Re: A Tail of Five Brothers (Chapter 3)

Some of you guys might remember my old story A Tail of Five Brothers. That was my first ever story and I even managed to get a series started off of it. From that series I got many of my beloved characters you see in my shorts today. That was the origin point for them all. I started on that old one about half a year before Generation Four started in Pokemon but that just gave me several elements to plot I could add once the story actually got one. I wasn't far enough ahead that I couldn't shift things when Generation Five came out either but this story was taking so long to write, I'd lost alot of my old ideas and twisted a few things into some tough knots. So with the encouragement from several people who were also key characters in my stories, I decided to rewrite this one. I hope you all enjoy this one cause it's probably gonna take me a couple years to finish. Here's my rewrite of A Tail of Five Brothers!


A Tail of Five Brothers

An otter boy clutched the small creature he was holding firmly to his chest as he continued to run. The screeches of large feral cats and the yells of their owning hunters were close behind him. He knew if he could get to a river, he stood a chance at getting away, but every time he got close, he was always cut off by a monstrous dragon that flashed with color when it roared its rage at him. Each time he came in contact with it, he came closer and closer to being hit by a blast of flame or a bolt of lightning. His young body was tiring out… and he knew it.

“GAH!” he yelped when his webbed footpaw caught beneath a root, tripping him to the forest floor. He rolled over before he landed upon the creature he was carrying just in time to land on his back. The wind was knocked out of him and he couldn’t even scream as a purple and yellow-spotted pelt came pouncing for him, claws extended and fangs bared.

There was a flash of something metallic and the cat dropped halfway to him, ice coating its pelt. The otter looked to his side and saw a sword sticking into an equally frozen tree. A skunk ran across the clearing and heft him up. “Can you still run?” he asked. The otter boy tested his footpaw and winced, almost sinking to his knee when he felt a stabbing pain in his ankle. The skunk growled and held his hand out. The otter’s eyes widened when the sword leapt from the and into the skunk’s hand. He had to stare for a moment at the blade itself, stunned with amazement at the beauty of the weapon. It looked to be made of solid night sky, dazzling with starlight. “You’ve got to try to get away then. I’ll keep them off you if I… too late.”

A snarling noise signaled to the otter and skunk that the rest of the cats had caught up and were surrounding them. The skunk sighed and extended one paw out while switching his starlight sword into his left paw. “Harmonious Threnody.” He said flatly. A sudden burst of light appeared in his paw before it extended into a rod. The light cleared and a sword appeared midair that the skunk deftly caught. The otter had no time to examine this sword before one of the dragons from before landed before the skunk and sent a pillar of flames his way. The skunk crossed both blades before him and amazingly, he held back the blaze with them. The otter glanced around and squeaked with fear when he saw the cats were running towards them, murder intent on their faces. Something clipped him in the back of the head and he fell over in a daze. Through his suddenly blurred vision, he saw four creatures fighting off the cats through some miracle or another. As his vision began fading, he saw the other dragon from before add a bolt of lightning to the flames the skunk was holding back. The skunk was brought to his knees as the two attacks converged and seemed to amplify each other. Just as he was about to black out, the otter saw a new dragon land behind and a sudden chill filled the area before the creature in his arms screamed. There was a bright light... and then there was nothing... nothing but darkness, and the feeling of falling….

*****

Skippa laughed as he rode his windsurfer across the waves outside Sootopolis City. It was night and he probably shouldn’t have been, but that was half the fun! His Buizel beside him certainly seemed to think so as it leapt in and out of the waves with him. Skippa settled in a dip between the swells after a jump and lowered the sail. He took a seat as his Buizel hopped up beside him and the duo looked up to the sky. “Another year and we’ll be ready to take off together buddy.” Skippa said with a smile. “We’ll start here at home first and then we’ll go to each region after. We’ll get a team so good those Elite Trainers won’t know what hit them!”

“BUI BUI!” the Buizel cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

“You do know I can understand you perfectly by now right?” Skippa asked, turning to look at his water type.

“Yeah, I know.” The Buizel giggled. “It’s just that… hey! Lookit that!”

Skippa looked up and saw what looked to be a shooting star for a moment. Then he noticed it wasn’t going across the sky, it was headed towards the sea! He got his sail set up just in time to see the light splash into the ocean a short distance from him. It made a surprisingly small splash Skippa noted as he began making his way over to it. He gasped when he found the strange object floating in the water at the surface. He glanced at his Buizel and said, “So much for sneaking back in tonight bro. This kid needs help!” With a little help, Skippa had two passengers on his windsurfer on his way back home. Undoubtedly his mother would be upset he was out at night, but maybe she’d forget about it for a bit while she tended to the other young otter he carried, and whatever the strange little Pokémon he carried with him was…

Chapter 1 The End

A beam of sunlight pierced through the thin curtains of a sparsely decorated bedroom. The beam managed by chance to cast its light directly upon the eyes of a sleeping otter. Grunting at the sudden light, the otter slowly began awakening, and as he did, memories flashed through his head almost too fast for him to comprehend. With a gasp, he sat up abruptly and almost blacked out right after. He fell back over and groaned in pain, putting a paw to his forehead to feel several layers of cloth wrapped around it.

“Whoa! Easy there buddy!” a voice spoke up from beside him. The otter felt something hop up onto the bed he could feel he was laying on now. “You took quite a knock to your head there.”

