#pmdfanfic

Wattpad:

Ao3:

PMDFF:

Okay, this was just getting sad. She'd been watching this poor Charmander wander aimlessly for what, thirty minutes now? The gleaming badge pinned to his scarf identified him as a member of the local guild, but she wasn't sure she believed it. Could explorers really be so pathetic? Honestly, he'd been calling the same name this whole time and had achieved nothing but annoying the locals.

Watching from high in the branches of a mighty tree, she shifted slightly before jumping into the bough of a neighbouring Pine. The branch bowed under her weight, but she quickly moved off it, settling on another, closer to the tree's centre, leaving naught but a branch swaying as if in the breeze by her passing.

"Sooner he finds her, sooner he can leave," she mused, stalking him from the treetops.

Her gaze narrowed on the Charmander far below, watching closely as he rifled through a bag slung over his shoulder, retrieving a purple bandana, shining guild badge pinned to it. He held the bandana to his face. Trying to catch a scent? No, this was more like, a silent plea; even from here, she could see the tension in his shoulders.

Sucking in a breath, she tried to drown her nerves in pity and began climbing down through the tree. Dropping from the lowest branches, she landed behind a large bush with a soft rustle of the leaves.

Charmander whirled towards her. "Kate?" he asked, his voice hopeful.

She rose slowly from the bush, watching his face fall with her arrival. Being a massive, hulking Leafeon, his reaction was hardly anything new, but she still keenly felt her nerves grow taut, stretched as if they'd break with one wrong word.

Come on, Lonnie! Don't scare him! Be friendly. Smile!

She grinned, lips curling back to reveal teeth like daggers. "Hello!"

Charmander took a half-step back, shifting to stand side-on. "Hi."

Crud.

Letting her smile shrink to something a little less forced, she cleared her throat. "I'm Lonnie. Are you looking for someone?"

"My partner, an Eevee named Kate," he answered cautiously.

"If you'd like, I could help you look."

His tail flicked, sending up a shower of sparks. "Why would you do that?"

Lonnie shuffled her paws inwards, her tone turning sheepish. "You're a little loud. I figure, if I help, you'll find her sooner and you can stop shouting."

Charmander recoiled slightly and he had the decency to look embarrassed. "Ah, right. Sorry about that."

Lonnie bobbed her head in something reminiscent of a shrug. "It's okay."

Clearing his throat, the Charmander grabbed hold of his bag's shoulder strap, claws running over the fabric. He sized her up, not as subtly as he probably thought. "Why should I trust you?"

Lonnie's head tilted and she blinked at him with big round eyes; what an odd question.

"I just mean-" he paused, clearly choosing his words carefully "-I've had run-ins with wild Pokemon before. Things didn't always end well."

Her expression clearing, Lonnie took a half step back, posture shifting into something more defensive in the brief moment before she realised it wasn't a threat. "I wouldn't hurt you! I, I've been watching you for half an hour! If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it by now."

The lizard's jaw dropped, expression almost offended at the confidence of her statement. "Well, I don't know about that. I'd give you a decent fight at least, I am a fire type."

"I'd still win," she said, a little too certainly.

Lonnie found herself sitting back, watching his reaction with patient confusion. When he didn't say anything, she prompted, "so, your partner? And your name?"

"Right, right. I'm Blake. I'd… appreciate your help, Lonnie, was it?" She nodded and he continued, though not before releasing an exasperated groan and throwing his arms up. "My partner and I got separated chasing an outlaw. Knowing her, she's either marching through the forest looking for me or she's already taken the guy down." Holding out Kate's bandana, he offered Lonnie a pleading look. "Would you?"

Before Lonnie could say anything, he followed up with the words, "just, please, help me find her."

The Leafeon nodded, slowly making her way towards the Charmander. She took one cautious step at a time and he almost flinched as Lonnie got close. For a brief moment, their eyes met, studying one another with a cautious curiousity. Then, she was dipping her head towards the bandana and inhaling the scent, though her eyes never left him.

