Borne of Caution (Pokemon Isekai)

[FTR2017]

Oh wow, this is hilarious! Hahahahahaha! XD

 

[Vanbers]

>Never do mass audience appeal

Hah, jokes on you, I prefer man-on-pokemon action anyways!

Anyways, I'm still on the Team LeeXNinetales, and nothing can stop that.

 

[Veles Basil]

"Oh, Lee!" Ninetales cries, leaping into the shocked man's arms and burying one of his arms in her cleavage. "Isn't this wonderful!? Now that I have a form acceptable to mainstream audiences, we can finally have a painfully awkward romance where neither of us communicates like adults to cause all sorts of cheap drama!"

Click to shrink...

Oh God! The Horror! I can't unsee it!

 

[Narmish]

It feels like the first half was taken from a real chapter then the second half is….

 

[Phantomknight99901]

Take a look here!

I'm reader-funded, and need your help to keep writing indefinitely. If you like what you're reading and want to help out, see https://www.patreon.com/fuggmann at the place of patrons. Patrons get to see updates early, suggest edits to the final draft before it goes live, and participate in polls to choose what gets updated next during my moments of indecisiveness.

If you want to keep up-to-date on releases, use discord code https://discord.gg/hive-of-degeneracy and opt in to the fic-updates role for a ping.

As always, thank you for reading.

---

The Mega Keystone in Lee's hand feels as if it weighs a hundred pounds.

For most of the previous night and the entirety of today, the shining, spherical crystal has dominated his thoughts, which have ping-ponged all over. From the terror on the volcano, to the disquieting fate that befell Aster, the darkest part of his imagination gnaws at him without regard for how it frays at his nerves.

Idly, Lee rolls the Keystone around in his hand, watching it refract the waning sunlight streaming in from the great hole in the ceiling. Along his hand and chest, rainbow light dances. 'For such a powerful little thing, it's deceptively innocent looking.'

With the day's training over, Lee and his friends are relaxing outside their hut in the center of the Meteorfall Crater, mostly at Lee's request. The last thing he wants is a lack of sunlight exposure making anyone crabby - not when the Dragon TE in the air already leaves everyone higher strung than usual.

A short ways away, a smiling Brendan and his team all lay in a bed of soft moss, soaking in the sun and resting. Even the usually jumpy Electrike is already dozing off.

'Brendan is taking the Keystone thing in stride, it seems…' Lee observes, unsurprised.

Zinnia is huddled with her five pokemon a bit further away. Noivern, Zinnia's newest capture, looks positively exhausted. Apparently being fully evolved doesn't mean that she's able to keep up with the rest of her team yet.

'That, and Zinnia was twice as brutal in her training today,' Lee lets his eyes roam his friend's pokemon, taking in all of the half-healed cuts and contusions amongst their number. 'The whole damn cave was shaking.'

Finally, most of Lee's team are in their balls, resting and waiting for dinner time. Sylveon and Shinx were both thoroughly tuckered out by the day's activities, and Octillery has been even more withdrawn than usual recently. Corviknight is roosted up on the top of the dome-like hut, quietly preening his metallic feathers with quiet rasps. Grovyle…

Lee frowns and leans back into the wall of the hut, closing his hand around the Keystone.

Around his Keystone.

Ever since the Oracle left the Keystones in their care last night, Grovyle has had a fire in his eyes and an intensity to him beyond that of any other pokemon on the team. When he moves, he does so with purpose and zeal, pushing himself even when the burn scars across his body angrily tug at his skin. Three times today Lee has told Grovyle not to overdo his training, and three times Grovyle complied… Only to forget minutes later and go right back to what he was doing.

Lee can see what's happening as plain as day, and it leaves him frustrated due to how powerless he feels in solving it.

Grovyle feels like he's falling behind.

For quite some time, there has been a clear hierarchy of strength on Lee's team. Ninetales remains at the top. Her raw power, deep bag of tricks, and typing relative to the rest of the team make it so. Even if Lee were to completely shut himself out of her mind and deprive the fox of his input, she would still be a force to be reckoned with.

Corvi is next. The great raven was a terror as a Corvisquire, and his evolution has only made him more so. His size, strength, deceptive speed, and stellar dual-typing make him a nightmare to fight. Although he suffers a type disadvantage to Ninetales, a clash between them wouldn't exactly be a foregone conclusion. Corvi is just too stubborn, too iron-willed.

Then comes Grovyle. Lee knows the Grass-type doesn't begrudge his teammates for being strong, but he does curse himself for not keeping up.

The longer they stay down here in the crater, the worse the problem becomes.

On their first day of training, Octillery won their game of keep away, and got his Thunder Wave TM as promised. The octopus was beyond delighted with his new ability to shoot bolts of paralytic lightning.

Meanwhile, Grovyle stood by, his arms crossed and his eyes narrow, but no complaint was voiced. The gecko pokemon made Siphon Blade battle-ready only a few days later, but the rain cloud over his head persisted.

Then Shinx began to improve by leaps and bounds, going from little more than a kitten to a headache on four legs. The same tactic never seems to work on Shinx twice, and when a foe's cards are finally all laid bare, overpowering her becomes the only realistic option. A simple enough prospect now, but who knows where she'll be in a week, a month, or a year? Once again, Lee resolves to make time soon to give his baby a full cognitive test.

Grovyle is no doubt comparing her growth to his, and finding his own lacking. The sting of comparing himself to an infant is likely even worse.

Even Sylveon is beginning to ramp up. The middle-aged Fairy is shaking loose all of the rust in her joints, and improves bit by bit, day by day. Her impressive repertoire of moves aided by Pixilate means she will never be irrelevant in a fight.

Lee stares at Grovyle's back as the Grass-type stands on a boulder a dozen yards away, his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he soaks in the sun. Being one of Lee's first three pokemon, Grovyle knows much of the meta-lore Lee has to share…

… Such as the existence of Sceptilite, spurring him into such recklessness down in the training chamber.

Warm fur cuddling into his side eases Lee out of his funk. Turning his head, he spies Ninetales settling down next to him.

'Worry not about everything today, Beloved,' the fox begins, casting a critical eye toward the rainbow-hued bauble in Lee's hand. 'Grovyle… If he cannot shake what bothers him in a few days, I will aid you in addressing him.'

Lee smiles. 'Thank you, Nine.'

The vixen smiles back, warming Lee. 'Think naught of it,' she says, before returning her eyes to the Keystone. 'What a curious little thing. I can only wonder if my kind has a Megastone out there. Were I to evolve once more, what would I become?'

For a moment, Lee tries to imagine what a Mega Ninetales would even look like, but fails. To him, his fox is already perfect the way she is. 'Who knows? The world doesn't have the limitations of a videogame, so it's entirely possible there's a Ninetalesite.' Lee wraps Ninetales in a half-hug as he rolls the sparkly catalyst between his fingers. 'According to Zinnia, the stones are essentially training wheels, so even if there isn't, maybe you could go Mega anyway?' He gives the Keystone a stare as he musters many of the fond memories he's shared with Ninetales thus far, filling his chest with warm, bubbling love. 'Activate!'

A split second after that, Lee remembers Zinnia's grave tale about Aster, and her fate after trying to mega-evolve her Salamence before both of them were ready. His stomach drops to his toes.

The Keystone sparkles with a faint light in its center… That begins to rapidly build, bathing both himself and Ninetales in a radiant glow.

'No no no!' Lee clamps his hands around the Keystone, but the light won't stop! 'Wait! I take it back! Stop!'