The otter slowly opened his eyes to gaze at the source of the voice. A pair of black eyes were the first things to greet him, followed by a narrow orange face. With a small shriek of fear, the otter jerked backwards, unfortunately hitting the back of his head against the wall. His sob was interrupted by his gasp of pain as he clutched at his bandages again. He heard a cry of surprise from the creature and felt a sudden weight on his back. There were a few moments in which he tried to wrestle the creature off until he felt a sudden chill on the back of his head. At first he went still when there was a jolt of pain all the way down to the end of his tail. Then, he went limp as the cold spread and brought an immense amount of relief.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you there.” The creature said as it got off of the otter. The otter turned to get a better look at him and now, rather than fear, he stared at this orange and cream furred creature with wonder, albeit mixed with a bit of caution.

“Wh…” the otter croaked. He winced feeling how dry his throat was and gulped a few times to wet it. “Wh-what are you?” he asked.

“He speaks!” the creature laughed before suddenly stopping and staring at him. “You understand me?” The otter nodded in reply. “Well I’ll be.” The creature laughed. “Wonders never cease. I’ll chalk that along with your amnesia to that bump on your head for now. I’m a Buizel. The name’s Jasper. Can you remember your name?”

“Nathaniel.” The otter answered without thinking. “I don’t think I have amnesia either. I’ve just never heard of a Buizel before, let alone seen one.”

“Never…” Jasper began before giggling. “Where you from then Nathaniel? Some backwater place in the Orange Islands or something?”

“Never heard of the Orange Islands either.” Nathaniel said. “I’m from Isshu. Errr… okay… maybe I do have a bit of amnesia. I can’t remember what town.”

Jasper hmm'ed for a moment. “Normally I’d say that bump to your noggin must have scrambled your brain cause I’ve never heard of a place called Isshu but you did drop out of the sky with a Pokémon I’ve never seen before either.”

Nathaniel thought for a moment then gasped. Fortunately he’d learned his lesson and didn’t move but his tone jumped distinctly into the worried category, bordering on panic. “Is he okay? Was he the only one that showed up? Where did the skunk go? What about the dragons?”

Jasper stared at him for a moment before backing up. “Okay, just try to relax okay? You and the Pokémon were the only two my trainer and I found. My trainer and his momma are looking after the little guy. I’ll go tell them you’re awake and they can answer for you okay?”

Nathaniel took a few deep breaths and nodded. When Jasper asked him to make sure not to move, he nodded again before the Buizel scurried out of the room. He waited for a few minutes staring at the ceiling until he heard pawsteps approaching. He looked at the doorway for a bit until a tall otter showed up with a motherly smile and a squirming Pokémon in her arms. With a small cry of surprise from her, the Pokémon squirmed free and flew over to the bed to land next to Nathaniel.

“You’re awake!” it squealed. “I was afraid when they told me you were hurt you didn’t make it. I never would have gotten to thank you if you’d died! You saved me! Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Nathaniel said, smiling at the Pokémon before lifting a paw to gently rub between a pair of large red ears that seemed to take up the entire top of its head. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks to you.” It said happily, smiling and going weak at the knees as he felt the rubbing. It collapsed after a few seconds and laid next to Nathaniel, a happy rumbling coming from its chest.

“Always nice to see two friends reunited.” The otter said before walking up and sitting down on the end of the bed. “You must be Nathaniel. I’m Fhera. My son and Jasper found you and your little friend here floating out at sea two nights ago. How’s your head feel?”

“Better now. Still aches a bit but I don’t feel like my head’s being split in half.” Nathaniel answered. “Jasper did something to help that I think.”

“Must have been Ice Punch.” Fhera explained. “He does that sometimes for sore joints and such once he learned it had more practical uses than a simple attack. He said you have a bit of amnesia. Is there anything you can remember kiddo? Family, friends, your age perhaps?”

Nathaniel thought about it for a few minutes. He went back over everything he remembered but when he tried to remember much farther past being chased by the cat creatures, his head started to hurt. “I can’t remember much. I remember saving this little guy here but I can’t recall why I did exactly. I think somebody wanted him and was trying to hurt him but I’m not certain. I don’t know how I got wherever I am but I know I’m eight years old and I’m from Isshu. Other than that, not much else is clear.”

Fhera hmm'ed for a moment then walked over to a bookshelf to grab a leather-bound tome. “I used to travel around a bit and I drew some of the Pokémon I came across.” She explained as she sat down closer to him. “I’ve never seen this little guy here before, nor have I ever heard of Isshu but maybe you might recognize something in here. Maybe if we can figure out what looks familiar we can figure out exactly where you’re from.”

“I’ve never seen too many Pokémon before though.” Nathaniel explained. “I’ve always been taught they were dangerous and that furrs should stay as far away from them as possible. Only a few are allowed to have them to keep them safe from each other 'cause furrs could really hurt them too.”

Fhera stared at him oddly. “That’s… really strange thinking.” She said politely. “Never heard of anyone who thinks quite that way before.” She opened the first page of her book and pointed to a lizard with a flame on its tail next to a turtle and a strange half-reptile/half-plant. “Any of those look familiar to you? These were a few of the first Pokémon I saw.”

“Nope.” Nathaniel said, shaking his head. “Never seen em before. Not even in any of the books in school.”

