Salad 2.11

Aaron FulanVerdanturf Town, Hoenn Region

The very next day found us circled around the teddiursa's pokéball. I received word that the ursaring was stable and would be brought out of anesthesia so I took the cub's ball and intended to introduce him to the team.

Truthfully, I wasn't counting on being able to keep him. I wanted to, by Arceus I wanted to. I even remembered how to evolve an ursaring. To be the first in the modern age to have an ursaluna… But… But he had a home and a mother. I doubted she'd part with him easily. And then there was Jeanne's prey response towards the mother bear.

I schooled my expression and picked up the pokéball. If Artoria had any idea about my thoughts, she showed no sign of it. "Are you ready to meet him?"

"Mareep."

"Kirlia."

Agitated sparks danced along Jeanne's wool. Artoria's grip on the spoon tightened.

"No. We're not fighting him. He's just a cub worried about his mom."

Slowly, they dropped out of their aggressive postures. 'My apologies, my lord. It is unbecoming of me. There is a distinction between caution and letting fear rule me.'

'You're right. You're the one who talked me into helping them, remember? Give them the chance they deserve.'

'Indeed…'

The teddiursa emerged in a beam of light, still asleep. Like this, lying on the grass with his head buried in his paws and his crescent moon marking peaking out, I could almost forget about the terrible rage of his mother.

We sat there, waiting. I placed a hand on Jeanne's back and felt her slowly start to relax her body. Minutes later, the bear opened his eyes and sat up with a jaw-popping yawn, displaying his large canines to the world. Then, his surroundings finally registered and he startled straight. That got Jeanne on edge too, but Artoria placed her spoon on her head and nudged her back.

"Hey there, hope you slept well," I said. I immediately felt stupid saying that, but I didn't know what else to say.

"Teddi?"

"I'm the one who found you and your mom."

At the mention of his mother, his whole body tensed. "Teddiursa!"

"Would you like to go see your mom?"

"Ursa!"

"Okay, sure. Let's go see if she's awake."

We walked back inside. The cub rushed ahead and began to claw at the receptionist's desk, shouting his name all the while. It would have been cute if I didn't know the reason why.

"Hello, I spoke with the teddiursa and would like to let him see his mother," I told the orderly.

"That's no problem. She's still asleep, but we expect her to wake up within the hour," he replied.

The four of us were led to a room where the mama bear was placed on a comfortable looking mattress. It struck me just how large the ursaring was in better lighting. Had she been standing on two legs, she would have stood a good seven feet tall. Even splayed on her front as she was, her sheer size made my hairs stand on end. The gruesome scar over her eye, clearly still tender, wasn't doing any favors.

I swallowed. This was an apex predator around these parts, a bear who, even on her last legs, could fire off back-to-back Hyper Beams like spitballs. Having seen her power firsthand, being in the same room as her, even asleep, made me nervous.

I didn't get much longer to collect myself because the teddiursa rushed to his mother with all the urgency of a child.

"TEDDIURSA!" he cried, throwing his body into her fur. That did as much to rouse her as the anesthetics wearing off. Her eyes snapped open at the sound of her cub.

"Ursaring?"

"Teddi!"

"Uuu…?"

"Teddi. Teddiursa!"

Jeanne, Artoria, a nurse, and I watched awkwardly as the mother conversed with her cub. Not understanding the conversation didn't exactly help in that regard.

'Shall I translate?'

'No, that's fine, Artoria. I don't need to hear everything.'

'As you wish.'

Eventually, the two stopped talking and the bear's attention fell on us. On me specifically. She fixed me with a gimlet eye. Around her was a cocktail of emotions. There was general distrust and contempt, but also a modicum of respect brought on by gratitude.

"Ursaring," she stated flatly.

"Kirlia, kir," Artoria said in response. The bear just let out a dismissive huff and laid her head down again.

'Artoria?'

'She said she shall refrain from eating us as a favor. What an ungrateful savage.'

'Lovely,' I drawled mentally. To the bear, I said, "You're in the pokémon center."

She let out a disdainful chuff as if to say, "No fucking shit."

"I'm going to give yours and the cub's pokéballs to the nurses. They'll turn you over to the rangers after you recover. After that, they'll probably release you back into the forest so you can do your own thing."

"Ursaring."

"I'm going to assume that means you understand…"

"Teddiursa," the cub whined. The mother bear, to my surprise, looked somewhat chastened and let out a more contrite growl.

