raichu chu aichu Rai Rai!!"
Keiden sighed. "She says that she's not worth saving." She mumbled. "Why would you think that when you're so young?"
The Raichu sighed and looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes. She had stopped struggling, but still looked irritated. "Raichu Rai... Chu chu Rai aichu Rai."
Keiden's eyes grew wide. "Abandoned for being a mouse? You don't look healthy at all, either. But you're not worthless!"
Halbert gently removed the Raichu from Keiden's grip, much to the Raichu's confusion, and gently held her close, ignoring the mud and grime that he got onto his clothes. "Please don't end it all." He said. "Please, let us give you a second chance."
The Raichu looked up at him disbelievingly. His honest face looked back down at her, and his warm hands were oh so comfortable. She grew teary and nodded, nuzzling his shirt and breaking into tears for the second time in the day.
She had drifted to sleep when Halbert and Keiden got to their home, having flown there by way of Pigeot. It was, to them, a modest house. But what was to them modest was a mansion to others. Twenty rooms spanning two floors and a partial third, with a large pool in the backyard -currently frozen- and numerous other facilities. They hadn't been home in quite a while, not since Keiden had been a young Dratini, having been out exploring the world.
It had been left in the care of Halbert's parents, who had leeched from the place since it was left to Halbert by his uncle, along with a rather generous sum. His parents detested that he had gotten so much and they so very little, but they had barely kept in touch with the man, whereas Halbert had, when unable to drop by, called at least once a week to make sure that he was getting along alright. He had been struck hard when the old man died, and Keiden was also part of his inheritance.
His uncle had owned the Game Corner in town, and thusly he had a fair amount of game coins. Halbert had been left not only the Game Corner, but also several thousand coins, which he used to buy a Dratini. He hadn't wanted the Dratini to be already hatched when he got it, that'd make it have to accept him, instead he wanted to be able to raise it from the word go, and most of the coins went towards that. Every so often he'd be called to the facility to sign something important, and he would always read the documentation before signing; he knew that his parents would try to weasel it out from under him at every opportunity.
He climbed down off of Altair, the Pigeot, and let him fly into the campus to harangue the other flying types. With meaningful strides he walked into the house, stopping only to let Keiden enter before him while he held the door open for her, still holding the young, sleeping Raichu in one arm. She kissed his cheek as he closed the door, much to his chargain, and slid into the deeper recesses of the house. Halbert heard a yell, and then a sound not unlike a metal and plastic ball being slapped against rubbery flesh. He sighed and followed where Keiden went to find her holding a Great Ball in her outstretched hand towards Halbert's father in the kitchen.
"I take it," she began icily, "that this is yours?"
Halbert could make out a bruise developing on Keiden's side, right where her thigh would be and he sighed again. He walked past her, taking the ball and slapping it into his father's hands before opening the freezer and tossing an ice pack to his Dragonair. She held it at arms length; being a Dragon type, one of her major weaknesses is Ice. At her age, contact with it is little more than an irritant, but in sufficient quantities it could still hurt quit a lot.
"Why're you punishing me, I didn't do anything wrong!"
"I'm not punishing you, it'll keep the swelling of your bruise down." He replied. "Just put it to the bruise until it goes numb and you should be fine."
She nodded and did as she was told, wincing as the ice cold plastic touched her skin.
"Still treating her like an equal are we, Halbert?" His father asked.
"Of course." He replied, his very tone humourous. "She's my companion and my friend. If you've got a problem with that, you could always move out? It's not like I couldn't just get a Mr. Mime or something to clean for me."
The elderly man grumbled beneath his breath and slinked off through the house. Halbert had struck a nerve, and anything that was thrown back at him would only worsen the matter.
"Right, now that he's dealt with, let's get this little one to a bath." He said cheerfully.
Keiden grabbed his shoulder before he could walk away. "Look, I know I'm just the Pokemon, and I also know that we're having a rainy season, but a full bathtub for a Pokemon of her size? She'd drown if you let her go, use a sink in one of the bathrooms."
"Doesn't that seem a little... tacky?"
She shook her head. "I'm sure she'd understand that you have her best interests at heart. Besides, I never said that you couldn't use a large sink."
"Or any of the fine-scented stuff that mum buys." He added with a sly grin.
The little Raichu awoke when she felt hot water touch her already cut paws. Her eyes snapped open, and she twitched her paw back painfully giving a loud wince. The human stopped lowering her into the water and gave her a worried look.
"Are you alright? It's not too hot, is it?" He asked.
She shook her head, lifting her pawpads up so that he could see them. He gritted his teeth and hissed.
"Ouch, that looks painful." He mumbled. "There's little I can do about it until you're clean, though... Can you tolerate it long enough for me to get you clean?"
She tested the water again, recoiling slightly at the pain, but putting up with it, giving a whine.
"Okay, just let me get the most of this grime off you, and then I can properly clean you."
Roughly he made her sit in the water, brushing muck out of her fur with his hands and fingernails. The water around her was already a dark, murky brown, and he turned the faucet on to brush loose dirt and mud from her head. She felt the water empty, and she was lifted from the basin by his warm, strong hands and deposited on a little stool, where he started rubbing a liquid soap through her fur.
She hadn't been washed like this since she was with her old master, and oh how she missed it so! She leaned into his hands, letting them massage her as they drifted through her fur. She didn't even mind when his ministrations got a little fresh, twitching a little and giving a soft call telling him not to linger too long, to which he acknowledged and moved on to other, dirtier parts.
She had her eyes closed, her face and head covered in lather, and she heard the faucet be turned on.
"I'm sorry we're washing you in the sink." The human said by her ear. "But we didn't want to risk accidentally drowning you in a bathtub."
She nodded, understanding what he was saying but nor really caring. "Chu chuu..." She quietly said.
"That doesn't matter, don't stop." She heard the humanoid Dragonair translate from nearby. She assumed that was who was filling the sink.
She was lifted and made to lie on her back while the human washed her behind, tail and feet. She was cautious about inhaling the foam, but from what she could smell it was wonderful. Again he lifted her, and she was deposited in the water, his hands firmly brushing the soap from her fur. The faucet was run over her head once more, and she was lifted from the water.
"Oh, those look awful!" The Dragonair commented, lifting one of her paws to inspect it. "I'll go get some potions."
"Alright, don't take too long." The human instructed.
She could open her eyes now, and she looked down at the water as it slowly drained from the basin. There was quite alot of foam on the top, but she could see a pink tinge to the water, and when she looked further down she noticed that her paws were not only bleeding, but dripping blood onto the tiles of the floor.
"Okay, just one more go-over with some conditioning agent, then I'll rinse you off, dry you, and see to those paws."
She was sat back down on the stool, and he opened a bottle of thick white cream, which he carefully squeezed onto her back. He closed the bottle and put his hands to the thick cream, starting to massage it into her wet fur.
Again, she was in heaven. The cream tingled at her skin and was delightfully cool, not to mention what wonders his massaging hands were doing to her. He turned her around, putting a little on her head before massaging it into her face, ears and fur, and then continuing to her stomach and lower extremeties.
"Chaaaa..."
He chuckled. "You like this, do you?" He asked, to which she nodded. "Well, I don't see why we can't make this a frequent thing. Keiden needs a bath now and then, but she can wash herself, so I don't get to take time out and help her relax."
She nodded, leaning into his hands again, smile on her face.
Soon he stopped rubbing her down, and he lifted her into the sink, giving the condtioner a moment to soak into her fur properly by taking a can of something from his pocket. She couldn't see what it was, she didn't want to get the conditioner into her eyes by opening them, but it was certainly a metal can.
"Just give me a second to read the instructions on this and I'll get that stuff outta your fur." He said. "I've not had to use this stuff before, and I'm unsure of how it's applied."