“You went to a school kiddo?”

“I… think I did. Can’t remember much but I’m pretty sure it was a school.”

“What did you learn there?” Fhera questioned.

“Various Pokémon to avoid and why.” Nathaniel answered. “Huh… now I remember going but I don’t remember anyone from it. Weird…”

Weird is right… Fhera thought to herself. “Well… how about this one then? This was my starter.” She showed him a picture of what she knew to be a Growlithe. She didn’t think it’d work if he didn’t even recognize the Kanto starters but it didn’t hurt to try.

Nathaniel was confused by the term starter but shook his head. She turned the page again and showed him a picture of the entire Eevee family. Surprisingly, he shook his head to all of them. She turned the page once more and he shook his head to a Linoone. When she turned the page once more he finally recognized something.

“That’s a Mijumaru and a Zorua!” he exclaimed. “They’re really cute yeah but that’s what makes em so dangerous! That shell can split stones and the Zorua is supposed to be able to bewitch people!”

“Errr…” Fhera looked at them in surprise and then in even more surprise that Nathaniel recognized them in the first place. “I’ve heard about Zorua supposedly being able to do that but I’ve never heard Oshawott are dangerous. What did you call it again?”

“Osha what?” Nathaniel asked, cocking his head to one side. “That’s a Mijumaru, right?”

“Sure as I’m a Victini.” The Pokémon next to him answered.

Fhera stared at them both. She would have wondered about the boy’s sanity but several things didn’t add up. He recognized Pokémon from the Unova region when he didn’t recognize anything else. He also mentioned a place she’d never heard of and had a Pokémon her pokedex couldn’t identify. Skippa’s story about him falling from the sky suddenly started sounding more and more plausible. Who is this child? She asked herself.

***

High above the conversing otters, past the veil that separates dimensions; two celestial beings were having a conversation of their own.

“How is he?” one star asked another as it approached.

“Exhausted… but he should be fine.” The other answered. “It took a lot of luck and some amazing amount of hooey to escape like he did.”

“From what I understand it cost him.” The first star said. “One step forward for us, but also four steps back.”

“Quite a gamble.” The second star said. “The lost realm has no defenders left now. There’s no chance of help from that side now.”

“Perhaps we have something better now though.” The first star said.

“The carrier?” the second star asked.

“He was marked.” The first star said. “The spirit of victory and the four champions gave him their blessing.”

“And nearly killed him doing it.” The second pointed out. “Or nearly put him in a coma at least.”

“Given the circumstances I’m surmised they did it that well.” The first star said. “By Victory’s account they were sore pressed by the fallen ones.”

“True enough. Does this mean he should receive our blessing as well then?”

“Victory lost his avatar to the boy’s heart.” The first star said. “That alone gives him something to look at. He has an admirable heart as well. We shall observe him for a time. There are a few other young prospects I could see but we haven’t much time to decide. With Victory back in our hands another dark time is sure to come. The new Master must be found and made ready.”

“Shall I bring the last then?” the second star asked.

“If you please. Bring the others too.”

“As you wish.” The second star said before blinking out of existence.

The first star waited for only seconds before three ghostly forms appeared before it. “Whoa!” one of them yelped as they all shielded their faces. “Milord! Bright!”

“My apologies friends. Allow me to shift things for you.” The first star laughed. The blank void was filled suddenly by a single round pillar of stone, vast across in diameter, giving some semblance of order to the nothingness. Another split second later and the star was replaced by a wizened old mad with a beard as long as he was tall. He wore a white robe and behind him floated sixteen shards of pure light. In his hand he held a staff of wood, topped by a golden wheel with a turned cross in the center. Where each of the points met the wheel, there was set a single emerald. “There, a tad more orderly wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, much better milord, thank you.” The ghost from before said. Not much was distinguishable about any of the ghosts. They were mostly transparent, seemingly with age. A general shape only allowed a guess as to their species, two of which appeared to be canine while the third struck the old man as some sort of ferret.

“Please, you’re free to drop the title.” The old man laughed.

“I’d rather not sir.” The ghost said. “It is not my place to be so casual with you.”

“And yet you speak before spoken to in my presence?” the old man queried. The ghost was silent before the old man laughed. “You were squire to the last master yes but he failed and you took up his duties the last time. That makes you an official master so speak freely.”

“It was also...” the ghost began before the old man cut him off.

“Oh yes, I forgot about your custom to address superiors with proper title. Very well then. I asked all three of you to come because it is time.”

“You found more who may be the one?” the ghost asked.

“I thought for sure the other may have been the one but I found another who may be instead.” The old man said, nodding to the ghost before looking to the canine on one side and the ferrety thing on the other. “If he is not he and the other two are certainly worthy of taking up your old mantels. Go now then and fulfill your oaths to us. Go to my third child and tell him the time has come.”

“Yes Lord Arceus.” The three ghosts said in unison before bowing and disappearing.