Ninetales stumbles away as everyone turns to look at the commotion. Just like with Maxie's Camerupt, a shell of solid light builds around her like an egg, and her wordless alarm tears into Lee.

Something goes terribly wrong.

Lee can feel it. On the other half of his connection to Ninetales, on the other side of his soul, her being is twisted. The expected pain is absent, replaced with a horrible numbness as Ninetales' mind warps into something Lee can't make heads or tails of, into something utterly alien.

'What have I done?'

Inside the shell, Ninetales screams.

The shell explodes outward with a great shock wave, sending fragments that dissolve into rainbow light in every direction, and blinding everyone with a flash.

Lee rubs his eyes and fights the sudden bout of nausea that threatens to topple him over. Standing unsteadily, he blinks the stars from his eyes and looks towards his partner.

Horror greets him.

Standing where Ninetales was is something, something that makes him sick to look at, but he cannot hope to look away. The creature stands upon two human-like legs, roughly the same stature as Lee. Arms ending in delicate hands hang limp, stopping near the thing's hips.

The more Lee looks, the worse things become.

Ninetales' beautiful tails remain, but they're an unfitting parody on this being. They don't belong. The same can be said for the fox ears on the top of its head. Much of its pale skin is covered by a too-small robe seemingly fashioned from Ninetales' fur, and that robe does nothing to hide the doorway-wide hips or enormous bust of the monstrosity.

Its face is flat, with high, razor-like cheekbones and full lips. Ninetales' warm ruby eyes are gone, replaced with predatory chips of frozen blood.

"No…" Lee shakes his head and steps back. He blinks his eyes and bites his tongue, but the flash of pain doesn't dispel the image before his eyes.

Ninetales Mega-Evolved into...

...A generic fox girl.

"Oh, Lee!" Ninetales cries, leaping into the shocked man's arms and burying one of his arms in her cleavage. "Isn't this wonderful!? Now that I have a form acceptable to mainstream audiences, we can finally have a painfully awkward romance where neither of us communicates like adults to cause all sorts of cheap drama!"

Lee tastes bile.

Ninetales pauses, touching a finger to her chin in thought. "Or maybe I can get irrationally angry over nothing and freely abuse you while you remain a wet noodle for the next one hundred chapters, then we can suddenly come to an understanding for an unsatisfying conclusion!"

The world begins to spin.

"Or…" Ninetales smirks and breasts boobily at him. "I can be a 2D cardboard cutout waifu who exists only to look pretty for you, and we can constantly have poorly written, bed-breaking sex because that's how real relationships work, right?"

The scream that rips from Lee's throat is long and anguished.

Never do mass audience appeal.

---

April Fools. Real chapter in a few days. This will be re-labeled to Extras when the real chapter goes up.

---

Below are the names of some patrons who got to view this chapter early and felt like signing it. A huge thanks to them and everyone else who supports this story and everything else I write.

puppy0cam, Planetace, GreenPhoenix, Spice_King, Phoenix Bugg, Tezral, Kurt, Dicloniuslord, Javidom, Nep, Vinohr, Rémi C., demonmonkey89, InfamousVenous, Adean23, Moonlit Chaser, Nithalys, Hazel Kings, WiseKitsune , Ottstop, AMeek, Sulphurcat, ShaRose, Strongraider101, TheTankiestTrain, Berusella, BrokenOlive, SenrabMJam, OpN, HT1318, MrPerson0, Green0Photon, Bunny Waffles, ncskeeter56, Purple Floof, Superbuchi!?, Shaydrall, mithras131, Appl, Derlock, GordianVapCat, speedyzman13, PAX AMERICANA, Grey,JustALurker, Gavinfoxx, Ash The Kitsune, LoverofPi, Thelon, MrWifi, OmegaEntertainment, RGBDRAGON, DaysOfGrays, Derpydude9001, Dead Bloodchief, Ninjadanimo, KaurisAzurai

Click to shrink...

Oh you piece of (art)work lmao

 

[Artful Lounger]

I knew this would likely be a joke for a number of reasons. It being only two thousand words was a big giveaway. Also it being labeled an interlude only to continue with Lee's POV. Credit for having the first half seeming reasonable, and honestly I wouldn't be shocked if the next real chapter started from the same point, but once the Megastone activated I knew we were in crack land.

Although, being QQ, the idea of Aster meeting her end at the hands of a horny humanized Salamance man wouldn't be the weirdest thing to find on this site.

 

[Kazumaa23]

Forgot today is the day were corporations and brands actively mock their customers by announcing things they would like just to make fun of them by saying it will never be happen or shame them for what they like, turns out some fanfic writers mock their reader based on what they like too.

 

[Sirarathis]

It feels like the first half was taken from a real chapter then the second half is….

Click to shrink...

It probably is! I wouldn't be surprised if Fugg has at least the first half of the real chapter written and just ported half of that over for the april fools chapter!

 

[Yeetboi]

"Oh, Lee!" Ninetales cries, leaping into the shocked man's arms and burying one of his arms in her cleavage. "Isn't this wonderful!? Now that I have a form acceptable to mainstream audiences, we can finally have a painfully awkward romance where neither of us communicates like adults to cause all sorts of cheap drama!"

Click to shrink...

Pants consider yourself severely shitted, cause this is a terrifying string of words. I was dead worried the story would actually go that way, before I remembered what damned date it is. You got me good!

 

[Fuggmann]

Take a look here!

I'm reader-funded, and need your help to keep writing indefinitely. If you like what you're reading and want to help out, see https://www.patreon.com/fuggmann at the place of patrons. Patrons get to see updates early, suggest edits to the final draft before it goes live, and participate in polls to choose what gets updated next during my moments of indecisiveness.

If you want to keep up-to-date on releases, use discord code https://discord.gg/hive-of-degeneracy and opt in to the fic-updates role for a ping.

As always, thank you for reading.

---

Note: A Bleach crossover oneshot that has been taking form on my phone for the last 4 or so months, growing one or two lines at a time.

---

Kurosaki Ichigo is, in a word, frustrated. He's been frustrated all afternoon.

For the past few weeks, the lull following Rukia's rescue from the Seireitei has been maddening. After those many days of constant combat and near-death situations, Ichigo can't help but feel high-strung with the sudden return to normalcy. Hell, it took him almost 3 days to stop immediately jumping to his feet after awakening.

The looming threat of that bastard Aizen has done nothing to ease the teenager's nerves, either.

Just as Ichigo was beginning to allow himself to relax, the ever-present hollow population within Karakura town suddenly and mysteriously plummeted into nonexistence. For the past several days, no hollows have emerged, and the sudden disruption to the norm was suspicious.

At first, Ichigo suspected that his spiritually aware friends were encountering the monsters first, but a conversation at school dispelled that notion. Neither Orihime nor Chad had encountered anything.

Uryu didn't say a word throughout that talk, and Ichigo struggled to not let his pity show on his face, knowing it would do nothing but anger Uryu, who burned his Quincy powers away with that glove to avoid death during the Seireitei invasion.

Hat-n-Clogs, aka Kisuke Urahara, didn't know a damn thing either, but after being alerted to how unusually quiet Karakura has been, the old shopkeeper said he would keep an ear to the ground.

The several days of restless quiet finally pushed Ichigo to his limit. After dinner with his family, Ichigo used the Substitute Soul Reaper badge gifted to him by Captain Ukitake to separate his spirit from his body, so that he could patrol the city as a Soul Reaper.

"Damn it," Ichigo curses from his place atop a tall building in the center of town. "What the hell is going on? Is this Aizen's doing?"