'Figures. The cub has better manners than the mother,' Artoria scoffed.

'Not a fan of the bear, huh?'

'I am not. She is rude, belligerent, and ungrateful. She keeps referring to Jeanne as "fluffy snack" and me as "bony snack!"'

I let out a snort of laughter. 'Okay, that's awful…'

'I can feel your amusement, my lord. I do not appreciate your humor.'

'Sorry, sorry. What does she call me?'

'"Snack dispenser,"' Artoria said in my mind. I could hear the smug satisfaction at my reaction. 'Tis not as funny now, is it?'

'Point.'

'All trainers are "snack dispensers" to her.'

'Pokémon choose to embrace human society to differing levels.'

'Indeed… It is my first time meeting one so… dismissive.'

'Same here. But we should accept that this is normal, especially among powerful wild pokémon. The further we go into the wilds, the more like her we will find.'

'As you say, my lord.'

The rest of the encounter, if it could be called that, passed with little of substance. The nurses were strongarmed into letting the bear cub remain by his mother's side and Artoria, Jeanne, and I returned to our training. Despite the less than warm reception from the ursaring, Artoria wished to remain in Verdanturf long enough to see her handed off to the rangers.

Or perhaps, it was because she trusted the ursaring so little. She felt responsible for the actions of the wild bear and I knew that should the ursaring choose to rampage in the pokémon center, she would be the first in line to try and stop her, no matter how outmatched she might be.

All that meant on my end was that I had the chance to dedicate our time to training without having to worry about the rigors of travel.

"Artoria, how do you feel about Light Screen now?" I asked. "Do you think you can use it with some confidence?"

She mulled the question in her head then nodded slowly. 'I do not consider it combat-ready, my lord, but I can generate a repelling barrier with some effort.'

'Not combat-ready because it's slow or because the barrier is weak?'

'Both? I am dissatisfied with its speed and wish to use it to coat only my spoon so that I can remain mobile instead of hiding behind a wall. As you have taught me, to defend is to lose initiative and that is no way for a swordsman to do battle.'

'An excellent idea.' I clapped my hands and addressed both my pokémon. "Okay, here's what we're doing: Artoria, you will ready a Light Screen. Jeanne, you will use Artoria's electromagnetic signature to try and hit her with Shock Wave. Artoria can dodge or parry using Light Screen."

I received enthusiastic consent, competition always a good way to motivate them. While they were off doing their impression of a batting cage mixed with dodgeball, I settled down on the bleachers to give mom a call. As per usual, the PokéNav didn't get the chance to ring even once.

"Hello, Aaron."

"Hey, mom. I'm calling to tell Alfonse thank you. The disturbance he felt was apparently a newly evolved hydreigon."

"I've gathered," she said stoically. "Alfonse and I witnessed the rampage mere minutes after its evolution."

"Miracle Eye?"

"Indeed."

"Please don't tell me you made the twins watch that."

"Of course not. They are young yet. Seeing the savagery of a powerful dragon will overly stress them and hamper their growth."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. "At least you have that much sense…"

"I do not delight in being needlessly cruel, Aaron."

"So, what happened to the hydreigon?"

"Drake put it out of its misery. Its trainer is also dead, the first of several casualties."

"Oh…"

"Indeed. Do you still intend to cut south to Oldale?"

"I do. Should I not?"

"Do as you please. The forest should be within your abilities to navigate. Your sponsorship stipend has been deposited into your account."

"Thanks, mom. I'll be sure to stock up before I head out."

We were silent for a long minute as we tried to find a topic to talk about. Me, I was wondering what I could say that she didn't already know. It wasn't as though I could ask about Caitlin so soon after demanding a larvesta; those things were damn rare. Mom, I had no clue. The silence meant little to her and I heard from dad that she used to take "pregnant pause" to mean something more literal.

She frowned. "You are thinking something unflattering about me."

"I'm just remembering dad's stories about you when you two dated."

"We did not date. We courted."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course, mother. When you were courting."

"Was that all?"

"Yes, mother. Have a good day."

"You as well," she replied. Then, "Aaron?"

"Yes, mother?"

"I am… pleased that you remain well," she said before cutting the call.

I chuckled. At this point, mom's stoic social awkwardness was almost funny. I put it out of mind and began flipping through the Mauville Examiner's official website. Thought they began as a newspaper in Mauville, they, much like the New York Times in my old world, embraced the newfangled internet revolution as more than a fad.

