Pokémon Give and Take (One-shot)

[WildBoots]

Summary: Mei is a good trainer. There is every reason a pokemon should want to be with her. But no pokemon has ever walked up and asked to join her team before.

Rating: G

Word-count: 1544 (complete)

Notes: This was written for a contest with the prompt "someone joins or leaves a team through trickery."
I am open to constructive crit. I am unlikely to make any major changes to this piece, but I'll apply any comments to future works!

--

Give and Take​

"So you want to join us?"

The murkrow repeats, "I go with you." Its voice is hard and rasping, but the words are still unmistakable.

Mei looks to her pokemon. Sandshrew is curled up tight and Oddish is preoccupied absorbing a beam of moonlight. Only Squirtle catches her gaze, staring back impassively. "Are you sure?"

The murkrow's eyes glitter bright in the firelight. "Is bad?"

"No, no," Mei says, "not at all. I'm just surprised."

Mei is a good trainer. She pushes her pokemon enough that they grow, but not hard enough that they ever get really hurt. She makes sure they each get enough food and attention. She loves them - not the same way she loves her parents or her little sister, but it's still love.

There is every reason a pokemon should want to be with her.

All the same, she's come to expect to negotiate. Sandshrew tried to run the first time Mei released him, so she'd had Squirtle pin him while she explained how he'd grow so much stronger if he stayed. Oddish was about the same. Even Squirtle, given to her by Professor Oak himself, had needed to be shown who was in charge before he listened to her orders.

Mei has to prove her worth to them just as much as they have to prove their worth to her. That's alright. Eventually, they understand it's better if they listen. Better for all of them.

But no pokemon has ever walked up and asked to join her team before.

Mei can tell the murkrow is eyeing her badges. She'd been polishing them when it showed up. Does it know what a badge means? She asks, "You want to get stronger?"

It cocks its head. "Yes."

She realizes the murkrow must've spent at least some time with humans to be able to speak her language. It could have chosen any of those humans, but it chose her.

Grinning, she grabs a pokeball. "Okay then. Let's do it."

At the sight of the gleaming plastic, the murkrow hops up and flaps to the next branch. "Why ball-thing? I go with you. No need, no need."

So there will be a fight after all.

"This is how it's done."

The murkrow tilts its head from side to side, weighing this information. It flares its wings, and for a moment it looks ready to swoop down and attack. Mei gestures and her squirtle climbs to his feet. But the murkrow only says, "What you give me?"

"What?"

It tucks its beak to its chest and waits.

Mei bends and grabs a handful of pokemon kibble from her backpack. "Food?"

The murkrow coos and flutters down beside the campfire. Squirtle hisses, but the murkrow only looks up at Mei expectantly until she tips her handful of kibble to the ground.

"Kro!" The murkrow pecks at the kibble until she throws her pokeball.

It rocks twice and then falls still. Easy.

.▲.​

"Wing attack!"

Murkrow shoots a glance at Mei over her shoulder. But she does take to the air.

The wild growlithe waits for Murkrow to get close before it tries to snap its teeth at her, flame spurting from its mouth, but the attack misses. Or, at least, that's what Mei thinks she sees. But Murkrow squawks and wheels away, low to the ground, flapping once, twice, and then tumbling down.

"Come on, Murkrow! Night shade! You can do it!"

"Murrrr." She's barely taken one hit, but Murkrow holds one wing out at an awkward angle and hops along.

Mei isn't sure what to make of that. Sandshrew and Squirtle are hard to hurt even when they get trapped on their backs, but they're sturdy by design. Nothing as thin or delicate as a wing on them. Oddish's leaves tear more easily but they heal again just as quickly, and it's easy to see where and how badly she's hurt when the wounds leak sap. Mei has never trained a bird pokemon before, so she has nothing to compare this to.

Maybe this murkrow is just weak. Is that why she didn't have a trainer yet? Or maybe she had a trainer once and they ditched her. Figures.

Meanwhile, the growlithe advances.