The old man nodded and turned his thoughts inward now that he was alone again. And so the cycle begins again. Both sides have new pieces though. Let’s hope we have the ace up our sleeves or this may be the last round…

The more I continue to write this newer version of my old story, the more I can look back on the old one and realize how difficult I'd made my job of writting it in the first place. I can also look at them both and realize just how far I've come in the few years I've been doing this. Before I post this second chapter, I'd like to thank my puppy bro Legendaryhon for providing me with an excellent critic and editor. You're really helping me hammer out the plot and other little details puppy bro and I appreciate it! ^.^ Also wanna thank my best friend and brother Saito for all the help he gave me with the origonal story. He helped alot with character development and most of his characters will be returning when they get the chance to appear. He also made his own contribution to the plot and I thank him for leaving me with so many options open! Also wanna send a shout to the friendly site kyu Terry! Comparatively hasn't made as big a contribution but he adds his own element of kyuness that'll really help to keep some of what the origonal story began as, a cuddly babyfur story! So, the last thing I gotta do before posting this is.... *tackle hugs the three part foxies* ^.^



Chapter 2 The Beginning of the New Cycle

After a few minutes of talking, Fhera left Nathaniel to get some rest after he let out a small yawn. Before she left the room, she took another book from the shelf and laid it on the nightstand next to the bed. “I’m still not sure where you’re from kiddo but if you don’t feel tired enough to sleep, that book should tell you a bit more about Pokémon. Maybe you’ll see something that’s a bit more familiar.”

“Thank you.” Nathaniel nodded to her. “Hey Victini… if I need something, would you mind getting her for me?”

“Sure, I can do that.” Victini answered. He smirked and winked at Nathaniel as he added, “I’m not the one who’s crippled after all.”

“Hardee harr.” Nathaniel chuckled, giving a rub between the Pokémon’s ears again. Fhera wasn’t sure what was said but she was reminded of the otter she had waiting for her downstairs and how close he was to Buizel. Smiling, she closed the door and padded down the stairs into a living room where she found her son play wrestling with Jasper.

“Didn’t I say wait on the couch?” Fhera asked, leaning against the entry into the living room with a smirk. The otter and the Buizel both abruptly jumped onto the couch with such force the tipped it over and were sent sprawling over the back and onto the floor again. “What am I gonna do with you two?”

“We’ll fix it!” Skippa called out as they tackled the couch again. The couch flipped back over and launched Jasper to the floor once more while Skippa managed to stay on, albeit upside-down.

“Not quite what I meant young man.” She said, her tone of voice growing serious as she strode across the room and plucked Jasper up off the floor. She sat down on the loveseat across from the couch with the Pokémon on her lap while she watched her son right himself. “I’m proud of you for saving that boy’s life Skippa but by all rights, you shouldn’t have been there to do that.” Skippa nodded in understanding and her blank face turned to a sigh of frustration. “Is it not fair enough that I ask you to obey one simple guideline after what happened to you?” she asked, pointing to his lap.

“Mom… it was one accident…” Skippa whined as he looked down. He could clearly see what his mom was pointing at as it was all he was wearing. Around his waist was taped a plain white diaper. “You don’t running because you get a cramp…”

“I KNOW THAT!” Fhera snapped, cutting him off. Skippa winced and went silent. “But when you break a leg because you couldn’t see the branch that tripped you in the dark of night, you don’t go running back out to do it again! You run at day or bring a flashlight! You’re lucky that was a rather docile Sharpedo you landed on when you went surfing that night. Most probably wouldn’t have bothered trying to save you after you crash a surfboard into them and hit a rock when you go flying off. They can be just as temperamental as Gyarados and most would sooner have hurt you worse for striking them. You’re just-”

“Lucky it found my sister I know.” Skippa said. “We’ve been over this a bunch of times already. I get it.”

“No you don’t.” Fhera said calmly. There was an edge that made both Skippa and Jasper shudder. Skippa knew his mom wasn’t the corporal punishment type but he was suddenly glad Jasper was the one in her arms instead of him. “If you got and understood exactly how much that night scared me, you probably wouldn’t even be comfortable living on an island in the first place. You’d be begging me to move to a desert. I thought I was fair. I know you love the water. We’re otters, it’s to be expected. One rule, don’t surf past sunset. That should have been easy enough to follow and I don’t care what the tides are like. A mother knows no fear like the fear of losing her baby.”

“Mo-ooom!” Skippa complained with a blush.

“Don’t mom me.” Fhera said. “It’s hard enough punishing you as it is you little rogue.” Her face got a little lighter as she smiled at him briefly before sighing again. “I was pretty sure you’ve been sneaking out at night for a while. That’s why I had the talks with you. I never had proof so I could never come up with a punishment for it but now I have it and now I have to knuckle down. Until further notice, you won’t be surfing at all.”

“WHAT!?!” Skippa yelped. “But how am I gonna…?” Skippa trailed off with a blush deeper than before.

“Your girlfriend will understand that you’re too busy to go surfing.” Fhera pointed out. Skippa looked up at her curiously. “She’ll understand you’re busy taking care of the stray you picked up while you were surfing when you shouldn’t have been. The otter upstairs is someone I need to look a bit further into with an old friend. While I’m busy doing a bit of research, you’ll be taking care of his every need just as if he were that stray Wingull you tried keeping as a pet once. You’ll be in charge of food, clothes, baths, everything. And also since he’s going to be staying in your room, to make sure you don’t sneak out at night you’ll be bedding in mine. Understand?”

“One question.” Skippa said. Fhera rolled her eyes and smirked, knowing from her son’s tone of voice he was about to catch some detail she’d missed and point it out as though it were blatantly obvious. Nodding and waiting for the inevitable laugh he’d get out of her, she waited as he asked, “What’s his name?”

