Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I was sat on my bed, my heart pounding as I stared at the clock in anticipation, every second feeling like an eternity. It was nearly 2 a.m., that’s when Joshua told me to leave. We’d been planning this for weeks now but… was I really about to go through with this? It wasn’t too late. I could unpack my bag and just pretend nothing happened. But then I glanced down at the pokeball sitting next to me on my bed, and thought better of it. Even if he might understand my apprehension, Arthur would be disappointed in me if I gave up so easily. Me and my little Rookidee… we’d be free, just like I promised him.

Moments later, it was time. I stood up from the bed, clipped Arthur's pokeball to my belt and pulled out a small kit that Joshua had given me a few weeks ago. I didn’t even want to know where my families butler learned lockpicking, or why. But I wasn’t going to complain. After I came out to my parents, they started locking my door at night, along with cutting my internet access. They told me that the internet was “corrupting me” and that they didn’t want the heir of their company to be seen as some freak. I didn’t know what to do. But then one night after dinner, without telling me what it even was Joshua slipped me the kit and some instructions. I’d spent the past few weeks practicing unlocking and relocking my bedroom door. It had practically become a game at this point, timing myself. By now, I could do it in seconds.

With a click, the door was unlocked. I… I could leave. I could leave! I raced over to the bed, grabbed my backpack, and gave myself one last glance over in the mirror. I was wearing a short white dress and a pair of black leggings that I’d managed to sneak into my room, along with some tennis shoes and a blue denim jacket. My dark brown hair was cut short, but it wouldn’t be for long if I could help it. From now on, my hair would be free to grow as long as I pleased. I could be a girl, just like I wanted.

After checking to make sure the coast was clear, I quickly made my way down the halls of the mansion, treading as carefully as I could to not make a sound. For a moment I wondered how long it would be until someone noticed I wasn’t in my room, but it wouldn’t matter. By the time anyone did notice, I would already be long gone. The servants had already gone to sleep, and Joshua had reassured me that the house would be particularly light on guards patrolling the grounds tonight. Now it was up to me to make it the rest of the way.

I paused at the corner leading into the entry hall and peeked around the corner. It was cloudy that night, casting the room in darkness. All I could make out were the few large statues of Pokemon dotting the room and the large set of stairs that went up to the second floor of the house. For a moment I paused, thinking of how my parents were probably upstairs sleeping… and that tonight might have been my last time ever seeing them. Last time ever setting foot in this place, if I could help it.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and narrowed my eyes. Now wasn’t the time to think about that. The coast was clear, I could leave, that’s all that mattered. I made my way across the room, reaching for the front door. After a moment of hesitation, I twisted the handle and opened the door.

A cool night breeze greeted me as I stepped out onto the front porch and closed the door behind me. Despite my overwhelming anxiety and fear, I found myself smiling at the absurdity of the situation. I quickly made my way down the front porch stairs, while I constantly looked around me for any threats. There were a few bushes and plants I could hide behind in the yard as I made my way across the property, but it was never a guarantee that nobody could see me. Even now, someone could spot me from inside the house, and I’d have guards swarming me in moments.

The world around me was silent aside from the wind and my own footsteps, although that wasn’t surprising. Wild Pokemon had never liked this place either. My family owned the largest pokeball and trainer item manufacturer on the continent, Belrose Industries. And despite all the talk of “the joy of unity between people and pokemon” during their business parties, I knew my parents. As far as they were concerned, Pokemon belonged to humanity, and were nothing more than tools.

My angry thoughts were abruptly ended when all of a sudden, I heard a shout. “Hey! What the fuck do you think you’re doing out here kid?!”

I spun around, spotting the source of the voice. A man in a suit, one of my families guards, was sprinting at me from across the yard. In surprise, I scrambled to get up from my position behind a bush and began sprinting for the fence. Sneaking around wasn’t an option anymore, and I only had one chance at this. If I got caught I knew my parents would make sure I never got another opportunity to escape. That fear drove me forwards, running faster than I ever had before.

As I ran I heard the telltale sound of a pokeball opening, and gasped in surprise as I glanced behind me. The man’s partner, a Growlithe, was hot on my heels. I reached down to my belt, grabbing the only pokeball on it. “Arthur! I need help!”

In a flash the Rookidee appeared. Without even a moment’s hesitation, he dived at the approaching Growlithe, crying out as he did. “DEEEEEEEE!!”

The Growlithe tried to dodge out of the way, but ended up getting caught by the attack in his side. It barely did any damage, but thankfully it was enough. The force of the attack caused him to trip, sending him tumbling into the dirt. Luckily that bought me all the time I needed. As I approached the incoming wall, I leapt, managing to grab the top. I winced as some of the stone dug into my hands, and I felt my leggings tear as I rushed to pull myself up and over the rest of the wall. But seconds later, I made it. Unfortunately, rushing didn’t quite account for the getting down part, and I crashed into the ground on the other side of the wall, landing right on my ass.

“Ow…” I groaned in pain, but then I felt a tug at my jacket; Rookidee was desperately trying to drag me along with his talons. I waved him off, and with a bit of pain managed to stand. “Hey, hey, I’m fine Arthur. Nothing’s broken, I think. Come on, we need to go.”

Rookidee and I took off as fast as we could down the road. I could hear guards and their Pokemon chasing after us, quickly gaining on the little ground we had managed to get by going over the fence. I smirked though, seeing a familiar car as it approached us, its headlights a shining beacon in the darkness. It came to a stop in front of me, and with a last burst of speed I yanked the back door of the car open, and Arthur and I dived inside. I screamed out at the driver as I slammed the door closed behind us. “DRIVE!”

The driver slammed his foot on the gas, causing the car to lurch forward with a burst of speed. After I finally registered that the car was moving, I breathed a sigh of relief. I took a look out the cars back window, giving the mansion one last glance. The place where I’d practically spent my entire life was quickly fading into the distance. I shivered a bit at the loss of that comfort zone, but shook my head. I was free now, that was infinitely better than what I had back there.

“My apologies, Lady Belrose.” I heard the driver speak. “It seems your escape went a bit more roughly than I’d hoped it would. Are you hurt?”

