#who needs herba mystica anyways!

[prismit]

always nice to come out from making an ordinary encounter power sandwich and instantly see a shiny :)

[tsuutarr]

I Want to Pepper You In Kisses

Pairing: Arven x GN!Reader

Word count: 10K

Genres: fluff, hurt/comfort if you squint

Summary: Somehow, Arven’s journey to find Herba Mystica ended with him falling in love with you.

Before Arven falls in love with you, he’s not entirely sure what to make of you. He honestly finds you a nuisance, along with that hyperactive student council president. Seeing the brute out and about feeds into his annoyance, too. 

“What’re you doing out here?!” he yells, pointing an accusatory finger at the Pokémon his parent loved more than they loved him.

“Hey, please don’t get too angry – this sweetheart here helped me out,” you say.

Arven scoffs. “I’m not talking to you two. You can shove off.”

He expects you to get angry then and leave, but you don’t. Instead, your gaze softens for some unknown reason and he can’t maintain eye contact, so he looks away.

Then, the stupid student council president mentions his relation to the “great professor,” making anger course through his veins.

“It doesn’t matter who my parent is!” He crosses his arms, eyes narrowed into a glare as he tries to fight the bitterness rising in his chest. “The real issue here is what in the world this Pokémon is doing out here. And what’s with this form it’s in?”

“See, we heard this strange cry, and we tried to investigate it, but…” Nemona begins.

“But I fell off a cliff.” You give a small shrug with an awkward grin. “It wasn’t intentional.”

“And as mentioned earlier, this Pokémon came to the rescue!” Nemona beams. “But it seems like it wore itself out in the process. It got kinda… slumpy afterward. But you shoulda seen it before! It looked totally different – it was unbelievably strong!”

“Well, yeah. As it should be. But it can’t fight while it’s like this. The form you saw it take in battle – that’s its true form.”

“Heh,” you pat the brute’s head lovingly and Arven briefly wonders how your fingers would feel ruffling through his hair. He quickly shoves the thought from his mind. “You’re quite strong, huh?”

“...I don’t remember ever seeing you around. But given the uniform… You go to the academy too, do you?” he asks, making you nod. “Well, that brute isn’t the sort of Pokémon any old trainer can hope to command. It’s special.”

“Well, it definitely does seem that way,” you agree amicably as if he didn’t just insult your fighting prowess. Why aren’t you mad? Why aren’t you ignoring him? Why aren’t you… Ugh. He’s really not used to it and maybe that’s why he asks his next question.

“You think you’re up to ordering it around? Then how ‘bout I test your worthiness?”

You pause, seemingly surprised at his offer. You make eye contact with the brute who blinks at you, before cuddling its head into your side lovingly. You can’t help but laugh as you agree to battle him.

“I’ve been feeling all out of sorts, so I’m gonna use this battle to blast these doldrums away!” he announces, throwing out his newly caught Skowvet. He’s not really sure what outcome he expected, but he definitely didn’t expect you to absolutely pulverize him in battle.

“Good job,” you murmur sweetly as your starter Pokémon hops over to you, nuzzling your hand as you pet it. Arven can’t help but think about how warm your eyes look then, but he quickly glances away, afraid of being caught. You glance at Arven, who’s withdrawing his Pokémon into its ball. Smiling at him, you approach him, offering your hand. “Good battle.”

He doesn’t take it, instead opting to shove his Poké Ball back into his pocket. “I guess I wasn’t ever going to stand a chance using some Pokémon I’d only just caught…” he mutters. “But if you really think you can take that brute off my hands for me… you’ll need this. It’s its Poké Ball.”

You take it with a nod and a smile. “Thank you.”

Arceus, he’s really not used to people being nice to him. Or smiling. Or anything, really, so the softness in your expression throws him off wholly, making his ears feel hot. “Anyway,” he clears his throat, “that thing’s your problem now, not mine. Good luck.”

“Mhm,” you agree. “Thanks.”

“Yeah,” he says dumbly, “Uh. See you around, I guess.”

“See you!”

Arceus, he’s really not sure what to make of you.

His stance on your existence is further complicated as rumors about you seem to float around the school. He’s positive that the Academy has new students all the time, but for some reason you seem to stand out – and what’s this about you fighting Team Star? You’re definitely having some kind of day. Falling off a cliff, getting pawned an annoying Pokémon, beating up some Team Star grunt… you just seem to attract trouble.

Trouble…

An idea pops up in his head.

The next time he sees you, it’s during lunchtime. He notices you almost immediately and he tries to ignore the implications of that. He’s surprised to not see the annoying student council president next to you, but he takes it as his opportunity and slides up next to you as you browse the food selection in the cafeteria. “Oh, hey!” he catches your attention and you turn to him with a tilt of your head. He half expects your face to morph into one of disappointment but it doesn’t and it makes him feel… soft. Weird. He shoves the feeling down. “You remember me, right?”

You raise an inquisitive eyebrow, your lips twitching upwards. “I don’t think we’ve met…”

He must’ve made an odd expression, because a laugh jumps out of your throat.

“I’m kidding. From the lighthouse?’

“Yeah, exactly!” Arven feels oddly cozy. “That’s my little know-it-all buddy. Got a mind like a steel trap, eh?”

You blink at him, before saying, “I wouldn’t say that,” with a snort. “Ah, but I don’t think I’ve introduced myself –”

“Don’t worry about it.” Arven says your name. “That’s your name, right? The whole school seems to be talking about you. The new kid who showed up as the president of the student council.”

You scrunch up your nose a little at that. “I didn’t think I’d stand out that much.”

You stand out for a lot of reasons, Arven wanted to say, but instead says, “I normally wouldn’t even bother showing up for class, but I came all the way to school today just to talk to you, actually. Our new celebrity. You’ve gotta help me out so I can finally make my dream a reality!”

“Happy to help!” you respond, making him blink.

“Uh? What kind of little maniac says yes to something without knowing what they’re agreeing to?!”

“Well, you said it’s your dream, right?” you offer him a smile. “I dunno, I guess I’ve always admired people with dreams. Don’t really have any myself, so…” you give him a shrug. “What’s this dream?”

Your kindness makes him feel a little sick. He’s using you and you’re willing to be used – but before guilt can really settle in, he nods. Arven begins his spiel about picnics and sandwiches and health foods and he knows he’s rambling but you listen patiently. “...So. That’s the gist.” He rubs the nape of his neck. “I really want to get those herbs myself, but… I’m not very good at Pokémon battles. Don’t have any friends with strong Pokémon to lend me a hand, either.” Well, he didn’t really have friends, period, but he wasn’t going to say that. “And I’d never hear the end of it if I went crawling to that student council girl.” Arven inhales. “But then you waltz up! You’ve got to help me out with this – you’d be perfect!”

“Well–”

“Nope! Wait! I don’t need an answer yet! I’ll just register the places where it seems there might be Titans in your map app for you.” 

You laugh. “Well, I’ve pretty much made my decision, but okay.”

“Just let it stew a bit,” Arven insists. “And we can get more into the details later.”

“Gotcha,” you nod. “I’ll get some food in the meantime. Wanna join?”

“I have places to be,” Arven responds. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“All right, fine by me. See you!”

When Arven leaves the cafeteria, he regrets not taking you up on your offer. But he pushes the thought away, fiddling with the old Poké Ball in his pocket – he has places to be.

When he sees you again, he almost groans in annoyance at seeing Nemona with you. Surely chattering on about battles. Again.

“Hey, little buddy!” he yells, running up to you both. Arven gives you a little nod of acknowledgement, before narrowing his eyes at Nemona. “Tch. How’s that for a student council president! Giving your own friends an insider advantage?”

You stand, an amused expression on your face, as Arven and Nemona argue.

“I can do both, you know.” You finally say, trying to appease them. Pulling out your Rotom Phone, you show them the places marked on your map app. “See? They’re all pretty close to each other. I’ll do them all as I tackle Paldea.”

“So you’ll challenge the gyms?” Nemona asks, a sparkle in her eyes. As you nod, she cheers. “En serio? How exciting!”

“...Tch, fine. As long as you help me tackle the Titans, I guess.” Arven relents. “Well, I’m outta here. Catch up soon, little buddy!”

You laugh. “I will!”

Arven won’t admit it, but his steps feel lighter at your agreement to help him.

---

The first time Arven falls in love with you, he doesn’t even realize he’s fallen. Instead, he recognizes the overwhelming sense of relief at seeing you run up to him.

“Hey, Arven!”

“Hey,” he says, his tense shoulders relaxing by seeing your smile.

“How’ve you been?”

“Eh, the usual,” he responds, before awkwardly tacking on, “You?”

“Heh, I’ve been good,” you respond. “You ready to look for the Stony Cliff Titan?”

Arven snorts. “You’re more excited than me.”

“What can I say?” your gaze is so kind as you look at him that it makes his cheeks warm. “I want to help you achieve your dream.”

“All right, all right,” he huffs, though he can’t help the smile that sneaks up on his face. “Let’s split up then, yeah? It should be around this area, but we can cover more ground this way.”

“Sounds good to me! Call me if you find it, okay?”

“‘Course,” Arven responds. “Same to you!”

He hadn’t expected to hear from you so fast. “Arven!” you exclaim, “I found it – whoa, dodge that!” you command as a rock hurtles towards your Pokémon. “Yeesh, this thing is huge!”

“I’m on my way!” he hurriedly says, worry lacing his voice. He couldn’t help it – you were battling a Titan by yourself. You guys were supposed to fight it together! 

“Hah, don’t hurt yourself while rushing over here,” you laugh with ease and he’s surprised at how much your voice calms him down. “I’ll hold down the fort.”

Despite your words of assurance, he finds himself rushing to you. He can’t let you get hurt so early in the hunt, after all. 

When he gets to where you are, you’ve already done a lot of damage to the Titan. His mouth gapes in surprise at the huge size of the Pokémon, as well how cheery you are as you wave at him. “Hey, Arven!” you beam.

“Behind you!” he yells, and you hurriedly turn your attention back to the battle, commanding your Pokémon to counterattack. He won’t lie – you look kind of cool like this. Like a hero. His hero. Arceus, that’s embarrassing, Arven thinks, burying that thought deep into the crevices of his brain.

“Thanks!”

“No problem, but… that’s the Stony Cliff Titan? No Klawf has got any business being that big!” 

“Agreed,” you laugh, before tilting your head as you see the Klawf scrambling away. “Uh… Where’s it going?”

“It’s heading inside that cave…?” Arven’s eyes widen when the Klawf scrambles back outside with something in its hand.

“Do you think that’s–”

“A Herba Mystica!”

You and Arven watch as the Klawf gobbles the herb and it begins to glow, shaking with some immense power.

“You think it’s gonna be even stronger now, after eating all those herbs? Let’s watch ourselves!”

“You got it!” you nod. “I trust you to have my back!”

Arven can feel ears warm again as he tosses out his Shellder. You trusted him? You actually trusted him to have your back. Well, he can admit the feeling is mutual, at least. And, he won’t admit it to you, but watching you battle is riveting. The way your eyes shine, the confidence in your directions, you standing by his side – it makes his heart beat so fast he isn’t sure what to do with himself.

Adrenaline is still pumping through his veins when you’ve defeated the Titan, making his limbs feel jittery. His heart beats even faster as you turn to him, eyes crinkled at the sides as you raise your hand for a high five. Cute, he thinks as his palm makes contact with yours.

“We did it!” you cheer.

“Yeah,” he feels kind of breathless, but he can’t help the wide smile that overtakes his features. “Look at you – my little buddy; coming through like a champ!”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” you respond, and Arven’s heart warms because he knows you could’ve done it without him. You’re so much better than him, after all.

He shakes his head at the thought, feeling his heart jolt painfully.

“These Titan Pokémon are… yeesh. I sure don’t like having something so tough out to get me.”

“Don’t worry!” When your laugh resounds again, Arven wonders how you can be so happy. “If they come for you, I’ll get them.”

His face heats up again as he clears his throat. “Anyway, I’m sure there’s more Herba Mystica somewhere back there – quick, let’s have a look before it comes back.”

You follow after Arven, asking, “Which one do you think we’ll find?”

“According to the book, it’s the Sweet Herba Mystica–”

“Whoa!” you trip, making Arven act faster than he thought possible. He grabs your arm as you stabilize yourself.

“Watch your step, it’s pretty dark,” Arven murmurs, removing his hand from your arm. He clenches his hand, still feeling your lingering warmth.

“Sorry, sorry,” you say.

“Nah, don’t apologize.” Arven pauses. “Uh, and if it helps… you can, uh, grab onto my vest or something.”

“I’ll take you up on that, actually,” you huff out a laugh, fingers gently grabbing the back of his vest. Arceus why did he offer this? He feels like he’s gonna die from how fast his heart is beating. Now he has to deal with making sure you both don’t trip and the thought makes him nervous (which is definitely, definitely the only reason his heart is beating so fast).

Before Arven can dwell in his thoughts for too long, his feet stop, making you bump into his back.

“Oof!”

 Arven wants to apologize, but he can’t as his throat constricts at the sight of the pink herb glimmering in the dark. “It’s – it’s real. It’s real!” He feels like crying, but he holds it in, taking in a shaking breath. “Let’s see… The book says that the Sweet Herba Mystica is good for gut health and that it helps aid digestion. Says it’s good for stomach aches, too, or when you want to stimulate an appetite!”