The orange-haired teen cranes his head around, his spiritual form unbothered by the cool evening air. As far as the eye can see, the town is quiet.

Scowling, the young soul reaper closes his eyes and concentrates. Even if his spirit-sensing abilities aren't the best, he should still feel something out of place.

…Nothing. Nada. Not even a hint of hollow reishi. Even the usual places in Karakura where spirits congregate are peaceful. He checked out the burned-out hospital on the edge of town, the section of train track where a young boy was tragically struck a decade ago, and the old shrine in the park.

Maybe he's just being paranoid?

With a sigh, Ichigo reaches back and wraps a hand around the hilt of Zangetsu. As it usually is, the zanpaktou is warm to the touch, and thrums comfortingly in his palm. Knowing Zangetsu has his back takes the edge off his nerves.

Opening his eyes, Ichigo turns and leaps off of the building, letting himself free fall for a handful of seconds. Then with a flicker, he Flash Steps once, twice, three times, moving at speeds far beyond any man. In just a few seconds, he's standing outside of Urahara's small shop all the way at the edge of town.

Stepping forward, Ichigo goes to open the sliding door and step inside, but pauses when he hears voices within.

"-like the rest of Sylvy's abilities, logic should be the last thing considered. Believe me, fairies operate on their own rules. Wish should do what you want, but it's not a guarantee."

"…I see. Thank you for the warning, but if you are willing, I would still like to try. There are… Some conditions I'd rather avoid with the other avenue of reclaiming my powers."

Ichigo's eyes widen. The second voice is Uryu! The soul reaper withholds the urge to throw the door open, instead leaning closer to listen a bit longer. Who is the first voice? And what's this about fixing Uryu's powers with a wish?"

"If that's what you want, Ishida-san, then we'll see about getting a spiritually sterile place set up for the procedure. The fewer variables that can foul up Sylvy's Wish, the better," the first voice says. Their Japanese is heavily accented, but fluent. "Urahara-san –"

"Kisuke is fine, Henson-san," Hat-n-Clogs says, sounding as if he's smiling. "Anyone I can talk theory with is a friend in my book. So tell me again, you said this "Wish" move is Normal-type? It seems to be a misnomer, isn't it?"

"Well, with Sylvy's Pixilate…"

Ichigo jumps back with a startled yelp when the door is suddenly thrown open, revealing Urahara's tall, mustachioed assistant, Tessai.

"Can I assist you, Kurosaki-san?" Tessai rumbles, his expression flat and unreadable.

"Oh, I didn't even feel Kurosaki-kun outside!" Urahara exclaims from within. "Tessai, see him in, please!"

The large man stands aside, gesturing for Ichigo to come in with a polite bow.

"Thanks, Tessai-san," Ichigo murmurs awkwardly, hurrying past. The shop is small, or "cozy" if he were to use Urahara's words, so it takes no time to get to the small meeting room of the Urahara shop. Without bothering to knock, he slides the door open and steps in.

Sitting around the low table are both Urahara, who looks at Ichigo with a small, resting smile, and Uryu, who looks considerably more disgruntled. On the table itself is Yoruichi in her cat form, watching Ichigo with a raised eyebrow. The fourth and fifth members, however, are new to the teen.

Across from Urahara is a brown-haired man. His face is distinctly Western in appearance, explaining his accent, and his blue eyes regard Ichigo with curiosity. The only thing outstanding about the man is the trio of burn scars on the left side of his face, which look painful.

'He must be 'Henson',' Ichigo assumes, moving his eyes to the next unfamiliar person.

Next to Henson and across from Uryu is a large, golden-furred fox. Nine tails tipped in orange trail out from behind the creature, slowly waving about as if possessing minds of their own. On the top of the fox's head is a hair-like tuft of fur, and its shiny red eyes lock into Ichigo, watching carefully.

'Is that a real kitsune? Or is it a soul reaper who can transform like Yoruichi?' He wonders.

"Really, Ichi-kun, eavesdropping?" Yoruichi asks before anyone else can speak up, her smirk all mischief. "That's a bad gateway to peeping. I know a growing boy like you might be tempted to snoop around where you don't belong as a spirit, but what would Orihime-chan or Rukia say if they found out?"

Ichigo's face instantly lights up red at the accusation. "Shut the hell up! Don't accuse me of being a pervert when you're the one who flashes people for fun!"

The cat clicks her tongue. "Flashing people? I'm a cat, Ichi-kun. There's nothing to see," she coyly teases.

"So what brings you to my fine establishment tonight, Kurosaki-kun?" Urahara asks, saving the blushing boy from the mischievous cat. "Did you finally encounter a hollow?"

"No," Ichigo shakes his head, the red color draining from his face. "I was just patrolling the town to clear my head. I decided to stop by to see if you had any leads on why there's been no hollow activity."

Henson interjects with a lame chuckle. "Ah, that might be our fault," he says, gesturing to himself and the fox. "Ninetales and I were actually attacked by a hollow a few days ago."

Ichigo withholds an eye roll. Nine tales? That's some lame wordplay.

"The hollow wasn't very strong, so Nine warded it away without too much trouble," Henson continues. "She didn't kill it, but she did hit it with Imprison, which may as well be a death sentence. If it told any other hollows what happened to it, it might have spooked them into not showing up here."

"Imprison?" Uryu questions with a raised eyebrow. "Is that some sort of traditional spell? I recall no Quincy nor Soul Reaper technique with such a name."

The gold fox lets out a snort, and Henson shrugs. "Imprison is more of a curse than a spell. Once it's laid, the target can't use any techniques that the caster also knows. With enough power, Imprison can dig deeper and cause worse debilitations. The gap between Ninetales and the hollow was so large that Imprison completely paralyzed it. It couldn't move, it couldn't mould energy, it couldn't even speak. All it could do was open a portal to fall into."

"Really, now?" Yoruichi chimes in, leaning forward. "Hypothetically speaking, if a soul reaper was to know Imprison and use it on another soul reaper, what would happen?"

"That's hard to say," Henson frowns. "If the two soul reapers were equal in power, had the same Kido spells, and both had unlocked zanpaktou, then the target would theoretically be locked out of all of their Kido and their zanpaktou abilities," he says, each word carefully considered.

The hair on the back of Ichigo's neck stands up. On his back, he can feel a chill run through Zangetsu.

"Do you have other 'moves' like that?" Urahara asks suddenly. "You mentioned that you wanted to use my Senkaimon, and I would be happy to let you do whatever you want with it… Provided we can trade notes?"

Henson smiles back knowingly. "Remind me later, and I'll do my best to teach some useful tricks to anyone of your choosing. Something tells me you would appreciate Heal Block and Embargo."

Heal Block sounds straightforward, but what the hell is Embargo?

"That sounds wonderful," Urahara grins, his eyes flashing in the shadow of his hat. He glances toward Ichigo. "Ah, where are my manners? Henson-san, please meet Kurosaki Ichigo, my troublemaking protégé. He was the spearhead of our little invasion a few weeks back."

"Protégé my ass!" Ichigo exclaims with a scowl. "You haven't taught me squat!"

If Henson is annoyed by the antics, it doesn't show on his face. "A pleasure to meet you, Kurosaki-san. Henson Lee is the name," he says with a smile and nod. "If Ninetales doesn't give it away, I'm a scientist of a supernatural sort."

"Yeah, I was about to ask," Ichigo begins, looking between him and Urahara. "How do you know Hat-n-Clogs?"