I turned to face him, and in the dim light of the car I saw my rescuer. A young man in his late twenties, with short dirty blonde hair and a white button up shirt. Joshua Thorn, my families butler.

“Probably a bit of bruising, but I think I should be fine. Nothing feels broken, at least. Thanks for the save there at the end though, I really thought they were going to catch me.” I slumped back into the car seat, sighing in relief. “Also, I… really don’t want to hear that last name right now. I just got out of that place, I don’t really want any reminders of it. From now on can you just, I dunno, call me Vivian or something? You aren’t even my butler anymore.”

“Hm… well, I suppose that makes some sense. Very well, Lady Vivian.” He smirks as I give him a look. “I may not be your butler anymore, nor would your family be likely to even let me keep my position once they figure out that I helped you. But you… I will always be at your service, my Lady.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled at his dramatics, then looked down at the cars other occupant. “You okay Arthur? Not hurt anywhere are you?”

The little bird looked up at me, and happily chirped. “Rook!”

I laughed as I picked him up, setting him in my lap. After a moment of nesting in my jacket, he laid down. I smiled, then turned to look out the window. In the darkness all I can see is the silhouettes of trees passing by. The clouds had started to part, allowing the moon to shine through, bathing the forest around us in its dim light. As I stared out at the passing wilderness, I spoke to Joshua. “How far will it be to Nimbasa city?”

“Not too far, at least. Once we get there we’ll get you on the train to Nuvema Town. Legally your parents can’t stop you now, but… well I doubt it needs to be said, but the further away you are from them, the better.” The blondes eyes narrowed slightly.

“Yeah.” I idly pet Arthur, doing my best to think about anything but my parents. “I’m glad to be out of there, but… what’s going to happen to you now? I’m grateful for all your help, but are you sure you’ll be okay losing your job like that?”

Joshua laughed lightly at that. “Lady Vivian, as well as your family paid me, I never truly needed their money. The job… I suppose you could say it was more about the connections, as far as I was concerned. And in the end it gave me the perfect position to assist you, when I realized you needed my help. The loss of a bit of extra income is nothing compared to that.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that. I guess it made some sort of sense, even if any important connections my family had weren’t exactly the type of people you’d want to be associating with, but I suppose it wasn’t any of my business. Despite his reassurances though, I still found myself feeling a little guilty. He shouldn’t have had to go to such lengths for me in the first place. As I frowned, I felt the effects of staying up so late and having such a stressful night finally catch up to me, and I let out a yawn.

“You should get some rest, Lady Vivian.” Joshua glanced back at me. “I’ll wake you once we get to the train station, and you should be able to get some rest on the way to Nuvema Town as well. From my own experience, the seats on the train are rather comfortable.”

“I… yeah, I probably should. Thank you again, Joshua.” I tiredly smiled. In my lap, Arthur made a small chirp. I laughed as I pet the little guys head. “Yes, thank you too Arthur. You were such a big help tonight, my little knight.”

I shifted around in the seat, eventually finding a position comfortable enough to rest in. I held Arthur close to me, as I felt myself begin to drift off.

“Sir? Er, Miss?...” I groaned as I felt someone tap on my shoulder. “We’ve just reached Nuvema Town. You’ll have to get off the train.”

Groggily I opened my eyes and sat up with a yawn. The morning sun was shining through the train car window, and a man in a uniform was standing in front of me, looking at me with an expectant look. A moment later, I processed what he said, and my eyes went wide. “Oh! Uh, thank you! Sorry, it’s been a long night.”

The man laughed at that, though I noticed he looked a little concerned as well. “I can see that. Well, go ahead and grab your things, and I’ll get you off the train.”

After I slipped my backpack onto my shoulders and made sure Arthur's pokeball was on my belt, I proceeded to follow the man down the train car. He opened one of the doors for me, and a moment later I stepped out onto the train platform. The cold morning air greeted me as I looked around. The train platform was a rather simple slab of concrete with a roof. Extremely basic compared to the grandness of the Nimbasa City Station, although I suppose it’s all this town really needed. As far as I was aware the population in Nuvema Town was fairly small.

“Hey there!”

I looked over to the source of the voice in surprise, spotting an older woman with light brown hair in a lab coat approaching me. Even if Joshua hadn’t told me that I’d be meeting her here, I wouldn’t be much of a trainer if I didn’t recognize this woman. Professor Aurea Juniper, the regional pokemon professor of Unova. “Going by your appearance, you’d be Vivian, correct?”

“Yeah, that’d be me…” I awkwardly replied. “Um, I assume you’re Professor Juniper?”

“That’s right. It’s nice to meet you! Although I wish it could’ve been under better circumstances.” Her smile faltered a bit, and I noticed her looking directly at the tears and splotches from the dirt in my clothes. “Well, the important thing is you’re here now. Speaking of which, the lab isn’t far from here at all. I was planning on walking back, but looking at you… my wife should be on her way home right now, since she works overnight for her Dream Mist research. I could have her bring the car here to pick us up, if you’d rather not walk?”

“I… think I’d rather walk, to be honest. Even though I had to run a bit last night, that train ride has my legs feeling all stiff.” I admitted, and I shuffled a bit awkwardly under her gaze.

“Totally fine, just wanted to be sure.” She beamed. “We can get you familiarized with the town later on, but for now we’ll just get you home and cleaned up. Now, shall we get going?”

I nodded, and I followed her down from the train platform. From what I could see the town was a far cry from the large, sprawling cities I was used to visiting with my parents. There were a few houses and other buildings off in the distance I could see, but aside from that this place seemed fairly rural. The air was fresh with a hint of humidity from the nearby ocean, and the morning sun felt pleasant as a light breeze blew by. I took a deep breath in and out, feeling myself relax as we continued to walk.

A few minutes later, Professor Juniper and I were walking up to a fairly large orange roofed house. She glanced over at the small driveway in front of the place. “Hm, looks like Fennel isn’t quite home yet.” She continued to walk forwards till I saw her stop at the front door, fishing a set of keys out of her pocket. She opened the door, then turned around and gave me a small smile. “Well, come on in!”