“Heh, that battle stimulated my appetite enough,” you hum and Arven can’t help but agree.

“...Now, if I can just get him to eat some…”

You look at him curiously, but don’t pry, which he’s grateful for.

“All right! Now it’s my turn to show off what I can do. You’re about to get a taste of my cooking!”

“Looking forward to it!” you respond and Arven can feel a grin come on his face as he prepares to cook.

He first learned how to cook all those years ago because he was the only one who could take care of himself. His parent was always too busy to take care of him, after all, so he could only really rely on himself and Mabosstiff. Well, it worked out in the end – him cooking turned out to be a good enough bribe for you to help him, which he really didn’t expect. He was so used to expecting people to help him and no one coming through, so you being there felt odd. But it wasn’t a bad thing, really. He… just hopes you’ll be able to stick around till the end. Just until he can get all the herbs, at least.

Somehow, the thought that you won’t talk to him after you get all the herbs kind of bothers him.

“Here you go!” Arven announces, trying to rid himself of his thoughts. He hands you the plate with a sandwich on it.

“Oh, that looks delicious!” you beam, making his heart swell with pride.

“It’s an Arven-original sandwich packed full of herbs! And–” he digs through his pocket, handing you something that looks like a badge. “–I’ll even give you this. It’s called a Titan Badge. I modeled it after the gym badges.”

You let out a whistle. “This looks genuine,” you marvel. “You’re really good with your hands.”

“Nah, it’s really nothing,” he bashfully says, but the moment is interrupted as the brute springs out of its Poké Ball. “What’s up with that thing? It just comes out of its ball whenever it wants?”

“I guess?” you respond, patting your Pokémon lovingly. It purrs underneath your touch, before sniffing at your sandwich.

“Hey now,” Arven says. “That’s not for you.”

Even as Arven says that, you give the sandwich to the brute, making Arven sigh. He’s starting to think you’re a complete pushover.

“Hey! I went through all the trouble of making that for you, and you just give it away? I hope you realize that’s all there was, so now there’s none left for you.”

“Oh.” You hum in thought. “That’s fine, don’t worry. Sorry about giving your sandwich away, though.”

Your kind gaze makes Arven heave out another sigh. “Aw, come on! Now you’re making me feel bad,” he grumbles without any real bite. He cuts his own sandwich in half, offering it to you.

“Oh, you really don’t have to–”

“Just take it,” he responds. “You fought hard, y’know. You should eat.”

“...Thanks.” You take the sandwich from him. He watches you expectantly as you take a huge bite and he’d be lying if he wasn’t absolutely ecstatic when he sees your eyes light up. “This is good!”

“Heh, I’m glad you think so!” he boasts, pleased, before he looks at your Pokémon. “Hey… is it just me or has your brute–”

You clear your throat.

“–your partner gotten… stronger?”

“I think so,” you tilt your head. “You think you got stronger, ‘Don?”

“Agias!” it responds, making you laugh.

He stares at the way you two interact with each other and there’s this twinge of something that stabs at him. At one point, that was how he and his Mabosstiff interacted.

“Arven?” you ask him, cautiously. 

He swallows. “The power of these herbs is really something! If they had that big of an effect on your Pokémon, then I bet…” he trails off. “I’ll start cleaning up – don’t worry about it!” he waves you away when you approach him to help. “You’ve done more than enough by defeating that Titan Pokémon. Leave the rest to me. Just… if you can, it’d be great if you could get started on searching out the other Herba Mystica for us.”

“You got it,” you salute. “See you, Arven. Thanks again for the sandwich!”

He watches as you disappear out of the cave, whispering, “I really owe you one.” He inhales, before carefully letting his Mabosstiff out. It’s been a while since Arven’s heard Mabosstiff’s bark, but he still can’t help the disappointment that settles in his bones when he sees that all his partner can do is heave labored breaths. Gently, Arven combs his fingers through Mabosstiff’s thick fur. “Hey, buddy,” he murmurs. “You think you can eat this for me?”

Mabosstiff merely whines in response and Arven can feel his heart clench uncomfortably.

“It’s okay, bud.” Arven breaks off small chunks of the sandwich, feeding them to Mabosstiff one by one, carefully watching Mabosstiff’s reaction. 

Mabosstiff, the sweet friend that he is, slowly but surely eats what Arven offers. 

“You know,” Arven says, scratching behind Mabosstiff’s ear. “I actually made this with someone else.”

In response to Arven’s words, Mabosstiff nuzzles into Arven’s knee. It’s a soft gesture that makes tears well up in Arven's eyes.

“Yeah, I just met them recently but… they’ve agreed to help me help you,” Arven begins, still gently patting his Pokémon. Arven begins talking about how strong you are and how pretty you are when you smile. How cool you are when you fight. Recounting stories about you, little snippets about how you laugh or how you say certain words, makes Arven’s heart feel strangely warm and before he knows it, Mabosstiff has been lulled to sleep, paws warmer than before.

---

The second time Arven falls in love with you, he’s so overwhelmed by your kindness that he doesn’t realize he’s in love.

“Second Titan down!” you cheer, holding up your hand for another high five. Arven can’t help but grin back, hitting your palm with his. There’s a pleasant tingle that spreads out across his palm.

“You were amazing there, y’know?” he says, adjusting his bag, which makes you peer at him curiously.

“Isn’t that heavy?”

“Nah, I’ve been lugging this thing for a while, so…” he shakes his head, tilting his chin towards the direction of the cave. “Let’s get goin’ before the Titan comes back for seconds.”

“You got it!” you agree, following after Arven.

“If we’re lucky, there’ll be another herb here…”

“Over there!” you point, making the both of you run to it.

“It’s a Herba Mystica!” Arven grins, looking at the green herb. “Thanks, really. If I can just get him to eat this…” his voice turns quiet as he gazes at the herb in silence. It’s the second herb out of five and Arven desperately, desperately hopes this will do something to help Mabosstiff.

“Arven…”

He lightly smacks his cheeks with his hands, trying to get rid of his negative thoughts. “Okay, let me whip something up for us!” 

“...Okay,” you say softly with a smile. “Waiting for a good meal, chef.”

“You can count on it!” he responds as he gets ready to cook. It’s something he’s noticed lately, but sometimes he thinks about you while he’s cooking. It’s kinda embarrassing since you’re right there, but he can’t really help it. He didn’t think you’d pull through for a second time, which, maybe he shouldn’t have doubted you, but years of disappointment made it hard for him to expect things from anyone that isn’t him. Still, he’s so grateful because really, no matter how good his cooking is, there’s no reason to help him. After all, it wasn’t like you considered him a friend or anything yet, right…? 

It would be nice if you did, though.

“All right, all done!” Arven announces. “Here you go! My special, whimsical, herb-filled super sandwich! And it comes with a Titan Badge!”

“I’m still impressed with how good these look.”

“Heh, I’m glad you – aw, come on! You again?” Arven groans, seeing your brutish partner pop out. It nuzzles into your side again, looking at you with big doe eyes as it begs for your sandwich. The brute took his parent, and now it’s trying to take you, too? He can’t help but feel a little jealous – wait. Jealous? Why would he feel jealous…? Arven shakes his head, trying to get his thoughts in order. Still, he can’t help but pout when the Pokémon looks at him and mewls. “...Hmph. Is it trying to say thanks or something?”

“Maybe,” you laugh. “It really liked your sandwich. I’m not a bad cook or anything, but ‘Don will longingly stare in the distance sometimes when it eats my cooking – probably thinking about yours, heh.”

Arven clears his throat to tamper out the embarrassment that he’s feeling. “Well, it’s a good thing I made extra, then.”

“Oh?” there’s a teasing glint in your eyes that makes his cheeks flush.

“I just made extra ‘cause you’ve been helpin’ me a lot!” there’s a small frown on his face, though it’s not malicious, “I definitely, absolutely, did not make extra for your partner.”

You raise your hands as a testament of peace, though there’s still a teasing grin on your face because you both know he’s lying. He’s thankful when you don’t push, though, instead opting to take his sandwich from him. “This smells great, Arven!” Beside you, your partner yips happily, nudging you to hurry up and feed it. With a laugh – one that Arven absolutely does not think is cute – you give your partner its sandwich. After it gobbles down its sandwich, it glows brilliantly, making Arven’s eyebrows rise.

“Did it grow stronger again?”

“I think so!” you beam, patting your Pokémon. “Look at you go!”

“Man… these Herba Mystica really do pack a punch, huh? I mean, they ought to, or else–” Arven’s eyes widen as your Pokémon lumbers over to an extra sandwich on the table. The Pokémon’s action makes rage bolt through Arven, but even more than that, panic. “Don’t you dare touch that – it isn’t for you!” His shoulders are tense as he yells, his voice echoing throughout the cave. Both you and your Pokémon blink in surprise and Arven tries his best to control his ragged breathing, but it’s hard.

“Arven,” you murmur, placing a hand on his shoulder. He expected you to slap him for yelling at your Pokémon, so your soft touch gives him whiplash. “I’m sorry about ‘Don. Are you all right?”

“Yeah – yeah.” He’s not sure why you’re able to help calm him down so quickly, but there’s a sense of peace that thrums through his veins, allowing him to think a little clearer. “Yeah.”

“‘Don.” There’s a chastising lilt to it that makes your Pokémon bow its head apologetically. It purrs, slinking away from the table and curling up.

“...I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have shouted like that…” Arven inhales, the air feeling heavy in his lungs. “I… guess I should at least tell you the full story.” Fiddling with the Poké Ball in his pocket, Arven intakes another deep breath, before letting his beloved Mabosstiff out. “This is Mabosstiff, my partner.” Arven takes the extra sandwich off of the table, breaking it into smaller chunks and feeding it to Mabosstiff. “Here you go, bud. Eat up. This sandwich should help you feel better. Slowly now. Take your time. Small bites are fine. Just chew nice and slow…”

Mabosstiff does as instructed, slowly, but surely, eating out of Arven’s hand. You watch the scene silently, but kneel down next to Arven. It’s an odd feeling, but Arven can’t help but appreciate the fact that you’re still here.

“...My buddy here was… hurt pretty bad a while ago. Real bad, in fact. He never really recovered,” Arven says, feeling tears well up in his throat.

“Oh, Arven… I’m so sorry,” you murmur, hand gently rubbing his back. Before he’s cognizant of what’s happening, you’ve drawn him to your chest, giving him a hug. You have to angle yourself a little oddly because he’s so much taller than you, but that fact just makes his heart feel even more warm. He can’t really bring himself to hug you back fully, but he grabs the back of your shirt as he tries to steady his breathing.

“Nothing seems to help,” his voice cracks, “not potions, not Pokémon Centers… Nothing.” Inhaling deeply, he closes his eyes. “Mabosstiff here is the only thing in the world I care about. The only thing… So, I promised that I’d make him better – whatever it takes.”

“And that’s why we’re here.”

“Yeah.”

“You must’ve done your research,” you hum. “I’m impressed you found this out.”

“I was desperate,” he murmurs, basking in your warmth for a beat longer, before pulling away and pulling out a book. “I – this book… I found it in my parent’s lab. It’s full of legends and stuff, things nobody’d usually believe…” Saying it aloud makes it dawn on him how kind you actually are – when he asked for your help, he’d asked without knowing if any of this had any substance or value yet you agreed. “...But I believe it.” His gaze meets yours. “As an example, Mabosstiff’s paws have gotten warmer when he first ate Herba Mystica – I’m sure of it!”

Arven’s gaze sweeps back to Mabosstiff who is still chewing his food.

“Oh! You done eating, bud?” Arven murmurs, threading his fingers through Mabosstiff’s thick fur. There’s a twinge of anxiety as Arven gazes at his beloved companion. Something – anything, please, Arven thinks, teeth worrying his bottom lip. 

Slowly, Mabosstiff’s eyes open, making Arven’s breath hitch in his throat.

“H–hey, Mabosstiff! Can… can you see? Are your eyes open?” Tears clog his throat again as he sniffs. “Yes! It… It’s been so long since he was able to open his eyes! I was so worried–” he sniffs “–oh man, I–! I’m so–! I’m so glad!”

You rub gentle circles on Arven’s back as you allow him to bask in his relief while crying.

“Thank you, really,” he finally says, making you laugh.

“It’s all you, Arven, promise.” Your gaze is contemplative as you tap your fingers against your knee. “Do you mind if I pet him?”

“Ah… Well, what do you say, Mabosstiff?”

Mabosstiff looks at you and you look back with a smile.

“He says yes,” Arven supplies helpfully.

“I’m glad you told me,” you laugh. “I couldn’t tell.” Still, you gently take your hands and scratch behind Mabosstiff’s ear, which he seems to like. Watching you carefully handle his buddy makes an indescribable emotion well up in Arven – he’s really not sure what to make of it, but he wants to burn the image of you and Mabosstiff into his brain.

“Aw, look at him look at you!” Arven huffs out a laugh. “Those fiery orange little eyes… Hard to tell if they’re open or not, but I know the difference!”

“Hah, I don’t doubt it,” you respond, giving Mabosstiff one last scratch before drawing your hand away.

“The power of these herbs really is amazing!” Arven beams, feeling a lot better after crying. “I’m gonna get the rest of these herbs and bring Mabosstiff to full health.”