Kate smelled of a strange mix of berries and flowery plants, which was typical for a town mon. What did her mom call it again? Soap? Lonnie sniffed again, and she couldn't help her brows rising at another smell, layered beneath the soap; the smell of wet dog- No, that's rude!

Mentally smacking herself, she turned to face the deep woods. "I got her scent. Follow me."

Lonnie bounded off, heading deeper into the forest and Blake followed suit, carefully keeping a certain distance between them. The Leafeon could feel his stare burning through the back of her head and her ears sagged as she prowled low in search of the scent. She couldn't blame him for being scared of her, an unusually massive freak of nature, but there had to be some way to lighten things up, if only to make the search a tad more comfortable.

"Are you sure you're not leading me to a trap?" Blake asked suddenly, his tail flame flaring in anticipation.

Lonnie froze mid-step, throwing a baffled glance over her shoulder. "What? No! Why would you think that?"

Blake took a breath, his chest puffing out, but Lonnie couldn't see any pride in his expression. "Wild Pokemon eat other Pokemon. I've seen attacks with my own eyes."

"They don't have much of a choice," Lonnie replied with gritted teeth, barely suppressing the urge to claw at the ground beneath her. "Winter is nearing and there's already a scarcity of food, but the tribes here only hunt dungeon ferals."

"That's not true."

Lonnie turned slowly to face him, eyes narrowing on the little Charmander. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "On rare occasion, a wild mon does hunt other sentient Pokemon, wild or otherwise," she conceded stiffly.

"So, how can I be sure you won't attack me?"

I've been vegan for 16 years! Lonnie screamed inwardly, but it just sounded stupid, even in her head. Surely, she could give another reason- something that doesn't sound dumb. She racked her brain, searching for an answer that wouldn't make her crawl into a hole and die of shame.

Eventually, she came up with a response, though she looked anywhere but at him while giving it. "I get all, well, most, I get most of my energy from the sun! Sooo, I don't need to eat that much."

When he crossed his arms, she hurried to say, "besides, you wouldn't even make a proper meal, you're too scrawny!"

"Didn't have to add that last part," he grumbled.

Lonnie could feel her face growing warm, her hackles rising and her breaths coming quicker. She focused on her paw-steps, trying to synchronize her breathing to them. "I'm sorry, that was stupid. I didn't, I don't know what you want me to say!"

Blake's face softened at that, but he still held an air of caution and a skeptical look. His posture was tense, ready to fight at a moment's notice if need be and it replaced the icy chill in her veins with a flaring heat. "You know," she bit out with a confidence and nastiness she did not feel. She winced at her tone and it crumbled into something pathetic with her next words. "It's not like we're always responsible. You towns mon can be total jerks."

For a long moment, Blake was silent, and despite her better judgment, Lonnie didn't even look at him. She should be ready, on her guard. If it came to a fight, she was hardly in a position to fight back right now, she needed to-

"You're right." Blake's words cut clear through her internal rambling and she finally looked him. Her jaw was hanging open slightly, ears not quite pinned back, but not far off. Blake offered her a grim nod before continuing. "That was… unfair… of me. If you're still willing to help, I'd appreciate it."

Lonnie blinked. She watched him. She rolled around a few different answers on her tongue but in the end offered naught but a curt nod before turning, putting her nose to the ground and continuing the great Kate hunt. The rivalry between those who lived in towns and those who made their homes in the wild stretched back further than anyone could remember: It wouldn't be quashed in a day, but it could be put aside for the sake of helping someone out.

As she walked, Lonnie felt an involuntary shudder run through her. Her father had warned her of the threat towns mon posed to those who made their home in the wild, but he'd never mentioned the horrors of actually talking to them. With any luck, the rest of the search would be short, sweet, and silent.

"So, Lonnie," Blake started gently.