She nodded, still marvelling at how the conditioner fizzled at her skin. After what was probably only a minute, he turned the faucet on and rinsed her clean, starting with her head and gently moving down her body. He chuckled when she licked his hand as he moved to her neck.
Eventually he finished, and he lifted her from the basin with a towel. Roughly he brushed at her, drying her fur as best he could before putting her back on the top and using a blowdryer to dry her the rest of the way, using a small comb to brush her fur back so that she was streamlined and smooth instead of a fuzzball. The blowdryer switched off, and she saw him pick up the can he had put on the top, shaking it vigorously.
"Alright, close your eyes and don't breathe for a second." He said. "This stuff is apparently dangerous if you inhale too much."
The label read 'fur sheen', and she knew what this was. She closed her eyes, held her breath, and was rewarded by being strayed in the face. The feeling moved across her body, spraying as much as he could, especially her tail. When he stopped spraying, she gave the air around her a good three seconds to clear before breathing again, a strong smell of strawberries and apples in the air. His hands massaged over her, following the smoothness of her fur, and he made sure to pass over her ears and tail. He washed his hands, gave her five seconds, and tapped her nose.
"Alright, you can open your eyes now." He said. "It should be dry enough."
She opened her eyes, and he gently lifted her from the sinktop, turning her around and holding her out infront of a mirror. Her fur shone wonderfully, and she was, indeed, clean again.
She hadn't looked this pretty in months.
She smiled and twisted in his grip, her arms, for what they could, wrapping around his neck and her cheek nuzzling against his.
"There's a good girl." He said calmly, stroking a hand down her back. "C'mon, let's go get your feet healed."
She nodded, and he started to walk out. He managed to step into the hall, looking about, before sighing.
"Where the hell has she got to?" He mumbled. "It's not like her to take her time with things like this."
A young Stantler came barrelling round a corner, and the human stepped back, grabbing its horn as it passed and changing its trajectory directly into a solid wall. The Stantler slid to the floor, and the missing Dragonair came around the corner.
"I'm sorry, Halbert." She said, moving over quickly with a potion in her arms. "The Stantler belongs to your mother, she escaped us two minutes back."
"Since when has mum been interested in Pokemon..?" Halbert asked.
"According to her, just shortly after we left. She said she found this little one in the pool out back close to drowning."
Halbert sighed. "Alright. Make space." He said. The Dragonair shifted the bottle to one hand, and the young Raichu was passed between them. "You take her, and me, to mum; I'll carry Stantler."
The Dragonair nodded, and waited for Halbert to lift the Stantler before turning and heading back where she had come from.
While being carried by Halbert gave a gentle rocking motion, the Dragonair's sliding gave almost no indication of movement whatosever. She did't bob or rock, there was a sensation of movement, but it was almost unnoticeable to the little Raichu, who hugged her side for fear of being dropped. The Dragonair, however, was just as polite and gentle as her master on the little one, not caring that she was leaving red smears all over her pearly white skin.
She gently nudged open a door, and Raichu gasped at the size of the room within. There were large, soft leather couches all around a medium sized coffee table, a television of enourmous proportions on one wall. Portraits hung from several walls, including behind the seemingly well-stocked bar,and a huge chandelier hung from the ceiling, twinkly glass and bright lights illuminating the room. She stared at it, dumbstruck by the shiny beauty of glass and gold-plated metal that hung from the roof like a beautiful yet threatening overdraft. She could just make out the lowest crystal of glass, carved into the shape of a Moltres nosediving towards the floor, wings spread out wide for the impressive look. Halbert noticed her ogling the light fixture and chuckled.
"Something my uncle had made for this very room." He said, holding his hand up. "Trust me, you're not the first to stare at it so, even Keiden stared at it when she first saw it." He gave another chuckle. "It, of everything in this house, is my favourite feature."
She nodded, barely listening. A far door opened, a grown human woman walking in before seeing Keiden's passenger and squealing, backing into the wall.
"I-it's a rat!"
The little Raichu got a little teary eyed, which Keiden noticed. The Dragonair rose, her height now easily over eight feet.
"She is not a rat!" She growled. "Think before you say something stupid!"
"Mum, this Raichu is now under my care." Halbert said, stepping over and pushing the Stantler into her arms. "Here, I believe this is yours."
"You're filthy, what've you been doing, rolling in mud?!"
Halbert sighed. "No." He said. "Like I siad, this Raichu is now under my care. She was abandoned to the streets and I'm helping her to recover." he turned around and lifted the potion from his Dragonair's arms. "Alright, Keiden, hold her tightly, keep her paws to me." He instructed, the dragon complying by turning her around and wrapping an arm around her middle, another under her to hold her up. Halbert held the bottle of potion up and gave the Raichu an apologetic face. "This is going to hurt a bit, ok?"
She nodded back to him, and he squeezed the spray nozzle, getting a fine mist onto her bloody paws.
The sensation was not unlike being burned with hot acid.
She wailed and squirmed, her legs and feet recoiling from the offending substance. She could hear Keiden whispering reassuring words into her ear, but it was all just jibberish to her mind, the sheer pain enough to send her mind for a short trip into darkness. When a second spray was released, she started crying and pushed against Keiden's arms. Her tail whipped about, thrashing through the air and slapping the Dragonair's smooth stomach in her pain. There was no third spray, instead cool cloth was put onto her paws and tightly wrapped onto them. She felt herself be removed from Keiden's tight grip and pulled into Halbert's own comforting arms. Gently he stroked her head, holding her tightly and letting her pointlessly claw at his shirt to redirect her pain.
"Shh, it's alright." He said to her gently. "I'm not spraying again, shh..."
She eventually stopped crying, still sniffling and nuzzling into his shirt for what little comfort it could provide her.
"See? There we go, Rairai, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Halbert asked kindly. She nodded, sniffling loudly before he relaxed his grip and ran a tissue over her face, drying her tears. "There we go." He said. "All better. You feet will heal in time, but for now let Keiden or I carry you, alright?"
She nodded, and was carried over to a couch, where she was sat down with Keiden.
"Now, I'll be right back." Halbert called, walking to the door. "I'm just going to go get some things from the kitchen."
"Well," Keiden started, taking a tissue from a nearby box and wiping herself off with it, "it's been a long time since Halbert gained a new comapnion." She smiled down at the orange mouse reassuringly before licking another tissue and continuing to wipe her stomach clean. "But if it's one as cute as you, I'm sure the wait was worth it." She gave her another smile and ran a hand across her furry scalp. "Don't you think so, Rairai?"
The Raichu seemed puzzled, and pointed to herself quizzically.
"Yeah, that's what he named you." Keiden said. "Rairai. I know, it lacks complication, but why complicate someone so adorable?"
Rairai only smiled and nuzzle the Dragonair contently. Keiden practically swooned, hugging the little mouse tight.
"Ooh, you're so cute!" She cooed. "I wish I could have been your mother!" She stroked Rairai's head again, getting a contented churr. "In her place, I'll look out for you."
When Halbert returned, he found Keiden tossing Rairai into the air, catching her and playfully teasing her before throwing her again. The roof was high, and they weren't close enough to the chandelier to accidentally damage it, so he wasn't worried too much. Keiden noticed him enter with a large bowl, and she caught Rairai, holding her like a baby on her hip. Halbert chuckled.
"Geez, you've a bloody natural at that." He commented, making the female dragon blush. He pulled his hat off of his head and put it on the bar before removing his coat and hanging it on a chair. Picking the bowl back up, he signalled Keiden to sit at one of the couches. She complied, sitting with her tail coiled beneath the soft leather furniture, putting Rairai on her lap. Keiden tapped the little Raichu on the head, getting her to lift her face up, and quickly tickled her stomach, making the little mouse giggle and writhe.
"Alright, girls." Halbert said, sitting next to the large Dragonair with the bowl in his lap. "Pick any you want."