“Sounds like a plan,” you agree, making Arven awkwardly clear his throat. He knows that you’ve been nothing but kind to him, but he still feels a little shy around you now that things are dawning on him. He’s revealed his real reason for hunting Herba Mysticas and he’s cried in front of you, which is honestly pretty mortifying. But you take it in stride and for some reason, in his eyes, you’re glowing. Not wanting to bask in his awkwardness, he clears his throat.

“So… uh, yeah. That’s my story. Just… just three more to go.”

“Just three more to go,” you agree, before taking his hands into yours. Arven swears his heart just stopped. “Arven, I promise you that we’ll find the remaining herbs. We’re gonna bring Mabosstiff to full health, you’ll see.”

“Yeah,” he breathes, the passion in your eyes swallowing him whole.

You give his hands another squeeze before drawing away, making Arven really, really miss your warmth.

“We got this, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Arven agrees, nodding. “We do.”

---

The third time Arven falls in love with you, it’s because he realizes he finds comfort in your presence. You’ve just defeated the third Titan, and Arven can’t believe how amazing it feels. You’re both over halfway done with this quest – over half. He didn’t even think he’d be able to find one Herba Mystica, but somehow, with you, he’s found three. 

“Another successful search!” he beams, looking at the glowing herb. “We’re on a roll!”

“We are!” you agree, covered in mud from head to toe. The sight makes Arven laugh. “What?”

“Ah – it’s nothin’ to worry about,” he says, but the grin on his face says otherwise. Your eyes narrow and he can’t help but think it’s so freaking cute. 

“Hmph, I help a guy out and all he does is laugh at me…”

“And make you sandwiches,” he helpfully adds, making you snort.

“That too, I guess. Hm…”  you peer at him curiously, before digging through your pockets. Arven watches you curiously as you pull out a handkerchief. You stand on your toes, trying to reach his height as you carefully wipe his face. Arven stops breathing as you focus on him. “Okay, I think that’s as good as it’s gonna get,” you huff with a smile. “I can’t really do anything about your clothes, though. Sorry.”

“You–” Arven lets out a sigh, before bellowing out a laugh that makes you jump. “I really don’t know what to expect with you.”

“Thanks?”

Arven shakes his head with fondness, still feeling warmth radiate through his limbs. He digs through his bag, pulling out a fluffy Maschiff themed towel and handing it to you.

You take the toweling, blinking in confusion. “Thanks…?”

“You think I’m in a state?” he huffs, watching the expression on your face. You’re cute, Arven decides, but doesn’t put more thought into it because he’s so sure everyone finds you cute. 

“Is that why you were laughing?” you ask, finally, nose scrunching up. “I’m covered in mud, aren’t I?”

“Yup,” Arven responds with a smile. “Clean yourself up and I’ll get some food going.”

“Sounds good,” you reply, backing away from the picnic table. 

Arven watches you from the corner of his eye as you wipe your face and clothes, scrunching your nose in disdain. The sight makes him smile to himself as he begins to cook. Smiling wasn’t something he did too often before meeting you, but there’s just something about you that makes his lips quirk upwards. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” he exclaims, walking to where you’re sitting and handing you a plate. “Another one of your favorite ol’ Arven sandwiches with a side of Titan Badge!”

“Thank you!” you beam, still caked in mud but somehow glowing. 

“It’s nothing–” Arven snorts as your Pokémon pops out of its Poké Ball. “Figured this might happen. Don’t worry – I made extra this time for that partner of yours.”

“Thanks, Arven,” you beam, your partner chirping beside you in agreement.

“Yeah, no problem.” Arven fiddles with his Poké Ball for a bit, before gently letting Mabosstiff out. Shallow, but heavy, heaves leave Mabosstiff’s bruised body and Arven can feel his heart break, but he pushes on. Arven carefully breaks the sandwich down into smaller chunks, feeding it to Mabosstiff. “That’s it. Small bites, small bites…”

“Ah, ‘Don, slow down!”

Your voice makes him temporarily turn his attention to you, which allows him to observe your partner swallowing the sandwich whole.

“Ah, c’mon,” Arven huffs without malice. “At least bother to taste it before you swallow it right down, would you?”

You offer him a sheepish smile. “Uhm, if it’s any solace… I’m savoring every bite. It’s very good.”

Your words make Arven’s expression ease, a sense of comfort flooding through him. “That’s good, I’m glad.” For a brief moment, he stares at you eating his sandwich with glee, a sense of calm washing over him before his gaze shifts to Mabosstiff to assess Mabosstiff’s condition. “Oh. You done with your sandwich, Mabosstiff?”

A small sound escapes Mabosstiff, making both Arven and your eyes widen.

“R–ruff?! You… you heard that too, right?!” Bright teal eyes wet with tears turn to look at you. “Mabosstiff just woofed, right? Right?!”

“Right!” you agree, a wide grin on your face. “He definitely woofed!”

“See! See that?!” A relieved chuckle leaves Arven as his hands gently thread through Mabosstiff’s fur again. “I knew I wasn’t just hearing things!” With increased vigor, Arven scratches the back of Mabosstiff’s ear, causing the Pokémon to let out another small woof. “Oh, Mabosstiff! Who’s my best bud, huh? Who’s the best of boys? You are, yes, you are!” He sniffles and before he knows it, you're at his side again, rubbing circles on his back as you scratch Mabosstiff’s other ear.

Mabosstiff lets out another small woof at the attention he’s receiving, which makes Arven laugh through his tears.

“It’s been so long since I’ve heard that woof!” He can’t help but turn to you with a grin, which you reflect. “Mabosstiff is definitely getting better! Ever since I teamed up with you, good things keep happening!”

You laugh. “Then I guess I’ll have to work hard to make sure good things keep happening.”

Arven can feel his heart squeeze and he’s half-convinced that you’re trying to kill him.

“Just two more, right?” you give him one last pat on his back before you pull away your hand. He kind of misses (really misses) your warmth, but he doesn’t dwell on it as he nods.

“Just two more. I hope you’ll stick it out until we’re done.”

Your eyes crinkle at the sides as you smile. “I definitely will.”

He isn’t going to admit it anytime soon, but that smile brings him more comfort than you realize.

---

The fourth time Arven falls in love with you, it’s because of how much your encouragement spurs him to continue forward. The fourth titan is down for the count, and Arven can’t believe it. 

“Yes!” Arven cheers, looking at you with a bright grin.

You smile back at him, giving him a high five, before dusting off your shoulders. “What even was that thing?” you mutter. “It looked vaguely like a donphan.”

“That was definitely not a donphan,” Arven responds, scrunching his nose at the sand in his socks. “I don’t even think it was a Pokémon.”

“But then what is it?” you murmur, humming in thought. 

Arven thinks with you, his bottom lip jutting out slightly in thought. “I kinda feel like I’ve seen it before…” 

You peer at him curiously, before motioning him to lean down. Arven blinks at you, confused, but obliges. “We’re always in such a state after these battles,” you huff, amused, as your hands go to remove the sand in his hair. Arven can only stand still, words stuck in his throat as you gently weave your fingers through his hair. He can feel heat radiate off of his cheeks as his eyes flicker around aimlessly, trying to find something to look at. He feels like an eternity has passed when you remove your hands, a proud look on your face. “There. I got most of the big chunks out.”

“I–” he clears his dry throat, “Thanks. Do you, uh, want me…?”

You blink at him curiously, before you laugh. “I think my hat thankfully protected my hair from the worst of it. I don’t always wear it, but I’m glad I wore it today.”

Oh Arceus, he was so dumb. Arven wanted to crawl into the sand and never emerge again.

“Could you make me a sandwich, though? Please?”

“Yeah, of course,” he says, feeling warmed at your inquiry. You’re so sweet that he doesn’t really know what to do with himself.

The cave is, like always, dark when you and Arven enter it. For some reason, Arven pays a little more attention to you, trying to make sure you don’t slip or trip over your feet.

“Oh, the herb!” you say, making Arven finally turn his head and look at the herb growing in the distance.

“It looks like it’ll taste horrible,” Arven laughs, “which means it’s gotta be good for you!”

“I don’t know about that,” you respond, smiling, “but I’m sure you’ll be able to turn this into something tasty, at least.”

“You bet.” Arven rolls up his sleeves. “No time to waste – I’ll get some food going!”

Areven’s deft hands traverse across the picnic table as he sets up the ingredients to make a sandwich. There’s a giddiness behind his movements now as he anticipates your reaction, as well as Mabosstiff's increasing health. He can feel that he’s so, so close to his goal that he can taste it – and it’s all thanks to you. His heart fills with something he can’t really seem to describe whenever he thinks of you – whenever he’s with you. Sometimes he feels like the gratitude he has towards you will overflow, making him do something terribly stupid.

“Okay, sorry for the wait! Here’s the sandwich with a nice helping of Titan Badge! Gaze upon it in awe as you eat.”

“I am in awe,” you respond, taking both things from him gratefully. As your Pokémon comes out, Arven lets Mabosstiff out of its Poké Ball too. The sight of Mabosstiff’s eyes makes Arven smile.

“Seems like someone’s got a proper appetite now!” he glances at your Pokémon, watching it gobble up its food. “And that fellow’s also slowly regaining its original strength. Still… doesn’t look like it’s anywhere close to returning to its battle form. It seems healthy enough physically… But maybe it’s got a mental block?”

You frown at him, which makes Arven’s heart drop.

“A mental block?” you murmur, gently petting your Pokémon. It nuzzles into your hand as you do so.

“I, uh, I’ve read about it before. A mental scar – like psychological trauma.” As your frown deepens, Arven wishes he could just shut up. “Maybe it had a terrifying experience in battle and, uh, doesn’t really like to now? Like it’s too scared to fight.”

Your frown remains on your face as you continue to stroke your Pokémon’s head. Arven swallows, before clearing his throat.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Arven says, quickly, noticing the worry in your tone. He really didn’t want to damper your mood – that wasn’t the intent of his words. So, seeing you crestfallen at the potential trauma your Pokémon faced makes his heart, well, drop. “I’m sure both the brute – uh, that is, your buddy – and Mabosstiff will both make a full recovery eventually!”

“Yeah,” you murmur, giving him a nod. You give him a small smile as if to appease him, but it does little to soothe the guilt in Arven’s heart.

“Well, Mabosstiff?” he says, turning his attention away from you. “How’s that Herba Mystica working?”

Mabosstiff only tiredly huffs in response, his breathing slow and steady. He lets out a little whine in apology, but it’s quiet and breathy.

“Uh, no pressure!” Arven exclaims, wanting to backtrack completely. He feels like he’s messed up twice now and he’s starting to panic a little. “It’s not like it’s fair to expect every kind of Herba Mystica to have some kind of huge effect, right? And it’s not like the result has to be immediate, either.” Arven gently ruffles Mabosstiff’s fur, holding in a sigh. “Okay, rest up now, buddy.” Ruffling Mabosstiff’s fur one last time, Arven withdraws Mabosstiff back into its Poké Ball. As soon as Mabosstiff is back in its Poké Ball, Arven heaves out a sigh.

Everything had started out so great, but now, it feels like he’s made mistake after mistake. Not to mention the fact that Mabosstiff didn’t have any huge changes this time around. And he’s made you all sad because your Pokémon might be traumatized. Arven groans, ruffling his hair in aggravation. He just keeps messing up.

What if he keeps messing up? What if Mabosstiff never recovers? What if you see that your efforts were for nothing and then leave him? What if–

“Arven, we have one more left,” your voice cuts in, making Arven turn to you slowly in confusion. You meet his gaze with a smile, your Pokémon curled up by your feet, dozing off. “We'll get the last one and Mabosstiff will be as right as rain, you’ll see. We’ve got this.”

He blinks at you. “Uh– yeah.” Arven’s eyes search your face for any signs of anger or frustration, but there are none. Just kindness and determination. “Yeah.”

Your smile is so bright that it actually melts away his worries this time. You aren’t mad at him, and you aren’t disappointed, either. He can see that now.

Arven smiles. He’s not sure why, but your words bring him a lot of comfort. Since you said it’ll work out, he really believes that it will. He believes you because you seem to believe in him.

It makes his heart feel warm.

---

The fifth time Arven falls in love, it’s because he realizes that his happiness is multiplied beyond words when you’re with him. 

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” you ask, eyes glimmering as you look at Casseroya Lake.

“Yeah,” he responds, looking at how your smile widens at the sight of the blue lake before you.

“So the last Titan Pokémon – the False Dragon – is here, right?” you ask, tilting your head back to look at him. “It’s kinda bizarre to think about, you know. It’s so peaceful here.”

“Yeah, and not a single person’s caught of glimpse of it,” Arven mutters, eyes drifting across the quiet lake water. “It must be some kinda truly terrifying beast… But how are we supposed to search for a thing when we don’t even know what it looks like?”

“Surely it’ll do the kind thing and yell something like, ‘Grah! I’m the Titan!’” you joke, curling your fingers to look like claws, making Arven huff out a laugh.

“If only, right?” Arven’s thoughts are momentarily shaken when you start sprinting away from him. “Wha– hey! Where’re you going?!”

“I saw it!” is the last thing he hears before you surf away on your Pokémon.

Arven can only stand there, shell-shocked, before he runs after you, sending out his Cloyster.

When he catches up to you, he sees you confronting a huge Pokémon, a Poké Ball readied in your grasp. “Did you find the Titan?!” Arven asks, looking at the Dondozo. “So that’s it?! Sure is one big… uh… dragon?” His eyebrows furrow, expressing his confusion. “Wait, is that even a dragon? Or is it a fish?!”