I hesitantly stepped inside, hearing the door shut behind me as the professor walked in after me. Looking around, I found myself in a rather nice and tidy looking living room. Next to the couch along the far wall I spotted several wooden bookshelves, all filled to the brim with books. I also saw several potted plants, and what looked like a small play tower for a pokemon of some kind. Overall, this place was definitely a lot smaller than I was used to, but that was more than okay. My families large mansion had many rooms, all of which were beautifully decorated and cleaned. But all of it felt soulless in a way, and an egregious waste of space. By comparison, the Juniper family home felt welcoming and properly lived in.

“Welcome to our humble abode.” Juniper walked past me, hanging her lab coat on a nearby rack. “Now, I know there’s a lot to discuss, but I’d prefer any important conversation wait until after my wife gets home and you’re properly cleaned up, because you kinda look like you just got done fighting an Ursaring.”

“Fair enough.” I laughed. “Thank you, Professor. Um, do you mind telling me where the bathroom would be? Now that you’ve brought it up, a shower sounds kinda amazing right now.”

“Of course. It’s going to be down that hall over there, first door on the left.” She said as she pointed out the hallway for me. “Feel free to use whatever products are in there if you didn’t bring your own. And please, call me Aurea. You’re going to be living with us, at least for now, so you can feel free to be a bit more casual with Fennel and I.”

“I… well, thank you Aurea.” I looked down, unable to meet her eyes as I suddenly felt even more awkward than I already was. Without another word, I walked off towards the bathroom.

I found it easily enough, and closed the door behind me as I stepped inside. I unceremoniously set my bag down and turned on the shower. Before I began to strip, I took Arthur's pokeball off my belt. I looked down at it in my hand, idly sliding my thumb across the surface, and felt myself begin to relax, knowing at least I still had my closest companion. I wasn’t sure if Aurea could tell how anxious I was, but it was taking everything I had to keep my composure. This was the farthest I’d ever been from my parents, and despite knowing that I probably made the right choice, I couldn’t help my doubts and fears.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I let my thoughts calm, and I gently set Arthur's pokeball on the bathroom counter. I quickly took my clothes off, not wanting to see myself naked for any longer than necessary. I did at least take note of some of the bruises along my hips and legs. Nothing seemed too bad at the very least. After checking myself, I checked the water to see if it was sufficiently scalding hot, and I stepped inside.

A while later, I stepped out of the bathroom. I’d swapped into a more comfortable change of clothes, just a simple pair of sweatpants and a shirt that I’d brought with me. As I walked out, I smelt something delicious. Did Aurea make food? I slipped Rookidee’s pokeball into my pocket and walked out to the living room. As I did, I heard Professor Juniper conversing with someone else. Their conversation suddenly stopped, as I’m pretty sure the professor heard me.

“Oh? All done in the shower Vivian? Come on into the kitchen, I just finished making breakfast!” I heard Aurea shout from the nearby room.

Walking in, I saw the professor. She had seemingly swapped out her trademark lab coat for an apron as she stood over the stove. Standing next to her is a black-haired woman with glasses that I didn’t recognize. She looked over at me, and gave me a cheery smile. “Hi there! I’m Fennel. Sorry I wasn’t around to greet you when you got here, I was running a little late getting back from my lab. But it’s nice to meet you.”

“Um, hi.” As nice as they seem to be, I admittedly still had no idea how to talk to these women. “Sorry if I’m a little awkward right now. Just kinda processing everything still.”

Aurea looked over at me. “Don’t worry Vivian, we know it’s probably overwhelming for you right now. Take all the time you need, and don’t hesitate to ask if you need something, alright?”

“Alright.” I muttered. “Also, uh, speaking of needing something, could I borrow a bowl for Arthur’s food? It’s his breakfast time too. I brought some of his food in my bag, I just need something to put it in.”

“Oh! Yeah, absolutely. We have a few pokemon of our own we need to feed, and we get plenty of visitors, so we always have all the essentials for pokemon care.” Fennel beamed. “How about you let the little cutie out so we can be properly introduced? He’s a Rookidee, right?”

“Yeah, been my partner since I was little. Come on out Arthur.” I took his pokeball out from my pocket and let him loose. After he materialized he looked around the room, locking eyes with me. With a chirp he flew at me and landed on my shoulder, affectionately rubbing his cheek into my own.

“Awww, what an adorable little guy!” Fennel fawned over the small bird on my shoulder.

“That’s not a pokemon typically found in Unova. If I remember right, the Rookidee line is native to Galar.” Aurea looked at Arthur with a curious expression.

“I, er, yeah. I didn’t catch him myself though…” I blushed a bit. “My parents bought an egg from a breeder when I was younger, and gave him to me as a present.”

It was a little embarrassing as a trainer to admit that my only pokemon wasn’t even one I actually caught. Not to mention I’d had him for nearly a decade and still haven’t gotten him to evolve or really ever even battled with him. My parents had always seen pokemon as status symbols or tools. They hired top level battlers to train their teams for them, and paid for the rarest pokemon they could get their hands on. They told me that Rookidee was so that I could get used to commanding a pokemon, and that once they thought I was ready, they’d “allow” me to have more pokemon.

It has me worried for how my journey’s going to go, I don’t know the first thing about actually training him to fight. My little knight is just a pampered boy!

“Hey, that’s perfectly fine.” Aurea said, noticing my embarrassment. “It doesn’t matter how you two met, your friendship is real. That’s all that really matters.”

“Huh… I suppose you’re right.” I muttered in response. I glanced over to Arthur on my shoulder, and saw him looking at me. He rubbed his cheek against me again, and I laughed as I lifted a hand to pet him.

Fennel looked between the two of us with a smile. “Now that breakfast is ready and we’re all here, why don’t we all grab some food and eat? I kinda forgot to eat last night, so I’m starving.”

She looked a little embarrassed as Aurea chided her. We all laughed, then grabbed food for ourselves and our pokemon. The two professors had let out their own partners, a little Mincinno and Munna. Along with my Rookidee, the three pokemon were all eating from their own bowls and conversing with one another animatedly. I giggled at the sight before returning to my own meal.