From where Rairai was sitting, she could see clear into the bowl. She hadn't seen so many varieties of berry before; Cheri, Chesto, Leppa, even some extremely rare ones like Drash, Rowap, and Custap. Her eyes fell upon a small blue and green one, and she gently lifted it from the bowl.
She hadn't seen Eggant in years...
She sniffed at the berry, marvelling in its smell; so perfectly ripe, like it had only just peaked as she picked it up. She gave Halbert a questioning look, and he nodded.
"Any you want." He repeated, fishing out a Leppa and biting into it.
She smiled and bit into the berry, practically melting as the dry flavour spread across her tongue for the first time since she was a Pikachu. She felt Keiden shift to take a Rawst berry, peeling the leaves from the berry and popping it into her mouth. Rairai quickly finished the Eggant, and she licked her lips clean of juice, opening her eyes and looking back at Halbert's own.
"You can't be full already." He said, putting a Bluk berry into her paws. "You're still so thin." He smiled down at her. "Eat your fill, there are plenty more where these came from."
She smiled, nuzzling against his hand before he could retract it, and bit into the berry.
A short while, and most of the bowl later, she was sleeping peacefully in Keiden's arms. Keiden didn't mind much, running her hand through Rairai's fur while Halbert took a shower in the master bathroom. His parents had, thankfully, not tried to take over the bedroom, and thusly the house, in his absence, possibly owing to him having locked the door and taken the key with him for safekeeping. His father was behind the bar, pouring himself something that any other man would call 'humiliatingly fruity', and his mother was, as far as Keiden knew, in another room dealing with her Stantler fawn. The loud clatter of small behooved feet announced her arrival, and the door was nudged open by the Stantler, Halbert's mother following close behind. The Stantler gave her human master a curious glance, getting a nod and a nudge, and cautiously dawdled into the room, keeping as far away from Keiden as possible.
"Don't fear me, young Stantler." She said calmly. "I will not harm you."
The Stantler stayed at a respectable distance, resting alongside Halbert's mother on another couch, watching television on the massive screen.
Eventually Halbert returned, brushing a towel through his hair and an irritated look on his face.
"I noticed that you invited some people 'round, mother." He said coldly.
"Oh, they're here are they?" She asked, standing.
"Yes. In the main hall." He growled. "They told me to get the lady of the house and I assumed they meant you, because if I were to send Keiden they'd go packing." He headed to the bar, putting out a chilled bottle of juice and several glasses.
His mother hurried out, returning shortly after with several guests, all of whom were well dressed. Instantly Keiden could see why Halbert had had trouble with them, they held their noses high and they gave off the very air of self-superiority. Discreetly she huffed at them, returning her attention to the television. They weren't so interesting as what was on the idiot box, few things grasp a Pokemon's attention like food, and a cooking show was on showing the world-famous Old Gateau, to which she was barely holding back her drooling. Gently she put Rairai on the couch beside her and moved over to Halbert at the bar with a hopeful look.
"Hahah, no, I don't see any behind the bar." He laughed, getting a disappointed look. "Though we might have some in the cupboards in the kitchen, I'll get it for you in a minute, alright?"
She huffed and turned around, returning her attention to the television. Subconsiously she heard one of the guests say something.
"You, boy!"
Halbert sighed. "Yes, Mr. Streamwell?"
"What is this... rat doing on the furniture?! Your masters graciously allow you to live in this home and you don't even do your job!" He clicked his fingers. "Remove it! Now!"
"I don't know who you are, but I'm not-"
"Not willing to do your work?! Fine! I'll deal with it."
He pulled a Pokeball from his belt and dropped it, releasing a male Garchomp into the room. The sudden burst of noise awoke Rairai, and the first thing she saw was, literally, dozens of teeth. Rairai backed away, giving a worried look at the Pokemon in question.
"Rai... chu?"
"Prince! Kill it!"
Rairai scurried away as fast as she could, a defiant roar sounding behind her when she slid to a stop behind the young Stantler. She saw, briefly, a scuffle between Keiden and the Garchomp, Prince, and then Prince slam heavily to the wooden floor, unconsious. Halbert's mother pushed through the group of people.
"Halbert, what the hell-"
"Enough!" Helbert yelled angrily. He strode across the meager distance between the bar and his mother's guests, staring at them angrily. "My name, sirs and ladies, is Halbert Orecure; this mansion belongs to me, not my mother or father, regardless of what they may have said. You are guests in my home, and while here you will follow my rules, and my most important rule is that there is no fighting in the lounge room under any circumstances! Your wounded Garchomp is but the first punishment, expect more if you continue to disobey this rule. Now, if you want to continue to fight, you can please go back into the entryway where things are easier to replace."
"You lying little whelp!" The gentleman yelled, swinging a hand. He was caught in mid-arc by Keiden, whose growl defied her size and appearance.
"Don't you dare harm my master!" She snarled. "Your Garchomp is one thing, but you I have no qualms with savaging!"
"Keiden, this gentleman clearly desires a fight." Halbert said, purposefully walking over and picking up Rairai with practiced ease. "However, my rule stands. If you could be so kind as to show him to the entrance, we can get this over with?"
Keiden nodded, lifting the man and carrying him through the group to the entrance, Halbert close behind. She deposited Mr. Streamwell on the far side of the hall, returning to Halbert's side.
"First we bow." Halbert said, respectfully bowing to his opponent, who followed through. "And then we battle."
"This will be too simple!" Streamwell snapped confidantly. He dropped a Pokeball to the ground, releasing a Mawile.
Halbert simply chuckled. "If you think so." He said. "I, of course, choose Keiden." She slid to a position infront of him, a look of glee on her face. She didn't get to battle often. "And I don't need to tell her a battle strategy, either."
The Mawile lunged, ice glistening off her second mouth's teeth. She was clearly well bred, Ice Fang is not an easy move to teach. Keiden, however, didn't flinch; allowing the Mawile to snap at her quick, agile form until she had had enough. A hard punch the the Mawile's head made it spin comically, and Keiden followed through with a focused blow to the Mawile's gut, sending it across the hall into the wall unconsious.
"Please, don't think me so weak." Keiden said jovially. "Bring it on!"
Streamwell growled, recalling the easily defeated Mawile and releasing another Pokemon, a Nidoking.
"Dragon Pulse, Duke!"
Rairai's face became worried, but Halbert and Keiden still kept their confident face, even when the Dragon Pulse slammed into Keiden hard, throwing glowing purple energy around her in an explosion. The energy faded, and Keiden stood strong.
"W-what?!"
She rushed forward, her tail glowing blue, and slapped the Nidoking across the face with her tail, water exploding out from her skin and showering the Pokemon, who fell to the floor with a heavy thud.
Again, Steamwell growled angrily. He recalled Duke and release his final Pokemon.
"Let's see your precious Dragon take out Aurora!"
A Glaceon humanoid emerged in the room, standing roughly six foot tall. She stretched and yawned. "About damned time. I hate being in those things; you know my old master never-"
"Aurora, defeat this damned Dragonair and kill that rat!" Streamwell yelled angrily. Aurora looked over at her opponents idly, noticing the Raichu and sighing.
"I'm going to regret this." She said, before rushing Keiden to fight her in close.
Keiden could barely dodge the fast-flung attacks. She swung a couple of her own, but she was built for slow and strong hits, not fast paced jabs. A hand grabbed her head, leaning her in close to the Glaceon's face, and words were whispered. Keiden grinned slyly, and she was soon kneed in the face, the force making her back up a little. Again the Glaceon rushed her, but she grabbed her opponent's face and smiled.