****

“Well you’re a rather tiny lookin’ fella aren’t you?” a voice chuckled.

Nathaniel snapped his eyes open and looked around. He’d looked at a few pages of the book Fhera had left him before setting it aside and deciding to take a nap. Now that he’d awoken, he found himself in a different place altogether. It was nothing but a blank void of black, filled only by himself and… “ACK!” Nathaniel yelped as he leapt backwards on seeing what could only be described as the ghost of a fox.

“Kinda jumpy too it looks like.” The ghost teased before floating over to him and holding out a paw. “The name’s Anthony. Nice to meet you.” He waited for a moment while Nathaniel stared at him wide-eyed then chuckled. “Sorry, they must not have taught you this over in Unova. This is a paw; you grab it with yours and shake it.”

“I know what a pawshake is.” Nathaniel said warily. “I just never thought I could touch a ghost is all.”

“Oh! Is that all?” the ghost laughed before leaning down and grabbing the otter’s wrist and pulling him up to his feet. “You’re pure spirit in the realm of dreams anyways, so no worries.”

Nathaniel looked at himself worried for a moment and saw he looked the same as when he’d last seen himself. Looking back up at the ghost fox he asked, “So are you a ghost or am I just dreaming.”

“Both.” The ghost answered. “I’m a ghost visiting your dreams.”

“Ooookayyyy… why?” Nathaniel asked curiously.

“I wanted to meet the one I’d be guiding.” The ghost answered. “Nathaniel, the otter from the lost Unova Region, or Isshu as I think the locals way back when called it. Not sure, it disappeared before my time.”

“Disappeared? I was just there.” Nathaniel argued.

“How’s about I tell you a little story that might clear a few things up?” the ghost suggested. Nathaniel nodded curiously and the fox sat down in front of him, Nathaniel following suit after a gesture. “Okay, I’m just gonna tell it under the assumption your education in history was a little lax, so I’ll tell it as the world knows it for now. Longer back than anyone can seem to remember, after the legendary Pokémon had brought all Pokémon and then furrs into… yes?”

“What are Legendary Pokémon?” Nathaniel asked lowering the paw he’d raised.


The fox slapped his ghostly paw to his forehead and groaned. “Okay… History 101 then! Remedial class now in session. In a time before time was even a concept, there was a swirling void of chaos. From this void came a single egg. It hatched into the being known as Arceus. Brimming with power, he cast his gaze upon the void and was struck with a desire to bring order to the chaos. Not knowing how to do this on his own however, he was struck by another idea to separate his power into a series of vessels. Several of these beings brought about reactions in the chaos and slowly, these beings forged a world. These original beings were known as the creation legendary Pokémon. From them came the world, life, bodies to house life, and the concepts of spirit and mind. They first created Pokémon and then created creatures both diverse and alike to share the world with them. These were furrs like you and what I was when I was alive. Eventually everyone spread out across the world and one by one, the legends departed for a higher plane to watch over what they’d created. There eventually settled into place, five major nations. They were called Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and depending on where you were from, Unova or Isshu. The citizens of Unova, as I knew it, called it Isshu. Because it was so far away however, many from the other regions, as they were so much closer together so they could communicate all the better, knew it as Unova however and even many of the Pokémon’s names differed between the regions. One day, a cataclysm of sorts happened. The people of the other regions knew nothing of this happening until refugees from the Unova region washed up on their shores in all manner of sea craft. Nobody could ever make out from either the furrs or the Pokémon that had escaped what had happened for sure. Near as they could tell, the whole continent had vanished beneath the waves.”

“I didn’t even know other places existed outside of Isshu until today.” Nathaniel said. “Did anyone ever find out what happened to my home?”

“So you believe me then?” the fox asked curiously.

“You did say you’re here to guide me and those other regions you said match the names in the book Fhera gave me.”

“You’re that trusting?”

“I did get hit in the head. Should I be questioning you a bit more?” Nathaniel asked with a laugh.

“Maybe just a little.” The fox chuckled. “I think I’m gonna like you kid.”

“What are you guiding me for anyways?” Nathaniel asked. “I mean… if you’re guiding me that does mean I’m supposed to do something or go somewhere, right?”

“Astute observation and a fair question. How about this? I’ll tell you when you see me next. I believe you’re about to have a visitor. Just give me a call when you’re about to fall asleep again and I’ll show up. The name is Antoni…”

******

Nathaniel woke up to the sound of somebody knocking on the door. He let out a bit of a grunt past a dried throat and the door opened as a head poked in. The smiling face of a fellow otter for some reason had him breaking out into a grin as a warm feeling spread through him. “Hiya! I’m Skippa!”

