Thankful that Bagon took the hint and headed a different direction than the beginning of the route, he didn’t realize that maybe this little Bagon’s tendency to attack everything would cause a bit of a… directional hazard. They’d gone forward, sideways, across to the other side of the route, forward, backward, turned around, back forward, back to zig-zagging through the route— Sam was honestly wondering if it would be better to put the thing in it’s capsule and wait for a danger to cross to bring him out; but then he saw it, the bright smile on Bagon’s face. He was having a blast.

From bush, to road, to rock, to bush, to trainer, to bush, to tree, to hollowed out log— Bagon was chomping, stomping, roaring, licking, and ramming into everything he could find. One tree he hit surprised him, hit back! Something had landed on his head.

Minding her own business, doing her own thing, was a Pidgey. This bird typically got overlooked by everyone and that was a-okay with her! She didn’t much mind it. Usually she occupied herself with pecking, flying, hopping, and chirping away. This time around she was perched on a branch, again - minding her own business, when all of the sudden…. WHAM! Her tree was hit. She lost her balance, not expecting the tree to be so well shaken, before she lost her footing and fell right out of it, right onto her back, on something very much not the ground. No, she’d fallen out of the nest when she was younger, this was very much not the ground… too hard to be the ground. < Oi my aching beak… > She cooed, wings sprawled out over the hard surface and sort of… draping over it? Not a very big surface she hand landed on, was it?

Bagon gave a snort. Something fell on his head. What was it? He crossed his eyes to try and see but all he could see was brown and white. His first instinct? To nip at it. When he couldn’t reach it that way, he started to nudge his head up and down to get the bird off of his head, still sort of trying to bite at it. Because he remembered berries fell from trees!

Sam watched until he realized Bagon was trying to eat the Pidgey. “Uh,” he moved closer. “No,” he told Bagon with a small laugh. “Not what we do.” He pulled the Pidgey up into his hands and looked her over. She looked exhausted, or just, maybe a bit surprised. “You alright there little one?”

The Pidgey gave a solid blink or two before her eyes found a trainer. Oh joyous day! He was showing concern, perhaps he didn’t mind her small stature so much. Maybe she wouldn’t be bothering him if she spoke or moved or chirped. She tended to not make much of an impact unless by herself anyway, being so small in stature compared to the rest of her species. She gave him a honest chirp, one to show she was feeling well. < I’ve been better big and slender, but thanks for asking! I’m just happy I was able to get up. Sometimes when I fall, I’m out until evening… > She flapped her wings enough to get a start, landing on the head of the Pokemon she’d fallen on. < Oh and this must have been what I fell on! Hello small dragon! You’re adorable… though firm. Very rock hard. Take it as a compliment, it’s how it was meant. >

Sam laughed, because he found the Pidgey’s bright personality very fun and refreshing. Bagon on the other hand just sort of stared at her like she was magic. She could fly! He let out a joyous roar at her and started to stomp around like he was doing a happy dance.

She caught onto his roars and laughed. < Yes! Yes! I can fly, why is this such a surprise? >

That’s when he started to explain himself, want to fly, his reason for traveling with this trainer, his ultimate goal. She listened, nodding, then suddenly she couldn’t help the way her little tiny heartstrings were tugged. < Bless you adorable dragon… welp, there is only one thing left to do. > She looked to the trainer, a beaming sort of bright chip leaving her. < You there! I would like to travel with you and partake in training this adorable little Bagon, give him his tips on how to fly and such. It shouldn’t be too difficult once he… you know… gets wings. > Another bright chirp.

Sam chuckled. “And who am I to say no?”

Bagon gave another happy dance, stomping about and prancing a bit. Oh happy day! This was his chance! He was going to learn to fly for sure! He urged her with his nose, huffing and snorting. How were they to get started?? How was he to get to know how to fly?? This magical bird needed to share her knowledge, quickly. He didn’t have time to waste.

< My, my. > She flew up and over onto Sam’s shoulder as he fished a pokeball out. < Give your trainer a moment to get me settled and we’ll start on basic flying philosophy. > She was more than happy to help.

NOTES. Attempted capture, -1 pokeball.

And oh, how she went on, and on, about the basic philosophy of flying. For the next hour and a half she went on and on about flying and the different sciences behind it and the theories therein. A few times she stopped and titled her head to the side to give Bagon a scolding eye to make sure he was listening, to which he would snort in a means to urge her on talking before becoming distracted and sniffing a leaf, biting a thing, or watching wild Pokemon bustle about in the bushes close by.