"I don't mean to interrupt, but can we return to what we were speaking about before Kurosaki barged in?" Uryu cuts in, visibly annoyed. "Henson-san," he addresses the scarred man. "What sort of price are you asking for to give me back my powers? I have more funds than most, but I can't hand out a blank check."

A waved hand is Uryu's answer. "Don't worry about it, Ishida-san. Urahara-san –"

"Kisuke!"

"– Gave me the story in broad strokes, and you've got my admiration and sympathy for everything you've gone through. If I can help you, then I will, no need for repayment."

Uryu's face flashes with annoyance, but he bows his head. "Thank you."

The fox, Ninetales, noses Henson-san's shoulder, prompting the man to look at Ichigo once more. "Huh, when you're right, Nine, you're right," he says aloud. "Kurosaki-san, have you been getting enough rest? You're looking a little rough."

"Huh?" Ichigo blinks. He looks down at his soul reaper robes, which look the same as they always do. "Yeah?"

"You're certain?" Henson questions. The man stands up and steps closer. "When it comes to spiritually attuned life forms, I've noticed that the physical self has a way of mirroring the emotional self. Take a look here – " he points to the edge of Ichigo's sleeve, "– doesn't that seem a bit off?"

The teenager looks down at his sleeve and holds it up to the light, feeling his jaw drop a little bit.

Some of the threads on his sleeve are bunched up! He looks more and finds other imperfections, like frays and tiny holes. Normally whenever he leaves his body and takes on his soul reaper form, his clothes seem to magically repair themselves. He's never given his spirit clothes any more thought beyond that.

"Tilt your head back a little, please," Henson continues, squinting at Ichigo's face.

Ichigo complies before he could even think to ask why.

"Slight bags under the eyes, and skin is a little pale," Henson murmurs under his breath. He reaches out behind him, making a grasping motion.

Back by the table, Ninetales audibly sighs before her eyes begin to glow. As her eyes glow, a backpack situated against the wall unzips itself, and a notebook and pen float out, landing in Henson's hand.

The instant that the notebook is in the scarred man's grasp, he flips to a clean page, uncaps his pen, and begins to write. "Kurosaki-san, would you say that you eat healthily?"

"What?" Ichigo questions, confused.

"Do you enjoy exercise?"

"I guess?"

"Do you smoke or make use of recreational drugs?"

"What?! No!"

"Have recent events been weighing heavily on you?"

"Uh…"

"Would you say that you are a kinesthetic learner?"

"A kine-what?"

As the interrogation rolls on and the page Henson is scribbling into rapidly fills, Yoruichi leans towards Ninetales. "Does this sort of thing happen often?" The disguised soul reaper asks.

Ninetales tiredly nods.

"I see…" Henson nods slowly. "Well, firstly, let me apologize for worrying you with the lack of hollow attacks. I know that you've probably been waiting for the other shoe to drop, and that can be stressful. Secondly, I understand that you were a key player when you went and rescued your friend Rukia, right?"

"I suppose I was," Ichigo admits, looking away bashfully.

"Would you do it again?" Henson asks, drawing the boy's eyes back to him. "Would you do something else like that, knowing that you could get killed?"

Ichigo's face hardens. "In a heartbeat."

Henson looks down at the filled page of his notebook, seeming neither pleased nor displeased with the answer. "Well, Kurosaki-san. My friends and I are going to be here in Karakura for a little bit, so if you'd allow me, I'd like to help you train and even the odds for your next encounter. I'm not very strong, but making others strong is my specialty," he says, looking over his shoulder towards Ninetales.

The fox's eyes shine, and she smiles back.

"I'll make sure that the next time you meet one Sosuke Aizen," Henson turns back to Ichigo, a smile rising to his lips, "he'll be in for a very nasty surprise."

That's all that Ichigo needs to hear.

"I'm in," he says, resolute.

"As am I,"

All the eyes in the room are drawn to Uryu, who doesn't shrink into the attention. "Henson-san, I don't mean to impose, not after you said you would assist in fixing my powers, but if you are training Kurosaki, then I would like to join as soon as I am able."

To his credit, Henson recovers from his surprise quickly. "Well, the more the merrier. You and Kurosaki-san might make good whetstones for each other. Heck, if you have any other friends who would like a better fighting chance, bring them along." He looks down at his notebook.

Ichigo looks at the book as well, feeling his eyes widen. The writing is small, and the page is full!

"It's been a while since I've had a challenge like this," Henson murmurs, flipping to a new page and beginning to write like a human printer once more. "Where do soul reapers land on the P.G.D.F. compass? I'll probably have to get my hands on some spiritually-saturated foodstuffs and begin testing immediately. I can probably set Octi on securing some local funds…" He looks back up towards Ichigo. "Kurosaki-san, you should head home and rest. You're going to need it."

For some reason, Ichigo can't resist the urge to gulp. 'Why do I feel like I just made a mistake?'

---

Below are the names of some patrons who got to view this short early and felt like signing it. A huge thanks to them and everyone else who supports this story and everything else I write.

RGBDRAGON, speedyzman13, Nithalys, DarkReader-14, BrokenOlive, Vinohr, WiseKitsune, Phoenix Bugg Derpydude9001, Pixel, Moxie,Civer, Ninjadanimo, DangerDesperado, artisticVulpes, Planetace, AMeek, Liqura, Spice_King, demonmonkey89, ShaRose, Dicloniuslord, Sinnohan, Emeraldleafeon, GordianVapCat, Superbuchi, Gavinfoxx, xydra22, Fabhar, TheTankiestTrain, Antel, KaurisAzurai, Regal Eagle, PAX AMERICANA, OmegaEntertainment, Titch,

 

[Blasterbot]

wonderful. Kisuke needs a science bro who is not as mad to help him out.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

I sincerely hope we get more of this one. Its really good.

 

[oguh]

Note: A Bleach crossover oneshot that has been taking form on my phone for the last 4 or so months, growing one or two lines at a time.

Click to shrink...

I hope you plan for at least another chapter
So we can read about the gang reaction to His other Pokemon

 

[Vanbers]

In true anime gag fashion, the training must somehow end with Ichigo wearing dog ears, and Yoruichi being stronger in her Cat form than her Shinigami form, as a reference to Lee being more skilled at training Animals/Monsters.

 

[Yakubi42]

So what the heck is the P.G.D.F. compass?

 

[Eevee shadow bacon]

So what the heck is the P.G.D.F. compass?

Click to shrink...

Psychic
Ghost
Dragon
Fairy
The 4 types that give the biggest Fuck You to logic

 

[AckSed]

This would be sweet to watch, not least because I suspect Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka (who are totally faeries) would jump at the chance to learn actual Pokemon moves. She would get a ding from Lee for her latchkey-kid diet, though. And I want to see Chad sparring with Grovyle.

 

[Jarow]

Psychic
Ghost
Dragon
Fairy
The 4 types that give the biggest Fuck You to logic

Click to shrink...

Close, trade dragon for dark. Per Lokoko, those are the four "spiritual" types.

 

[Eevee shadow bacon]

Close, trade dragon for dark. Per Lokoko, those are the four "spiritual" types.

Click to shrink...

...RIGHT, it is dark. My bad

 

[Fuggmann]

This is a quick notice for you all. I'm not dead and neither is the story, and I'm sorry if I caused worry. After focusing on Borne of Caution for months, I was getting a bit burned out and it began to cause my writing to get sluggish. To combat this, I decided to work on a few other things for a while.