“Well, it’s called the False Dragon Titan for a reason, right? So…” your eyebrows also furrow in confusion. “...If we beat it, I’m sure our questions will be answered.”

“That’s true– whoa!” Arven’s eyes widen. “Th–the little sushi guy got eaten up! Yeesh! Didn’t expect to see the food chain in action today!”

“And now we gotta step it up so we don’t end up a part of the food chain!” you respond, calling out your Pokémon.

“Right!” Arven agrees, sending out his Greedent.

“W–We did it!” Arven cheers once Dondozo goes down. “We–”

“Not yet!” you respond as Tatsugiri jumps out of Dondozo’s mouth and costumes some Herba Mystica. “Let’s go, Arven!”

“Uh…! Right!” 

Somehow, he always finds himself following your pace.

“Phew… Nice job!” Arven pats you on the back once the Tatsugiri also goes down. “Maybe the Titan was both those Pokémon together? Like some kinda combo meal.”

You laugh brightly at Arven’s words, making his heart warm. “Well, we're kinda a combo meal too, then, huh? A better one, of course.”

Arven ignores how hot his face feels, chalking it up to the battle you two just finished. “Okay! I’m pretty sure that Tatsugiri came out of there. Let’s go?”

You nod, following Arven as he enters the dark cave. Instinctively, you grab onto Arven’s vest, making his heart warm.

“That must be it!” Arven exclaims once he sees the red herb. You both run up to it, happy that your search is successful. “Let’s see what the book has to say… So it seems that the Spicy Herba Mystica is supposed to boost your metabolism! It gives your circulation a boost and helps flush out all those toxins!”

“Wow, it sounds intense!” you laugh, before patting Arven’s arm. “Sounds like something that’ll definitely pep someone up.”

“Yeah,” Arven says. If he were alone, he’s sure that he’d be more fearful than hopeful, scared that all his efforts were for nothing, but you’re here and that’s enough to reassure him. Inhaling deeply, he picks the herb up, giving you the brightest grin he can muster. “Just wait right there – I’ll whip something up real quick.”

“Waiting!” you reply, brightly.

Arven begins his cooking again, eyes intensified on the task in front of him. Before he can get too much further, however, you call for him. He turns around, looking at you quizzically as you approach him.

“Your hair’s gotten longer since we’ve started collecting Herba Mystica.”

Arven pauses, contemplative. He has noticed that his hair has been getting in the way more recently, but he was too busy to really think about it.

“Can I tie your hair back?”

“Huh?” Arven swears his heart stops, his cheeks heating up. He swears you’re gonna kill him one day. 

“Since your hands are busy,” you supplement, pulling out a cute hair tie with a Skwovet on it. “...Well, actually, it’s because I saw this and thought of you.”

You thought of him? You bought something because you thought of him? Arceus – he’s not sure when someone last bought him something – or even thought to, really.

“Arven?” you call.

“Yeah,” he responds, snapping out of his thoughts. “Ah, yeah.” He blinks rapidly, feeling his eyes grow wet with tears. It’s the onions, he tries to convince himself, but he’s not really sure if he can lie about it this time. He turns his back to you, barely choking out, “Go for it.” There’s a wobble in his voice that he hopes you didn’t hear.

Gingerly, at his permission, you take his hair into your grasp, threading your fingers through it. Arven busies himself with cooking, unsure of what to do with himself. The gentle movement of your fingers makes his heart beat erratically, but it somehow soothes him, too. He’s really not sure what to do.

 “There,” you say, finally, patting his back as your hands draw away from his hair.

He kind of misses your warmth, but he’s not going to admit that outloud. Instead, he mumbles a quiet thank you that he’s not sure you heard.

“No problem,” you hum, peering over his side to watch him work.

He suddenly feels shy under your gaze, even though you’ve watched him cook so many times. It takes all of his brain power to solely focus on cooking because he doesn’t want to mess up and lose you.

“Wow, that looks delicious!”

“Then it’s good that I made enough for you,” he responds, making you laugh. Arceus, he really likes your laugh.

“Thanks, Arven,” you say, taking the two sandwiches he’s offering you.

I should be thanking you, Arven thinks, but nods and says that it’s not a problem. He watches as you give your partner its sandwich, bright grin on your face as your partner gobbles it food in a flash. Arven watches as you eat yours, delight racing across your face as you savor each bite. Just seeing your reaction makes Arven think that he wouldn’t mind cooking for you every day.

“It’s delicious!” you say, making him puff his chest out in pride.

“Of course it is!” he exclaims, feeling your words simmer in his heart and give him courage. He inhales, pulling our Mabosstiff’s Poké Ball. “I guess it’s your turn, now…” he murmurs, releasing Mabosstiff. “Come on, bud. Eat up. It’s gonna make you all better, I promise,” Arven says, breaking up the sandwich and offering it to his partner. He waits for Mabosstiff to eat patiently. “We’re gonna play with your favorite ball as much as you want, y’know? Just like we used to.”

Mabosstiff silently eats out of Arven’s hands. It makes Arven’s heart throb.

“Please… get better. That’s all I want, really…” Arven’s voice is so quiet that he’s not sure if he’s said or thought his words. Still, he waits in anticipation as Mabosstiff finishes the last bite of his sandwich.

Arven waits.

And waits.

And waits.

“...Mabosstiff,” Arven finally says, voice cracking. He gently pats Mabosstiff’s fur, feeling his eyes grow wet with tears. “You did your best, bud…” With a sharp inhale, Arven stands, turning his back to you. He’s not sure what to do. You worked so hard for him. Mabosstiff worked so hard for him. And yet… it didn’t work. It didn’t work, of course it didn’t. But what else can he do now? Arven’s not sure. There’s a myriad of thoughts bustling in his head, becoming a murky black as he contemplates what to do next. He knows he has to keep trying, but–

Bark!

Arven’s eyes widen as he quickly whips around, teal eyes landing on Mabosstiff struggling to its feet. Though a little slow, Mabosstiff limps to the Poké Ball that rolled off the table, picking it up in its mouth and walking to Arven. The relief, the gratitude, the hope – all of it makes Arven fall to his knees as he clambers towards Mabosstiff to meet halfway. Mabosstiff lets out another energetic bark that makes Arven want to cry. “Bud, I know! Me, too!” he exclaims, hugging Mabosstiff close. He feels the soft warmth of Mabosstiff’s fur, the gentle beat of Mabosstiff’s heart, and Arven, for the first time in forever, knows that Mabosstiff will be just fine.

And Arven can’t be more grateful to you – you, who decided to help him, a stranger. You, who decided to help him despite there being no evidence of these Herba Mysticas existing. You, who has supported him through this entire journey–

“Thank you,” he finally says, looking at you. He knows his eyes are red, he knows he probably looks like a mess, but he really can’t bring himself to care – not when Mabosstiff’s better. Not when you’ve helped him so much.

“Don’t mention it, really,” you say, eyes so kind that he wishes he could hold your gaze forever. “I’m so glad Mabosstiff’s better.”

“Yeah,” he responds, feeling elated that he can share this moment with you. He continues to hug Mabosstiff close, whose tail has been wagging rapidly. The pulse thrumming through Mabosstiff’s body makes another shot of happiness move through Arven’s veins. “Yeah.”

Arven wonders if it’s all right to be this happy, but he decides that it’s okay to bask in it for now.

After all, what else can he feel when both Mabosstiff and you were by his side?

---

The moment Arven realizes he’s in love with you, it’s because he realizes that it’s because he can’t imagine life without you.

His mood had considerably soured when his parent had called you, especially since his parent wanted something from you. Bitterness rose to Arven’s throat, leaking into his words as his parent requested your help. He’d honestly rather you never interact with the professor that abandoned him. Still, you agree to help the professor and though Arven doesn’t want to be treated like an errand boy, he knows he owes you one.

Well, he owes you a lot, actually, which is why he helped you through the professor’s crazy request. He wants to be a pillar of support to you, like you were to him. So, he stood by you as you went to Area Zero.

But now that everything is solved, technically, he wonders if he should’ve gone with you at all.

Finding out that his parent had died years ago – he’s not sure what he’s supposed to feel. Sad? Angry? Frustrated? Scared?

Arven inhales, looking at the starry expanse above him. Somehow, despite the cloudiness in his heart, the stars shine bright as always. Somehow, despite the heaviness in his heart, he ends up drawing your visage in the constellations. You, who shines brighter than the stars, slumbering inside the tent next to Nemona and Penny. You, who braved the dangers of Area Zero. You. He wishes he can see you.

“Arven?” you call, and Arven wonders how he’s able to wish your presence into existence.

“Did I wake you?” he asks, hearing the yawn in your voice.

“No, I just…” you pause, “...I just couldn’t sleep.” Slowly, you make your way over to him. “Can I sit with you?”

“‘Course,” he replies, heart leaping in his throat when you sit closer to him than he expected. His emotions begin to jumble further into some odd emotion stew as you two sit in silence. The stars. The professor. Mabosstiff. You. Everything.

“Are you okay?” you ask, finally breaking the silence.

Arven doesn't know the answer to that. “Are you?”

You’re silent, before you breathe in deeply. “I don’t know.”

“Yeah.” Arven looks at you – you, who’s always been so brave and strong, and he sees. He sees the eyebags on your face. He sees the way your shoulders slump. He sees and he understands.

“...Thanks, Arven.”

“What?” The gratitude you express takes him by surprise, which you see when you turn your attention to him and meet his eyes.

“For coming with me. And helping me get Penny and Nemona on board. And… well, helping me adjust to Paldea. Traveling with you helped a lot, you know.” You inhale deeply, before your head seems to naturally rest on Arven’s shoulder, making him freeze. “I just… I don’t think I could’ve been down there by myself. So, yeah. Thank you.”

Arven’s not sure what to say. He’s still processing everything and if anything, he really should be thanking you. You, who helped him heal Mabosstiff. You, who let him vent about his parent. You, who reassured him the entire time in Area Zero. You, who’s still here, by his side, thanking him. You.

“I think I’m in love with you.” It dawns on Arven that he’s a mess of emotions and probably shouldn’t be talking. In fact, he probably should shut up now since you’ve removed your head from his shoulder, opting to look at him with wide eyes, but he can’t. “You’ve always been there for me. You didn’t have to, but you’ve been there. And you’re still here.” He inhales. Can you see how much he wants to hold you close? “Seriously, I should be thanking you.”

“Arven…”

Arven’s words finally catch up to his brain, making his cheeks flush. “Arceus, sorry.” He deflects his gaze from you. “I’m just– I’m a mess. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” you murmur, softly, placing your hand on his cheek to turn his face to you. “It’s been a long journey, y’know. I’d be more surprised if you weren’t a mess. I mean, remember what the sand did to us that one time when we beat the fourth Titan? Or the mud bath we had because of the third Titan?”

Despite his embarrassment, he can’t help but snort in laughter, which makes you smile.

“Arven,” your thumb brushes against his cheek, feeling the warmth radiating off of him, “Don’t ever apologize for expressing yourself, okay? I want you to talk to me if you need to. I’ll be here – I’ll always be here for you.”

Arceus, how could he have ever avoided falling for you? Everything you’ve done for him, everything he observes, it all builds and builds and builds until he feels like his love for you is reaching beyond the skies.

“And… maybe this isn’t the best time for this, but…” you gaze flickers to the ground, bashful, “I like you too.”

Arven blinks. Once. Twice. “Oh.”

Your lips quirk upward, your gaze shy. “Do you think you’d be okay if I stayed by your side?”

“Would you be okay with that?” Arven says, grabbing your hand. “Would… Me? You’d be okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Arven wonders if he’s dreaming. He’s been constantly abandoned that he never thought that someone would willingly want to be with him. But here you are – here you always are. He can feel his eyes well up, and you let out a small laugh at that.

“I feel like I keep making you cry.”

He laughs for the first time since you had gotten the call from the professor. “I don’t think I’ve cried this much since I was five.”

“Sorry, I guess I’m just a heartbreaker.”

He snorts, mirth dancing on his face, despite the unshed tears.

“But don’t worry, I’d never break your heart.”

“You’re killin’ me, here,” Arven wheezes, dropping his forehead to your shoulder.

You respond by drawing him into a hug, laughter tickling his ear. Despite him being bigger than you, somehow you make him feel safe in his arms. He wraps his arms around you, eyes closing as he holds you close. He’s not sure when it started, or when it’ll end, really, but he feels the overwhelming emotions he’s feeling slowly leave him. He can’t fully comprehend what he’s feeling, still trying to balance the grief, the shock, the relief. Maybe he won't ever know what he's feeling. But when he feels you bury your face into his chest, wet tears decorating his shirt, he thinks it’s okay that he doesn’t fully know what he’s feeling.

He doesn’t know when he’ll be fine, maybe he won’t be fine for a while. But with you in his arms, by his side, he thinks he’ll be okay.

And he’ll do everything to make sure you’ll be okay, too.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hi I’ve just recently found your blog am I can say I’m.obsessed. I’m absolutely love imagining the close bond between a trainer and their Pokémon!

With that in mind I’d love to request a piece with a elderly garchomp who lost part of its arm fin and spike,old bones with stiff joints,cracked skin,old scars littering it’s body.it’s most prominent scar is right across his eye,now a milky white.

Garchomp was readers gramps,who used to be champion in alola,but due to the whole ultra beast fiasco it’s done a real number on his old boy.So he sent his buddy to his granddaughter in the sunny,warm region of Paldea to live out his golden years.