Sam had taken to his egg, stroking the shell. It didn't move a lot, but every once in a while it would shift weight - which was a lot, for an egg. When he first got the egg it wasn't nearly this heavy and here he was with an egg that made walking with it a pretty good workout. He wondered if it was because the Drowzee was coming to full size... probably. How did a Drowzee even fit in this thing? It was like, three feet right? He'd never had a Drowzee so he wasn't sure.

After his inspection, he glanced down and over at Bagon and Pidgey before slowly shaking his head. Pidgey would drain on and on like a professor about things she was basically making up off the top of her head or had heard somebody else speak about while Bagon 'listened' and wandered down the route. Pidgey was perched on his head and he didn't seem to mind. As a matter of fact, when she fluttered up and away because he moved too quickly for her taste, he would quickly slow his movements so she could perch herself again. It was an interesting dynamic they had created so far and it was ... well if Sam were to be honest, it was adorable.

What a decent day thus far. It could get worse or it could get better, there was no telling what the rest of the day had in store. Cutiefly woke and buzzed about that morning by migrating from flower to flower and collecting a bit of pollen for himself. Each time he landed he was sure to check his surroundings before whisking away to the next flower, and so forth. With each flower he perched, he took in it's wonderful aura and then moved onto the next. From one bush to another, he suddenly sensed a beautiful aura just off in the distance. Curiosity had him carefully sneaking himself into the view of the aura. It was surrounding a small dragon looking Pokemon and a Pidgey. Peach, wasn't it? Well, that's what Cutiefly had come to calling it. As he observed a bit more he could see the trainer with the two Pokemon. Egads... had Peach actually decided to stay with a trainer? She constantly offered her help to fellow Pokemon, why it was how Cutiefly and her met! But to see her off and about with those others was strange. Her aura showed her happiness though... oh, did he make himself known? Did he stay hidden?

As they walked on and Peach did as she usually did - went on, and on, and on, and on, about something nobody really asked or cared about - Cutiefly zoned in on them but was sure to stay in the trees. Once he saw the dragon move his nose toward his bush, he got a bit nervous. Could the dragon see him?? Should he move? He wanted to bolt, oh but he wanted to stay. He couldn't seem to make a decision! Before he knew it, suddenly he was chomped. He let out a shrill, buzzing madly in the dragon's mouth.

Peach had flown off of Bagon's head just in time to see him... gobble something? Apparently she'd missed the importance because Sam was already moving over and pulling Bagon's mouth open. Cutiefly made a quick exit, buzzing right into Sam's face, who fell over with a Cutiefly covered in Bagon saliva writhing on his face. < Oh, no, no, no! He's ruined my wiiiiiingggg!! > He called out with a small sob. < He tried to eat me! >

Immediately, Bagon was whining his apologies, but it seemed Cutiefly had taken it personally. He was curling into Sam's face and rubbing himself all over it to try and get Bagon's spit off of him. < No! I couldn't possibly forgive you! What sort of Pokemon doesn't understand a perfectly beautiful Cutiefly when they see one?! >

Sam finally moved to pull he Cutiefly from his face, gently enough to get him wrapped up in Sam's blazer, to get him a bit more dry, while drying his face off with the other size of his blazer. What he saw when he finally got his eyes blinked open was a... pink... Cutiefly. He smiled brightly at it and then his smile fell. Right, Bagon tried to eat him. "Well, in his defense, he was eating the flowers near the bush you were hovering at, chomped down on you instead. You blend in, that's all."

< You're defending him?! > The Cutiefly asked, big shaking, watery eyes on the trainer. < He's ruined me! I'll never be beautiful again! Just look at me! >

Peach had perched herself back on Bagon's head, reassuring the dragon that Cutie would get over it, just to give him a bit of time. Sam on the other hand moved to scratch the back of his head. "I'm sorry, honest... here-" He moved to pull some candy out of his bag. It was a sort that had a lot of sweet on it, so he knew Cutiefly would like it. "How about this? Will this make up for it?"

Cutiefly looked from the Sam, to the Bagon, to Peach, then to the candy. He finally moved enough on Sam's hand to settle over the candy, using his pointed nose to eat at it. < Yes. But keep that Bagon's muzzle away from me. >

Sam smiled. "Scouts honor... you know, he didn't ruin anything. You're still gorgeous. And pink! I've never seen a pink Cutiefly before."