In addition, my subscribers on Patreon have been incredibly supportive, and I felt kinda bad that I wasn't giving them more for everything they give me. After talking it out with them, I decided to take the route everyone else seems to use and begin offering them advance chapters + a few other goodies. I didn't want it to be something crazy like 10 chapters, so we settled on just 2 ahead. Part of the delay has come from me generating that backlog for them. The next chapter of Borne of Caution is being worked on now, but I don't want to put a hard estimate on when it will be posted. To get status updates, my discord the best spot. If you're not really the interactive type, there is a pingable role you can opt into so you can mute the rest of the server and still get relevant updates. You can find a link in my account page and signature.

I know this news might be poorly received by some, but I owe my supporters for getting me out of a job that was slowly killing me. I'm also sorry for the post that isn't a chapter, but I felt like I should inform you all that the worst hasn't come to pass.

Thankee much,
Fuggmann.

 

[William Seymour]

Appreciate the honety and do what you need to do. The fans will be here to wait on your arrival, just be safe is all we ask.

 

[Tobi]

It's fine. I wish you well and thank you for the story so far.

 

[doomqwer]

Its fine man I love the story but even I knew eventually doing it as a job would cause a little burn out take your time and get back into the right mind for it and come back refreshed

 

[Dahak]

I know this news might be poorly received by some, but I owe my supporters for getting me out of a job that was slowly killing me.

Click to shrink...

I'll tell you the same thing I told Webb (The Gods are Bastards, etc)

Take the time you need to take care of yourself.

If anyone complains that you are taking care of yourself, remind them that more good chapters later are better than no more good chapters ever, or bad chapters.

Having something for the people who give you money encourages them to give you money. This helps keep you alive and happy. Your readers like you to be alive and happy.

The rest of us freeloaders can wait.

 

[Fuggmann]

This actually wasn't set to release for another week or so, but I felt like posting a freebie on freedom day.

---

Take a look here!

I'm reader-funded, and need your help to keep writing indefinitely. If you like what you're reading and want to help out, see https://www.patreon.com/fuggmann at the place of patrons. Patrons get to see updates early, suggest edits to the final draft before it goes live, and participate in polls to choose what gets updated next during my moments of indecisiveness.

If you want to keep up-to-date on releases, use discord code

Join the Hive of Degeneracy Discord Server!

Check out the Hive of Degeneracy community on Discord - hang out with 3673 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

discord.gg

and opt in to the fic-updates role for a ping.

As always, thank you for reading.

---

"That is not what we agreed upon!"

Elder Danae of the Draconid tribe frowns mightily, leveling his fellow elder with a glare from across the table where they both sit.

The Meteorfall Crater is home to many sanctums and hideaways, many of which keep ancient treasures from prying eyes. Others act as homes for the rare few who live within the Crater year-round, such as the venerated Oracle. This morning, the Draconid Elders and Oracle Hakea sit around the elderly Oracle's table for a meeting most urgent.

"Calm yourself, Taxus," Elder Juniper, ever the diplomat, soothes. The woman reaches out and places a hand on Taxus's shoulder, easing him back down into his chair. "There needn't be raised voices in this place."

Taxus twitches, as if he wishes to bat Juniper's hand away, but before he can, she withdraws it. The dark interior of the Oracle's home makes the shadows around Taxus's furious visage all the more fearsome. "Hakea," he growls, sounding akin to the Dragons the tribe venerates. "Why? Why did you give outsiders Keystones?"

Hakea seems totally unbothered with Taxus' seething hostility. In fact, she seems to barely be listening, her eyes unfocused.

"Taxus…" Danae speaks, stepping into the conversation with a glower. "Enough of this. Do you doubt the things I saw, the memories gifted to me? Ascension has fallen into the wrong hands already, and our best hope to restore the sanctity of our rite is to bequeath Thelban and Naraikvejor with the tools to combat it."

"I was not speaking to you, Danae," Taxus grunts, affront flashing across Danae's face. "Hakea! I demand an explanation!"

The shout draws a slow blink from the elderly Oracle, and she looks up to Taxus placidly. "You would demand an explanation from me?"

"I would."

A raspy chuckle escapes the old Oracle. "Never before have you questioned me. What compels you to begin now? Does the loss of pretty baubles disturb you so?"

Taxus grips the table with such strength that the wood begins to groan beneath his fingers. "Do not play coy, Oracle. It is not the stones themselves that bother me, but rather what they facilitate. It is folly, handing such powers to outsiders. We have already bent tradition as it is, but this is too far!"

"Your voice, Taxus; lower it," Juniper says as she narrows her eyes. "What's done is done, regardless of any opinion of the matter," she continues, sending Hakea a look. "We should be discussing on how best to guide the Thelban and Naraikvejor, not shouting impotently about events now passed."

The bald Draconid elder sucks in a hissing breath and runs a hand over his head. "We should have been consulted. I have half a mind to demand that the stones be returned."

"Returned into my ownership?" Hakea asks, raising a drooping eyebrow. "Youngling, you fail to remember, those three were properly all my own, not the tribe's. If they are returned to me, I shall gift them once more."

"We still should have been consulted!"

"Perhaps," Danae murmurs, "but time is of the essence. There is already an unworthy one perverting the sacred bond and rite, and soon I fear there will be another."

"Another?" Juniper asks sharply, snapping her head to stare at Danae. "What do you mean? Have we had another sneak?"

The youngest of the elders sighs and nods his head. "A great hulk of a man passed through the village but one day ago. His questions were many and unsubtle, nearly resulting in conflict. He was finally sent away, but I have warned the sentries to be vigilant."

Hakea laces her gnarled fingers together and turns her good eye to Taxus. "Change is coming whether we are prepared or not, and young, talented blood could see us through this turbulent time. Will we continue to resist the march of Dialga, or will we bend like the reed in the storm and survive?"

For a long moment, Taxus is silent. "I cannot agree to relinquishing the Mega Stones, not without a test of worth."

"Taxus, you cannot be serious!" Danae exclaims, standing and planting his hands on the table. His face screws up into a frustrated grimace. "Think of what is at stake! Thelban Zinnia was hand chosen by Thelban Aster! You claim to care for tradition, yet you spit upon the urging of the Thelban! This is unprecedented!"

"Sharing our gift with outsiders is also unprecedented, so I will not be convinced otherwise." The bald elder abruptly stands. "I must make arrangements. Good day."

In the shadows behind Oracle Hakea, gold and ruby eyes meet, then two forms shuffle away unseen.

---

The Mega Keystone in Lee's hand feels as if it weighs a hundred pounds.

For most of the past week, the shining, spherical crystal has dominated his thoughts, which have ping-ponged all over. From the terror on the volcano to the disquieting fate that befell Aster, the darkest part of his imagination gnaws at him without regard for how it frays at his nerves.

Idly, he rolls the Keystone around in his hand, watching it refract the waning sunlight streaming in from the great hole in the ceiling. Along his hand and chest, rainbow light dances. 'For such a powerful little thing, it's deceptively innocent-looking.'

With the day's training over, Lee and his friends are relaxing outside their hut in the center of the Meteorfall Crater, mostly at Lee's request. The last thing he wants is a lack of sunlight exposure making anyone crabby, not when the Dragon TE in the air already leaves everyone more highly-strung than usual.

A short ways away, a smiling Brendan and his team all lie in a bed of soft moss, soaking in the sun and resting. Even the usually jumpy Electrike is already dozing off.

'Brendan is taking the Keystone thing in stride, it seems…' Lee observes, unsurprised.

Zinnia is huddled with her five pokemon a bit further away. Noivern, Zinnia's newest capture, looks positively exhausted. Apparently, being fully evolved doesn't mean that she's able to keep up with the rest of her team yet.