"And it's over!" Keiden yelled triumphantly. Fire swirled around her hand, leaving a glowing red mark of Fire on the Glaceon's face. The Fire Blast went off with all the force of an explosion, sending the Glaceon across the room and barreling into Streamwell, who fell back onto his ass. A loud crack rang out through the hall, and Streamwell's eyes widened. He pushed Aurora off of himself, sending her sliding across the floor towards Keiden, who picked her up, and he reached down.
He lifted up two halves of a Poke Ball.
Keiden slid over to Halbert, taking a Revive from his pocket and sliding it ever so carefully into Aurora's mouth. She sputtered, her eyes flickering open, and looked into Halbert's own. She still had singed fur across her face, and Halbert used a Hyper Potion to heal whatever damage was left.
"Did it work?" She asked to Keiden, who nodded. Aurora sighed. "Finally, I'm free." She looked at Rairai and smiled. "Hello, little Raichu." She said. "I remember you." Rairai tilted her head curiously, and Aurora giggled. "Oh yes, I know you. You were among the Pokemon that my old master owned, his prize Raichu brought up to be a beauty contest winner." Rairai's eyes became wide, and her jaw dropped at this. "I'm sorry that I couldn't stop Mrs. Streamwell from throwing you out, but by then they had already entombed me in my Pokeball." She sighed. "Speaking of which, I would like to extend my services. Without being in his ownership any longer, I can go to whoever I please, and I would like to go with you."
Halbert sighed. "If that's what you truly want." He said.
"But I want one condition." Aurora grumbled.
"Of course."
"I don't want to be kept in-"
"I would never dream of it." Halbert interrupted. "Keiden only enters her Poke Ball when she's critically injured or we're passing a police customs station."
Aurora nodded, and Halbert fished a Poke Ball from his pocket, tapping her forehead with the activator, her body vanishing in a flash of light. The Poke Ball shuddered and became silent, clicking to signify that she had been caught. Halbert released her, and she stretched upon appearing.
"Nngh, thankyou." She said.
"You're welcome." Halbert said, giving a light chuckle as Streamwell walked past him with an angry look on his face. "Better luck next time, old man; but you picked a fight with the master of this house. I'm not one to let a good fight go." He tapped his shoulder. "And if you attempt to harm this household in any way, Keiden will get ahold of you. I won fair and square, it was simply unfortunate that your Glaceon was freed and put herself into my custody."
"Whatever."
Halbert and his trio followed Streamwell back to the lounge, where Halbert's parents and their guests were waiting patiently for the results. Halbert entered ahead of his Pokemon, the smile on his face telling the story of what had happened.
"You lost?!" Mrs. Streamwell snapped. "Even with those powerful Pokemon?!"
"In his defence, Keiden is very strong." Halbert said. "And before you ask, ma'am, no you cannot buy her from me." He hugged his Dragonair to his side with one arm. "Giving her a monetary value would dull her down to the value of an item, and she's not."
Rairai tuned out, giving a gentle sigh as she returned her eyes to the chandelier, marvelling once more at its beauty before she was nudged by Keiden.
"You hungry?"
She thought about the question for a moment before shrugging. Keiden took this as a yes and put a berry into her paws. Rairai thanked her quietly and bit down on the berry.
"No problems, Rairai." Keiden said, scratching the mouse behind her ear.
Rairai finished the berry quickly, not wanting to deprive Keiden of attention, and nuzzled into the hand, which retracted quickly, as if electrocuted. Rairai shone like the sun, the lights above dimming and power being drawn through the very air towards her. She gave off a static field that put people's hair on end and caused Aurora to back off slightly. Just as quickly as it had begun, however, it ended. Now Halbert was holding Rairai by her waist, and she was about four feet tall. Still she was covered in orange fur, featuring all the common markings of a Raichu; her tail still long and her ears still atop her head, only now surrounded in silver hair that went to the base of her neck. She looked down at herself in surprise, her cheeks tingling a little as they regained the long lost electrical charge they were supposed to hold. She smiled and reached out to Keiden, who lifted her from Halbert's arms and held her close.
"Congratulations!" She said exstatically. "You've evolved into a humanoid form! Oh, you're just as cute as you were before! I'm going to enjoy having you in the family!"
Rairai carefully wrapped her arms around, those words flowing through her mind over and over.
"F-family..." She mumbled, before letting herself go and hugging Keiden tightly. "Thankyou..."
"You're the most darling mouse I've seen in a long time." Halbert said. "Only Surge had a Raichu quite like you, and he's built for combat."
Rairai nodded. She'd heard of Lt. Surge, a legend of electric trainers worldwide.
"Now, I believe that we were on the couch." Keiden said, sliding over and sitting down, curling her tail beneath the soft leather. Rairai giggled, nuzzling and hugging the larger dragon happily. Keiden wrapped an arm around her. "My, you're affectionate."
Rairai smiled, head on Keiden's shoulder. "I'm so happy that you saved my life..." She said quietly.
Keiden gave a soft chuckle, wrapping her other arm around the mouse and hugging her. "You're welcome my little one.
"Anything for family."Chapter End Notes:And there you have it. Not a worldbreaker, but not massive either. As before, comments would be lovely, good or bad
Now she was hungry, the last time she had eaten she couldn't remember.
She was tired, she hadn't slept soundly in weeks.
She had no home except a cardboard box that didn't keep the cold out as well as it would for a larger Pokemon.
Worst of all, she was alone. Not even the other strays in the streets wanted anything to do with her.
She stepped through a puddle, her tail dragging pointlessly along the ground behind her. She hadn't been able to lift it in weeks, her body beyond the strength required. Any attempts to use electricity would have been pointless. Even if she had the charge, the constant drizzle of rain and the high humidity would only cause her to electrocute herself; but she hadn't had enough electricity to do anything for a week or more, her body had used the charge in her cheeks to fuel itself, and now she was truly running on empty.
When her master had died of old age, his greedy and selfish children had snatched up their inheritance. All of the rarer Pokemon had been kept, like trophies; while the rest were either treated like slave labor, or just kicked out altogether.
She had been his prize Raichu. She'd won several contests, was a natural beauty, and always knew how to rile the crowd, but the new female of the house had tossed her out by her tail, calling her a 'damned disgusting rat'.
She wasn't a rat, in any sense of the word.
A door nearby opened, and a shop owner threw a cardboard box at her, hitting her before she could scurry out of its way.
"Damned rodent!" He angrily called after her.
The words stung at her ears and only depressed her more. She scurried home as fast as she could, but was met by a new scent. Curious, she sniffed about the box before peering inside. Another Pokemon, a Delcatty, had taken up residence, and she didn't look pleased to see her peering in. With an angry swipe she sent the lonely Raichu packing,fleeing as fast as she could.
Now she was completley homeless.
She stopped running and sat underneath a wooden crate, breaking into tears. Life wasn't fair. She'd started so happily, what right did it have to take that all from her? She didn't do anything to bring this upon her, she'd always been faithful and friendly, never harming anyone. She'd helped to power half the city when it was cut off once. All she wanted was for her torment to end. Be hind her she heard a car drive past outside the alleyway.
She came to a decision.
Halbert strolled down the streets of Littleroot idly. He'd been here only a short while, and already the weather was making him regret making the journey at all. He was about five foot nine with piercing blue eyes and a brown tri-corner hat that hid his bright red hair. His clothes were mostly hidden by a large brown leather rain coat that hung about his shoulders and draped to his feet.
Though the town wasn't without merit, 'little' suited its name just perfectly. Compared to other towns he had been in, Littleroot was tiny; he could have strolled from one side to the other in less than an hour, whereas he had been in towns that took at least two to get to the center. Not that it wasn't without its own unique charm, every city has at least one.
Right now, that charm was trying to steal his wallet.
The would-be thief was lifted from the ground by a Dragonair who had been watching carefully from above, and promptly dumped on his ass. Halbert turned to see his Dragonair lifting him by the scruff of his shirt.