< Of course you haven't. > Cutiefly argued. < I'm the most beautiful thing you'll ever lay eyes on. Or, cutiest, I'll take cutiest. Sometimes, I surprise even myself with my adorable pink self! >

< Forgive him, > Peach started after calming the Bagon enough he didn't take it personally. < He's under the impression that he is the only of his kind that could ever be pink. Which is technically and over exaggeration and the numbers for that just don't add up. >

< Your statistics aside, I'm still the most beautiful thing on this route. So. Hmph. > With that, he took a big bite of the candy. He glanced at Sam, then at his aura. Honestly, he liked it. < Your aura is interesting. >

Sam blinked down at him, walking as Bagon got bored and decided to take it upon himself to move forward. "I'm sorry, my what? My aura? Oh! That's right, Cutieflies see auras because of emotions. I totally forgot about that."

< You're extremely pessimistic... > He hovered out of Sam's hand then, able to now that he was dried. He then buzzed around his head and then over to the Bagon - warily, buzzing toward them and then away at least three times on his way over. < But I like it, because you're honest with yourself. That's what your aura says. >

Sam chuckled. "Oh really?"

Peach glanced to Cutiefly, who landed on her head, latching to her neck feathers as he got himself comfortable. < Yes? >

< Are you leaving the forest Peach? > Cutiefly asked, eyes closing on on the Pidgey's.

Sam blinked down at Bagon, who blinked up at Sam. "Peach?" Bagon grunted in sync with Sam, as if to repeat the phrase himself.

< W-Well I'm helping this Bagon learn how to fly, you see-- > Pidgey admitted.

< Helping him what? > His tone was serious, almost deadly, eyes never blinking, never moving. < Fly you say? He's chomped one of your fellow Pokemon compadres and you feel the urge to... help him... fly? > He lowered his voice to a whisper. < He hasn't even gotten his wings yet! >

< Exactly! > Peach was bright and sunny despite the intensity of Cutiefly's tone and piercing gaze. < I'm going to help him get them! What, interest? >

< Hmmmmmm.... > Cutiefly finally detached from her face and started buzzing around the three of them, making patterns in the air. < I do so love the idea of watching him grow and the aura that will come from him once he's accomplished it. > Suddenly he was latched to Sam's face, staring into his eyes - felt like his soul, though. < And you. Will you provide more morsels and allow me my daily pollinations?? >

Sam swallowed hard, halting in his walking because he couldn't see. "Y-Yeah... I'll even keep the Bagon from eating you as much as I can."

< Splendid! > He released Sam and starting his buzzing about again, random patterns, nearly humming as he buzzed. < I'll travel with you then! I like my solitude though, and would enjoy seeing my room. So, show me your finest capsule then, hm? >

Sam grinned. "I know just the one." He pointed out, knowing it wouldn't effect Cutiefly much, but he took out the heal ball. It was pink, and Cutiefly nearly squealed while buzzing around it before latching onto it and pressing the button himself.

< Mine. > He commented, before being sucked into it.

Sam glanced over at 'Peach' and Bagon. "Well that was... fun... also, Peach?"

< Because I'm so peachy all the time! > She admitted with a bright smile- well, as much of a smile as her beak allowed her, open and everything.

Bagon snorted and started forward, and Sam laughed. "Yeah, it does figure, huh? Matches you pretty well. Think we'll keep it."

NOTES. Attempted capture, -1 pokeball.

With Peach's name establish, and Bagon enjoying the route, Sam didn't see any need not to enjoy the rest of the route-- though, it was starting to get dark. They walked for a bit, mostly explored and let Bagon eat things, before stopping off for dinner. He fed Bagon mostly by hand, enjoying something wrapped up for himself. Cutie was nuzzled up in his hair and Peach enjoyed pecking at some of the nuts given to her by Sam. He'd have to figure out what sorts of meals they liked best, before just giving them food. So far, this was all he had. He'd stop in town and get each of them something a bit better than basic Pokemon feed.

He gave Cutie a small pat, which he didn't seem to mind, before glancing over to Bagon and tilting his head. Bagon had gotten much better in his communication, at least, when communicating with other Pokemon. They understood him though, so it made sense. It was a step closer, he supposed, and there was no complaints from in at that point.