Arceus, dammit! Maybe if she pretended she didn't hear him, he'd stop talking? Well, couldn't hurt to try! That is, until two minutes later when Blake hadn't said anything more and it was starting to nag at her.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"You started to say something, what was it?"

She cast a glance over her shoulder, frowning as she watched Blake tap his chin.

"Uhhh, I forgot," he said, tone curious, as if he were thinking about it really hard.

"You forgot?"

Blake shrugged easily -at last his posture was relaxing- and he said, "couldn't have been that important."

"Riiight." He may not be dangerous, but he was certainly odd. Wherever this Kate girl was, hopefully she'd come collect her freak of a man soon.

~~~~~

Some ten minutes of silence later, Lonnie crept through the brush with her nose to the ground, Blake still trailing behind, but his eyes wandered more freely, searching their surroundings rather than supervising the potentially dangerous Leafeon.

Coming to a stop amidst the trees, Lonnie sniffed the air and her ears swivelled. "She should be around here somewhere…"

Blake's eyes widened and a sudden energy filled his movements. He ran from tree to free, peeking behind bushes and calling, "Kate? Kate!"

"Blake, up here!"

Glancing upwards, Lonnie's head tilted when she spotted an Eevee in the branches of a nearby tree. The poor kit had its claws out, clinging desperately to tree.

"Kate?" Blake near yelped. "What're you doing up there?"

"I was chasing that Staravia jerk, but I couldn't reach him! I climbed up to get him but he flew off and started using moves to make the whole tree shake! He must've seen you coming because he only left a moment ago, we can still catch him!"

Blake grinned and waved her down. "Then hurry up, lets go!"

Her expression turning sheepish, Kate gave an embarrassed chuckle. "I can't get down. My claws are stuck."

Muttering under his breath, Blake rubbed his temples. "Only you, Kate. Only you."

"Um, if you'd like, I can get her down," Lonnie offered, a quiver in her voice.

"Please."

With a shy smile, Lonnie easily scaled the tree, quickly landing on Kate's branch.

"Hi, I'm Kate," yipped the Eevee.

Lonnie nodded politely, and spoke as if talking to a child, "hi Kate, I'm Lonnie. I just want to see if I can," Lonnie trailed off, nose scrunching up as she concentrated. Shuffling her paw under Kate's leg, she helped gently tug each of Kate's claws free. Still, the Eevee clung desperately to the branch.

"Pardon me," Lonnie whispered, biting Kate's scruff and lifting her easily. From there, it was a few swift leaps and they were back on the ground.

The second Lonnie put Kate down, the Eevee whirled and jumped back a step, looking up at her saviour with gleaming eyes. "Thanks for the help!"

Lonnie looked away, a bashful smile on her face. "Oh, of course. No, no problem."

"No, really," said Blake, "thank you. Without your help, this idiot probably would've starved to death up there."

"Hey!" whined Kate. "I don't want to hear that from someone who couldn't afford to buy food before I came along!"

Blake's orange cheeks turned a deep scarlet and he jabbed a finger at her. "Will you drop that already?!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Fine then. What's with the Leafeon, you just replace me with the first beautiful Eeveelution you find?"

Lonnie perked up at that, eyes widening and ears pinning back in an embarrassed way.

Blake offered a sickly sweet smile. "Oh, Crate, there's no one like you. Couldn't replace you if I wanted to."

"Lucky you," snorted Kate.

Blake blew her a raspberry and Lonnie, deciding this was the perfect time to interject, said, "actually, he was really worried about you."

Kate's jaw dropped into a massive grin and her ears perked up. Blake looked at Lonnie as if she'd just stabbed him in the back and she couldn't help but wince and backpedal a step.

"Aw, Blake! I didn't know you cared," Kate said teasingly.

Blake snorted, crossed his arms and began walking away. "Come on, we still have to find that Staravia."

Chuckling, Kate shot Lonnie a wink then hurried after her partner. For some reason unknown even to her, Lonnie padded after them, falling in step beside Kate. Clearing her throat, Leafeon spoke with a nervous chuckle,"you two, uh, make a cute couple."