Mei sighs and starts to recall Murkrow, but the growlithe is in the way. She looks down at her starter, who waits patiently at her side. "Go ahead, " she tells him.

"Squir!" Squirtle pushes out his chest.

A splat of water gets the growlithe's attention and it rounds on Squirtle instead, leaving Murkrow to hop into the shadows.

Calling out orders to Squirtle takes up all of Mei's attention for a few moments. By the time she looks around for Murkrow, she doesn't see her anywhere. Then something tugs on her pants leg.

"I watch," Murkrow says. "I learn. I get strong."

"Okay, good idea. Squirtle, don't let it get close enough to bite! Keep it back with water gun!"

Murkrow tugs on her pants again. "Up?" she squawks.

"Oh. Okay, why not?" She scoops Murkrow up and sets her on her shoulder to watch the rest of the battle. "Pay attention to how the growlithe moves. See how it builds up a fire attack in its throat before it attacks?"

"Trainer smart," Murkrow says.

Is this what it means to be chosen? Mei smiles even though Murkrow digs in her talons.

.▲.​

Even after Mei uses a potion, Murkrow is still holding her wing funny. Maybe she was already hurt before. "We'll be at the next pokecenter soon and the nurse will take care of your wing."

Despite the injury, Murkrow gobbles down her kibble like she expects never to see food again. The life of a wild pokemon must be hard. Murkrow finishes eating before any of the others and then hops to a rock at Mei's side where she can watch her polish her badges.

Mei only has two so far, but she's proud nevertheless. "Don't worry," she tells Murkrow. "You'll have a chance to prove yourself when we challenge Sabrina's gym. And we have lots of time to get you strong and healthy before then."

"Trainer so strong." Murkrow tips her head to one side and then jibbers something that ends with a sound almost like a laugh, but harsh and hoarse.

Squirtle suddenly jumps up and rushes at Murkrow.

Mei snatches Murkrow out of squirtle's reach, pressing the bird to her chest. "Squirtle! What's gotten into you!"

"Squirtle squir!" He jabs an accusatory claw toward Murkrow.

"Bad, bad," Murkrow says.

"You scared her! Her wing is already hurt and you're going to make it worse! She's part of our team now. You have to be nice." Squirtle growls, but she recalls him. Then she snaps her badge case shut.

Murkrow hops back to her rock, tilting her head from side to side. "Food?"

"Well…" Mei looks at the hurt wing and sighs. "I guess you deserve an extra treat after that. Just this once."

Murkrow grates out another one of those sounds that's almost like a laugh.

.▲.​

Mei lets Murkrow perch on her shoulder again to watch the next battle. And again that evening after Murkrow has scarfed her food. She cocks her head to follow the firelight glinting off Mei's badges as she polishes them. Mei feels a little sad for the murkrow wanting so badly to be strong when she's in such a pitiful state, unable even to fly.

"You have to be patient. You'll be strong too someday."

"Kro."

Squirtle is sulking, his back turned to them, but he hasn't tried to attack Murkrow again. Mei isn't overly concerned. With time and careful guidance, pokemon always learn how to behave properly.

There's a rustle in the bushes and Mei jerks her head up to look. A venomoth bursts through the foliage. It must have been drawn to the light.

"Alright, Sandshrew! This one is yours! Squirtle, you keep an eye out too."

Sandshrew rolls toward the venomoth, then unfolds himself and makes four quick swipes. Just like she taught him.

"Good! Now use sand attack!" Mei feels Murkrow slip as she stands, but she misses and doesn't catch her. But when she looks, Murkrow has landed neatly at her feet. Good. Mei needs to focus on Sandshrew.

The venomoth rises and scatters spores from its wings.

Mei knows that trick. "Defense curl!"

Then there's a tug at her belt. It's so quick she almost misses it, except something in the corner of her eye makes her turn her head. Something shiny.