Years ago, a meteorite had struck the planet sending a unique compound known as 'evo-dust' across the surface of the globe. Though it had no effect on humans whatsoever, what it did to Pokemon was profound. Almost every species had an extra, humanoid evolution added to thier evolutionary tree. Along with adding the shape, it gave these Humanoid Pokemon the ability to understand and speak English. His Dragonair had evolved into what she was by being given a Heart Scale to hold and put through rigorous training.
Now she shared the shape of a lamia or naga. Human-shaped torso with arms, hands and even breasts, though they did little more than emphasise her feminine shape with wide hips. Where legs would have been was a long Dragonair tail, extremely dextrous and even complete with shiny blue beads. She had no hair, but her wings had increased in size along with the rest of her, and she still sported the horn on her forhead. Her muzzle was short, currently holding an angry snarl, and she still had a large blue bead at the base of her neck.
Officer Jenny strolled out of a nearby building and summed up the scene.
"Alright, whats going on?" She asked, strolling up to them.
The Dragonair turned to her. "This man tried to lift my master's wallet." She said, her voice like that of an angel. "I was only protecting my master, I swear."
"Damned bitch, dunno what she goin' on about!" The struggling man growled.
"Actually, if I might be so bold;" a little voice called, belonging to a Persian humanoid at a nearby window, "she was. I may be a cat, but I ain't stupid."
Jenny sighed and grabbed the man by his ear. "Alright, c'mon." She growled. "I'm writing you up, come with me."
Halbert sighed, watching Jenny drag the failed thief away by his ear before he reached up and stroked the Dragonair.
"That was a nice catch, Keiden." He said. He had a deep yet youthful voice, and he turned to the Persian inside the window. "Thanks." He said, flicking a coin in.
"Think nothing of it." He replied, turning to his breakfast, which his master just happened to put on the table.
Halbert and Keiden turned back down the street, dawdling idly once more. He stepped aside for a woman carrying a cute Snubull politely. He considered himself a gentleman, and the sidewalk was only small. He turned his head up to talk with the floating Dragonair when something caught his attention, and he quickly turned her attention where his was aimed.
A little Raichu, standing in the middle of the road, completley ignoring the fact that she was dead in the path of an approaching car.
Quick as a flash, Keiden whipped from his side, moving across the road with all the speed she could manage. She snatched up the Raichu, coiling herself up tightly and rolling across the road to the far sidewalk, before carefully moving back to Halbert's side. The Raichu was struggling against her grip with all the strength she could muster, which wasn't much at all.
"Oh dear, she's a mess." Halbert said, noticing the streaks of mud and dirt that she left on Keiden's otherwise flawless skin.
"Rai!" She snapped. "Rai raichu chu!"
Keiden seemed to be a little shocked at these words, and she only seemed to tighten her grip.
"What's she saying?" Halbert asked.
"She wants me to put her down." She replied. "And let her kill herself."
"What? Why would you want such a thing?"
"Raichu chu aichu Rai Rai!!"
Keiden sighed. "She says that she's not worth saving." She mumbled. "Why would you think that when you're so young?"
The Raichu sighed and looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes. She had stopped struggling, but still looked irritated. "Raichu Rai... Chu chu Rai aichu Rai."
Keiden's eyes grew wide. "Abandoned for being a mouse? You don't look healthy at all, either. But you're not worthless!"
Halbert gently removed the Raichu from Keiden's grip, much to the Raichu's confusion, and gently held her close, ignoring the mud and grime that he got onto his clothes. "Please don't end it all." He said. "Please, let us give you a second chance."
The Raichu looked up at him disbelievingly. His honest face looked back down at her, and his warm hands were oh so comfortable. She grew teary and nodded, nuzzling his shirt and breaking into tears for the second time in the day.
She had drifted to sleep when Halbert and Keiden got to their home, having flown there by way of Pigeot. It was, to them, a modest house. But what was to them modest was a mansion to others. Twenty rooms spanning two floors and a partial third, with a large pool in the backyard -currently frozen- and numerous other facilities. They hadn't been home in quite a while, not since Keiden had been a young Dratini, having been out exploring the world.
It had been left in the care of Halbert's parents, who had leeched from the place since it was left to Halbert by his uncle, along with a rather generous sum. His parents detested that he had gotten so much and they so very little, but they had barely kept in touch with the man, whereas Halbert had, when unable to drop by, called at least once a week to make sure that he was getting along alright. He had been struck hard when the old man died, and Keiden was also part of his inheritance.
His uncle had owned the Game Corner in town, and thusly he had a fair amount of game coins. Halbert had been left not only the Game Corner, but also several thousand coins, which he used to buy a Dratini. He hadn't wanted the Dratini to be already hatched when he got it, that'd make it have to accept him, instead he wanted to be able to raise it from the word go, and most of the coins went towards that. Every so often he'd be called to the facility to sign something important, and he would always read the documentation before signing; he knew that his parents would try to weasel it out from under him at every opportunity.
He climbed down off of Altair, the Pigeot, and let him fly into the campus to harangue the other flying types. With meaningful strides he walked into the house, stopping only to let Keiden enter before him while he held the door open for her, still holding the young, sleeping Raichu in one arm. She kissed his cheek as he closed the door, much to his chargain, and slid into the deeper recesses of the house. Halbert heard a yell, and then a sound not unlike a metal and plastic ball being slapped against rubbery flesh. He sighed and followed where Keiden went to find her holding a Great Ball in her outstretched hand towards Halbert's father in the kitchen.
"I take it," she began icily, "that this is yours?"
Halbert could make out a bruise developing on Keiden's side, right where her thigh would be and he sighed again. He walked past her, taking the ball and slapping it into his father's hands before opening the freezer and tossing an ice pack to his Dragonair. She held it at arms length; being a Dragon type, one of her major weaknesses is Ice. At her age, contact with it is little more than an irritant, but in sufficient quantities it could still hurt quit a lot.
"Why're you punishing me, I didn't do anything wrong!"
"I'm not punishing you, it'll keep the swelling of your bruise down." He replied. "Just put it to the bruise until it goes numb and you should be fine."
She nodded and did as she was told, wincing as the ice cold plastic touched her skin.
"Still treating her like an equal are we, Halbert?" His father asked.
"Of course." He replied, his very tone humourous. "She's my companion and my friend. If you've got a problem with that, you could always move out? It's not like I couldn't just get a Mr. Mime or something to clean for me."
The elderly man grumbled beneath his breath and slinked off through the house. Halbert had struck a nerve, and anything that was thrown back at him would only worsen the matter.
"Right, now that he's dealt with, let's get this little one to a bath." He said cheerfully.
Keiden grabbed his shoulder before he could walk away. "Look, I know I'm just the Pokemon, and I also know that we're having a rainy season, but a full bathtub for a Pokemon of her size? She'd drown if you let her go, use a sink in one of the bathrooms."
"Doesn't that seem a little... tacky?"
She shook her head. "I'm sure she'd understand that you have her best interests at heart. Besides, I never said that you couldn't use a large sink."
"Or any of the fine-scented stuff that mum buys." He added with a sly grin.
The little Raichu awoke when she felt hot water touch her already cut paws. Her eyes snapped open, and she twitched her paw back painfully giving a loud wince. The human stopped lowering her into the water and gave her a worried look.
"Are you alright? It's not too hot, is it?" He asked.
She shook her head, lifting her pawpads up so that he could see them. He gritted his teeth and hissed.
"Ouch, that looks painful." He mumbled. "There's little I can do about it until you're clean, though... Can you tolerate it long enough for me to get you clean?"
She tested the water again, recoiling slightly at the pain, but putting up with it, giving a whine.
"Okay, just let me get the most of this grime off you, and then I can properly clean you."