NOTES. It's dark. (Dunno if that affects the RNG but yeaaaaa)

‘Why me? Why me? Haven’t I done good in the world? What karma is this, that I’m so doomed to be so very bored- or rather, am I frustrated? Perhaps I’m just a bit angry is all… I don’t know, I don’t care. I can’t believe they would do this to me… skip out my meal like that. ‘Family,’ pah! Rude, ignorant… stupid fellow Patrats.’
More than anything else in the world, this Patrat loved her family. But this day, this terrible day, this Patrat learned that her family obviously had plenty of other Patrats to take care of and so she was abandon, all on her own, with no food. No food! How unbelievable. It was enough to make anybody a bit grouchy- namely the small tempered Patrat.
Well maybe they shouldn’t have left her! Maybe they should have waited! They were supposed to meet at dusk! When the sun was going up in the — oh no, no wait, that was dawn, wasn’t it? Dusk was went the sun went down… she had missed them because she slept too long. Wait, how that this become her own fault and not the pack’s fault?
Either way, her stomach lead her to the aroma of whatever was cooking in a fire with a Trainer and his Pokemon. “Oh glorious day.” The sarcasm she used was thick as she promptly moved herself over toward some food on the ground. As her paw reached out to take some food, suddenly it was chomped down on… by a … dragon? She stared at her small hand and then glanced up at what was biting it. Suddenly, she was flailing, incoherent noises of her species escaping her mouth as she tried her hardest to get free of him.

As they were enjoying their meal and minding their own business, suddenly something had gotten into the mix of Bagon’s food. Sam hadn’t been able to catch it in time.

Seemed there was no way to stop the small little scuffle from breaking out, it seemed the Patrat was determined for revenge. She leapt back and pointed her now slobber covered stub at Bagon. “What is wrong with you?!” She demanded, narrowing her eyes. “You lookin’ for a fight or something??”



Bagon snorted, because of course he wasn’t. He looked over to Sam, who nodded and scooted closer. “She looks pretty serious.” It wasn’t Bagon’s fault that the Patrat hadn’t been paying attention but it also wasn’t the Patrat’s fault that Bagon was too hungry to have cared. He gave Bagon a pat on the head and nodded toward the leering Patrat. “Guess she started without us.”

Unnerving as that leer was, Bagon snorted and moved closer. He gave a small huff, because this wasn’t his fault, but he certainly wasn’t about to apologize. It was something his trainer would probably do but he certainly wasn’t about to do so. He dug his foot into the ground and gave a decent sort of growl.

“Start off with ember.” Sam instructed, which had Bagon letting out a small roar as he blew fire at the Patrat.

Said Patrat gave a squeal as the fire singed her, failing a bit at the pain that came with the fire. She then ran toward Bagon to tackle him.

If this was a lower level Patrat, all it had going for it was leer and tackle really… which meant that Bagon’s rage could be decently harmful, longer distance was probably a better idea, namely if Patrat just stood and leered and then suddenly got the gumption to— oh, and look at her, already using tackle. “Take the hit and use ember again.”

Bagon listened to what his trainer said, taking the hit a bit better than if he wasn’t expecting it with Sam’s insight. He used another ember, closer to Patrat this time. She let out another sort of strained whine before reeling back and using another leer.

“One more time, she should be nearly finished... hopefully.” Sam warned Bagon, who did as he was told. The Patrat whined, shifting uncomfortably and waving her arms.

“Alright! Alright!” The Patrat defended. “I get it, I get it, not my food! It’s just, my stupid pack left without me! They left me! No food for Patrat…”

Peach landed on Bagon’s head, his victory clear in how Patrat sat on the ground and pouted. The grumpy Patrat was now a pouty Patrat and it had her mother hen qualities kicking in. “C’mon Sam, let’s give her a bite to eat. Look at her, she’s devastated…”

“And short tempered.” Cutie pointed out from his perch on Sam’s head.

Sam shook his head and nodded. “Yeah, alright. But no more starting fights unnecessarily, hm?”

Patrat smiled up at them. “Thank you… I’m so sorry. I’m not usually like this. I keep to myself, grump about the indecencies in life, and yet my temper got the better of me.” Her voice did seem to dwindle down and Sam set some food in front of her.

“Eat.” He told her before taking a seat.

“Will you let me make it up to you? How about I come along? I won’t start fights, honest, I’ll keep to myself.” She started noming on her food as she spoke. “Honest I will… and, small dragon, I’m sorry.” She swallowed and gave a weak smile. “I’m not usually this outrageous, honest.”



Bagon snorted and moved back over to his food. It was his way of saying she didn’t have to mention it, and he went back to eating.

Peach - still perched on his head - flew off of Bagon and over to Patrat, giving her a small smile. “Not to worry, all is forgiven. Really, we understand.”

Sam wasn’t entirely sure he understood what had just happened, but he was pretty sure he now had a Patrat to take care of… huh.

NOTES. Attempted capture, -1 pokeball.
EXP GAINED. 489, Bagon is now level seven! Bagon learned Leer!
5 » 6 489/200
6 » 7 289/225
7 » 8 64/250 (186 remaining)