How would arven,penny amd Nemona react to this battle hardened but gentle old man dragon?

Aww yeah! I also love the concept of elderly pokemon. I remember seeing one of the poketoon episodes with a champion's charizard who was kinda in his elder years and I think it's neat they touched on that

I'll just do these as hcs! (and also I think it'd be cool if peepaw garchomp wore a necklace with a dragonium z crystal encased in it as a momento of his achievements)

........

Arven

When you first introduced your gramps' Garchomp to Arven...he was quite startled seeing how old and battle-scarred he looked.

However, you didn't seem all that concerned and calmly explained that this one used to belong to a family member who was an Alolan Champion.

Though after the invasion of the Ultra Beasts and everything else that happened, your gramps decided his Garchomp was due for a much-needed retirement. So he sent him over to you in Paldea, knowing you'll take good care of his ace.

Plus, Gar's known you since he was a little Gible, so he 100% trusted you.

Despite all he's been through, barely a mean bone in his body remains. He's just a gentle old soul who'd much rather relax in the sun and get nice baths. He knows his worst days are behind him.

Unsurprisingly, Casseroya Lake became his favorite spot, so you and Arven have a lot of picnics there. The dragons usually mind their business, although Gar's quite popular with the local Dreepy population, who flock to him like children.

But because Garchomps at this stage in their lives have a tough time walking and lose their ability to fly, you'll have to assist him with getting around places.

However he's very stubborn about going back into his pokeball.

Thanks to Arven adding herba mystica to his meals, he still retains a good deal of strength. And while it can't reverse the effects of aging, you reassure him that he doesn't have to use up his entire supply to keep Garchomp healthy.

Tbh your friend's gonna get a little sappy seeing you take care of this sweet elderly dragon, hoping that he'll grow old with Mabosstiff still by his side.

Penny

It never really hit her that Pokémon can just...grow old like humans do, until she met your gramps' Garchomp.

And the first question that comes out of her mouth is: "So is he like...a hundred years old or something?"

Obviously Gar's unamused, but forgives her anyways with a nuzzle.

Lowkey he scares her, even though you reassure her over and over he's as sweet as a Slurpuff.

Her eeveelution team, much to her shock, warm up to him fast. Especially Sylveon, who snuggles with him and helps you aid him with walking and whatnot.

Flareon also helps keep him cozy since his cracked skin makes him more vulnerable to the cold.

Despite all of this, it still takes a while for Penny to warm up to him and pet him.

The whole eevee team had to band together and literally nudge her over to him

Once she does, you teasingly praise her for overcoming her "Garchomphobia", which flusters her enough to send you a glare.

Meanwhile, ol' Garchomp's chuckling in the background, very happy you found some good friends here.

Nemona

You knew she was gonna flip out (with excitement) as soon as you let it slip that your grandpa, an Alolan Champion, had handed his Garchomp over to you.

She's seen the tournaments when she was younger..and is lowkey jealous you're related to somebody so famous.

But you made it very, very clear that this dragon is in retirement and is done with battling. For good.

He wasn't transferred to you to fight more Pokémon, but to enjoy his golden years.

Despite this, Nemona still got overexcited upon seeing him, examining the z-crystal encased in his necklace with stars in her eyes.

"This allowed you to use Devastating Drake, right???"

Ofc, still being a little bit of a showoff, Garchomp managed to mimic the z-move pose his trainer once used, much to her delight-

Then one of his joints popped and he had to stop before he was in too much pain.

She's infinitely apologetic about it, even though he doesn't mind.

[tramon81]

I've been thinking why the Arven Storyline is so good, and I think it's about pacing and delivery.

Pokémon SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also recalling this from memory so might be some inconsistencies but the spirit is there :) .

There's this mild mystery about this guy at the start, apparently he knows your Legendary Lizard and is responsible of it. He also seems that he'd rather not deal with said lizard, foreshadowing or a more classy term, setup. We also end up realising he is the son of the Professor with very little to go on of what this relationship is.

It is implied in NPC dialog that the Professor has been away from the public from a long time, but being the owner of the lizard that you own now he/she actually shows him/herself to you. He/She calls you by student ID, weird. And requests you sometime travel to Area Zero, the forbidden area, where he/she presumably has taken residence.

When you meet with Arven on the lunchroom he proposes that you embark on a quest for, ... Herbs? Herba Mystica that seem to have some weird healthy properties. It is known that he likes cooking but didn't think he was a healthy foods enthusiast, a healthy lifestyle guru. Anyway you consider it.

Later he gets into a fight with Nemona into who's path you should follow. He seems really aggro on keeping you to his mission. Weird.

First mission, after the fight, you find the Herb, ok seems more than just curative bogus, he cooks ya a sandwitch and Koraidon goes ahead and asks for yours. Arven seems apprehensive but you eventually give it to the bikemon and whoa! It got its powers back. So maybe Arven is helping his parent out? Or was this not planned? Wait "you can come out now"? What pokemon did he send and why was it kept a secret? Weird.

Now, for the first "delivery" on all these "setups" this guy's not just a crazy cook in search for the ultimate ingredients, the setup at the cafeteria has its answer in Mabosstiff, the pokemon he secretly sent out last scene. It is stricken with a weakening health condition and the reason his owner is gathering all these ingredients is to cure him before it's too late. This is great for two reasons: 1. We know there is a ghost dog Pokémon with a similar build to it's preevolution and it can evolve so the dog could indeed die and turn into that. Also we now have a reason why he's been so jumpy, he doesn't want you to help him, he needs you to help him. If you ignored him and went with Nemona or that wacky Hacker, He'd be all on his own, and may not make it.

After some more adventures, smth smth setup for weird futuristic/ancient form of Donphan he recognises. Mabosstiff... Is cured! The relief on his face and the tension of the story is relieved as the dog wears again its toothy grin. This sort of thing is actual good storytelling methinks. Simple but effective. What a great... Wait it's not over.

Apparently it is revealed that you must finally go to Area Zero, together with the other cast, it's exciting because there's been so much build up to it, mystery and weird new pokemon. However it is also revealed that, one of the strongest deliveries in the story, Arven has an absentee parent, which made him be on his own... With only Mabosstiff as his family. This is potent. Of course this makes you want to meet this prick, see what kind of character does such a thing, but more importantly, it gives weight to Mabosstiff's recovery, together you saved not a dog, but the only family left by his side.

After you completed all three routes, he shows you the way to area zero. Which you discover about the place and the Professor, fellow of science, too absorbed in it, made a time machine oh so that was the deal with that donphan, oh cool there's more where it came from. There's also some very cool banter with the three coprotags, specially love the one about parents, this stuff is more direct than even Sun and Moon sometimes.

The Professor is acting odd though. Arven is suspecting something's off but doesn't really like the implication. You get swarmed, paradox pokes at all flanks. Another Lizard. Arven also reveals that he was envious and blamed Mirai/Koraidon for his parent's absence as there seems some unknown trust finally building up between them at the end of the scene. You enter the lab and finally get to meet...

Oh.

AI Sada/Turo. The professor died in an accident, standing in their place is an imperfect cold and robotic replica of the deadbeat progenitor. This "delivery" if you didn't have it spoiled just, hits way different that all others, the person who you probably hate by now, is long gone, no happy or cathartic reunion, no Arven giving a piece of his mind. If he wasn't by now, your friend is now officially an orphan. This copy seems to garner regret from its actions, its work is too dangerous and wants you to destroy it. The one thing that came over its family, its true passion, it is at least able to do away with it. However, you have to battle it as the defence system overrides its AI with this... well, it's pretty much the part of it you hate, obsessed, distant(literally lol it's like a good story above you up there). You beat it as your friends and Arven come to see the machine terastalize its insides or smth and it blocks your pokeballs and send the aggresive Legendary agaisnt you, completely unarmed you try to do something but your Sandwitch friend the MotoLizard achieves his battle mode. This makes things even, however you tetastalize him into even more of a dragon and oneshot him.

Last scene, AI is defeated, however for the machine to be over, "it" has to be over too. Arven pleads for it to stay, but it decides to go to its paradise, its life work and creation takes it to a different time in a final act both selfish and selfless sacrifice, In front of its son. Finally, "the climax".

You see, this all lead up to this, every setup and every delivery. Arven has finally faced the memory of his Father/Mother and it, in consecuence, has faced him. A bit of a somber note, but hey this is a treasure hunt, what about his treasure. I can't believe I'm saying this but this is one of the best implementations of "The friends we made along the way" trope I've seen. You see Arven has this factor of "afraid of ending all alone" that is implied a bit through the game, he is a bit abrasive but has a good heart. The last scene(Not the Ed Sheeran one) shows him on a understandable horrid mood when suddenly both Penny and Nemona suggest to go to eat, he is hard to get at first but this sense of now, connection to these people, propels him to join (Also Lizard nudge).

This is actually, even if way more contained, a bit on par with explorers of sky for best writing pokemon ever had. At least in my view on the matter what do you think?

[lonelydusknoir]

Arven Falling in Love with his Male! Best Friend

Requested by: Anon

THIS IS IT, OFFICER. THIS IS THE POST I LOST MY PROGRESS ON. But anyway… this is a bit long. Please enjoy! Reader goes by he/him pronouns and also gets referred to as (Name)

Also bonus little drabble at the end. Couldn’t help it!! I really enjoyed writing this

-

✨ We all know Arven didn’t have the best childhood. His parents prioritized their work over him, leaving him almost always alone with his little buddy Mabosstiff. But at the time, it was just a small Maschiff. His Pokémon was the only one who kept him company

✨ However, he soon met a boy around his age, playing with their own partner Pokémon. When he saw Arven standing alone, he took it upon himself to ask him if he wanted to play. Arven was a bit shy. But how could he say no?

✨ His new friend immediately became his best friend! Their partner Pokémon got along with each other just fine as well. While Maschiff was great company for Arven, it couldn’t exactly… talk. I mean, he could read his Pokémon’s body language, but the dog spoke no words

✨ Even when enrolled in the academy, he was still Arven’s best friend. He was the first person he went to about the Herba Mystica, but he shared his true intentions

✨ “Mabosstiff.. He’s really hurt…” He murmured. “Potions don’t work. The Pokémon Centers can’t help him. I don’t know what to do, but.. this might be the thing that’ll help Mabosstiff get better. Will you help me?” As Arven’s best friend, his answer was yes

✨ As each titan gets defeated, Arven becomes more familiar with the odd feeling in his chest. His whole body becomes warm, his heart pounds in his chest, his insides become fluttery like a Vivillon’s wings. The feeling makes him a little anxious. What’s wrong with him?

✨ The moment Arven realizes he’s in love with his best friend, he quickly goes into denial. That can’t be possible! Besides, it’s not like he would return those feelings. He would only be seen as a friend, nothing more…

✨ After the last titan is defeated, Arven starts making a sandwich with the Herba Mystica found. He pauses for a moment, staring down at the ingredients. Arven clears his throat before speaking up…

“Hey, (Name),” He calls out to his best friend. “Listen.. uh… I’m really grateful for everything you’ve done for me and Mabosstiff. Really. But.. I… really need to tell you something.”

Arven looks down at his partner Pokémon before staring at his best friend. He became nervous as their eyes met. Mabosstiff nudged his leg, trying to make him hurry and confess.

He inhaled deeply, trying to calm his anxious heart. “I know we’re buddies and all that but.. I love you, like, really love you. I’m happy to have you as my best friend but… I’d be happier to have you as my boyfriend…” Arven quickly turned away, shutting his eyes as his whole body tensed. “I, uh, I’m sorry if you want to stay as friends but… I really needed to get this off my chest.

(Name) smiled before walking up to Arven and embracing him. “Wow, you really beat me to it, huh?” He let out a soft laugh. “Y’know.. I was gonna confess first! But I’m glad you did it first.. I think I was going to back out. I love you a lot, Arven.”

[swagtastic-bougie-pompadour]

Today's very special...

🥪Clive Update🥪

Is coming to you live from the...

Naranja-Uva Summer Sandwich Squabble!

We're entering the last hours now, and who knows "wich" competitor is going to take it all!

Allow me to introduce our finalists!

First up, Naranja-Uva's Hero of Home Economics! The Many-Muscled Master of Mustard and Mayo! The Sandwich-Slinging Secret Softy...

Mr. Saguaro!

Do you have any words for your hella pumped fans? Sandwich-making... is something that requires your whole heart! If you aren't feeling positively towards your ingredients, the whole thing will fall apart. So don't be afraid to be your true self! Thank you, Saguaro!

Next up is the standout student of our Home Economics track! Though he's only recently found his path, you'd better bet the results are going to be... Mystica! The Ma-boss of this beau-tiff-full stage... Arven!

What do you have to say to your... be-wiched followers? Clavell, for the love of the Treasures, stop. I can't take this anymore... A-hem. I think those sandwiches are making you mix up your faces! Nevertheless...

Our third and final... well, finalist! today is none other than... huh, am I reading this right? Apparently I am! The fearsome, feisty fighting-type instructor... Dendra?????

I... don't even know what to say. What are you doing... here...? ... ... ...

OSU!!!!!

Wazzup, kid? I'm here to prove that with hard work, elbow grease, and absolutely zero bribery of Judge Miriam...

Hello!

Uhm. Anyways! I'm gonna kick some butt today! I've got new and innovative sandwich ideas for this final challenge! Have you ever seen a sandwich with Basculin roe on it??? NOW you will! Thank you Dendra. I am terrified!