The Junipers seemed content to talk with each other about what happened at their respective labs, and I chimed in with questions on occasion. Aurea was apparently planning some big trip with a research team to various ruins around Unova, and Fennel had recently had a breakthrough with her Dream Mist research, although the way she explained it was a little bit too high concept for me. As time went on I felt a little more comfortable around the two women, although I still wasn’t entirely sure what to make of my situation. I still had no idea how Joshua even knew the regional professor. As we neared the end of our meals, I figured now was as good a time as any to ask.

“Hey Aurea? I actually have a bit of a question.”

“Hm? Alright, ask away.” The professor looked at me quizzically.

“How exactly do you know Joshua? When he first told me he had someone willing to take me in, my first guess definitely wouldn’t have been the regional professor.” Although to be honest, when he told me he’d start looking, I didn’t really expect anyone to be willing to take me in to begin with.

“Oh? That’s easy. He’s actually my cousin.” She answered with a smile.

“What?” I blinked a few times at that. I mean I guess that was a good an explanation as any, but really?

“Haha, yeah, I thought he would’ve told you.” Her smile faltered a bit, and for a moment I swear she looked… troubled? Confused? “To be honest, we hadn’t talked in a long while when he called to tell me about you. I didn’t really expect him to be a butler, of all things. Growing up he was quite the battler. I half expected him to be a gym leader or some other high level trainer by now.”

Wait, seriously? Joshua was some kind of battling pro? I’d never even seen him with a pokemon before. Maybe he just didn’t bring them to work?

Before I got lost in my thoughts, Aurea spoke up again. “Well, since we’re already on a related topic, we might as well get this discussion out of the way.”

She looked at me with a serious expression.

“Joshua gave Fennel and I a basic rundown of your situation, before we agreed to take you in. We want to be able to help, but in order to do that to the best of our ability, I want you to tell me everything that happened from your perspective.”

I guess that made sense. If they were going to be housing me against my parents will, it’s kinda obvious that they’d want to know. I sighed, taking a minute to gather all of my thoughts before speaking. “I’ve been dealing with gender dysphoria for a long time, as long as I can remember really. At one point, Joshua caught me trying on some of my mothers clothes, and for whatever reason he decided to help me. He got me some clothes that actually fit, and for a while I was happy even just being able to wear them in the privacy of my own room. But… over time the dysphoria got worse. And about six weeks ago, I came out to my parents so that I could try to get on hrt… a stupid mistake.”

I venomously spat out the last few words, and both Aurea and Fennel looked at me in concern. Aurea spoke up.

“With Unova’s informed consent laws, anyone above the age of 16 is able to start hormone replacement therapy without parental approval. But if I were to guess, coming out to them meant more than that to you.”

“Of course it meant more to me!” I unintentionally snapped. I noticed my tone, and took a deep breath to calm myself before speaking again. “Sorry, just… I didn’t just want to be a girl. I wanted to be their daughter.”

I looked down at my hands, blinking away some tears that had formed. I noticed the two looking at me with worried expressions, and decided to speak before they could. I don’t need their pity.

“Anyways, it was a dumb mistake, and my parents definitely weren’t happy about it. They told me they didn’t want their ‘son’ to be some kind of freak, so they kept me restricted to the estate, even locking my bedroom door at night, and they entirely took away my internet access. If I had to guess, they thought maybe if they kept me isolated long enough, I’d just forget about it. But it only got worse.”

Fennel's expression twisted into one of anger. “That’s horrible! What sort of parents would do that?!”

Aurea placed a hand on Fennel's shoulder, calming her. Then she looked back over at me. “I assume this is around the time where Joshua got in contact with us.”

“Yup.” I muttered. “You know everything from that point. Joshua planned my escape attempt, and here I am.”

“Here you are indeed.” Aurea murmured. “Well, now that we have the full picture, I can tell you at least the rough plan that Joshua and I came up with for how things are going to go from here. There's the distinct possibility of your family using their monetary and political power to try and make you go back. However, you are 16. By law as long as you are going on a journey, your parents cannot stop you. Or at least, they shouldn’t be able to. The possibility that they could is where I come into play.”

Professor Juniper looked almost smug for a moment.

“I too hold some political power. I can have you registered as one of my lab trainers, which should offer greater protection from their meddling. As an added bonus, you will be given a pokedex and the support of the lab, which would fund your journey and give you access to our research materials, as long as it would assist you.”

For a moment, I’m too stunned to speak. “You’re really offering all that to some stranger? Just like that?”

“Of course. I already have three other soon-to-be lab trainers that will be starting their journeys in a month’s time, so you’d be able to join them fairly easily.” Aurea lightly smiles.

“I… wow, okay. Um, will I need to battle the pokemon gyms? Arthur and I have never even battled, to be honest. I know it sounds silly, but I worry he might get hurt.” I frowned.

Before the professor could respond, Arthur caught my attention with a chirp. I looked down at him, and he puffed out his chest with a determined look. “Rook! Rookidee!”

Fennel and Aurea both laughed at that, and Fennel chimed in. “Well, looks like he knows what he wants to do.”

“And to answer your question, no you don’t actually have to fight any gyms. To be clear, you could even just stick to the area around Nuvema and Accumula and it would still count as lab work. But I would suggest going on a proper journey, gyms and all. It’s quite the experience. Your pokemon get the chance to grow stronger, and you’ll learn a lot about the world and yourself.” Aurea replied.

I sat there for a moment, contemplating her words. As I did, Fennel took the opportunity to speak up. “As long as we’re talking about the support we can offer, I also can provide some particular help for you, if you want it.”

I looked up at her, quirking an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Well, my specialty as far as my research goes right now is Dream Mist and its uses, along with its effects on people and pokemon. But as part of that, I’m actually a licensed physician for both people and pokemon. I even have a few patients I take care of on the side here in Nuvema Town. So if you want it, I could start you on hormone replacement therapy.” Fennel offered with a smile.

“I…” What do I even say to that? This feels a little too fast.

“You don’t have to say yes or no right now!” Fennel seemed to notice my hesitation and rushed to clarify. “Just putting it on the table. If you ever want it, all you have to do is tell me, and we can make it happen.”

“Um, okay…”

“Way to put the girl on the spot, dear.” Aurea sighed, then turned to address me. “Well, I can go ahead and get the paperwork ready to register you as one of my lab trainers. For now, you can feel free to make yourself at home.”