The ghost of the fox watched as the otters greeted each other and began chatting once Skippa had entered. He could see the look on their faces that made an instant connection with each other and couldn’t help but smile to himself. He’s a good kid. The fox thought. From all I heard, he deserves this. I just hope he’s ready for the next part. Master or not, the next cycle has already begun…




As an afternote, I'd also like to thank Zee-Zee and Lig real quick. Recent pics or stories they've written have made me all the more eager to continue writting myself! Plenty of other folks I wanna thank too like the batty bro Chimour for the years of friendship, or my Master Russet who even though he isn't a babyfur like us still makes me feel loved and encourages me in my own writting. There are a few more out there too but they know who they are and deserve hugs so *hugs everybody* ^.^

Thanks for the thanks, Raien! *giggles and hugs* This really is an epic story, I'm really impressed! ^.^

Thanks Zee-Zee! It really means alot you like it. Despite the redo this is still kinda my first ever story so I'm really glad you like it! ^.^

finally got a chance to read this =3


you've done a pretty good job =D

Thanks Terry! I plan on giving your character his first appearance in chapter 4 or 5 so far. Working on Chapter 3 at the moment. ^.^

Finished Chapter 3! YAYZ! Hope everyone enjoys this one too!


Chapter 3 A Series of Long Winded Explanations

While Skippa and Nate were getting to know each other, and while the ghost fox watched them, Fhera made her way out to the Pokémon Center to make a few calls. She’d make them from her own but she didn’t have a video phone with decent quality picture over long distances, especially to a place like where she planned to call. Before she got on she hit a few buttons on her cell phone that sent a presaved text to the one she wished to contact. After a few minutes, she picked up the video phone and dialed a number. After a few seconds, the familiar face of the head nurse in the Pokémon center on Bond Island showed up.

“Hello Fhera!” she greeted the otter cheerfully. “You must be looking for… oh! Here he is now! I’ll connect you as usual.”

“Thank you ma’am.” Fhera said politely. The screen blacked for a moment then returned with the view of a brown fox smiling at her.

“Hello Fhera.” The fox grinned happily. “You’re looking radiant as ever. How’re Skip and Jasper doing?”

“Just fine Minalun.” The otter said, blushing a bit at the compliment. “They’re home watching a guest I have staying with me.”

“A guest?” Minalun said curiously.

“More on him in a sec.” Fhera said. “Just a question hun. When do you plan on the next visit again?”

“This weekend as usual, why?”

“Well I was wondering something.” Fhera said contemplatively. “This guest I have, he’s a lost otter boy about Selina and Laguna’s age. I’ve had a chat with local authorities and they’ve already given me permission to house him until they can find out where he belongs. I’ve got a suspicion that’s gonna take a while after something the kid said. I wanna ask my cousin’s friend about it and see what he thinks so I was wondering instead of coming out to see us, would you mind meeting up at my Aunt’s for a bit of a family reunion? Bring the kids with and while the adults chat the kids can all have a play date and get to know each other. Maybe they can help the little guy out. He’s either rather confused or he’s had a rough past.”

“You’re being kinda vague...” Minalun pointed out.

“I’ll explain when I see you in person.” Fhera said. “It’s a bit too hard to explain from here is all. Otherwise I wouldn’t keep you in the blue.”

“So lem'me see if I have this straight at least.” Minalun said. “You found an otterboy, took him in and the authorities have given you permission to keep him until they find legal guardian or lack thereof which after something spoken seems like an indefinite period of time therein making this an affective adoption?”

“All but the first detail is correct.” Fhera said. “I wasn’t the one who found him actually. Your son did….. surfing at night again.”

Minalun facepalmed on the screen. “So I can plan my own for disobeying you, how did you punish him this time?”

“The usual attire punishment that’s becoming increasingly less effective as the weeks go by for starters.” Fhera explained.

“Ah, no pants at home and extra absorbency outside the house. That one right?”

“Yup.” Fhera nodded. “Also has to share my room because the new boy in the house is taking his and I haven’t told him this but he’ll be bedding with Arcanine.”

“I’m sure she’ll enjoy that.” Minalun laughed. “I remember sharing a bed with him once that night he had the stomach flu. He kicks!”

Fhera chuckled and nodded. “I also took away all of his surfing privileges and told him he’d be the one to cater to Nathaniel, that’s the little one’s name, for his every need.”

“Sounds like I’d have to think about something to add. You kind of covered all the bases there.” Minalun chuckled.

“I could say Arcanine was your idea to spare his poor mother.” Fhera giggled. “That way you still get your two cents in. We both know how soundly he sleeps with her anyways. She has that effect on everyone it seems. I still remember the night she got your starter like that.”

“He was not a happy little water type but at least he had the energy to chase her around for that.” Minalun said, half-frowning in disapproval and half smirking in amusement at the memory. “So we’ll see you on Saturday then right?”

“Yep.” Fhera nodded. “I’m thinking we’ll fly out in two days though to my cousin’s place if she gives us the go ahead. That way we don’t overwhelm the little guy too quickly. Knowing her friend he’ll probably come running the next day at her asking and then we’ll head on over to my Aunt’s and wait for you there.”

****

While Fhera was at the Pokémon center, Nathaniel was still abed and getting to know Skippa. After answering a few of the same questions Fhera had asked him, Nate turned his own questions on Skippa.

“Ummm… if you don’t mind my asking…” Nathaniel began.

“What’s with the diaper?” Skip asked for him. Nathaniel nodded and Skippa chuckled. “Well, I like to surf. One night I was out surfing and I accidentally hit a Sharpedo close to the surface. I flew off of him and ended up hitting pretty hard against a rock. It would have been worse if the Sharpedo hadn’t helped me to shore. I was staying with my dad at the time down in One Island and my step-sister found me coming to shore on the Sharpedo. She got mom and dad; dad took me to hospital while mom nearly had a heart attack and the Sharpedo took off and even brought my surfboard back. I still see that Sharpedo from time to time when I visit one Island. I think I’m gonna see if he’ll let me catch him when I become a trainer. Anyways, at the hospital I find out my injury was too severe and I had some nerve damage so now I’m incontinent. It’s not so bad thankfully. Wear a swim diaper and I don’t have to go back to shore if I need to take a leak and they’re comfy enough once you get used to the bulk and the warmth. Messing them is a bit of a pain but I can live with it.”