'That, and Zinnia was twice as brutal in her training today.' Lee lets his eyes roam his friend's pokemon, taking in all the half-healed cuts and contusions amongst their number. 'The whole damn cave was shaking.'

Finally, most of Lee's team are in their balls, resting and waiting for dinner time. Sylveon and Shinx were both thoroughly tuckered out by the day's activities, and Octillery has been even more withdrawn than usual recently. Corviknight is roosted up on the top of the dome-like hut, preening his metallic feathers with quiet rasps. Grovyle…

Lee frowns and leans back into the wall of the hut, closing his hand around the Keystone.

Around his Keystone.

Ever since the Oracle left the Keystones in their care, Grovyle has had a fire in his eyes, an intensity to him beyond that of any other pokemon on the team. When he moves, he does so with purpose and zeal, pushing himself even when the burn scars across his body angrily tug at his skin. Three times today, Lee told Grovyle not to overdo his training, and three times Grovyle complied… Only to forget minutes later and go right back to what he was doing.

Lee can see what's happening as plain as day, and it leaves him frustrated due to how powerless he feels in solving it.

Grovyle feels like he's falling behind.

For quite some time, there has always been a clear hierarchy of strength on Lee's team. Ninetales remains at the top. Her raw power, deep bag of tricks, and typing relative to the rest of the team make it so. Even if Lee were to completely shut himself out of her mind and deprive the fox of his input, she is still a force to be reckoned with.

Corvi is next. The great raven was a terror as a Corvisquire, and his evolution has only made him more so. His size, strength, deceptive speed, and stellar dual-typing make him a nightmare to fight. Although he suffers a type disadvantage to Ninetales, a clash between them wouldn't exactly be a foregone conclusion; Corvi is just too stubborn, too iron-willed.

Then comes Grovyle. Lee knows the Grass-type doesn't begrudge his teammates for being strong, but he does curse himself for not keeping up.

The longer they stay down here in the crater, the worse the problem becomes.

On their first day of training, Octillery won their game of keep away, and got his Thunder Wave TM as promised. The octopus was beyond delighted with his new ability to shoot bolts of paralytic lightning.

Meanwhile, Grovyle stood by, his arms crossed and his eyes narrow, but no complaint was voiced. The gecko pokemon made Siphon Blade battle-ready only a few days later, but the rain cloud over his head persisted.

Then Shinx began to improve by leaps and bounds, going from little more than a kitten to a headache on four legs. The same tactic never seems to work on Shinx twice, and when a foe's cards are finally all laid bare, overpowering her becomes the only realistic option. A simple enough prospect now, but who knows where she'll be in a week, a month, a year? Once again, Lee resolves to make time soon to give his baby a full cognitive test.

Grovyle is no doubt comparing her growth to his, and finding his own lacking. The sting of comparing himself to an infant is likely even worse.

Even Sylveon is beginning to ramp up. The middle-aged Fairy is shaking loose all the rust in her joints, and improves bit by bit, day by day. Her impressive repertoire of moves aided by Pixilate means she'll never be irrelevant in a fight.

Lee stares at Grovyle's back as the Grass-type stands on a boulder a dozen yards away, his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he soaks in the sun. Being one of Lee's first three pokemon, Grovyle knows much of the meta-lore Lee has to share…

…Such as the existence of Sceptilite, spurring him into such recklessness down in the training chamber.

Warm fur cuddling into his side eases Lee out of his funk. Turning his head, he spies Ninetales settling down next to him.

'Worry not about everything today, Beloved,' the fox begins, casting a critical eye towards the rainbow-hued bauble in Lee's hand. 'Grovyle… If he cannot shake what bothers him, I will aid you in addressing him.'

Lee smiles. 'Thank you, Nine.'

The vixen smiles back, warming Lee. 'Think naught of it,' she says, before returning her eyes to the Keystone. 'What a curious little thing. I can only wonder if my kind has a Mega Stone out there. Were I to evolve once more, what would I become?'

For a moment, Lee tries to imagine what a Mega Ninetales would even look like, but fails. To him, his fox is already perfect the way she is. 'Who knows? The world doesn't have the limitations of a video game, so it's entirely possible there's a Ninetalesite.' Lee wraps an arm around Ninetales in a half hug as he rolls the sparkly catalyst between his fingers. 'According to Zinnia, the stones are essentially training wheels, so even if there isn't, maybe you could go Mega anyway?' He gives the Keystone a stare as he musters many of the fond memories he's shared with Ninetales thus far, filling his chest with bubbling warmth. He almost shouts the word 'Activate!' in the confines of his mind, only to stop when he remembers the grave fate that befell Aster.

The Keystone sparkles with a faint light in its center, making Lee's heart leap into his throat, before going dim once more.

Lee shakes his head, mentally kicking himself. 'Arceus-damned Dragon TE is still messing with my head. The training is nice, but if we never come back here again, I won't cry over it.' He stuffs the sphere into his pocket.

For a time, man and fox simply relax, lazily conversing about this and that. No words of any consequence passed between them, until Ninetales brings up the meeting with Anabel and Lucian.

'I can only wonder how we've apparently avoided the deadly pratfall of all bonded telepaths that have come before us,' Ninetales says, looking away from Lee to stare up at the sky through the crater opening. 'Anabel said she had never seen two as close as we without a great mental cascade into a singular being. What is it that we did differently?'

Lee is quiet as he ponders the question. "I'm not really sure," he admits. "You know just as much as I do when it comes to psychic shenanigans, or maybe even more. Interesting stuff, ancestral pokemon memory is. If you haven't figured it out, I doubt I can."

A prickle of uncertainty thrums across the telepathic tether holding them together, like a string being plucked. Nine turns back to Lee, her muzzle set in a frown. 'Perhaps… Something to do with my birth? Was it not as random as anticipated? I am aware that I said I would spurn any plans a higher entity had for me in favor of being with you, but perhaps… This was the intention all along?'

Lee places a gentle hand between Nine's withers, rubbing her shoulders. "I dunno, love. The subject of Arceus and how his influence plays into everything is muddy at the best of times. What we have is special, and we're going to look into it as best we can, but it's not a huge deal as long as we're safe and together."

Nine makes a vulpine purr in her throat, leaning once more into Lee. 'You are correct, as usual. Perhaps the Dragon TE is simply setting me ill at ease,' she sends, rubbing her cheek against his. She pauses, then rubs a little slower. 'Goodness, my fur is delightful, isn't it?'

Lee rolls his eyes, and in his head, gently nudges her away from his sense of touch. 'That's a little narcissistic, don't you think?'

'I am a living analogue to a kitsune; I am allowed some narcissism,' Ninetales sniffs. 'Ah, I've been so caught up with the training that I nearly forgot to ask. Have you been sleeping well, Beloved?'

'Sleeping well?' Lee furrows his brow. He takes a moment to feel his face and rub his eyes. He doesn't feel sleepy. 'For the most part. Why do you ask?'

Ninetales once more makes a purr, though to Lee it sounds more like a hum. 'Several times now, since we've entered the crater, I've not felt you dreaming when you've fallen asleep first. That's unusual for you.'

'Really?' Lee asks, surprised. 'When was the last time?'

'Two nights ago.'

…That lines up with the strange, repeating dream that Lee has had several times now. Each time he sees red eyes, flashes of gold, and a mouth that moved to speak, only for him to wake up before he hears a single word. Wordlessly, Lee offers his inky memories of the dreams to Ninetales, who inspects each one with a critical eye.

