"Elif, you should rest early too," Lucien said, turning away from the window.
"Yes, Your Highness." The old butler bowed with a faint smile. "Please rest soon as well."
With that, he quietly took his leave.
Lucien then looked at the Pokémon gathered around and smiled softly.
"Don't worry, this house is sturdy. It'll hold through the storm."
The Minccino, who had been peering out the window moments ago, scurried down to the floor. They dashed to the corner of the room where they'd stored their food and peeked inside the small pile of berries and pine cones.
Relieved to see their stash intact, they chirped, "Chii~!"
The fireplace crackled merrily, sparks dancing up the chimney. The orange glow filled the cabin, driving back the biting chill of the blizzard outside.
Watching the little Minccino fuss over their food, Lucien couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't worry! Even if you run out, I won't let you go hungry," he said, patting the bed beside him.
"Come on, get up here and sleep."
"Chii~!"
The five Minccino immediately bounded onto the bed, tumbling over each other and fighting for space under the blanket.
Lucien laughed quietly. The bed was crowded, warm, and soft, surrounded by the rhythmic breathing of the small, furry Pokémon. It felt… comforting.
Dratini, exhausted from training all day, was already fast asleep beside him, its tail twitching faintly in a dream.
Lucien turned toward Snivy, who was still sitting upright on the carpet, gazing silently into the firelight.
"Snivy," he called gently, "come up and sleep with us."
Snivy's eyes widened, clearly not expecting that. It quickly turned its head away, feigning indifference.
"You really don't want to?" Lucien teased lightly. "It's warm here."
"Snivy…"
For a long moment, the Grass-type hesitated.
Lucien pressed the advantage, smiling. "The floor's cold, you know. It's much cozier up here, and everyone wants you to join us."
Snivy gave a proud little huff, folding its arms across its chest as if considering the offer with great dignity.
Finally, with a slow flick of its tail, it slithered up onto the bed, though it made sure to settle at the very edge, as far from Lucien as possible.
Lucien bit back a laugh. "Still keeping your distance, huh?" he murmured, amused by the Pokémon's tsundere attitude.
After a moment, his tone softened. "Snivy… that day you met me, were you hurt by other Pokémon before then?"
"Snivy?" The question startled it. Snivy blinked, memories flashing back to that ambush, the pain, the cold. It gave a quiet sound of acknowledgment.
"I see…" Lucien whispered.
Over the past few days, they'd learned to read each other well. Lucien could sense when the proud little Pokémon was tense, and Snivy, in turn, had come to understand his sincerity.
He hesitated, then finally asked,
"So, Snivy… would you like to become my Pokémon?"
Snivy froze, taken aback.
Lucien continued, his voice gentle. "Just like Dratini. If you become my partner, I'll make a training plan for you, a real one. You'll grow stronger, maybe even evolve into Servine or Serperior one day."
He smiled faintly. "With your Leaf Storm, you could stand against anyone."
"Snivy…"
But Snivy wasn't thinking about strength.
Its mind drifted back to that day, when Lucien had knelt down, apologized to the frightened Pokémon, and promised to take them in.
Memories flickered through Snivy's mind, Lucien training with Dratini, gently massaging its tired muscles after each session.
Lucien smiling as he played with the Pokémon around the territory, his tone always soft, never commanding.
All of it made Snivy's chest tighten with something unfamiliar.
Maybe… that was why it had approached this human so often back then. Why it always appeared nearby, pretending to pass by.
Deep down, perhaps it had been waiting for him to reach out first.
Snivy sat up in bed, its emerald eyes locking on Lucien.
Lucien noticed the change in its expression and straightened as well.
Man and Pokémon stared at each other in the quiet glow of the fire.
"How about it, Snivy?" Lucien asked softly. "Will you stay with me?"
Snivy folded its arms, turning its head aside with exaggerated pride.
Lucien's smile widened. "So… that's a yes?"
Snivy gave a small, reluctant snort.
Lucien chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes, then."
He extended his hand toward the Grass-type. "Let's get along from now on, Snivy."
For a moment, Snivy blinked in surprise, then, with a tiny smile curving its lips, it reached out its slender vine-like hand and touched his.
"Snivy."
Lucien exhaled, smiling in quiet relief.
At last… Snivy had accepted him.
A Snivy that could evade attacks from five Pokémon was no ordinary Pokémon, it already had solid battle instincts.
Now, Lucien finally had a real fighting partner.
And with Snivy's rapid growth rate, that meant one thing:
In time, it could evolve into Servine, and eventually into the majestic Serperior.
In the games, those evolutions came at level 17 and 36 respectively, far faster than Dratini's slow climb toward Dragonite.
But that didn't mean Snivy's potential was lesser.
Lucien smiled to himself.
He had always believed that with enough training and trust, even a common Pokémon could one day stand against the strongest of Legends.
The Pokémon world was full of such examples, powerful bonds forged between humans and Pokémon through nothing but trust and perseverance.
Lucien recalled stories like Giovanni's Beedrill, or Pryce's Mamoswine and Delibird in the old chronicles.
If even they could rise from humble beginnings, so could his Pokémon.
The blizzard continued into the next morning.
Outside, the wind howled, flinging snow through the gray sky.
Lucien pulled on his cashmere hood and stepped outside. Behind him, snow crunched under his boots as he instructed a few Pokémon to remain in the cabin. Then, accompanied by the blacksmith Morik and a few others, he trudged through the thick snow toward the brick kiln.
After burning all night, the once-red-hot bricks had finally cooled. Steam rose faintly from the dome-shaped kiln as Morik pried one brick loose and examined it closely.
A moment later, his eyes lit up.
"Your Highness Lucien! The firing was a success!"
Excitement rippled through the workers. Morik handed the still-warm brick to Lucien.
Lucien turned it over in his hands and gave it a testing squeeze.It was hard, solid as stone.
They had done it.
A smile broke across his face as the tension drained from his shoulders.
Finally, they could build real homes, sturdy, warm, safe from the elements.
"Excellent work, everyone," Lucien said, his voice full of genuine gratitude.
"This is our duty, Your Highness!" the blacksmiths replied in unison, their faces glowing with pride despite the cold.
Lucien nodded. "Now that the bricks are complete, everyone should rest. We'll resume construction once the blizzard clears."
"Yes, Your Highness!" came the chorus of voices before they dispersed back toward the settlement.
When the crowd was gone, Lucien turned to Elif.
"Elif, prepare rewards for the craftsmen. Take the funds from my private vault."
"Understood, Your Highness." The old butler bowed, his eyes shining with quiet respect.
Lucien's spirits were high.
If they continued producing bricks through the winter, they would have enough by spring to begin true construction.
Brick houses would rise where wooden shacks once stood. Roads would be paved, markets would open.
He could already picture it: wild Pokémon raised alongside humans, the juice pressed from jujube berries, soft wool from Mareep, golden honey from Combee, fragrant tea brewed from Sawsbuck's spring leaves...
Juice shops. Tea houses. Bakeries.
A bustling, cheerful town built on trust, between people and Pokémon alike.
Lucien smiled faintly at the thought.
....
Stones PLzz
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