These three will be taking part in our Final Challenge for the grand title of... Sandwicher Supreme!

And today's final challenge is...

To create a super-stack sandwich!

That's right, your sandwich needs to be at least five feet tall, and it had better taste good too! What's more, you'll have to scour the entire school grounds for prime ingredients! Who knows, there might even be Herba Mystica out there... You're free to get help from any of your Pokémon pals! Are you ready?

This is going to go horribly wrong. I can feel it. NONSENSE, picnic kid! You're going down! Let's all just do our best, okay?

On your marks, get set... GO!

(Remember that, since our funding goal has been met for our renovations, you can donate to the Open Worlds Project at openworlds.org //fake link NOW! All donations will be matched by our mysterious partner, so act now! If we get to 1,000,000 PD donated, YOU can choose what color Director Clavell has to dye his hair!)

[paldeanbear]

A Compliment Sandwich

Middle of the night. Not the most uncommon time for Andrei to be awake, even after having somewhat adjusted to life at Naranja-Uva Academy. The man was always a very late sleeper. But without his gaming PC to keep him mentally occupied? There wasn't really much to do but scroll Rotomblr and Gliscord until he settled down enough for sleep.

That was, until a knock at his door sat him upright in confusion. Who the hell would be visiting at this time of night? With Shiny Eevee following behind him, Andrei got up and stepped over to the door of his dorm to see who it was.

"...Arven?"

The shorter student was holding something wrapped in wax paper in his hand. His eyes locked with Andrei's as he began to speak.

"Look, I didn't want to say anything about this, but... I saw what happened with your Fletchling. And you did help me get that Herba Mystica, so I thought you deserved something as thanks. So... here. A sandwich made with it."

Arven thrust the wrapped food into Andrei's hand. They blinked in confusion as he turned his head away to cut eye contact.

"Uh... Well, thanks I guess? It wasn't your fault Pablo got hurt though. You didn't need to--"

"No, I did. You did me a favor, so I'm doing one in return. Please don't mention it." Arven interrupted. His tone was... hard to parse. Not annoyed or frustrated, but not quite pleasant either. The taller student simply held the sandwich to his side and nodded.

"I mean. Thanks, I guess. I was looking for a midnight snack anyway. Was there anything else, or...?"

"No. That's all. Good night."

Andrei blinked and stared down the hallway as Arven ran off. A paw at their leg prompted Andrei to close the door and head back to his desk. At least there was something to pass a little time with now. There was just one little concern before he shared the gift sandwich, though.

"...Shit, can Eevee eat pineapple?"

[goldazu]

Okay, I know people are tired of my Pokemon shenanigans, but hear me out. Some people were also interested in what I thought about the overall plot and I will try to go ahead and give my two cents on it.

Personally, I'm somewhat sick of the same recycled Pokemon plot in which the rivals are overly friendly, hold your hand throughout your whole journey, and act a little too light-hearted for my tastes. Give me a mean rival again, those were fun. However, that isn't to say I didn't enjoy Nemona and Arven in particular. Especially Arven. His arc was very mind-blowing for me by the end of the game considering what happened with his family.

Truth told, before I started the game, I definitely heard rumors of people like "the story made everyone cry." So, I wanted to see what exactly was so heart-wrenching about it. Initially I thought it was the whole plot arc with Arven and his sick dog who showed little to no signs of recovery even as you collect the Herba Mystica (basically nutrient-loaded food for the Pokemon) for him to feel better, which I'll admit was indeed sad and tugging on my heartstrings at some point, but it wasn't anything too eye-opening for me all the same.

Little did I know, this was just the beginning of it.

As the player explores Paldea and collects the Herba Mystic for the professor (Sada or Turo depending on your version—I played Scarlet so I got Sada), your ride legendary also gains some new powers. Dashing, jumping, swimming, gliding, climbing, etc. It's clear throughout the adventure that Arven and the professor have strained relationships due to Koraidon/Miraidon yet the player doesn't really know why until the end, which I consider the most exciting part of the overall story.

Once the Herba Mystica subplot was finished, the player then has to make their way to the forbidden Great Crater since Arven just kinda goes "okay, we need to find my mom/dad." Yes, the professor is revealed to be his parent, though I didn't see it coming even when in hindsight they do resemble each other. That's on me, I guess. Oops? Anyway, the professor up until that point has and continues to communicate with you, the player, via Rotom phone so you never actually get to meet them. It turns out they're "trapped" in the lab in Area Zero, which leads you and the gang to travel there despite the prehistoric/futuristic Pokemon crawling about. All of which are quite powerful in their own right.

Eventually as you approach the lab, it's revealed those Pokemon from the past/future are too dangerous for the ecosystem and must be stopped/contained in their "respective times." It makes sense, to be fair. Should they escape Area Zero, then they'd undoubtedly infest all of Paldea and probably turn the whole region into a living Hell for all the other, much more weak Pokemon who are from the current time period. So, the professor asks you to disable the time machine that they themselves made to prevent that from happening, since a lot of the paradox Pokemon are already starting to go out of control.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, there's just one small complication.

Turns out the professor is actually an AI based on Arven's real parent, who died in the respective time zone of their field of study. They died in an accident trying to protect Koraidon/Miraidon yet somehow the AI still lives on. Ironically enough, even the AI recognizes the whole time machine thing was going to be a bad idea and faults the original professor for it. They warn you that if you try to disable it, they will be programmed to fight you since anything that tries to stop the time machine is immediately deemed a threat.

Now, this is what I find very interesting. The AI is on your side, yet you have no choice but to defeat them in battle. Even though they don't want to fight, it's just how they're wired and programmed, unfortunately. This battle is also very exciting from a blind player's perspective because the AI's whole team is comprised of Pokemon solely from the "past" and "future" that the player has yet to encounter, forcing you to guess their weaknesses if you haven't already spoiled yourself by this point. For those going into the game 100% blind, I can see why the fight poses the greatest challenge yet.

Anyways, after you defeat them, the AI explains they can't leave the time machine which is why they were "stuck" in the lab all this time. Despite your efforts, it doesn't exactly "shut down." There are too many protocols and it turns into a Koraidon vs Koraidon (or Miraidon vs Miraidon, again, Scarlet vs Violet differences) showdown. Yes, there are two of them, by the way. Apparently the one you own is the more submissive one who lost a territory fight or something, but I think it's kind of awe-inspiring that it beats the one it originally lost against. It just goes to show that since you traveled with it all throughout the game, your bond overcame everything else.

Instead of disabling/destroying the time machine, the AI decides they, too, want to go on their own journey. All this time, monitoring you as you collected the Herba Mystica, beat all the gym leaders, challenged Team Star, etc., it's revealed they envied you. Makes sense, since they spent all that time tethered to the lab/time machine. I guess even AI can develop a thirst for adventure.

Enough recap, here's where I add in my opinions on everything.

Honestly, the idea of an AI character in Pokemon developed this way is very interesting to me. I know they tried to do similar in the past, but the exposition here was much more intense than other games. And the fact that it's revealed Arven's sole parent who already spent little to no time with him throughout his childhood as is died, I realized "wow, this is darker than I thought for a Pokemon game." I love it. I actually came to adore the professor more knowing they were an AI in the end. Their parting words to Arven before the time machine transported them was something along the lines of "s/he really cared about you." And I don't think they're lying, either. If you take a look at the lab, you'll see the original professor has a picture of Arven and his dog when he was just a child.

The whole game, all the side characters encourage you to "find your treasure." Yet, here we see with the professor that sometimes people go overboard with their treasure hunt, and they devote all of their time and energy to their goals that they forsake their loved ones, their kids, their family, etc. Hell, the professor even developed all those protective measures so that the time machine would never fail, which just goes to show they wanted to research those paradox pokemon no matter what—even at the cost of neglecting their kid.

If I was in Arven's shoes, honestly, I'd be devastated. The one parent I came to resent and never spent all that much time with turns out to be dead, and I was only speaking to an AI version of them all this time. Crazy, right? He surprisingly took it well despite all the rivals being kids, but still, crazy stuff. Makes one wonder what his life would be like if only he had an active parent around.

Now, I may be biased because I played through Scarlet, which means Arven had mommy issues with Sada. However, I just cannot imagine Arven and Turo for some reason. 💀 Maybe it's because I also played as a girl, and considering his beef with Nemona who is also a young woman, it makes sense that Arven has a distrust towards the opposite gender due to his mother's absence. Sound familiar yet?? Omg, Arven is even good at cooking.

Back to the paradox Pokemon, there are theories that they aren't actually from the past/future and that they're just the professor's imagination coming to life due to a third unrevealed legendary. To be honest, I think this theory is sound. After all, how can Sandy Shocks, a Pokemon resembling manmade magnets, come from the ancient past???

Overall, I loved how surprisingly dark the story in Scarlet and Violet were this time around. Please give me more plotlines like this. TL;DR, Arven is best boy and deserves everything good in this world. 😩

[shadowonwater]

Pokemon SV playthrough part 3: from school to bug gym

In this I get spoiled for choice, try to take a picture of a Psyduck, see some new Pokemon, and also do my 1st picnic

So I'm in the school, Nemona was talking to a lady w/ crazy hair. Nemona said her name but I don't remember it. When I asked her who she was all she said was her name as if that told me anything about her. I bet she's a gym leader or something idk.

Then I see Arven (I remember his name now, woo!) And he acts all buddy buddy with me, which is kinda weird considering he wasn't the most friendly in our first meeting. But he tells me how much he loves cooking and that he's trying to get these Herba Mystica things and wants my help, so I say sure. I just gotta battle some big boi Pokemon.

He tells about Great Tusk, and I'm like "Yo that's sick" because it is. I love mysterious stuff. And considering the only visual reference for it is just a drawing and a blurry photo, I really want to know more! I can totally imagine Pokemon Youtube having some youtuber making a vid about it and the tumbnail would be the blurry photo with a big red circle around the Great Tusk.

All this makes me really excited to see what the hell is in the crater. All I know it that it's super dangerous and also that Sada is somewhere in there and that Koraidon is from there.

A bit off topic but a Pokemon Professor OC of mine (Prof. Silverleaf) would be going feral over this sort of thing. The man goes wild over mysteries. He'd probably try to sneak in, lol.

Anyway after Arven, someone hacks my phone. And is like "Hey, fight Team Star for me will ya?" And I'm like "No." because you hacked my phone, and that's rude.

Principal tells me not to take phone calls in the middle of the cafeteria, and I'm like "fair." Anyway I'm a little worried when he mutters "Team Star" under his breath and I get called to his office later. I'm like "Oh no, am I in trouble?" Like maybe he thought I was getting close to Team Star. But it was nothing like that.

Instead Sada shows up and she's like "Hi, that Koraidon used to be mine, but you can have it, take care of it for me, will you?" And I'm like "Sure". Anyway Sada's theme is baller, and I love it. Although aren't I breaking some rule by having 7 Pokemon with me at once, even if I'm not using one to fight?

So Principal clearly knows something. He knows Sada. And is like "Did she actually do it?" And I'm like "Did she do what?" But of course he doesn't tell me. But he 100% knows something.

So Nemona shows me my room and I'm like "Sweet!" because it's not a bad size and I have it all to myself. Then my character goes to bed despite it being daytime. TIMESKIP! Days go by in a cool sky changing cut scene. How many? idk. I didn't count but maybe someone out there in the world has.

Anyway I think it's weird to hold the treasure hunt so early in the school year, it seems like something that should be saved for later. Like an end of school year celebration of sorts, idk. But then again, I guess finals happen around the end of the year, maybe that's enough excitement for the students.

So yeah Nemona's like "go do gym battles!" and Arven's like "fight the titans!" and the hacker's like "fight Team Star" and I'm like "Ladies, ladies, there's enough of me for all of you! You don't need to fight!" It's around this time I realize who the hacker must be.

I thought to myself, here's Arven, here's Nemona, where's Penny? I haven't seen her around. Then I'm like OH she's the hacker isn't she? I mean it makes sense. Team Star did harass her and I was the one who helped her. No wonder she thought of me when she decided to take them down.

So I decide to go after the Bug Gym first at Nemona's suggestion. I quickly get distracted exploring again.

I try to take a photo of a Psyduck swimming in the river, looking like it's a little too close to the waterfall. And I'm like "which is the take-a-picture button?" and by the time I realize it's just the normal screen cap button, the Psyduck is already out of the river and standing right in front of me. And it's like It's cute you want to pose for the photo but I wanted to take a photo of the swimming. bye.

Anyway caught lots of Pokemon. Saw some Pokemon I've never seen before. Like I vaguely knew about various Pokemon even if I didn't know the specifics. But I saw two Pokemon I haven't seen before at all. I figure Tadbulb evolves into the electric frog the gym leader has. The other was a red dog. I've seen fanart of Arven with a dog, I bet this small red dog evolves into that.

I also have a few tera raids, those were cool, they were all rank one of course. I got a Venonat which is cool because I haven't seen regularly in the wild yet.

I wandered into an area that was a bit strong for me and found another Pokemon that was entirely new to me. A psychic type with a bunch of frills. Was a bitch to catch, it kept breaking out of the ball and causing my team some major damage. I also caught various other Pokemon I already knew, like a pair of Rockruffs.