“Alright then.” I was still a bit stunned from Fennel's offer a moment ago. I decided to simply leave the topic for later, and sighed. “Well then, which room am I staying in?”

A couple hours later I was laying down on my bed in my new room. My old phone was still disabled, so I’d found myself idly using my laptop now that I finally had internet access again. Arthur was laying nearby, enjoying the warmth that the laptop gave off as he napped.

“Look at that! The challengers Throh just knocked out Champion Alder’s Bouffalant! Both of them are now down to their final pokemon, we could very well have a new champion in the making here folks!” The voice of the commentator excitedly blared through my headset. Even if I already knew the outcome of the battle, I still felt my heart racing as I observed the two trainers throwing everything they had at one another.

The real question was, was I willing to let Arthur fight like that?

Up until a few weeks ago, my future was already decided for me. I’d inherit my families company, probably get set up with some other rich girl by my parents, and I could spend my life in luxury. It might not have been the life I would’ve chosen for myself if given the option, but it was the life I was prepared for.

Now, I wasn’t even entirely sure what I wanted. I could see the appeal of pokemon battling, but I don’t think I could ever be that good. And if I wasn’t going to be the best at it, what would even be the point? Weeks and months spent wandering the wilderness and cities, fighting hard for every gym badge I could. But if I lost and couldn’t continue, then all of that would be pointless. I’d have to go home, wherever that’d be because I’m sure the Junipers won’t let me stay here forever, and find a regular job.

Just like the man challenging Alder in this video. He didn’t win, and since Alder was still the Unova region’s champion I don’t think he tried again. He might have been hired as some high-level battler for his talents, which from what I knew would pay fairly well. But he’d have to spend the rest of his life knowing he lost, especially that close to greatness.

And I already knew I wouldn’t even be able to get that far. I might get lucky and manage a single gym badge, but any professional trainer would wipe the floor with me. I couldn’t put Arthur through that. Maybe Aurea’s idea for sticking around Nuvema Town had some merit.

As I closed out of the video, I got a message notification on my laptop.

Joshua Thorn: ‘How is everything going? Did you make it to the Junipers safely?’

Vivian Belrose: ‘Oh crap, sorry for not messaging sooner. Yeah I got to them just fine.’

Vivian Belrose: ‘When were you going to tell me that the regional professor was your freaking cousin?’

Joshua Thorn: ‘I figured I’d let that be a surprise.’

I rolled my eyes. Cheeky bastard, as always.

Joshua Thorn: ‘Is everything going alright?’

Vivian Belrose: ‘Yeah. I talked with them about what the plan was. Aurea is making me one of her lab trainers. Thinks it’ll keep mom and dad off my back.’

Joshua Thorn: ‘A simple solution, but an effective one. It’s why I asked her in the first place.’

Joshua Thorn: ‘As a fair warning, your parents already sent the police to check my place. I did inform the officers of where you were currently, and that you were exercising your rights as a trainer. They shouldn’t give you too much trouble, especially since you’re with Aurea. But I would expect an officer to come around at some point to make sure you haven’t been taken against your will.’

I sighed. Of course, just another thing to deal with. Why not?

Vivian Belrose: ‘Of course. Well, aside from that I’m basically just resting. Not sure how often I’ll be able to enjoy a warm bed when I’ll probably have to sleep in a tent when my journey starts. Honestly, for that reason alone I might stick to the areas near Nuvema Town. Being able to come home to my own bed sounds way nicer.’

Joshua Thorn: ‘Haha, it’s not so bad, trust me. Especially since whenever you are in a town, the pokemon center has rooms for trainers. And speaking from personal experience, a full journey around the region is an unforgettable experience. You really should consider it.’

So says you, ‘mister battling pro’ turned butler.

Vivian Belrose: ‘Maybe. I don’t know.’

I closed my laptop with a huff, deciding to simply drop the conversation. I set the laptop off to the side, and felt the blankets next to me shifting a bit. Arthur yawned as his eyes blinked open. He then looked over at me with a curious expression, as if demanding to know where his heater had gone. “Rook?”

I giggled at the sight, then opened my arms. “Come here, little knight.”

The small bird pokemon hopped over to me, cuddling into my arms with a small cry of happiness. I held him close, and gave him little scratches on his head as he drifted back off to sleep.

‘How could I let such a little baby ever fight?’

I closed my eyes, enjoying the comfort of the pillow and blanket. It was only about five o’clock in the afternoon, but I was exhausted. I felt myself beginning to drift off.

‘Whatever we end up doing, at least from now on it’ll be our own path. Arthur and I, we’ll be as free as all the other birds in the sky. I swear.’

And with that last thought, I fell asleep.

Chapter Text

I held out the cold little treat I’d just bought for Arthur, letting the small bird happily munch on it. We were sat together on a park bench, enjoying the shade from a nearby tree. It wasn’t too hot out today, but we’d been out in the sun for a while when we saw an ice cream stand, and I felt like treating Arthur. Hearing the little joyful noises he was making, it was so worth it.

It had been about a week since I’d moved in with the Junipers, and I was still adjusting to my new situation. Aurea had finalized all the paperwork to make me one of her lab trainers, and like Joshua had warned me, the day after I arrived an officer showed up to check on me. I was nervous, but thankfully it didn’t take much to convince him I was okay and to go away. I was also thankfully informed that my parents had not been informed of my whereabouts, so that was a major relief. And for the Junipers themselves, they seemed content to give me the time and space I needed to get used to everything and settled in. Fennel hadn’t even brought up offering me hrt again.

That didn’t quite stop me from constantly thinking about it, but I appreciated her leaving it to me.

I sighed as I thought about it for what felt like the millionth time. I wanted to start it, obviously. But I was… nervous. From what I knew, the science behind medical transitioning had come a long way in the past few decades. Hrt acted fast, and a full transition could now be achieved within a year or two. I was scared though, like, what if I turned out ugly? I mean, I already hated looking at myself in the mirror as a guy. That was a familiar pain. But if I looked in the mirror as a girl and still hated my appearance? I don’t know how I could live with that.