Roughly he made her sit in the water, brushing muck out of her fur with his hands and fingernails. The water around her was already a dark, murky brown, and he turned the faucet on to brush loose dirt and mud from her head. She felt the water empty, and she was lifted from the basin by his warm, strong hands and deposited on a little stool, where he started rubbing a liquid soap through her fur.
She hadn't been washed like this since she was with her old master, and oh how she missed it so! She leaned into his hands, letting them massage her as they drifted through her fur. She didn't even mind when his ministrations got a little fresh, twitching a little and giving a soft call telling him not to linger too long, to which he acknowledged and moved on to other, dirtier parts.
She had her eyes closed, her face and head covered in lather, and she heard the faucet be turned on.
"I'm sorry we're washing you in the sink." The human said by her ear. "But we didn't want to risk accidentally drowning you in a bathtub."
She nodded, understanding what he was saying but nor really caring. "Chu chuu..." She quietly said.
"That doesn't matter, don't stop." She heard the humanoid Dragonair translate from nearby. She assumed that was who was filling the sink.
She was lifted and made to lie on her back while the human washed her behind, tail and feet. She was cautious about inhaling the foam, but from what she could smell it was wonderful. Again he lifted her, and she was deposited in the water, his hands firmly brushing the soap from her fur. The faucet was run over her head once more, and she was lifted from the water.
"Oh, those look awful!" The Dragonair commented, lifting one of her paws to inspect it. "I'll go get some potions."
"Alright, don't take too long." The human instructed.
She could open her eyes now, and she looked down at the water as it slowly drained from the basin. There was quite alot of foam on the top, but she could see a pink tinge to the water, and when she looked further down she noticed that her paws were not only bleeding, but dripping blood onto the tiles of the floor.
"Okay, just one more go-over with some conditioning agent, then I'll rinse you off, dry you, and see to those paws."
She was sat back down on the stool, and he opened a bottle of thick white cream, which he carefully squeezed onto her back. He closed the bottle and put his hands to the thick cream, starting to massage it into her wet fur.
Again, she was in heaven. The cream tingled at her skin and was delightfully cool, not to mention what wonders his massaging hands were doing to her. He turned her around, putting a little on her head before massaging it into her face, ears and fur, and then continuing to her stomach and lower extremeties.
"Chaaaa..."
He chuckled. "You like this, do you?" He asked, to which she nodded. "Well, I don't see why we can't make this a frequent thing. Keiden needs a bath now and then, but she can wash herself, so I don't get to take time out and help her relax."
She nodded, leaning into his hands again, smile on her face.
Soon he stopped rubbing her down, and he lifted her into the sink, giving the condtioner a moment to soak into her fur properly by taking a can of something from his pocket. She couldn't see what it was, she didn't want to get the conditioner into her eyes by opening them, but it was certainly a metal can.
"Just give me a second to read the instructions on this and I'll get that stuff outta your fur." He said. "I've not had to use this stuff before, and I'm unsure of how it's applied."
She nodded, still marvelling at how the conditioner fizzled at her skin. After what was probably only a minute, he turned the faucet on and rinsed her clean, starting with her head and gently moving down her body. He chuckled when she licked his hand as he moved to her neck.
Eventually he finished, and he lifted her from the basin with a towel. Roughly he brushed at her, drying her fur as best he could before putting her back on the top and using a blowdryer to dry her the rest of the way, using a small comb to brush her fur back so that she was streamlined and smooth instead of a fuzzball. The blowdryer switched off, and she saw him pick up the can he had put on the top, shaking it vigorously.
"Alright, close your eyes and don't breathe for a second." He said. "This stuff is apparently dangerous if you inhale too much."
The label read 'fur sheen', and she knew what this was. She closed her eyes, held her breath, and was rewarded by being strayed in the face. The feeling moved across her body, spraying as much as he could, especially her tail. When he stopped spraying, she gave the air around her a good three seconds to clear before breathing again, a strong smell of strawberries and apples in the air. His hands massaged over her, following the smoothness of her fur, and he made sure to pass over her ears and tail. He washed his hands, gave her five seconds, and tapped her nose.
"Alright, you can open your eyes now." He said. "It should be dry enough."
She opened her eyes, and he gently lifted her from the sinktop, turning her around and holding her out infront of a mirror. Her fur shone wonderfully, and she was, indeed, clean again.
She hadn't looked this pretty in months.
She smiled and twisted in his grip, her arms, for what they could, wrapping around his neck and her cheek nuzzling against his.
"There's a good girl." He said calmly, stroking a hand down her back. "C'mon, let's go get your feet healed."
She nodded, and he started to walk out. He managed to step into the hall, looking about, before sighing.
"Where the hell has she got to?" He mumbled. "It's not like her to take her time with things like this."
A young Stantler came barrelling round a corner, and the human stepped back, grabbing its horn as it passed and changing its trajectory directly into a solid wall. The Stantler slid to the floor, and the missing Dragonair came around the corner.
"I'm sorry, Halbert." She said, moving over quickly with a potion in her arms. "The Stantler belongs to your mother, she escaped us two minutes back."
"Since when has mum been interested in Pokemon..?" Halbert asked.
"According to her, just shortly after we left. She said she found this little one in the pool out back close to drowning."
Halbert sighed. "Alright. Make space." He said. The Dragonair shifted the bottle to one hand, and the young Raichu was passed between them. "You take her, and me, to mum; I'll carry Stantler."
The Dragonair nodded, and waited for Halbert to lift the Stantler before turning and heading back where she had come from.
While being carried by Halbert gave a gentle rocking motion, the Dragonair's sliding gave almost no indication of movement whatosever. She did't bob or rock, there was a sensation of movement, but it was almost unnoticeable to the little Raichu, who hugged her side for fear of being dropped. The Dragonair, however, was just as polite and gentle as her master on the little one, not caring that she was leaving red smears all over her pearly white skin.
She gently nudged open a door, and Raichu gasped at the size of the room within. There were large, soft leather couches all around a medium sized coffee table, a television of enourmous proportions on one wall. Portraits hung from several walls, including behind the seemingly well-stocked bar,and a huge chandelier hung from the ceiling, twinkly glass and bright lights illuminating the room. She stared at it, dumbstruck by the shiny beauty of glass and gold-plated metal that hung from the roof like a beautiful yet threatening overdraft. She could just make out the lowest crystal of glass, carved into the shape of a Moltres nosediving towards the floor, wings spread out wide for the impressive look. Halbert noticed her ogling the light fixture and chuckled.
"Something my uncle had made for this very room." He said, holding his hand up. "Trust me, you're not the first to stare at it so, even Keiden stared at it when she first saw it." He gave another chuckle. "It, of everything in this house, is my favourite feature."
She nodded, barely listening. A far door opened, a grown human woman walking in before seeing Keiden's passenger and squealing, backing into the wall.
"I-it's a rat!"
The little Raichu got a little teary eyed, which Keiden noticed. The Dragonair rose, her height now easily over eight feet.
"She is not a rat!" She growled. "Think before you say something stupid!"
"Mum, this Raichu is now under my care." Halbert said, stepping over and pushing the Stantler into her arms. "Here, I believe this is yours."
"You're filthy, what've you been doing, rolling in mud?!"
Halbert sighed. "No." He said. "Like I siad, this Raichu is now under my care. She was abandoned to the streets and I'm helping her to recover." he turned around and lifted the potion from his Dragonair's arms. "Alright, Keiden, hold her tightly, keep her paws to me." He instructed, the dragon complying by turning her around and wrapping an arm around her middle, another under her to hold her up. Halbert held the bottle of potion up and gave the Raichu an apologetic face. "This is going to hurt a bit, ok?"
She nodded back to him, and he squeezed the spray nozzle, getting a fine mist onto her bloody paws.
The sensation was not unlike being burned with hot acid.