I did my first picnic and made a sandwich free style. I put so much food on it and when I put the break on it, it kinda fell apart. And then I just stuck the little ref flag into the lettuce. It looked more like a salad then a sandwich but none of my Pokemon seemed to mind. My Yarn Spider and Big Grass Cat fell asleep next to each other and I took a photo. Looks like a cat that got tuckered out from playing with a yarn ball.

Another thing, my flamingo kicks major ass. nothing but a tera raid has survived a double kick from it. This one has a major chance of staying on the Team permanently. It's so strong!

Anyway in terms of new Pokemon I also caught Smoliv and the little fairy steel Pokemon. I vaguely knew that the little fairy steel existed because a lot of people up it's final evo on the internet. I might put it on my team, eventually.

Eventually I went to the gym and did the challenge. May I mention it's a little disappointing I can't go into random people's houses now. I mean, it makes sense logically but I miss being able to just walk into people's houses and chat with them, and go through their garbage to see if there's anything there.

The challenge was fun, I hope I'm allowed to do it again just for fun. The giant olive made such a funny sound as it bounced around. It really want to try doing the maze part again because I just battled people for shortcuts (because I like battles) but I want to try the maze for real!

I tried letting my poison Wooper shine for this match. Unfortunately, it fainted while battling Teddiursa, it at least poisoned it. Feels a bit anti climatic to send out a stronger 2nd Pokemon just to do the last but of damage. It would have been nicer to finish it off with Wooper. But anyway I got the bug badge. The gym leader, I don't know her age but she feels like a kindly old woman.

It was at this moment I really felt spoiled for choice, "where do I go next?" I pondered. There was truly an impossible amount of choices but I know I can't really just go wherever I want because of the lack of level scaling.

So I asked Pokecenter lady and she told me to go for the 1st titan next and I said "ok". Guess I'm going to rely on her to help me with this. So next time I'll be fighting that 1st Titan.

[umbrahighpriestofgiratina]

Ficlet with the important disclaimer Vaespar's opinions aren't necessarily my own

Vaespar

Vaespar went to challenge the Fire Elite 4 and was promptly forced to make the world's spiciest sandwich beforehand. After way too much time battling and bartering for ingredients Vaespar managed to create a catastrophic capsaicin calamity to Crispin's satisfaction. The battle with Crispin afterwards was ironically much easier due to the dream team of Oatchi on offense and Milkshake on support. 

However Kieran and Drayton showed up afterwards, applauding his progress and Kieran telling Vaespar to never surrender until he got to him. Psh. Like Vaerspar ever surrendered to anyone. Much less the jealous brat who went insane over him and Ogerpon.

Anyway Vaespar quickly made his way over to the Steel Elite 4, where the stern steely girl in question fed Dante a strange plant - a new Herba Mystica?- that enhanced his flight capabilities for a flight-based time trial. However, the test run was... a little dicey, and even Vaespar admitted they needed some practice...

[pokemon-my-beloved]

here's the other part of the dlc, btw!

spoilers under the cut!

here i am again

UNOVA *vibrates into the roof*

i BETTER be allowed to bring my friends with me this time clavell istg

VELLY GHKASLGJALKSGJL

carmine recommended me? that tracks tbh

do i get to say yes or no to this or am i just going

my fucking FRIENDS :(((((

okay bye friends :((((( i’ll miss you :(((((((

god cyrano’s a hot mess huh

“you’ll be battling more here than any other school” incorrect! i am friends with nemona

yes that DOES pique my interest the last person i knew who fucked around with the terastal phenomenon went insane and died

WHO IS LACEY’S FATHER. WHICH GYM LEADER. I NEED TO KNOW

what the FUCK is that what did you put in the fucking GOO

god okay that took LONGER than i would have liked but i finally caught a fuckin alolan grimer

aight i’m off to talk to carmine ig

i did not actually miss you but sure whatever you say

damn the kieran redesign???

what the FUCK happened to this boy

wild backstory??? no that’s my bestie arven

i don’t fucking know man AM i friends with kieran? i don’t think he’s forgiven me for catching ogerpon but like that was completely out of my control she said she wanted to come with me and i won the battle so

can i not be in multiple clubs? also why is blueberry academy more fleshed out than uva academy this is bullshit to the highest degree

WELL A DATE IS…

oh man she has a thing for me i guarantee it

in the cafeteria and having vivid flashbacks to being recruited to find the herba mystica… i miss my boy :(

yknow kieran i appreciate you letting me be in the league but you could’ve just asked for a battle

oh man he looks feral what the fuck

“not a little kid anymore” sir it’s been three months

ooh this tells me where in unova they’re from that’s AWESOME

oh and it gives me the recommended order to do them too! that’s really helpful!

alright did a bunch of bbqs and i’m off to fight crispin! or do his trial at least

oh jeez i did NOT need this much bp

man i do not KNOW what my history with kieran is. please help me figure it out

I AM DOING MY BEST, CRISPIN

i literally already am champion ranked, drayton

okay now that i’ve got way too much bp i’m just gonna fight the whole league one after the other so. amarys time!

“your name is agias” GJKLASJGLAJG

amarys where did you get herba mystica that allows miraidon to fly. and can i have some to bring home for arven

thank you for asking what my relationship with kieran is amarys, i have no fucking idea

did it! on to lacey

her description says she lives in nimbasa but cyrano said her father was a gym leader and unless elesa transitioned i don’t think that’s the case. something’s going on here

oh a pokemon quiz i’ve GOT this

god lacey's so cute i love her

drayton. you cannot just shade kieran like that and then immediately ask why lacey hates you

alright drayton time

drayton. stop trying to bribe me. idk what you’re doing it for, but it isn’t working

oh god oh fuck i need to use new pokemon. please hold

“your opponents are under the same conditions so you can’t be too mad about it” THEY HAD THAT ANYWAYS, DRAYTON

god fine. lemme just evolve the pokemon i’ve caught so far and maybe catch more

GOD FINALLY THAT TOOK ME AN HOUR

the music for each of the elite four slaps btw

kieran i beat the elite four in less than a day. what are you talking about

“i liked kieran better when his hair was down” JGKLSAJGLKASJG SIR??????

i mean i agree but still

HOLY SHIT HYDRAPPLE??? WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT

guessing it’s an evolution of dripplin but. goddamn

drayton you are making things actively worse. stop that

DON’T PLAY THE CHEERY FRIENDSHIP MUSIC I CAN LITERALLY SEE KIERAN HAVING A MENTAL BREAKDOWN IN THE BACKGROUND

i am NOT letting drayton in area zero briar i fucking REFUSE

carmine and kieran are fine i guess but i would really rather just get the crater crew back together :/

oh. hi geeta

RIKA!!!!!!!!

“recently we’ve had to confront the possibility that dangerous pokemon could escape the area” say professor turo died and go

literally just get the crater crew to do it and have clavell supervise us geeta like it’s not that hard

i’m in but only because none of you other fuckos know what to expect. you’re being so mean to my friends and for why

alright drayton's not going that’s... actually fantastic

jesus christ kieran is this whole thing STILL about ogerpon

BRING MY BESTIES. I HATE THIS GAME

oh god briar got scary all of a sudden what the fuck

rika you knew i trespassed. what are you talking about

i’m sorry and all but arven needed me so. i’m not that sorry

god if no one else. if NO ONE ELSE. let me bring nemona. she is also a champion and has also been there. this is bullshit to the highest degree

yes i’ve been here before. with my friends. bitch (sorry)

alright. here fuckin goes

briar you shut the FUCK UP about the secret room in the zero lab you don’t know SHIT

how disrespectful do you think it is to let these fuckin randos that neither turo nor arven knew/knows in

oh it’s been too long that makes sense

i am NOT saying anything about the professor being in the lab what is WRONG with this game

goddammit i said it anyway i hate it here

oh thank GOD i don’t have to show them the time machine

BRIAR GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THOSE

i sure did but i’m not gonna fucking tell you your vibes get more rancid by the second

briar i am starting to become frightened. you are being professor turo’d i think

GET AWAY FROM THE PROFESSOR TURO STUFF BRIAR. I AM GOING AND GETTING ARVEN TO LET HIM LOOK AT THIS I SWEAR TO GOD

carmine is the only valid person here i think

god this really IS still about ogerpon

LISTEN KIERAN I’VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I’LL SAY IT AGAIN: IT’S NOT MY FAULT I HAVE PROTAGONIST SYNDROME also you were being a bit parasocial ngl

HATE the look on briar’s face what the fuck

this is going to go SO badly i can already tell

i knew it was coming but holy shit that’s a baby

a master ball, kieran? really?

briar. you can’t say shit like that it’s SO unethical

is he gonna use literally any other pokemon or

oh my GOD it’s still SO SMALL

that’s a fuckin BABEY

briar can this wait literally at all

oh man the master ball BROKE? that’s not good

BRIAR YOU WANTED THIS

briar has clearly never done a tera raid battle this is pretty standard i’m ngl

eyyyy kieran’s back in the game!

his eyes look normal now which is very encouraging

carmine why do we need your permission to go all out like what do you think i’ve been doing

oh shit he’s letting me catch him? nice

yeah what carmine said we do NOT need the second coming of professor turo

alright fine i guess we managed without my friends but. it would’ve been nice to have them with us

man i never had a problem with you of course we’re still friends

and that’s credits! alright!

okay so! overall? i liked the teal mask better than the indigo disk, but both were alright

the dlc DEFINITELY pales in comparison to the main game though. i understand why they didn’t bring back the crater crew, but i’m still upset by it, it felt like they thought if they introduced carmine and kieran we would automatically like them as much if not better than the other three, which is just not possible. while their story and development, especially kieran's, were good, it didn’t hold a CANDLE to the other three, ESPECIALLY arven. i’d say that the main game was a 9/10, teal mask was 7/10, and indigo disk was 5.5/10

so i played the dlc

and it was. alright? but while i was playing the teal mask, i was writing my thoughts down so i could make a little mini-review, and then i just. never posted it. so here i am now, with my thoughts from ALL of the dlc, but i have to separate it because i said. So Much. this post has teal mask stuff, i'll reblog with indigo disk thoughts

spoilers under the cut!

are my besties coming with me on this field trip. please please please

blueberry academy is in UNOVA????? holy shit i am IMMEDIATELY more interested and invested in the indigo disk

have my boy there. i am Manifesting him

listen briar i’m sure your intentions are pure and all probably but you can’t go into the great crater of paldea okay i say this as someone who has been there. leave my bestie alone

i don’t think my besties are coming with me :( one sec i gotta go say goodbye to them

okay nemona please try not to burn the academy to the ground, penny sunlight is necessary to your survival please leave your room at some point, mabosstiff please take care of arven while i’m gone

GOD i love these kids okay i’m going

i am. aware of the violet book. why

the paranormal???? oh so she’s a dork

and heath’s descendant alright that’s fine i’m no longer as concerned as I was before

OH MY GOD IS SHE SHOWING ME THE TERAPAGOS PAGE UNCENSORED????

SHE IS

i am…….. wary……. of terapagos, but continue

she wants to find it? bestie

okay so the other people on the trip are randos. three of them. this feels like salt in the wound, just a lil bit

this kid is NOT my “travel buddy” i have exactly ONE buddy and he is in paldea >:(

i’m not going to let that go i am NOT going to get over that

oh it’s my replacement besties or whatever. i’m not going to get as attached to them I’m saying this now because i know it to be true. unless these kids have daddy issues out the ass i will not get attached

okay so carmine is nemona 2 electric boogaloo except i like nemona more

sorry for continuing to play it up i just Love Them So Much

oh so we’re just going to. i was going to say block off the wholeass road but this is scarvi so. guess not

oh so this is just nemona if she was pacifica northwest huh

only one of them was giving me grief but i’m gonna hit yes anyways cause carmine is already getting on my nerves

man this is exactly what i said about arven huh. unless she pulls out a sick dog and daddy issues i’m not impressed and even then i'm not impressed cause like. quit copying homework from two characters who i already like more

mossui town is a very pokeani coded name i think

oh god which of these stupid fucking loser kids am i gonna be working with

nevermind it’s probably gonna be kieran

his hair is really fucking stupid I cannot see his nose at all it grates on me more the more I look at it. not what i would call good character design

hair’s not quite as egregious on carmine but still kind of a problem

WOAHHHHHH THE NURSE JOY RESDESIGN POG

this is literally jessie. like it’s just jessie i can’t fucking be convinced otherwise

i mean. define cool? but yeah sure this kid’s growing on me it’s cool

ohhhhh cool as in 3v1 cool. yeah alright that is cool

KIERAN NO WHY DID YOU SAY THE S-WORD

HOW DID YOU EVOLVE YOUR POKEMON SO FAST

probably because they were already like level 58 or whatever

okay so we are GUARANTEED going to get trapped in here or whatever since ogerpon was outside but i’m sure i can bust us out so i’m not really worried tbh

“you’re a sweet kid kieran” vs “wHEN CAN I MOVE IN” GHALKSJGKLASJGLKAJSG

yeah okay i’ll go to the festival of masks sure seems fun

ugh YOU

fuckin. i don’t get a mask i guess. absolutely fantastic (sarcastic)

yeah sure i’ll battle whatever

“stop using supereffective moves” she says, like that will stop me

oh is poltchageist/sistcha a divergent evolution of the polteageist line? nice!

ogerpon’s stUPID FUCKING PONCHO JAKSJKSJGLKSJG

“say chansey” is cute but i’m unsure why cheese wouldn’t work like cheese is very much in this game

oh, thank you for the candy apple kieran!