Arthur finished off his treat, then flew up to my shoulder and happily rubbed his cheek against mine. I laughed and gave him a head scratch, then I stood up to continue my walk. I’d started walking for a couple of hours each day the past few days, mostly to get out of the house and to prepare for my journey. I’d never been the most physically active person, but I’d figured even getting a little bit of exercise in would be better than none in the long run.

As we made our way through the park, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. The Junipers had helped me get a new one, since my parents had completely turned off the data for the old one. Glancing at the screen, I saw that it was Fennel calling me. I decided to answer the phone.

“Hey Fennel, what’s up?”

“Hey Vivian.” I heard her yawn on the other end of the call. “Sorry, just woke up a bit ago, overnight work is killer on my sleep schedule… Anyways, you’re out walking right now, right?”

“Yeah, Arthur and I are over at the park right now.”

“Alright, I had a bit of a question. I know that things were kinda awkward, with me offering you hrt totally out of the blue when you’d only just gotten here. Plus I know you don’t have much in the way of a wardrobe right now. So as a way to make it up to you, and as a bit of a welcome gift, how would you feel about going clothes shopping with me? I could pick you up with my car, and there’s a bit of a mall in Accumula Town about a twenty minute drive from here.” Fennel sounded a bit anxious. Did she think I was upset about it?

Despite that, I couldn’t help but be excited at the prospect.

“You really don’t need to apologize, it didn’t upset me at all. I’m just still not really sure if I’m ready for hrt.” I sighed. “But anyways, um, sure! I’d actually really love to go, if you’re willing. I’ve never really gone shopping for girl clothes before though, I have no idea what I’d even be looking for.”

“That’s alright! I can help you come up with a few outfits. You can just point out whatever it is you like, and we can go from there.”

“Okay, I’d really like that then.” I couldn’t help but smile.

“Great! You said you’re at the park, right? I’ll be there in ten minutes. See you in a bit!” She hung up before I could respond.

I let out an exasperated sigh at her antics. If there’s anything I’d learned in the past week, it’s that Fennel tended to be a little… impulsive. Oh well, I’d enjoy the shopping trip regardless.

Sometime later, Fennel and I were driving through the streets of Accumula Town. This town was far more developed than the rural Nuvema Town, feeling more like a small city with the few tall buildings and structures around the place, including the decently sized open-air mall we were going to. It was nice to know that a place like this was so close… well, at least by car. It would be a several hour walk between here and Nuvema Town, and that’s if wild pokemon or other trainers didn’t stop me.

My thoughts were interrupted as the car slowly came to a stop along a sidewalk. Fennel slung her purse over her shoulder and gave me an excited smile as she got out of the car. “We’re here! Come on, we’re wasting daylight!”

Was it a shopping trip for me or for her? I laughed at her excitement, and got out of the car to follow after her.

“I’ve got a couple favorites as far as the different clothing stores here go. You’ve gotta be careful when going to a mall though, a lot of stores are incredibly overpriced.” She laughed at that, and I got the impression that she was speaking from experience. Incredibly bank account draining experience.

We walked a bit further, until we stopped at a bit of an intersection in the mall next to a fountain.

“So, it would definitely be a good idea to get some clothes that would hold up well while you’re on your journey, along with a casual outfit or two for when you’re in a city. Before that though, do you have any preferences as far as clothing goes?” Fennel looked at me curiously.

I thought about it for a moment, and felt heat rising to my face in embarrassment. Before Fennel could notice, I decided to just say it. “Pants are fine, but I’m not the biggest fan of them. I prefer leggings… and skirts… or dresses.”

My face only got redder as I continued.

Fennel gave me a look. “Hey, there’s no need to be embarrassed. You’re a girl too, you’re allowed to like skirts and dresses.”

Despite her words, I couldn’t help but still feel embarrassed. “Yeah, okay…”

“Hey.” A moment later she suddenly grabbed my hand and started leading me as she walked off into the mall. “C’mon kiddo, I’m not gonna let you flounder all day. Skirts and dresses would work perfectly fine for adventuring clothes, as long as they’re a bit shorter and well made. And I know the perfect place here for them!”

She dragged me through the mall, and I was entirely flustered as I followed behind. A few moments later, she pulled us both into a clothing store.

Looking around, I saw it was a fairly standard clothing store, with racks for pants, shirts, tops, and other clothing items. Behind the counter was a girl with red hair who appeared to be in her early thirties. There wasn’t anyone else in the store with us, so it looked like she was passing the time by playing on her phone.

After a moment, it seems she noticed us. She glanced up, gave us a smirk, and put her phone away. “Hey Fennel, long time no see. For a moment there I thought your wife had gotten on your case again about your spendin-“

“Aaaah, hey, no Scarlet! No need to bring that up right now!” Fennel shouted, then moved me in front of her. “Look, I’ve just got someone here that could use your help.”

“Oh? A baby trans?” The woman, apparently named Scarlet, looked me up and down with an amused smile.

“This is Vivian. She… well, long story short, she’s staying with Aurea and I, and I figured I’d take her clothes shopping.” Fennel explained.

“Oh? Didn’t know you and Aurea were looking to adopt.” Scarlet playfully teased, and Fennel went bright red.

Oh no, I think she broke her. Wait, my face is red too… shit, this woman’s dangerous.

“I, uh… I’m just staying with them for now.” I explained.

“Heh, I’m just teasing, kiddo.” Scarlet walked over to the two of us. “So, you got anything in mind you’re looking for?”

“Um, skirts and short dresses would be preferable. I’ll be going on my pokemon journey soon, so anything that is good for that, but still… pretty.” I blushed. “Maybe also a few basic pairs of pants and shirts, for more practical reasons.”

“Heh, alright.” She looked me over. “Hm, you’ve got more of a rectangular body shape. Bit of a personal question, but you started hrt yet kid?”

“…No…” I frowned, looking down at myself. Stupid male body…

“Hey, that’s fine. You’re still a pretty gal, hormones or no, alright? I only ask so that I know what I’m working with.” She continued to look me over. “I can definitely still work with this. I’ll try to get you some stuff that’ll work even after you start hrt, but keep in mind you’ll probably have to go shopping on occasion as estrogen does its thing.”