She wailed and squirmed, her legs and feet recoiling from the offending substance. She could hear Keiden whispering reassuring words into her ear, but it was all just jibberish to her mind, the sheer pain enough to send her mind for a short trip into darkness. When a second spray was released, she started crying and pushed against Keiden's arms. Her tail whipped about, thrashing through the air and slapping the Dragonair's smooth stomach in her pain. There was no third spray, instead cool cloth was put onto her paws and tightly wrapped onto them. She felt herself be removed from Keiden's tight grip and pulled into Halbert's own comforting arms. Gently he stroked her head, holding her tightly and letting her pointlessly claw at his shirt to redirect her pain.
"Shh, it's alright." He said to her gently. "I'm not spraying again, shh..."
She eventually stopped crying, still sniffling and nuzzling into his shirt for what little comfort it could provide her.
"See? There we go, Rairai, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Halbert asked kindly. She nodded, sniffling loudly before he relaxed his grip and ran a tissue over her face, drying her tears. "There we go." He said. "All better. You feet will heal in time, but for now let Keiden or I carry you, alright?"
She nodded, and was carried over to a couch, where she was sat down with Keiden.
"Now, I'll be right back." Halbert called, walking to the door. "I'm just going to go get some things from the kitchen."
"Well," Keiden started, taking a tissue from a nearby box and wiping herself off with it, "it's been a long time since Halbert gained a new comapnion." She smiled down at the orange mouse reassuringly before licking another tissue and continuing to wipe her stomach clean. "But if it's one as cute as you, I'm sure the wait was worth it." She gave her another smile and ran a hand across her furry scalp. "Don't you think so, Rairai?"
The Raichu seemed puzzled, and pointed to herself quizzically.
"Yeah, that's what he named you." Keiden said. "Rairai. I know, it lacks complication, but why complicate someone so adorable?"
Rairai only smiled and nuzzle the Dragonair contently. Keiden practically swooned, hugging the little mouse tight.
"Ooh, you're so cute!" She cooed. "I wish I could have been your mother!" She stroked Rairai's head again, getting a contented churr. "In her place, I'll look out for you."
When Halbert returned, he found Keiden tossing Rairai into the air, catching her and playfully teasing her before throwing her again. The roof was high, and they weren't close enough to the chandelier to accidentally damage it, so he wasn't worried too much. Keiden noticed him enter with a large bowl, and she caught Rairai, holding her like a baby on her hip. Halbert chuckled.
"Geez, you've a bloody natural at that." He commented, making the female dragon blush. He pulled his hat off of his head and put it on the bar before removing his coat and hanging it on a chair. Picking the bowl back up, he signalled Keiden to sit at one of the couches. She complied, sitting with her tail coiled beneath the soft leather furniture, putting Rairai on her lap. Keiden tapped the little Raichu on the head, getting her to lift her face up, and quickly tickled her stomach, making the little mouse giggle and writhe.
"Alright, girls." Halbert said, sitting next to the large Dragonair with the bowl in his lap. "Pick any you want."
From where Rairai was sitting, she could see clear into the bowl. She hadn't seen so many varieties of berry before; Cheri, Chesto, Leppa, even some extremely rare ones like Drash, Rowap, and Custap. Her eyes fell upon a small blue and green one, and she gently lifted it from the bowl.
She hadn't seen Eggant in years...
She sniffed at the berry, marvelling in its smell; so perfectly ripe, like it had only just peaked as she picked it up. She gave Halbert a questioning look, and he nodded.
"Any you want." He repeated, fishing out a Leppa and biting into it.
She smiled and bit into the berry, practically melting as the dry flavour spread across her tongue for the first time since she was a Pikachu. She felt Keiden shift to take a Rawst berry, peeling the leaves from the berry and popping it into her mouth. Rairai quickly finished the Eggant, and she licked her lips clean of juice, opening her eyes and looking back at Halbert's own.
"You can't be full already." He said, putting a Bluk berry into her paws. "You're still so thin." He smiled down at her. "Eat your fill, there are plenty more where these came from."
She smiled, nuzzling against his hand before he could retract it, and bit into the berry.
A short while, and most of the bowl later, she was sleeping peacefully in Keiden's arms. Keiden didn't mind much, running her hand through Rairai's fur while Halbert took a shower in the master bathroom. His parents had, thankfully, not tried to take over the bedroom, and thusly the house, in his absence, possibly owing to him having locked the door and taken the key with him for safekeeping. His father was behind the bar, pouring himself something that any other man would call 'humiliatingly fruity', and his mother was, as far as Keiden knew, in another room dealing with her Stantler fawn. The loud clatter of small behooved feet announced her arrival, and the door was nudged open by the Stantler, Halbert's mother following close behind. The Stantler gave her human master a curious glance, getting a nod and a nudge, and cautiously dawdled into the room, keeping as far away from Keiden as possible.
"Don't fear me, young Stantler." She said calmly. "I will not harm you."
The Stantler stayed at a respectable distance, resting alongside Halbert's mother on another couch, watching television on the massive screen.
Eventually Halbert returned, brushing a towel through his hair and an irritated look on his face.
"I noticed that you invited some people 'round, mother." He said coldly.
"Oh, they're here are they?" She asked, standing.
"Yes. In the main hall." He growled. "They told me to get the lady of the house and I assumed they meant you, because if I were to send Keiden they'd go packing." He headed to the bar, putting out a chilled bottle of juice and several glasses.
His mother hurried out, returning shortly after with several guests, all of whom were well dressed. Instantly Keiden could see why Halbert had had trouble with them, they held their noses high and they gave off the very air of self-superiority. Discreetly she huffed at them, returning her attention to the television. They weren't so interesting as what was on the idiot box, few things grasp a Pokemon's attention like food, and a cooking show was on showing the world-famous Old Gateau, to which she was barely holding back her drooling. Gently she put Rairai on the couch beside her and moved over to Halbert at the bar with a hopeful look.
"Hahah, no, I don't see any behind the bar." He laughed, getting a disappointed look. "Though we might have some in the cupboards in the kitchen, I'll get it for you in a minute, alright?"
She huffed and turned around, returning her attention to the television. Subconsiously she heard one of the guests say something.
"You, boy!"
Halbert sighed. "Yes, Mr. Streamwell?"
"What is this... rat doing on the furniture?! Your masters graciously allow you to live in this home and you don't even do your job!" He clicked his fingers. "Remove it! Now!"
"I don't know who you are, but I'm not-"
"Not willing to do your work?! Fine! I'll deal with it."
He pulled a Pokeball from his belt and dropped it, releasing a male Garchomp into the room. The sudden burst of noise awoke Rairai, and the first thing she saw was, literally, dozens of teeth. Rairai backed away, giving a worried look at the Pokemon in question.
"Rai... chu?"
"Prince! Kill it!"
Rairai scurried away as fast as she could, a defiant roar sounding behind her when she slid to a stop behind the young Stantler. She saw, briefly, a scuffle between Keiden and the Garchomp, Prince, and then Prince slam heavily to the wooden floor, unconsious. Halbert's mother pushed through the group of people.
"Halbert, what the hell-"
"Enough!" Helbert yelled angrily. He strode across the meager distance between the bar and his mother's guests, staring at them angrily. "My name, sirs and ladies, is Halbert Orecure; this mansion belongs to me, not my mother or father, regardless of what they may have said. You are guests in my home, and while here you will follow my rules, and my most important rule is that there is no fighting in the lounge room under any circumstances! Your wounded Garchomp is but the first punishment, expect more if you continue to disobey this rule. Now, if you want to continue to fight, you can please go back into the entryway where things are easier to replace."
"You lying little whelp!" The gentleman yelled, swinging a hand. He was caught in mid-arc by Keiden, whose growl defied her size and appearance.
"Don't you dare harm my master!" She snarled. "Your Garchomp is one thing, but you I have no qualms with savaging!"