Nathaniel stared at him for a moment before laughing. “You talk a lot you know that?”

“Guess I’m just a little excited getting to be a big brother again.” Skippa laughed.

“Big brother?” Nathaniel asked curiously.

“Sure! Why not?” Skippa asked cheerfully. “From all I understand, you’re gonna be staying with us for a while and mom left your care to me as punishment for surfing at night again when I’m not supposed to. If you’re staying with us and I’m gonna be taking care of you anyway, why not make it fun and call you brother?”

Nathaniel thought about that for a moment then smiled, “Well if it makes me more than just a punishment I guess that’d work. At least you won’t be taking care of me just because you have to.”

“Yeah, I’m sure mom planned it like that too.” Skippa said. “She tries to be one of those cool moms as much as possible. She knows when to put her rudder down when I misbehave but she’s never been too harsh with punishments. She took away allowing me to surf this time and that’s a really big bummer, but she added having me take care of you probably cause she knew it’d be fun for me and teach me some lesson at the same time.”

“Well I’m glad you got punished for one reason at least.” Nathaniel said. At Skippa’s questioning look he grinned and added, “From what I understand if you hadn’t been doing something to be punished for in the first place you wouldn’t have fished me out of the ocean, so thanks.”

“No problem bro.” Skippa chuckled. “Me and Jasper’d both do that any time.”

“I do have a couple questions though.” Nathaniel said.

“Fire away!”

“Well, first thing is, you said you had a dad and a stepsister. I’m curious about them. What’s the story behind that?” Nathaniel asked. “And the other one is about Pokémon in general. I read a little bit from the book your mom showed me. I saw the different regions and read a little bit about this Pokémon league. Ummm… well, assuming you believe me about where I’m from, the concept just confuses me that Pokémon can work with furs like that, or even that wild ones in particular can be so friendly.”

“I’m only pretending to be asleep just to let you know.” Victini said without opening his eyes. The fire-type was currently curled up next to Nathaniel on the opposite side from Skippa.

Skippa laughed while Nathaniel gave him an apologetic rub between the ears. “It seems like something out of a science fiction novel but yeah, I believe you.” Skippa said. “Who knows? Maybe the old land of Unova got sucked into some parallel dimension or something and you somehow popped into this one. Whatever the case, things are a lot different here. Sure, some wild Pokémon’s get territorial and try to scare away a furr on sight but not too many of them are particularly vicious. I got lucky with that Sharpedo; I didn’t even have Jasper to protect me back then. Here in this world, I guess you could call it world cause yours seems so different, furrs and Pokémon work much better together. To most furrs, Pokémon are sometimes pets or playmates and friends. They’re just as individual as us but they have a deeper connection to the world than we do. Some people study Pokémon so we can better know the world and ourselves. There are many ways of doing this but the most common is by forming bonds with them. Nowhere does it seem the bond between furr and Pokémon is more exemplified than in competition, and the most common form of competition is the battle. The Pokémon League organizes Pokémon battle and gives it order and shape. Trainers test themselves and their Pokémon in the various regions most often by going from gym to gym and challenging other trainers who’ve cleared them in the Regional Conferences or sometimes even challenging the absolute best the world has to offer, the regional elite. Through this journey Pokémon and trainer grow together and become stronger. They come to know each other and themselves all the better. It’s more than a journey for strength; it’s a pilgrimage of the heart.”

“Would you forgive me if I said that sounded kind of-“

“Fruity? Cheesy? A load of baloney?” Skippa asked with a chuckle. “It might be. It’s just what I learned in trainer school. They tell that to kids probably in hopes that like me they’ll take it to heart instead of becoming a real jerk that sees Pokémon as little more than a tool to use. I say we share a world with Pokémon, we may as well experience it with them.”

“Oh. The way you say it that does make more sense than what I was taught.” Nathaniel said. “Although I suppose if people sound smart enough anything can be made to sound like sense.” Skippa and Nathaniel both nodded at that. After a moment, Nathaniel looked back up to him and asked about his father again.

“Well, my mom and dad both came from One Island as most people know it.” Skippa explained. “The locals know it as Bond Island though. It’s an old sort of place with equally old customs. One of them was arranged marriage if I’m understanding the story my parents told me right. My mom and dad were both friends growing up and my grandparents arranged to have them put together as a couple. They dated, they had me even but there was never an official marriage. The island thankfully didn’t frown on having the kids first cause they did live together and they were arranged. Mom liked Dad and all, but there were a few problems in the relationship. Dad was more for the island’s traditions and rules but Mom wanted to break free of them. I didn’t follow many of the rules myself either, took after Mom in that regard. Finally she couldn’t take it and when I was about four, she finally told him she couldn’t stay on Bond Island anymore. Since there was no official marriage, I was hers to take with and we left. Dad was sad to see us go but we left agreeably at least and Dad still comes to visit me a lot or I’d go visit him. He got married somewhere around a year later and another year after he had a pair of twins, my sister and brother. I got to meet them fairly often and we got along great. You’d like my sister, she’s loads of fun. If I didn’t know any better I’d say she was more like my mom than hers. Her mom was… different. She never seemed to like me much. I found out, five years after she had my brother and sister, that she gave my dad another son a year before, and that she saw me and Fhera as a threat. She was rather domineering with Dad. She wasn’t looking for a partner like Dad was. She wanted a man to serve her hand and foot. There was a rather ugly divorce but thanks to Mom stepping in, Dad got all custody rights.”