She turned around, walking further into the store. “Follow me, there’s a few pieces I have in mind for you.”

I nodded and hurriedly followed behind her, leaving the still broken and flustered Fennel behind us.

Almost three hours later, Fennel and I walked out of there with several bags of clothes in hand. That was utterly exhausting. Scarlet had me practically running laps around the store, looking at things and heading to the changing room to try them on.

But… despite my embarrassment and the exhaustion, that was pretty nice.

It was also a small mercy on Fennel’s wallet that my parents didn’t have access to my personal bank account. I had a fairly decent amount of funds in there that I’d been putting away for years, and I just spent a small fortune on clothes. I think given what I heard from Scarlet earlier, if I’d let Fennel pay like she wanted to, Aurea might have had more than a few words for her.

I’d also ended up changing out my clothes while I was in there, putting on one of my new dresses. It was a short red and black dress that flared out. Something about defining my hips well, Scarlet had said. Along with the dress I had a pair of black leggings underneath, and a couple bits of jewelry like a new bracelet and necklace. I even got a couple of new pokeball belts that would work well for my dresses. I had one on right now, with Arthur's pokeball filling one of the slots.

Fennel giggled as we walked through the mall, noticing how happy I was. “I assume that this shopping trip was a success?”

“Yes!” I happily exclaimed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I would’ve been totally lost going on my own!”

“Hehe, you’re welcome Vivian. I had fun, even if I was mostly watching while Scarlet did all the suggesting.” She happily sighed, then murmured something I could barely make out. “… reminds me of when I was younger.”

“Huh?” I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Nothing, nothing.” She smiled. “Anyways, since we’re already here, why don’t I give Aurea a call, and she can meet up with us here for dinner?”

She then looked at me with a firm expression.

“And you will not be paying for your meal, you got that? You already paid for all those clothes when I’d offered to pay for at least some of it.”

“I… well, if you insist.” I sighed.

“Great! Now, I’m gonna go use the bathroom real quick, then once I’m out I can call Aurea, and we can decide where we wanna go.” She sets the clothing bags down on a nearby bench. “Wait here, I’ll be right back!” Then she wandered off in search of the nearest restroom.

I set the bags I was holding down alongside the others on the bench, and decided to sit down as well. It’s quite beautiful outside, as the sun started to set. The sky above was a mix of blues, oranges, and pinks, with a couple of clouds practically making it look like a painting. There were a few small trees and other plants in the mall, providing some greenery to contrast the grey buildings and concrete pathways, and there was a beautiful water fountain with lights at the center of it all.

I closed my eyes for a bit, enjoying the peaceful surroundings. At that moment however, I felt a rustling movement at my back. I turned around, and spotted a man in some odd looking white outfit running away. It was then that I felt a noticeable absence on my hip.

Arthur’s pokeball was gone.

I bolted upright in absolute fear, looking desperately to see where the man had gone. I barely managed to catch sight of him again before he ducked into an alley. I sprinted after him, not caring at all for the clothing bags I left behind.

“Stop! Pokemon thief! Please! Someone stop that man!”

I screamed out as I chased the man. I ran into the alley I saw him go down, spotting him glancing back at me and running even further away. I sprinted after him, running as fast as I possibly could. “Please! Don’t take him from me he’s all I have!”

The man rounded a corner, and I followed shortly after him, gaining on him. I then noticed the man had come to a stop, and I slowed to a stop behind him. The two of us were at a dead end. The man sighed, then turned to look at me. It was at that moment that I noticed how incredibly strange his outfit is. His outfit looked like that of a medieval knight, with all white cloth. In the center of his chest was a strange looking insignia.

“I failed to get away, it seems.” The man huffed in annoyance.

“Give me back Arthur!” I shouted.

“Why would I do that? Don’t you see child? Pokemon aren’t meant to be captured by humans like this.” He raised up a pokeball. Arthur’s pokeball. “This is just how they told you things were supposed to be. But pokemon are meant to be free, and to be our equals!”

What in the world was this man even talking about? The man raised his voice as he continued. “Lord Ghetsis has shown me the truth! And I’ll show you, you poor misguided child!”

The man continued his rant, but my eyes caught a movement in his hand. Arthur’s pokeball was shaking violently. Without any other warning the ball snapped open, and Arthur was let loose, letting out a cry of wrath. “ROOKIDEEE!!”

In an instant the small bird pokemon took a slash at the man with his talons, then backed off into a protective position in front of me. The man let out a cry of pain and I saw a gash in his arm, along with blood as it began to stain the sleeves of his outfit. The man glared at the Rookidee, but Arthur didn’t even flinch under his gaze. He was glaring back at the strange man with an utterly hateful glare.

The man sadly shook his head. “So, even a pokemon could be misguided. No matter, I still have your pokeball. I’ll beat you and take you by force.”

The man reached for his pokeball belt, but before he could even grab one, a woman’s voice called out.

“LEAVE HER ALONE YOU BASTARD!”

Before the man could even react, a large creature slammed into him and toppled him to the ground, sending Arthur’s pokeball out of his hand and skidding across the ground. The man was pinned to the ground by a large dog pokemon, a Stoutland. A second later, I noticed there was a rider on Stoutland’s back. The woman from the clothing store, Scarlet.

Scarlet hopped down from Stoutland’s back, and turned to look at me with worry on her face. “Are you two alright? Did he hurt you at all?”

“No, thankfully we’re fine.” My voice was shaky, I was so relieved he hadn’t gotten away. I felt tears as they began to form, and I couldn’t hold them back.

“Thank goodness.” Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she pulled out her phone and made a call. “Hey David, are you in tonight?... Okay, I’ve got a Pokemon thief here that was trying to take a young ladies Pokemon. I’ve got him in one of the alleys behind my shop… Okay, I’ll hold him here till you get here. Thank you.”

The call ended, and she turned to me. “You should get back to Fennel now, kiddo. She’s probably worried sick. The police will likely get in touch with you later for more details, but right now I just want you to get home, alright?”