It was about what I expected. The Rusturf Tunnel collapse was reported on, but they stuck to the publicly available facts: There was a hydreigon. Drake was forced to kill it because it was already captured and the pokéball could not be found in time. The exploud going on a rampage also killed dozens of other wild pokémon and a handful of trainers who were either extremely unlucky or too brave (stupid) to listen to rangers. There were no mentions of the ursaring, not that I expected any.

At the very bottom, I found an opinion piece concerning the collapse. The trainer, one Sean Anders, was a sponsored trainer of Drayden Shaga, gym leader of Opelucid City, which explained his access to a zweilous. He had already finished his first gym circuit in Unova and was exploring other regions. I wondered how someone trained by Drayden could lose control of a dragon so catastrophically.

The author made some predictions about how Anders' death might affect Hoenn-Unova relations. Though it was a tragic accident, fact remained that it resulted in the deaths of several Hoenn citizens and greatly disturbed local wildlife. That an Elite needed to be called in didn't help matters. At the bare minimum, he predicted that there would be a public apology from Drayden. In the worst case scenario, it could raise questions about the competence of Unova's top eight gyms and strain relationships just before the start of the PWT.

I sincerely hoped he was wrong. I didn't care much for politics one way or the other, but grabbing a larvesta for myself would become infinitely harder if that became the case. I wanted my adorable arson-moth, damnit…

X

They told me that it would take about two days for things to settle down long enough to hand off the ursaring to the rangers. That gave the ursaring plenty of time for bedrest and us to jumpstart our training.

The teddiursa, no matter how worried, couldn't spend all his time in her room. Once he was assured of her wellbeing and that he could find his way to her room, the childish curiosity took over and he began to explore the pokémon center. Given his sense of smell, it shouldn't have been a surprise that he found his way to us out back.

I felt his mind approach, brimming with curiosity. I opened my eyes and turned to face him. "Hello, teddiursa. How are you?"

He tilted his head to the side. He gestured to his mother's room and I saw his aura burst in a corona of purple and yellow. Love. Fear. "Teddiursa… Teddi…"

"You're worried about her?"

"Teddi…"

"Don't worry. The nurses are well-trained and they have more of the medicine I used on your mom," I said with a reassuring smile.

"Ursa?"

"Sorry, I didn't understand."

He grumbled and gestured to his arm then pointed to his eye. "Ursa. Teddi. Teddiursa."

"Can they regrow her arm? Eye?"

"Teddi."

"I'm sorry, I don't really know," I said truthfully. "I wish I could tell you."

Pokémon medicine was incredibly advanced thanks to the abundance of healing moves and berries that may as well have been magic to anyone in my old world. Could they regrow limbs? Maybe. What about eyes? They were some of the most advanced machines in existence, organic or no. Even if they could, would they? Potions were expensive, 150 LC even with my sponsorship discount. I couldn't even imagine what the cost would look like for such an advanced treatment.

I wanted to believe that they would, that this world was a brighter, kinder place than my own, but I grew up in America. Exorbitant, exploitative medical bills were the norm, not the exception. I didn't want to raise his hopes needlessly over a treatment I didn't eve know was possible.

"Teddi…" he slumped dejectedly.

"She'll recover. She's incredibly strong. Wasn't she the queen of the forest or something?"

"Teddi!" he nodded. "Teddi-teddiursa. Teddiursa. Teddi."

I allowed him to ramble on. I didn't understand exactly what he was saying, but it wasn't so hard to tell that he was bragging about his mother. Love and pride replaced fear and worry as he let out an adorable roar, miming a Hyper Beam. He slashed the air and mimed taking a big bite out of some imaginary opponent. It was plain to see that she was his hero, his measuring stick.

Soon enough, he wore himself out and started to look for something to entertain himself with. He focused on Jeanne and Artoria practicing.

Jeanne's Shock Wave lacked the oomph I would have liked, but she could now snap them off as quickly as a regular Thunder Shock and in short bursts. Power would come in time, most likely with her impending evolution. Now, I wanted her to be able to lock on to an electromagnetic signature then switch to another quickly. In my head, I imagined it being akin to a point-defense laser system so often seen in sci-fi space operas.

Meanwhile, Artoria took to coating her spoon with Light Screen, just so she could better slap energy projectiles away. Next, I wanted her to "paint" with it, creating barriers by tracing the width of the spoon along the air. She could do it, but it was still very much a work in progress.