"Keiden, this gentleman clearly desires a fight." Halbert said, purposefully walking over and picking up Rairai with practiced ease. "However, my rule stands. If you could be so kind as to show him to the entrance, we can get this over with?"
Keiden nodded, lifting the man and carrying him through the group to the entrance, Halbert close behind. She deposited Mr. Streamwell on the far side of the hall, returning to Halbert's side.
"First we bow." Halbert said, respectfully bowing to his opponent, who followed through. "And then we battle."
"This will be too simple!" Streamwell snapped confidantly. He dropped a Pokeball to the ground, releasing a Mawile.
Halbert simply chuckled. "If you think so." He said. "I, of course, choose Keiden." She slid to a position infront of him, a look of glee on her face. She didn't get to battle often. "And I don't need to tell her a battle strategy, either."
The Mawile lunged, ice glistening off her second mouth's teeth. She was clearly well bred, Ice Fang is not an easy move to teach. Keiden, however, didn't flinch; allowing the Mawile to snap at her quick, agile form until she had had enough. A hard punch the the Mawile's head made it spin comically, and Keiden followed through with a focused blow to the Mawile's gut, sending it across the hall into the wall unconsious.
"Please, don't think me so weak." Keiden said jovially. "Bring it on!"
Streamwell growled, recalling the easily defeated Mawile and releasing another Pokemon, a Nidoking.
"Dragon Pulse, Duke!"
Rairai's face became worried, but Halbert and Keiden still kept their confident face, even when the Dragon Pulse slammed into Keiden hard, throwing glowing purple energy around her in an explosion. The energy faded, and Keiden stood strong.
"W-what?!"
She rushed forward, her tail glowing blue, and slapped the Nidoking across the face with her tail, water exploding out from her skin and showering the Pokemon, who fell to the floor with a heavy thud.
Again, Steamwell growled angrily. He recalled Duke and release his final Pokemon.
"Let's see your precious Dragon take out Aurora!"
A Glaceon humanoid emerged in the room, standing roughly six foot tall. She stretched and yawned. "About damned time. I hate being in those things; you know my old master never-"
"Aurora, defeat this damned Dragonair and kill that rat!" Streamwell yelled angrily. Aurora looked over at her opponents idly, noticing the Raichu and sighing.
"I'm going to regret this." She said, before rushing Keiden to fight her in close.
Keiden could barely dodge the fast-flung attacks. She swung a couple of her own, but she was built for slow and strong hits, not fast paced jabs. A hand grabbed her head, leaning her in close to the Glaceon's face, and words were whispered. Keiden grinned slyly, and she was soon kneed in the face, the force making her back up a little. Again the Glaceon rushed her, but she grabbed her opponent's face and smiled.
"And it's over!" Keiden yelled triumphantly. Fire swirled around her hand, leaving a glowing red mark of Fire on the Glaceon's face. The Fire Blast went off with all the force of an explosion, sending the Glaceon across the room and barreling into Streamwell, who fell back onto his ass. A loud crack rang out through the hall, and Streamwell's eyes widened. He pushed Aurora off of himself, sending her sliding across the floor towards Keiden, who picked her up, and he reached down.
He lifted up two halves of a Poke Ball.
Keiden slid over to Halbert, taking a Revive from his pocket and sliding it ever so carefully into Aurora's mouth. She sputtered, her eyes flickering open, and looked into Halbert's own. She still had singed fur across her face, and Halbert used a Hyper Potion to heal whatever damage was left.
"Did it work?" She asked to Keiden, who nodded. Aurora sighed. "Finally, I'm free." She looked at Rairai and smiled. "Hello, little Raichu." She said. "I remember you." Rairai tilted her head curiously, and Aurora giggled. "Oh yes, I know you. You were among the Pokemon that my old master owned, his prize Raichu brought up to be a beauty contest winner." Rairai's eyes became wide, and her jaw dropped at this. "I'm sorry that I couldn't stop Mrs. Streamwell from throwing you out, but by then they had already entombed me in my Pokeball." She sighed. "Speaking of which, I would like to extend my services. Without being in his ownership any longer, I can go to whoever I please, and I would like to go with you."
Halbert sighed. "If that's what you truly want." He said.
"But I want one condition." Aurora grumbled.
"Of course."
"I don't want to be kept in-"
"I would never dream of it." Halbert interrupted. "Keiden only enters her Poke Ball when she's critically injured or we're passing a police customs station."
Aurora nodded, and Halbert fished a Poke Ball from his pocket, tapping her forehead with the activator, her body vanishing in a flash of light. The Poke Ball shuddered and became silent, clicking to signify that she had been caught. Halbert released her, and she stretched upon appearing.
"Nngh, thankyou." She said.
"You're welcome." Halbert said, giving a light chuckle as Streamwell walked past him with an angry look on his face. "Better luck next time, old man; but you picked a fight with the master of this house. I'm not one to let a good fight go." He tapped his shoulder. "And if you attempt to harm this household in any way, Keiden will get ahold of you. I won fair and square, it was simply unfortunate that your Glaceon was freed and put herself into my custody."
"Whatever."
Halbert and his trio followed Streamwell back to the lounge, where Halbert's parents and their guests were waiting patiently for the results. Halbert entered ahead of his Pokemon, the smile on his face telling the story of what had happened.
"You lost?!" Mrs. Streamwell snapped. "Even with those powerful Pokemon?!"
"In his defence, Keiden is very strong." Halbert said. "And before you ask, ma'am, no you cannot buy her from me." He hugged his Dragonair to his side with one arm. "Giving her a monetary value would dull her down to the value of an item, and she's not."
Rairai tuned out, giving a gentle sigh as she returned her eyes to the chandelier, marvelling once more at its beauty before she was nudged by Keiden.
"You hungry?"
She thought about the question for a moment before shrugging. Keiden took this as a yes and put a berry into her paws. Rairai thanked her quietly and bit down on the berry.
"No problems, Rairai." Keiden said, scratching the mouse behind her ear.
Rairai finished the berry quickly, not wanting to deprive Keiden of attention, and nuzzled into the hand, which retracted quickly, as if electrocuted. Rairai shone like the sun, the lights above dimming and power being drawn through the very air towards her. She gave off a static field that put people's hair on end and caused Aurora to back off slightly. Just as quickly as it had begun, however, it ended. Now Halbert was holding Rairai by her waist, and she was about four feet tall. Still she was covered in orange fur, featuring all the common markings of a Raichu; her tail still long and her ears still atop her head, only now surrounded in silver hair that went to the base of her neck. She looked down at herself in surprise, her cheeks tingling a little as they regained the long lost electrical charge they were supposed to hold. She smiled and reached out to Keiden, who lifted her from Halbert's arms and held her close.
"Congratulations!" She said exstatically. "You've evolved into a humanoid form! Oh, you're just as cute as you were before! I'm going to enjoy having you in the family!"
Rairai carefully wrapped her arms around, those words flowing through her mind over and over.
"F-family..." She mumbled, before letting herself go and hugging Keiden tightly. "Thankyou..."
"You're the most darling mouse I've seen in a long time." Halbert said. "Only Surge had a Raichu quite like you, and he's built for combat."
Rairai nodded. She'd heard of Lt. Surge, a legend of electric trainers worldwide.
"Now, I believe that we were on the couch." Keiden said, sliding over and sitting down, curling her tail beneath the soft leather. Rairai giggled, nuzzling and hugging the larger dragon happily. Keiden wrapped an arm around her. "My, you're affectionate."
Rairai smiled, head on Keiden's shoulder. "I'm so happy that you saved my life..." She said quietly.
Keiden gave a soft chuckle, wrapping her other arm around the mouse and hugging her. "You're welcome my little one.
"Anything for family."Chapter End Notes:And there you have it. Not a worldbreaker, but not massive either. As before, comments would be lovely, good or bad