The reactions were instantaneous and equally dramatic: Blake barked a laugh that was half cough and all smoke, while Kate actually gagged.

"No, no," insisted Kate, "that is not a thing."

"Never," agreed Blake.

Kate nodded seriously. "I'd sooner date you!"

"Oh, I'm flattered-" Lonnie grinned sheepishly as she pawed awkwardly at the dirt below her "-but, sorry, I'm not interested."

For a second, the Leafeon glanced at Kate and thought she could see the Eevee's eyes squeeze shut in embarrassment.

"That's not what I," Kate started to say before trailing off. "Nevermind."

"Ignore her, Lonnie," Blake whispered, covering Kate's ears. "She's clinically insane."

"I can still hear you!" snapped Kate.

Their banter was broken up when Lonnie's ear flicked, catching the sound of quiet snickering from behind them. Looking back, she spotted a Staravia in a tree. The bird must've watched them walk right past, surely enjoying the show put on by these oh so stupid explorers.

"Hey, um, is that the guy you're chasing?" Lonnie asked gesturing with her head at the bird.

Whirling about, Blake and Kate spotted Staravia and immediately readied themselves to fight, though only Blake seemed embarrassed at having walked straight past their prey.

"I've been chased by plenty of teams in my time, but never one as pathetic as you," drawled Staravia. "Do you idiots ever shut up?"

"You want me to stop talking?" crowed Kate. "Come down here and make me!"

Staravia preened its wing lazily, blatantly ignoring Kate's challenge. Yet, the Eevee was undeterred. "Oi, birdbrain! Come and get me!"

Staravia just shot her a look so dry it would make a desert look like an oasis. "Look, kid-"

"Not a kid!" barked Kate.

"Fine, grandma, listen," Staravia trailed off into a long taunting spiel with an air of smugness that was simply maddening. It had Kate glaring -not an especially intimidating sight, but she was doing her best- and flicking her tail. Her eyes scanned the tree's lowest branches, and then the space around them, as if trying to figure out someway to get to the Staravia.

"Why don't you just use a move?" whispered Lonnie.

Kate groaned. "Already tried that. He's too agile, I couldn't hit him, and the firebutt can't use ranged attacks."

Giving a thoughtful hum, Lonnie glanced curiously at Blake, tearing her gaze away when their eyes met. She dashed from the clearing and Staravia laughed at her retreat, his taunting words echoing in her ears, "see that! Leafeon knows it's useless! Take a hint and give up already!"

Lonnie couldn't help but quirk a smile upon hearing Kate defiantly scream, "never!" even if the cry was a bit grating upon her sensitive ears.

Having gone a short distance, Lonnie easily scaled a nearby tree, scurrying up into the branches and carefully picking her way back towards the Staravia, as quietly as she could go. The bird was still mouthing off when Lonnie settled into a high branch, just two trees back. She stayed low to the branch, claws holding it carefully as she shuffled her paws, moving into a position to pounce, her shoulders working and brushing silently against the leaves around her. Her eyes narrowed on her target.

Watching for her opening, Lonnie made not a sound, not a move. So, she was certain, when Staravia glanced over his shoulder, launching into a panicked flight the instant he noticed her, it wasn't because she'd screwed up in some way. No, this was pure survival instinct; Staravia's every muscle screaming at him, run.

Lonnie pounced, leaping across the branches and out into the open air, claws clipping Staravia's tail and sending him careening off course as he tried to flee. Turning the missed attack into a clean landing, Lonnie turned easily and fired a Seed Bomb, great green orbs that exploded upon impact with Staravia, striking it from the sky.

Blake watched this with a dropped jaw and a quiet, "wow."

Meanwhile, Kate was apparently equally impressed, but far less distracted. She charged, pouncing on Staravia and pinning him the second he hit the ground. The bird began to struggle and cry out, but Kate planted more weight atop him, laughing haughtily and saying, "nuh uh, you're not going anywhere!"