'Curious…' she mentally murmurs. 'Why am I not able to feel these?'

'I wish I knew,' Lee sighs.

The figure within the dream seems so familiar, but at the same time not. It doesn't help that all the figure's features are blurry and set upon a background of pitch black, but even then, a feeling of familiarity remains. Lee put it out of his mind with the busy schedule everyone has, but now that he truly thinks about it, it is beginning to bother him.

Vague, repeating dreams are never a good omen.

'Maybe Zinnia or one of the Draconids will know something,' Lee sends to Ninetales. 'This didn't start until we got here, so here's hoping.'

Further conversation is interrupted when, from one of the distant tunnels, Isis and her sister Astis emerge, walking towards Lee, Zinnia, and Brendan with urgency.

"Speaking of bad omens…" Lee grumbles, standing.

The approach of the Oracle's assistants draws the attention of both Zinnia and Brendan, as well as their teams, who all cease what they're doing to watch the girls approach. Once close enough, both halt, Isis' face set in a frown, while Astis' wears an expression of worry.

"Thelban, Naraikvejor?" Isis speaks, looking each one of them in the eyes. "We have news. May we discuss inside?

Brendan blinks in confusion and Zinnia sets her jaw, her expression becoming grim.

Lee heads to the door of the house, opening it and ushering the girls inside wordlessly.

---

Inside the hut, Brendan sits himself in one of the chairs of the living area, the ominous words of the Draconid sisters hanging over him.

'Everything was going so well!' The boy allows himself a bit of internal bellyaching. 'Well, except for pokemon hunting, but everything else has been going great,' he thinks. 'Electrike is ready for battle, Marshtomp's Water Cutter isn't recoiling anymore, Breloom's regeneration trick is almost there, and Mawile is becoming a debuff queen. What could've happened?'

The sisters seat themselves on the other chair in the living area, their shoulders touching, letting Lee and Zinnia claim the small couch. All the while, Brendan's eyes home in on Astis, the Draconid girl who is fascinated with him for some reason.

In the first days that they stayed in the village, Astis found Brendan and his team training on the edge of town, and the girl seemed captivated by what she saw in a painful echo of Courtney. She'd somehow always know when Brendan was out and about, admiring him from a distance.

Even with Courtney's betrayal still weighing upon him, Brendan tolerated Astis' gaze. He was a little bit exasperated when Zinnia told him that Astis would be following them into the crater.

Then Astis volunteered to help him go hunting, which has turned up a whole lot of nothing. Zinnia even suggested that she might be sabotaging him on purpose!

The young trainer stops, clearing his thoughts. 'Don't let the Dragon energy get to you. It's putting you on edge,' he thinks to himself.

Gosh, he wants to know what Astis' game is.

"I knew things were going too smoothly, I just knew it!" Zinnia exclaims, pounding a fist on her knee with a loud thwack! Apparently, Brendan isn't the only one with his emotions running high. "What, what is it? How are you going to rain on our parade?"

Lee, ever the calm one, sets a hand on Zinnia's shoulder. "Deep breaths, Zinnia. Calm down and get the Dragon TE out."

The tanned woman does as asked, taking a deep, shuddering breath and giving herself a shake.

Neither Isis nor Astis seem offended by Zinnia's outburst. "I'm afraid our news is indeed of the unfortunate sort, Thelban," Isis sighs. "My sister and I shadowed a meeting between the elders and the Oracle. Not all of the elders were pleased with Oracle Hakea's decision to gift keystones upon you."

Brendan feels his face shift into worry. They were going to try and take the keystones back, were they? "Are they going to want them back?" he asks. "I don't have a problem giving mine back, even if I kind of wanted to learn how to do this mega evolution thing…" He trails off despondently.

A shake of her head is Isis' answer, and Brendan perks up. "Nay. Those keystones were the personal belongings of Oracle Hakea. The elders, notably Elder Taxus, are displeased, but it is not their right to reclaim the stones. To claim the belongings of another is to announce the shedding of your civility, and your willingness to fight to maintain your claim. A seer is the last foe any should want."

Lee nods slowly. "That makes sense, in a… Dragon kind of way. So we don't have to worry about the keystones. That's nice, I suppose."

Isis nods. It's a sharp, crisp movement. "Yes. Elder Juniper remained neutral while Elder Danae argued your worthiness."

Zinnia clenches a fistful of her travel cloak.

"Elder Taxus, however, would not be dissuaded," Isis continues on. "He insists that the tribe should not relinquish worthwhile mega stones before you prove your worth, and proposed a test."

"A test?" Brendan questions, leaning forward incredulously. "They know about Magma, Aqua, the meteor prophecy, and all that, right?"

They can't possibly be stonewalling them at this point, can they? Lee and Zinnia said that the keystones need an accompanying mega stone for the pokemon, and Brendan can only think of one thing that the Draconid elders could withhold…

"Taxus has always been a stickler, even when it comes back to bite him in the ass," Zinnia growls. She releases her white-knuckle grip on her cloak and takes another deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "Fine. Whatever. A test. Did he say what it is?"

Isis meekly shakes her head. "No, Thelban. The elder did not say, and abruptly left the meeting after his declaration, saying he had arrangements to make. We can only presume that he is referring to the aforementioned test." She looks towards her sister, who stares back nervously before nodding. "Whatever it is that Elder Taxus is planning, we don't believe that he will spring it upon you immediately. No, for as foul as his attitude was, he would not shame himself by putting an impossible challenge before you. He will likely allow you time to train, and if you will suffer our presence, my sister and I shall assist."

"How so?" Brendan asks, giving Astis a suspicious glance. He ignores the prickle of guilt when Astis winces. "Like, with pokemon hunting and stuff? I don't want to sound like a jerk or anything, but I've gone looking for a fifth team member with Astis a couple of times, and it's been a bust each time."

Once more, Isis gives Astis a conspicuous look, as if saying, 'Are you really sure about this?', to which Astis screws her golden eyes shut and harshly nods.

With a click of her tongue, Isis answers Brendan. "Then you are in luck, Brendan Birch. The condition of our assistance is that you take Astis as your newest member."

'What?' Brendan's blue eyes narrow, and when he looks at Lee, Zinnia, and Ninetales, all of them seem equally confused as well.

Astis stands, her arms held stiffly to her sides. She cracks open her eyes and looks at Brendan with hope.

Then she begins to glow.

The redheaded girl shines a bright white with shimmers of rainbow color throughout, from the very tips of her toes to the very top of her head. Then, as if made of light itself, her human shape bends and contorts, refracting like a beam of light caught between countless tiny mirrors. The shape grows thin wings, a long neck, and arms ending in a trio of talons. As quick as it started, the light show is over, and hovering in Astis' place is a living, breathing Latias.

Brendan feels his jaw drop, gaping at the legendary pokemon that just revealed itself to him.

He's not alone. Over on the couch, Lee's eyes widen such that his face tugs at his scars. He reaches down, only to realize with a muttered curse that his bag, and thus his notebook, isn't at his feet.

Brendan can't really read Ninetales' expression, but all of her wavy tails going still seems like surprise to him.

Zinnia looks at the Latias with her lips pursed and the beginnings of a scowl on her face after the shock fades away. She looks none too pleased by what just occurred in front of her. She palms her face with a groan. "Fuck. I should've known…"

Wait a minute.

The condition of our assistance is that you take Astis as your newest member.

Without meaning to, Brendan shoots to his feet, pointing a finger at… Astis? Latias? "Hold on! You mean to tell me that you were a Latias the entire time?"