“How’d she managed that?” Nate asked. He interrupted mainly so Skippa would take more than the few shallow breaths he’d gotten between sentences.

“She decided to move down with him for a while.” Skippa answered. “She moved in as a legal spouse for him. Married couple with one having a steady job looked a lot better than a single mother apparently. Plus dad won the house too so that was added points. The devil wolf took a chunk of money and her belongings and we haven’t seen hide nor hair of her since. It was unfortunately during that first year we stayed there that my accident happened. Aside from that nasty bit of business it was a fun couple of years. Mom felt we’d stayed long enough when I turned twelve and it definitely became apparent I was sure I’d be traveling as a trainer. Dad had taken me to receive the egg that hatched into Jasper two years ago and we were sure of what we wanted to do. So we packed up and instead of returning to our old home, we came here and I’ve been here for about a year now. Another year and I’ll be ready to start journeying here in Hoenn. Mom of course wanted us to come live in the region so I could visit places around here and make sure I didn’t get lost. And of course she wants to be within a day’s travel of me if she gets a call that I’m hurt.”

“Your mom sounds wonderful.” Nathaniel commented. “I can’t even remember if I had one or not. Heheh, come to think of it, the more I try to remember Isshu the more the memory slips through my paws like water cupped in your hands.”

“You sound pretty cheerful about it.” Skippa pointed out.

“Not many cheerful memories to think about, the ones I do remember anyways.” Nathaniel said, smiling as he looked at Victini. “Even from what little I’ve learned I like this world more. I think back home I’d be in serious trouble for even considering the idea of having a Pokémon like you have Jasper. Here… I can be friends with Pokémon like Victini. Even the way you described Pokémon battles appeals to me.”

“It sounds like fun to me too.” Victini commented, finally opening one eye. “We should give it a shot sometime.”

“That gives me an idea actually.” Skippa said, after getting a translation from Nathaniel as to what Victini said. “Maybe we should head over to the gym and ask the leader if he’d be a referee for the two of us to battle. I’d go easy on you.”

“Sounds like fun to me too.” Nathaniel said. “How about it Victini? Wanna be my Pokémon and battle Jasper and Skippa?”

“More than that!” Victini said, hopping to his feet and flashing a victory sign at Nathaniel. “If this battling turns out to be as fun as Skippa says I wanna be your Pokémon for one of these journeys too!”

“That’d be another reason to go to the gym then.” Skippa said. “If Victini is still wild like I think he is the gym leader can help you capture him.”

“Capture?” Both Nathaniel and Victini asked at the same time.

Skippa facepalmed and laughed. “Sorry. Never mentioned that did I?”

“Haven’t read about it either.” Nathaniel answered, shaking his head.

“It’s how trainers claim Pokémon as their partners.” Skippa explained. “If a Pokémon isn’t captured, it’s a wild Pokémon and any trainer that battles it enough to weaken it to the point where a pokeball can capture it may claim it. Although sometimes a Pokémon forms a strong enough bond with a furr anyways that it doesn’t need a pokeball either. You might be lucky in this case.”

“Well let’s get going then!” Nathaniel said, pulling off the covers and getting out of bed, suddenly feeling rejuvenated.

“We better do something else first though.” Skippa said.

“What?”

“We better get you dressed first.”

Nathaniel looked down and immediately his rudder shot up between his legs and he blushed as he covered himself. “Uh… where are my clothes at?” Nathaniel asked embarrassedly.

“The set someone donated to us is being washed right now.” Skippa said, walking over to a dresser drawer. “But I’ve got a pair of pants we can roll the legs up on and adjust at the waist and my shirts won’t be too big on you. Underwear we might have a problem with though.”

Nathaniel blushed even deeper when Skippa held up a fluffy white object. “Well at least you said they’re comfy…” Victini could hardly breathe he was laughing so hard on the bed. Nathaniel threw a pillow at him. It only made him laugh more…





BTW, if anyone has questions about something, lemme know and I'll either answer or try to clarify in future chapters.

Hehe really nice story Rio, really nice! I ish left a bit confuzzled by certain parts of it, but besides me being easy to confuzzle it's turning out great! Also thank you for wanting to be my buddy in the first place, and for ze shout out! Hehe some people are intimidated by my sheer amount of chaotic fluffiness, and can't take me for to long you see, so you're a special case }:3.

You're welcome buddy ^.^ *hugg;es a crazy batty* I'm grateful God saw fit to let me inherit my mom's patience. Putting up with the quirks of friendly buddies like you is easy. Just makes you all the more fun to be around.

Great story once again. All your stories make my day better and I finally got a chance to read this. I can't wait for the next chapter and I hope you have a great night and great Friday, with the weekend included in that.