She whirls and glimpses black wings spread in flight. Oh! A little food and rest must've been all Murkrow needed. Mei starts to smile until she notices - it takes her such a long time to understand what she's seeing - the pokeball clamped in Murkrow's beak. Sure enough, Mei pats her waist and she's missing a pokeball.

"What - ?"

Murkrow drops down, and Mei is suddenly grateful for the bad wing. Then Murkrow is airborne again, this time gripping something in her talons. The badge case.

Mei screams, "Oddish, sleep spore! Squirtle, knock it down with water gun!"

But the murkrow laughs and laughs as she disappears between the long shadows of the trees and, no matter how Mei runs, she never manages to catch it.

 

[Meridian]

This was a nice and quick read. I like how you hinted towards the ending throughout the fic.
Also loved the art, it makes even more sense in retrospect.

 

[WildBoots]

Thanks, @Meridian ! Glad you liked it!

 

[love]

Some remarks:

All the same, she's come to expect to negotiate.

I don't think it's technically wrong, but the double infinitive sounded a bit odd to me.

Sandshrew tried to run the first time Mei released him, so she'd had Squirtle pin him while she explained how he'd grow so much stronger if he stayed. Oddish was about the same. Even Squirtle, given to her by Professor Oak himself, had needed to be shown who was in charge before he listened to her orders.

For this paragraph, you use the past perfect tense in cases where I think you could have just used simple past tense (since the story already takes place in the present tense).

She'd been polishing them when it showed up.

Again, I think "She'd been" could just be "She was"

Murkrow tips her head to one side and then jibbers something that ends with a sound almost like a laugh, but harsh and hoarse.

This description was a little off, I think; in particular "harsh and hoarse" strikes me as a bit redundant, and you probably could have simply used one or the other.

But the murkrow laughs and laughs as she disappears between the long shadows of the trees and, no matter how Mei runs, she never manages to catch it.

Seems like a weird way to phrase it. I can't articulate why, but I think it would have been better if it were, like, "and even at a sprint Mei can't match its pace."

Aside from that, I will echo Meridian's praise for the way that you hinted that the betrayal would happen. I don't have much else to say, since this was such a simple story. I suspect if this were a full novel or novella, the interesting part would come after this part ends, as we see Mei face the consequences of her naivete and maybe develop a bit as a character.

 

[WildBoots]

I don't think it's technically wrong, but the double infinitive sounded a bit odd to me.

Fair enough! Could easily become "to expect a negotiation."

since the story already takes place in the present tense)

You could be right--I was imitating someone else's style for this one, so the present tense hit a little funny. I'll look over this again ... at some point.

This description was a little off, I think; in particular "harsh and hoarse" strikes me as a bit redundant, and you probably could have simply used one or the other.

I don't think of hoarse as being necessarily harsh! That could be a me thing. I like the rhythm though--sounds flat with just one. I'll brainstorm other adjectives to slap in there.

Yeah, Mei doesn't really grow in this story. She just gets gotten. Again, heard and valid. Since this was for an event, I'm not likely to rework the arc of it. It's pretty different from other things I've written, but ... I'll keep it in mind for the future all the same. You never know!

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.

 

[Flaze]

Well I'm not so good at doing quote based reviews, so I hope you don't mind if this is more of a general review.

So over all I really liked the story, it's very short but to the point and I like how you're very quick in setting up who Mei is, what her method as a trainer relies on and also her struggles. I find the idea of a trainer who has to negotiate with their pokemon interesting, if only because it's true that a more equivalent exchange would be better when it comes to trainer and pokemon bonding with one another.

Your prose is very easy to read and flows really well. However, and maybe it's because you were doing it form a prompt and didn't have the word space necessary for it, it does kind of feel like the story just end. Like you do give a good idea of how Murkrow's presence upends the team's synergy and even set up sort of a rivalry dynamic between murkrow and squirtle, but then at the end murkrow just leaves really quickly and that kind of feels like the story was put to halt. I mean, I can definitely say I was actually getting really into it right when it ended.

Maybe if you ever decide to go back to this it could be an interesting idea to explore on a longer format? just a quick thought.