The Latias shyly looks away.

"And that…"

"… She wishes to take you as a trainer?" Isis finally allows herself a small smile. "I would ask you to forgive her deceptions, both for her appearance and for your botched hunts. The latter was purposeful, and she did not wish for your team to fill before she could work up the nerve to reveal herself."

… So Astis was misleading him the entire time for her own gain, just like Courtney. Despite the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before him, Brendan can't help but feel a bit put out by being deceived again.

It just seems to keep happening.

The excitement drains away, and Brendan sits back down, folding his hands in his lap and staring at the floor as he thinks.

"Birch?"

Brendan looks up to Isis, whose smile is falling. "You… do not seem pleased. Is Latias not to your liking?

Beside Isis, Latias seems petrified at the idea. She stares at Brendan pensively, her shyness completely replaced by apprehension.

"Why?" Brendan asks simply.

Isis and Latias share a glance. "I don't believe either of us understands the question."

"Why me?" Brendan asks again, this time more intently. "What about me is so special that you would do all of this? What are you hoping to get out of it?"

Both Latias and Isis seem to have been caught flat-footed by the questioning. Red eyes meet gold, and Brendan recognizes the minute shifts in their expression, having seen the same thing between Lee and Ninetales whenever they use telepathy.

The not-so-silent staring match is broken when Isis turns back to Brendan. "Latias only wishes for a life beyond the village at the side of a worthwhile trainer," she begins softly. "You are no fool, Brendan Birch, so surely you must know the risks such an extravagant pokemon takes when they live amongst people. There always exists the risk of a trainer who would capture them, mislead them, use their power for wrong. Without being at the side of the trainer worthy of trust, she would have no hope of living a life free of paranoia outside Draconid lands."

Latias gulps and nods with Isis' words, staring at Brendan pleadingly.

"To that end," Isis continues on, voice little higher than a whisper, "she would not accept a trainer without a heart most pure. Yours, Brendan Birch, is what she's looking for."

Brendan finds his slowly building temper stalling out. He looks towards Lee, Ninetales, and Zinnia, but they seem content to remain quiet and watch. Returning his attention to Latias and Isis, Brendan mulls over his next words. "No one she's ever met has been better? What about Lee? He lives and breathes everything pokemon. Or Zinnia? She's your Lorekeeper, sworn to be your tribe hero."

Latias twiddles her talons, making a low croon in her throat.

"Lee Henson's heart is pure, but there is little room left to spare within it," Isis carefully answers. The corners of her eyes are crinkled, and Brendan can tell his unexpected questioning is stressing her. "Thelban Zinnia… She has changed since her departure from our lands, changed for the better. Were you not with them, Latias may have turned her sights upon them, but as it stands, you are the one she wishes for, Brendan Birch."

Oh man… Brendan almost wishes that the mega stone thing was the worst problem he had to face today.

"It's your call, Brendan," Zinnia says, leaning back on the couch and watching everything with scrutiny. "You've got Lee and I to help out if you wanna take this responsibility on, and if you don't, then don't. Simple as that."

Lee's encouraging smile pairs with Zinnia's words, and Brendan comes to a decision.

"A couple of months ago, a girl named Courtney lied to me for weeks straight to get what she wanted out of me, and I nearly threw my friends' lives away when everything came to a head, only changing my mind at the very last second," Brendan begins, earning him a startled look from Latias and Isis. He stares Latias in the eyes. "I understand why you kept everything to yourself, but I hate being lied to, and I hate being manipulated, even for situations like this. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Latias visibly wilts, shrinking in on herself and hovering backwards. She begins to shimmer, her body becoming transparent.

"So that means, starting today, there's no lying or withholding information from me or the team, okay?"

The nearly invisible Latias stops, looking at Brendan incredulously, before hope begins to rise to her face.

Brendan can't really stop the smile that tugs at his lips. "As long as you can follow that rule, welcome to the team."

The nearly transparent Latias becomes visible once more, and before Brendan can say anything else, she zooms across the room and pulls him into a bone crushing hug.

'Oof! For having such short arms, she's really strong!' Grimacing, Brendan smacked his hand against the back of one of her arms. "I need air! Tap out!"

Latias releases him with an embarrassed squeak, dropping Brendan back into his chair. Once the stars stop dancing in his vision and he catches his breath, Brendan reaches for one of the empty pokeballs on his belt. Taking it, he holds the capsule out to Latias, giddiness making him shake a little. "Whenever you're ready!"

Hovering forward and reaching a tentative arm out, Latias pokes the button in the middle of the ball, making it pop open and suck her inside as a mass of light. The ball shuts and doesn't even shake once before it dings.

"Holy crap…" Brendan murmurs to himself.

'I just caught a legendary pokemon. Without a fight. Dad is going to lose his mind.' Then he frowns as the sheer enormity of what just happened really hits him. 'Oh no. Dad is actually going to lose his mind.'

---

Before any screeching starts, remember that Brendan is 12. He's not smashing Latias, or anyone else for that matter.

---

Below are the names of some patrons who got to view this chapter early and felt like signing it. A huge thanks to them and everyone else who supports this story and everything else I write.

Moxie, Dicloniuslord, Spice_King, milk_, puppy0cam, Berusella, UmbraBree, Nickerdoodle, MrWifi, Ultra_Anon, Latscry, Emeraldleafeon, Arcaryx, Javidom, Sinnohan, OmegaEntertainment, KaurisAzurai, rizen, Ranger, GordianVapCat, BrokenOlive, OpN, ShaRose, ncskeeter56, Dusks_Lantern, Fabhar , drykeon, Tezral, Derlock, Bruv, TheTankiestTrain, IRS, Zany Old Coot, MrPerson0, Moonlit Chaser, Raiger, Hazel Kings, Cynicals, Nithalys, Vorac1ty, SenrabMJam, Planetace, RGBDragon, Adean23, Rinzoro, Kyubei, Emilowish, Kats, speedyzman13, IAmYourKingAndMaster, Siphon Rayzar, Derpydude9001, Ninjadanimo, Gavinfoxx, Shrimperium, Rémi C., PAXAMERICANA, HolyChomper, Purple Floof, MidnightJayguar, soup, Taitenator, demonmonkey89, Cynicals, HolyChomper,

 

[Retigh]

... so does this mean we make Brendan x Latias comments in the foxbox now?

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

I fucking knew it! Anyway awesome chapter. Looks like an Elders being a stubborn dumbass but thats nothing new. Quite curious on what Lees gonna have to hold his Keystone. I mean Zinnia has that weird leg thing and Brandons probably gonna get his canon one but Lees is up for debate.

 

[Sub[0]]

Waifu get?

 

[Freeze046]

I was wondering how or if we were ever gonna get the Latias/Latios joining Brendan's team in this fic and I guess that answers my question. Though I have to wonder if even a mega eon is gonna be enough to deal with the primal Groudon. Not by itself of course but as a deterrent because based on this fic's powerscaling a legendary does embody exactly what the word means but not for all of them. Only their potential (in the case of the eon duo and I think most mythicals including the Justice trio) or their embodiment gives them the right to have them be legendary. For the case of Latias, I do not believe she is truly up there yet but has the potential to get there. Question is if they (Brendan, Lee, and Zinnia) will have enough time to get her to that peak to even stall a legendary such as Groudon who is a legendary in terms of embodiment and experience. Either way nice reveal of Astis being Latias because I did not expect that, and it brought back memories of Altomare for me. TFTC!!

 

[Kalstorm22]

Awesome chapter! Good for Brendan.