what the fuck does OUSTIN mean, game. that is NOT a word, what the fuck

wait. it is. fuck

what if i just. didn’t go after ogerpon AJKLGSJGLK

okay well i can’t leave the festival or do anything else IN the festival so

this bitch is GOING to punch me in the face i guarantee it jvaslkgjlags

apparently everyone just thinks its a kid. wild

oh that’s a cute cute CUTE face

ogerpon’s adorable. alright

I SOMEHOW DON’T THINK IT’S A KID, CARMINE

kieran i would NEVER make fun of you what the fuck

carmine you are SO mean all the time i feel like jet at the end of the sonic riders dub

oh did the loyal three attack and ogerpon defended the village. makes sense for pokemon tbh

“passed down by word of mouth” just write it down, man

OH SHIT THE MASKS HAVE TERASTAL GEMS IN THEM FUCK

i’m sorry kieran i was specifically instructed to lie to you okay listen

i guess i’m not going to the festival of masks tonight? damn okay then

okay yeah this is pretty as fuck but i’ve been to area zero and i did expect it to look like this, carmine

oh! a mitotic! hi! what the fuck!

well that’s convenient huh. i’m not getting in the fucking pool, i guess

oh briar hi! are these terastal crystals? cause i’m pretty sure they are

water? eh close enough

oh he’s gonna summon the loyal three isn’t he. that’s probably not good

kieran in our defense we were specifically instructed to not tell you this like did you miss that part i know you were eavesdropping

if nothing else it seems like he’s gaining some self confidence from all this it seems like

oh they were stuck in the monument? that’s… a bit weird, but i’m sure it’s fine

sure wish someone who could understand pokemon was here (hint hint) THAT SURE WOULD BE HELPFUL HUH (HINT HINT)

sorry i just. i Miss him

guess i’ve gotta fight the loyal three now. bet

ooh triple battle?

nevermind. this blows

you’re trying to recreate the crater crew and it isn’t working i’m not as attached to these two

oh i just noticed that the flying taxi has noctowls instead of squakabilly in kitakami that’s cool!

ogerpon was running in lil circles around me while i wrote that this bitch cute as hell

sorry for having protagonist syndrome kieran

HE GOT SO BIG

oh god HE ATE THE HERBA MYSTICA NOOOOOO adhsfjhfsfh

ogerpon cheering us on is adorable, oh my god

oh did kieran tell the village the truth i’m pretty sure he did

yup he did

i think this battle with kieran is the last of the story

oh damn he just COLLAPSED

okay do i battle ogerpon or does he just get in a ball

battle it is ig!

oh its poncho changes with its mask thats cool!

OH FUCK HE TERASTILLIZES WITH HIS MASKS JUST AUTOMATICALLY

“memories of adventuring with you grant ogerpon strength” THAT’S CUTE AS HELL WHAT THE FUCK

“memories of a partner from long long ago grant ogerpon strength” HEY WHAT THE FUCK OW

OH SHE’S A GIRL SHIT SORRY OGERPON DIDN’T MEAN TO MISGENDER YOU

her name WAS gonna be kieran but change of plans this is majora now

majora might be a guy actually i do not have a clue. i’m sure it’s fine

again. sorry for having protagonist syndrome kieran but i can’t do shit about it

carmine my home is in another country i understand what you’re going for but i live in paldea

WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING IN THE GREAT CRATER. I’M GOING HOME FUCK ALL OF YOU

kieran what the FUCK is happening bud

oh god he’s pulling a paulo from pokemas isn’t he goddammit

did terapagos get to him. is he gonna get professor turo’d

guess that’s it! i’ll be back for this shit when the indigo disk drops ig

[wigglepiggle]

uhh also the human characters too @salty-herba-mystica I'm pretty sure you're asleep rn but hi

so there's the professor his name was professor lennox I think and the only thing I remember about him was that one of the rivals is his child and the other is his niece and that he's really nice to pokemon

so anyways the rivals

there was christina like I mentioned and also this emo guy named Arlo adn I completely forgot his name I had to check the random google docs I made about this region

Arlo is the older cousin of christina, I remember him being kind of awkward and also he had so many pokemon t hat he was closely bonded with and they just run around his house. lennox is just ok with it too PFFT

this wasn't a part of the original thing but I like to think that the reason christina nursed the bisharp back to health was bc she was inspired by Arlo taking in many pokemon to help/train. ik in the original thing she always looked up to him anyway so it makes sense

Arlo and Christina were also gym leaders, for dark and fighting. They shared a gym and you had to fight both of them at the same time in a double battle which honestly sounds interesting

cool concept but also they are like teenagers I don't think there's a teen gym leader idk if you can been a gym leader that early

well if teens in pokemon can literally catch god christina and arlo can be gym leaders together whatever /silly

I think I remember the pokemon they owned but not quite their gym teams/final rival battle teams

Arlo owned a crawdaunt, weavile, umbreon, spiriram, bisharp, hypno, and hydreigon (and I think I'll throw in a floragato now. he never uses it to fight it's just his cat, and maybe a lokix too)

Christina owned every arde hitmon form, lopunny, bisharp, and arde duskull (she becomes really important to the story) (and since I gave Arlo a paldea pokemon she can have the quaxly final evo that I can't spell the name of)

there also was this entire thing where Arlo's spiriram found the ghost of their dead ancestor who tried to destroy the world with fake god (whoops forgot to talk about fake arceus in the pokemon part)around the legends arceus times but past ardentia is another thing for me to talk about later because that was certainly something

there was also this flying gym leader who was the rival's friend who also has like an 8 year old daughter who flies around on her mom's altaria which isn't safe but ok

uhh can't remember much else I didn't make that many humans oh yeah appearances I sort of remember

arlo wears a bunch of dark clothing and he wears dresses which is cool 👍 he has short black hair I think

and christina has like fighting gear on idk how to explain it?? and she had blonde hair that she puts up in buns

I still gotta talk about the whole fake arceus worship world destroying thing and also the story but it's 2:39 am and I need to get up early tomorrow and I forgot fuck shit I'm going to bed now

oh my god I completely forgot to talk about the terrible pokemon fan region I made a long time ago

[researcherdeejay]

I wondered if I'd be honest if anyone asked. Not as if I can be expelled though so... ah what the hell. You unlocked my backstory.

The short version is I enrolled in school, fed a living motorcycle a sandwich and things got very out of hand, very quick.

When I was a kid, it was my dream of becoming a great trainer, someone like Mustard or Peony. It took a lot of attempts at the Gym challenge, but I finally made it to the finals on my last go around where all hell broke loose, another story for another time. I was squared up against the champ, Leon. After one of the most difficult fights of our lives, I and my partner, Elliot, my Gallade took our place among the stars of Galar.

But here's the thing with dreams, once you achieve them, then what? I found myself getting really bored. I ended up meeting Mustard and Peony and I had some wicked battles but I started to realise that my journey was complete and that kind of upset me. I needed a new venture, so I ended up throwing myself into completing the Pokédex. There I learned I'm actually fairly interested in the biology side of things. After some, shall we say, not so good interviews that has me make jokes that get me in trouble with Interpol (autism is great, by the way) I decided I'd step down. Better to abdicate than to be dethroned anyway.

I decided I'd study abroad in the Paldea region, Uva is where it's at in terms of schools, and anyone from any age can enroll, so I decided I'd come here to study. I'm here a month, enjoying my studies when I ended up meeting a Pokémon I intend on writing about soon.

Rai, short for Miraidon was given to me by someone who would become a very close friend. I can't tell you who this friend is for their safety but essentially: Like Ironphan, Miraidon is a future Pokémon. Rai was one of two of it's species in Area Zero which had lost a territorial dispute. I spent some a lot time with Rai, I still do. We took on Paldea's own gym challenge (Hey Geeta, if you're reading this, please get good, you're Top Champion, thats so embarrassing), we hung out with some interesting folks who had managed to work their Revarooms into their own mechs, and most importantly, we wrestled Herba Mystica off giant Pokémon. Not my first rodeo with giant Pokémon, believe it or not. One of these Giant Pokémon, I must admit, was the first Ironphan I ever encountered. It had escaped the Crater somehow and fed on the Herba Mystica found in desert cavern.

Essentially... without going into detail about stuff I can't talk about for a lot of folk's safety. Feeding the Herba Mystica we found to Rai helped it regain strength, and we went down into Area Zero without permission so we could tell the other Miraidon off. Humans are stronger with Pokémon, but Pokémon are stronger with humans.

I caught that second Miraidon and gave it to Jacq for research.

But anyway. On the way down we found several research labs, and the Pokémon I research currently: Future Pokémon. These Pokémon are so fascinating that I cannot leave until I am satisfied with their documentation. I got plenty of food, a comfortable bed, a way out via the teleporter and most importantly: No one has told me to leave. So here I stay!

After I moved out my dorm, I commandeered one Turo and Sada's of the old research stations in the crater. The teleporters connected to the entrance are still active, somehow, and there's still electricity going through the buildings, it makes for cosy living. I've decorated and changed the bedsheets, it's almost like that fad back in the Hoenn region where people make secret bases out of any tree, bush, or small cave they can find. Just need to get me one of those healing machines they use in Pokémon Centers and I'll be set. It doesn't beat home but as long as I'm in Paldea, squatters rights. ✌🏻

[tinygamertris]

God, that little shoulder pat. It's just a little thing, but it's so telling of how he feels about you! It's him saying without words "I see what you guys are doing and I'm glad you're here right now". Not only does Arven really open up during the game, I think he really matures too. He's able to look around and think 'this situation right now, it really sucks, and I'm hurting, but this small group of people and Pokemon want me to feel better because they care about me'.

(A lot of people headcanon that because Clavell used to work with the Professor, he knows Arven fairly well. Am I now thinking about Clavell trying to be a good surrogate parent for Arven? Fuck yeah I am! Clavell is honestly second only to Arven for amazing character development and he has excellent Dad Instincts.)

And yeah, I think destroying the time machine would absolutely be destroying the last link to the Professor, and I think Arven really needs that. The Professor was not a good parent in the slightest, they were emotionally neglectful to WAY past the point of being abusive, and I speak from experience that it does help to be able to go back and destroy something that connects you to them.

Oh are we doing 'let's talk about our PCs' time? I love that time! XD

My boy is named Emile, with the family name Etoile not used. He and his mum moved over from Kalos after the whole Team Flare mess, because he has a congenitive heart condition that's left him prone to sickness and very smol. Technically he's 17, which is about the age I think Arven and Nemona are at, but again, SMOL. He is extremely gender non-conforming because he thinks life is too short to deny himself things that feel good. Lots of pink and cute stockings and a braid, and the Finneon pattern hat! Also Engineer Boots, because good solid boots are a must. (I will probably draw him eventually just because the combination of accessories I found for him are cute as all heckins.)

Initially he just viewed going to the Academy as a chance to finally go to a really good school where where he could live on campus. He loves his mum tons but she's suuuuuper protective, which was why Clavell came to visit on his first day. No way was her baby going all that way alone, and technically he didn't! Clavell just decided that since he and Nemona seemed to get along pretty quickly it would probably be better to let her be the escort instead. Clavell is smart like that.

Anyway, his first response to Arven was kind of just blank staring because he was in a state of 'did I just almost fucking die AGAIN?' and focussing on keeping himself calm. Next thing he knew he had a Pokeball shoved into his hands and Nemona was basically fireman carrying him up the lighthouse to show him the view. Because of course she did.

At the school he was initially very dubious of Arven's request, but he wound up doing the Klawf one anyway because he was in the area looking for interesting things to study and it bloody attacked him! And then it turned out that the Herba Mystica were real and it seemed like Miraidon was doing a lot better afterwards so he might as well help Arven on his culinary project.

The moment he saw Mabosstiff, and saw how genuinely happy Arven was just to see his eyes open, he knew what he had to do. He had to help him! He'd tried looking into the Team Star mess and had a terrible experience with it (Mela KICKED MY ASS SIX WAYS FROM SUNDAY and Clive-Clavell absolutely had later words with Penny about signing a chronically ill student up for a metaphorical war without their consent) and the Gyms were okay but he was quietly thinking Kalos gyms are WAY more cultured, but this? This was Capital-I Important. This was what he wanted to do, to help people who really needed it.

He also had the 'I'm going down there just to kick your Dad's butt for being a jerk' reaction to being called into Area Zero.

He'd originally planned to be the tip of the spear that would get the team into the lab, but of course circumstances changed. Everyone knew from Research Lab 3 that something really weird and bad was going on, so he and Arven agreed that if it got really hairy down there, he'd take the book and rip Turo a new one while his Rotom Phone recorded it and Arven would take the others and fall back to one of the stations. Of course it didn't QUITE turn out like that...

The first morning after leaving Area Zero Arven woke up with Nemona on one side, Penny on the other, Emile curled up on his chest and Mabosstiff sleep-woofing into his hair and felt... something unashamedly good. Warm in a way he wasn't used to. Things got a lot better from then on. Arven decided to become a chef, a proper one, and Nemona helped Geeta with Champion stuff, and Penny made up for her illegal activities and discovered she quite liked making things instead of breaking into them, and Emile decided to help Professor Jacq with the Pokedex while he worked out what he wanted to do with his life. (And Nurse Melanie spent several hours lecturing Emile on going into Area Zero with only a few days worth of medication!)

So I did the events of Area Zero in Pokemon Violet and…I wasn’t ready.

Arveeeeeeen…