Just as Auron Vale and Electivire were basking in a tender reunion, Snorlax on the side happened to lock eyes with Bewear.
Bewear tilted his head up at the bear even taller than himself, curious.
But both Pokémon had mild, easygoing temperaments, so they didn't start anything. They only regarded each other for a moment.
"Bewear, this is my Pokémon—Snorlax," Auron said when he noticed, patting Electivire's shoulder. Once he was let go, he stepped over and made the introductions.
"Jya~"
"Whoa!"
Snorlax's eyes went round as he stared at Auron getting bowled over onto the grass.
"Haha, Tsareena—long time no see."
Flat on his back, Auron rubbed the Tsareena perched on his chest.
Face alight with delight, Tsareena lay on top of him and used her signature skill, [Happy Snuggle].
She'd barely nuzzled twice when she was lifted clean off.
Auron wasn't surprised. He sprang to his feet and offered a fist to the Pokémon who'd plucked Tsareena up.
Pop.
After the gentle fist-bump, Lucario finally set Tsareena back down.
Tsareena didn't dare complain; she could only pout, slip behind Auron, and hide there.
Auron soothed her with a reassuring pat on the head, then asked Lucario, "Huh, they're not here?"
Lucario gave Auron a fond look, then set his right fist to his chest. Aura rippled outward.
Before long, Incineroar came leaping in from the other side. His eyes lit up when he saw Auron, but he didn't tackle him; he planted himself squarely in front of Auron instead.
Auron held out his palm.
Incineroar raised a paw.
They slapped paws together.
"Long time no see, Incineroar."
"Rrroar!"
After Incineroar, Krookodile, Kangaskhan (Kangaskhan), and Rhyhorn (Rhydon) all came striding over to Auron as well. The Pokémon formed a circle, surrounding Auron with bright-eyed joy.
After all, Auron was the sole heir of the Lu family.
And unlike Ashen Vale when he was little—who had been an incorrigible troublemaker—Auron was wonderfully well-behaved, and he treated the Pokémon with exceptional kindness.
Not only would he bring them delicious treats, but when they got injured in battle, Auron would fuss over them and apply medicine with a heartbroken face.
After their treatment, he would even produce the sweets the grown-ups had rewarded him with and feed them to his partners. Then he'd pat their foreheads and tell them, Eat the candy and it won't hurt anymore. Every time, they would lower their heads cooperatively so the then four- or five-year-old Auron could reach.
Looking at Auron, now sitting in the middle of the lawn with a sun-bright smile, the image of the tiny Auron in their memories seemed to overlap with the Auron before them, filling them with a warm, homey feeling.
Suddenly, Krookodile and Incineroar both stiffened. Incineroar's fur even stood on end.
The two Pokémon instinctively shifted aside, opening a path.
"Goodra!"
Auron's eyes lit up. He jumped and clung to Goodra.
Unlike the others, Goodra had always been the "big sister" here; when Auron was little and got into trouble, it was always she who shielded him.
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If Auron made Dad angry, Electivire and the others would dare to cover for him.
If Auron made Grandpa Ashford angry, the only ones who dared stand up for him were Electivire and Lucario.
But if Auron made Grandma angry, even Electivire wouldn't stick his neck out—only Goodra would step forward and protect him.
Mm, although when Auron made Grandma angry, Goodra could shield him, in the end he still couldn't escape a bout of "loving consolation."
After hanging off Goodra for a while, Auron slid down. He glanced around and noticed a few Pokémon still hadn't shown up.
He didn't mind. The ones missing were all Grandma's Pokémon; eight times out of ten they'd gone along to class with her.
"Here—this is my starter Pokémon, Crobat."
Auron pointed to Crobat and introduced him to the group, then pointed at Snorlax.
"My second Pokémon—Snorlax."
The crowd of veteran partners regarded Crobat and Snorlax with gentle eyes. Crobat flapped his wings in greeting; Snorlax waved his great paw to the seniors.
"And this is… huh?"
Auron had been about to introduce Charmander when he realized that the little guy who had been at his feet had suddenly vanished.
"Hm? Where's my Charmander?"
He lifted his foot and looked around. Only then did he notice that all the Pokémon were staring toward the space behind Kangaskhan.
Auron followed their gaze.
He discovered Charmander sprawled atop a Slowbro he hadn't noticed arrive, jaws opening wide for a bite.
"Charmander—stop! No—stop your mouth!!"
Others might not understand, but Auron sure did.
That Slowbro might seem sluggish normally, but the psychic power in its body could rival Alakazam's. If Slowbro's reaction lagged and its psychic reflex kicked in automatically to protect itself, launching Charmander, that would be anything but fun.
Mouth agape, Charmander looked Auron's way, curious why Auron was interrupting him right when he was about to eat some seafood.
Before Auron could make a move, a string of drool slipped from Charmander's open mouth in full view of everyone and splashed onto the shell clamped on Slowbro's tail.
Slowbro hadn't reacted yet, but the shell did—its "eyes" skewed sideways, glaring at the Charmander who seemed intent on eating it.
Charmander didn't have a gentle temper either. You're glaring at me? He was about to chomp down.
Luckily, before he could sink his teeth in, Lucario lifted Charmander the same way he'd hoisted Tsareena—pinched and dangling.
Tsareena couldn't help covering her mouth with a laugh at the sight.
At last, I'm not the only one who gets this treatment.
Only then did Auron relax, wiping at nonexistent cold sweat.
When Charmander had been about to bite down, Auron's heart had practically leapt into his throat. He'd been terrified Slowbro would have a startle reflex and fling Charmander away with a psychic burst—but thankfully, no.
Only now did Slowbro react, slowly raising his head to regard the little Charmander writhing in midair.
Looking at the Charmander in Lucario's grasp, Auron scratched his cheek and, a bit sheepish, said by way of introduction:
"Uh… my third Pokémon, Charmander."
Seeing the little guy still struggling doggedly despite it doing no good, everyone's faces broke into smiles, as if they were looking at Ashen from his own childhood.
"And this one—Corphish! I only just caught him!"
Eager to change the subject, Auron hastily pushed Corphish forward for an introduction.
Sure enough, while Corphish's appearance redirected part of the attention, the airborne, wriggling Charmander still commanded the lion's share of the room's curiosity.
Auron was helpless. He'd made the introductions anyway; he might as well leave the little rascal to his own devices.
"Auron! Your grandma's back! She's brought the reward your grandpa gave you!"
Dad's voice came from inside the house. Auron jolted with excitement. "You guys play," he told the Pokémon, then took a long stride and bolted for the house.
"Coming!"
(End of this chapter)