Staravia's response was lost, drowned out by a ferocious roar which rang through the forest. Kate jumped, ears pinning back and hackles raising in an instant. She immediately pinned the Staravia again, but even he had been too distracted to seize his chance at freedom.

Whirling, Blake spotted a dark figure and glowing eyes racing through the trees and he threw himself sideways, just barely rolling away from the Luxray that came hurtling out. The beast prowled low, its lips curled back to reveal massive, razor sharp teeth. His tail flicked and electricity crackled off his pelt, leaving the grass around his paws burnt and withering. A red scarf peeked out from behind his thick mane.

Lonnie didn't hesitate to run towards the Luxray, shouting, "Dad, stop!"

Luxray growled low in his throat. "Lonnie, get behind me, now."

"They didn't do anything wrong!"

"They're explorers!"

Lonnie planted herself between Team Lumen and the Luxray, standing side on and looking at her father pleadingly. "Dad, please, I-"

"Help!" cried Staravia, "these explorers are attacking me for no reason!"

Luxray roared again and leapt forward, stopping just shy of his daughter. Lonnie didn't move, didn't flinch, he wouldn't hurt her.

"He's lying," insisted Lonnie. "He admitted he was a criminal, just before you got here."

At that, Luxray's fury dwindled, but only just. There was still fire in his eyes and lightning in his coat. He flashed Lonnie a stern look and she hung her head, still gazing up at him but seeming so much smaller now.

His low growl persisting, Luxray padded around the Leafeon, blocking his daughter from sight. His tail flicked and his deep voice dripped with menace. "You two, stay away from my daughter."

Kate, ever the confident, cheerful IDIOT, marched forwards to glare at the Luxray. It was almost comical, she was no bigger than his paw! He could've devoured her in a single bite, but thankfully, the thought was far from his mind.

Locking eyes with the Luxray, Kate called, "hey, Lonnie! This guy bothering you?"

"Kate!" hissed Blake.

Lonnie skirted around Luxray, head just poking out past his massive shoulder. "No, no! He's my dad!" She said the words as if it meant the Luxray could do no wrong, could never harm his daughter, and though she hid it well, Kate felt it strike at some part of her long since buried.

When Kate moved to confront Luxray, Blake had raced to grab Staravia before the bird could flee again. Digging frantically through the bag, he pulled out a stun seed, cracking it in front of Staravia's beak and the bird went stiff as it inhaled the spores. Blake barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before hearing Luxray's growl grow louder, deeper.

Hurtling over on all fours, Blake scuttled in front of Kate and backpedalled, nudging the Eevee back too. Kate yelped an objection, but Blake ignored it, his eyes focused on Luxray. "Lonnie was a big help in finding my lost partner! She, uh, has our thanks."

Luxray's eyes widened, his growl cutting off with a sharp noise. He craned his neck to give Lonnie a baffled look. Crouching low to the ground and tucking her tail in close, she made herself small as possible and couldn't meet his gaze.

Slowly, Luxray swung his head back around, until he was facing Blake dead on. He stepped forward powerfully, looming over the little lizard and his Eevee. With a voice quiet as the passing breeze but with the force of rolling thunder, he said, "get lost."

Nodding frantically, Blake continued shooing Kate backwards. Once they'd put a few meters between them and the Luxray, Blake grabbed Staravia, tucking the bird under his arm and hurried away, nearly dragging Kate after him; the Eevee glaring doggedly at Luxray until the forest hid him from sight.

"Are you crazy?!" hissed Blake. "That guy could've torn us apart!"

Kate snorted. "Lonnie wouldn't have let that happen."

"You knew her for all of ten minutes!"

"I'm an excellent judge of character!" Kate added a little pomp to her step, raising her chin snobbishly.

"Oh, really? And what judgment do you make of me right now?" drawled Blake, a clear frustration in his voice and expression.

Kate only glanced at him before scrunching her face up. "You skipped breakfast, didn't you?"