Their "batting practice" similarly evolved. Behind Artoria, I set up a series of colored targets. I would randomly call out a color for Jeanne to focus on. Artoria's goal was then to "paint" a wall between the Shock Wave and the target, while Jeanne would try to lock on and hit the target as quickly as possible. It looked more like a goalie keeping the goal safe than batting practice now.

Jeanne let out an arc of electricity that seemed to curve in midair, zeroing in on a red paper target taped to a tree.

Artoria crossed the field with Mana Burst, and with a spoon gleaming a light-blue, caught the attack. She made a corkscrew motion with her spoon and tossed the attack into the ground.

"Blue," I called.

Jeanne switched targets immediately. Instead of a single arc, she Charged for a second before launching four projectiles into the air, all in separate directions. They self-corrected their aim.

Artoria was forced to teleport in front of the target to defend it in time. She fell into a kendo stance and flowed from form to form. Every stroke left behind a river of light that persisted for two or three seconds before fading away. Not long, but long enough to become obstacles for Jeanne's Shock Waves.

She caught the first in a Light Screen curtain before slapping the second away with the back of her spoon. She winced as the shock ran through the metal but fought through the pain to cut the third in half, aura doing weird things sometimes, but was unable to guard against the fourth.

"Jeanne wins the round," I shouted.

"Mareep!" my little lamb cheered. She did a little butt-wiggle before raising her hooves towards the sun.

Artoria huffed, more amused than angry at her friend's victory dance. 'She had a TM. I started from the beginning.'

'You did,' I acknowledged. 'But you grew up with an in-depth knowledge of psychic energy. I doubt the ampharos who led Jeanne's old flock was nearly as capable as Quinn or Alice.'

'That is true.'

'No excuses. Be happy for your friend.'

'You are right, my lord. That was unknightly of me. I shall simply work even harder.'

I let out a mental chuckle. 'Be sure to rest while you do.'

"Teddiursa!" the bear cub cheered, drawing our attention. "Teddi?"

'The young cub says the fluffy snack is very shiny,' Artoria said wryly. 'I see he has learned no manners from his mother.'

'Don't be like that. I don't think he means to be insulting.'

'It is still not good that he thinks of us as food items.'

'Point.'

Artoria chided the bear cub. I remained looped into the conversation, at least on her end. She told him that trained pokémon were not food because they could get more powerful without having to hunt. She then began to extoll the virtues of chivalry and knighthood, swinging her spoon around in her excitement.

The teddiursa grinned mischievously. "Teddi."

'Why you!'

'What'd he say?'

'He said, "Knights are just food with wrappers. Aren't they the same as fruit?" the brat.'

'Artoria, you can't get upset at every insult. I think talking to him is good for you. It'll improve your control if nothing else.'

She looked like she sucked on a lemon but said something back to the teddiursa. He just crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue. Where he learned the gesture, I'll never know. 'And now he keeps calling me "meat-fruit!"'

'Let it go. Be the mature one.'

'Hmph, I'll be able to defeat the mother bear in a year anyway.'

'A year, hmm?'

'I will evolve eventually. Then we shall see if a bear can match a knight. Roast bear has graced many a castle dining table.'

I let them bicker for a while longer before I determined that my pokémon had rested enough. I brought my hands together in a loud clap before standing up. "Okay, I think that's enough techniques training for the day. Suicides. Ten reps of five. Go!"

I put words to action and began running. My pokémon grumbled but didn't hesitate to join me. To my surprise, on my second set, the bear joined in as well. He started on two legs but soon gave it up as a bad job and fell to four. I was happy to see that for what little it was worth, even Jeanne was much faster.

I wasn't the only one who noticed. Jeanne lapped him and sent him a confident smirk as she ran by. "Mareep."

"Teddi!" he grunted back what I was certain was an insult.

That did it. The two were lost to the world. Their rivalry took over and I watched as Jeanne threw herself into the competition in a way she'd never done before with Artoria. I personally ran out of steam, but stood on the sidelines, yelling encouragement. When they were done with that and Jeanne praised the sun in her victory, I had them compete in more physical contests. Distance running. Tug of war. Everything I could think of.

Seeing that the goal of this workout session had changed somewhat, Artoria picked up a large stick, several times heavier than her silver spoon, and began to go through her kendo forms. Evolution had improved her physique, but not by much, and she needed constant conditioning to train her body in ways fighting types never required.