I felt light-headed and shaky from the stress, and I still couldn’t stop crying, but I nodded. I grabbed Arthur’s pokeball off the ground and clipped it to my belt. Arthur himself landed on my shoulder, giving me a few affectionate rubs with his cheek. I thanked him, then began walking back towards where I’d left the shopping bags.

It took me a minute to make my way back, with the mall being unfamiliar, but I eventually managed it. I saw Fennel standing next to our shopping bags, a look of worry on her face as she frantically looked around in search of me. She noticed me a moment later, and shouted. “Vivian!”

She ran up to me and looked me over. “What happened? I heard people talking about a Pokemon thief, and then you weren’t here and I got worried, and-“

Without really thinking about it, I pulled Fennel into a hug, and began to sob. She stood there for a moment, seemingly unsure how to respond. Eventually, she wrapped her arms around me as well. For a while we just stood there as I cried into her arms. Arthur stayed there on my shoulder, comforting me as best he could with cheek rubs.

“I was so scared.” I sobbed. “There was this really weird guy, and he tried to take Arthur. I chased him down, and Arthur managed to break out of his ball! But then the man tried to attack us.”

“Oh no! You aren’t hurt anywhere are you?!” Fennel looked me and Arthur over again, but I stopped her.

“No, no, we’re both fine. Scarlet heard the commotion and saved us.”

“Oh thank god.” Fennel hugged me tightly.

With some major embarrassment, I finally processed what I did. “Sorry, I totally hugged you without asking, didn’t I?”

Fennel softly laughed, and we finally separated from each other. “Hey, it’s totally okay. Most people I find tend to need the occasional hug, especially when stuff like this happens. With me, you don’t even need to ask.”

“Okay, well… thanks.” I was a bit unsure of how to respond, and my face felt hot. Fennel giggled at my reaction, and I remembered what Scarlet told me. “Well, Scarlet said that we should go home for now, and that the police would probably contact me later to get more details.”

“Alright, that would definitely be best.” Fennel nodded at that. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

A short while later, Fennel and I reached the edge of Nuvema Town. It was a clear night, and the lack of light pollution meant that the stars were beautifully bright. Arthur and I were looking out the passenger side window, admiring it all, when Fennel spoke.

“I’m so, so sorry for how things went tonight. Going out shopping was my idea, and Arthur nearly got stolen for it.” Her voice trembled as she apologized.

“None of that’s on you Fennel.” I did my best to reassure her. “If anything, I should’ve been paying better attention.”

Arthur looked up at me from his position on my lap with a look of indignation. “Rook!”

“Arthur’s right. Vivian, it is not your fault for getting robbed, that would be ridiculous.” Fennel frowned. “Well, either way the guy responsible is getting arrested.”

“Yeah, small mercies at least.” I sighed. “That guy was so strange, shouting something about freeing Arthur. Everything happened so fast, and I was so focused on getting Arthur back that I didn’t really notice at first, but that man… whatever was going on, something is deeply wrong with him.”

“Rookidee.” Arthur nodded in agreement.

For a bit after that we just sat there, going back to silently driving down the road. But then, unexpectedly, Arthur broke the silence.

“Rook.” Arthur stood up on my lap, then stared me in the eyes. “Rooki, dee dee. Rookidee.”

The small bird stood there, unflinchingly holding my gaze. What was he trying to communicate? A second later, he seemed to have realized I didn’t understand. His little brow furrowed, and he shifted around on my lap.

“Rook!” Arthur quickly scratched the air in front of him with his talons, then made a jabbing motion with his beak. Then, he glanced back at me. I raised an eyebrow, but then Fennel chuckled.

“I think he’s trying to say he wants to battle.” Fennel explained.

“Dee.” Arthur nodded at that.

He wanted to learn how to battle? But we’ve never done anything like that, and I wouldn’t even know where to actually begin with training him to properly fight. The only two times in his life he’s ever attacked anything were in the past week, and both were entirely improvised by him, with no input from me. I couldn’t possibly train him correctly. The small bird Pokemon seemed to notice my hesitation, then seemed to sigh.

“Rookidee!” Arthur spoke firmly, staring me straight in the eyes. At that moment, I finally understood that look in his eyes.

Resolve.

“I get the feeling he’s made up his mind.” Fennel commented, giggling at our antics. “Well, I’m pretty sure our home library has some books on pokemon battle training that might help you. You can feel free to read anything you see there.”

“I…” Well, I still didn’t think I’d be very good at training, but after looking at me like that... I couldn’t possibly say no to him. “If you’re that certain, then I’ll do my best to train you.”

“Rookidee.” Arthur gave me a look of joy, and firmly nodded his head.

… I was entirely underestimating him, wasn’t I? I didn’t think he’d want to actually fight. That after living such a sheltered life, maybe he wouldn’t want to. Well, maybe that wasn’t quite right. Maybe I was just letting my own feelings get in the way. Too scared of either of us getting hurt. But even if we tried to avoid fighting, there were still people out there who wouldn’t care. People that would want to hurt us, like that man at the mall. I think Arthur knew that.

As I was lost in thought, I felt the car slowly come to a stop. Looking up, I noticed that we’d gotten back to the Junipers home. Fennel unbuckled her seat belt, and looked over at me in concern. “Before we head inside I need to ask, are you doing okay?”

I sighed softly, looking away from Fennel for a moment before responding. “What happened at the mall… I think it’ll take me a bit to be fully okay after that. I’m just glad he didn’t get away.”

“Agreed.” Fennel nodded at that. “And Vivian, if you ever need help, or someone to talk to, or anything, I promise Aurea and I will do everything we can to help. We want you to know that you’re safe with us.”

I felt tears forming in my eyes, but I wiped them away and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Now, why don’t we get you two inside? Don’t worry about the clothes, I’ll handle them.” Fennel stepped out the car, and I followed shortly behind.

As we walked along the short concrete path to the front door, I stopped. Fennel noticed, and stopped to turn around and look at me.

“Is everything alright Vivian?”

I felt my heart beating violently from anxiety, but I forced myself to stop and take a deep breath to calm down. I was still afraid, stupidly beyond afraid to ask for this. But if my little knight could have the resolve to do what he wants… then so could I. I looked Fennel in the eyes, and spoke.

“I-if the offer is still on the table… could you help me start hrt?”