'Why are you encouraging them, my lord?' she asked. I allowed myself to sink into the bond and sent over images of kendo kata so she had a reference to work from.

'Jeanne needs this.'

'To win?'

'To have tangible proof that our training isn't for nothing. She needs proof that with enough training, she can overturn the predator-prey dynamic that dictated her life in the wild. She needs to know how far she's come.'

'She acquitted herself well during the contest.'

'She did, but that wasn't enough. She didn't win.'

'I see. You are trying to bolster her confidence while getting her to overcome her fears using the cub as an outlet.'

'Exactly.'

'My lord is cunning.'

'My kirlia is adorable. Tuck in your toes. Your sword will lose power if you don't commit with your whole body.'

'Yes, my lord.'

X

The days passed in a blur. Reality slapped us in the face with a dead magikarp and we used the indignation to motivate us forward in leaps and bounds, out of pure spite if nothing else. All three of us grew in our own ways, faster than we had before.

As for me, I was determined to improve my psychic detection. I couldn't afford to rely on Artoria to carry me through and, in the same way Tate and Liza reinforced one another's abilities, I would be able to lend her my strength, amplifying her already potent abilities. Had I been stronger, had I had been more skilled, could Artoria have detected the ursaring and avoided this mess altogether?

Then again, that would have meant death for the ursaring and orphanhood for the teddiursa. I pondered the moral question but I knew deep inside I'd have chosen to avoid them altogether had I had the option. I was no hero motivated by altruism and boundless courage. I'd have left the ursaring to die a thousand times over if it meant my team could avoid such a lopsided fight.

I spent much of my free time in meditation. It didn't take long for Jeanne's mind to become familiar. Soon enough, I could detect her mind and discern basic emotions even while she was in the field and I in the pokémon center.

I achieved a bit of a breakthrough after that. I quickly took to studying the minds of those around me. Nurses and patients, humans and pokémon, by comparing the two, I became adept at telling the difference between the minds of humans and pokémon.

It was a matter of perspective. Human minds placed a premium on structured thoughts. They tried to put words to even the more nebulous emotions and impressions, give shape to what is formless. In comparison, pokémon were far more instinctive. Not dumb, but comfortable with their state of being. Most didn't bother to reign in their emotions in the way humans did.

Simply being able to identify humans and pokémon at a distance and read their emotional impressions could potentially save our lives. Was a pokémon met in the wilds truly wild? How aggressive was it? What were the intentions of a stranger?

Soon enough, it was time for the teddiursa and ursaring to leave. I stood alongside my pokémon, a nurse, and Rangers Wheldon and Steven. Across from us stood the teddiursa and ursaring, still proud and grouchy despite the missing eye and arm. She looked at me with marginally less hostility as I held out their pokéballs.

Ranger Wheldon took them. They would be responsible for taking the bears back to the wilds. From what he told me, they intended to find the mother an unclaimed grotto or cave. A part of me wanted to ask the teddiursa to come with me. He was decently strong and showed a determination to get stronger, but every time I tried to say something, the words died in my throat.

The past few days taught me that he and Jeanne just wouldn't mesh. I was happy fueling their rivalry because I knew we'd part ways soon. If I brought him along, that rivalry might turn to friendship and grudging respect yes, but it was far more likely to sour into bitterness and resentment.

'I think you're making the right choice, my lord,' Artoria said.

'I hope so. An ursaluna…'

'There will be other potential teammates. Other bear cubs if you really wish for one.'

'You mean one that doesn't call you "meat-fruit?"' I teased.

'Savages,' she grumbled.

'Yeah, you're right, Artoria. There will be other chances. It still leaves me feeling a bit dissatisfied though.'

We watched as Ranger Wheldon returned the two pokémon and vanished in another teleport courtesy of Ranger Steven's claydol. With that, our obligations in Verdanturf were complete. "Come on, girls," I said. "Let's go shopping. We've got a long stay in the forest to look forward to."

Author's Note

Not much to say, so have an animal fact: Sea cucumbers have an all-purpose opening that doubles as both a mouth and anus. There is a type of fish called a pearlfish that lives inside of sea cucumbers. They enter when the sea cucumber inhales, which they do by flexing their anus. Imagine something proportionally the size of your forearm. Now imagine it wriggling up your ass.

You're welcome.