Sprigatito

  She had won.

  The memory played through her mind as she groomed herself on the Pokemon Center bed, her human sleeping peacefully beside her. The big rock creature. The crackling feeling that had locked her muscles. The moment when everything hurt and she couldn't move properly and some part of her had whispered stay down, it's easier, just stay down.

  But she hadn't.

  She'd gotten up. She'd fought. And when her leaves had struck that final blow, when the rock creature had toppled and the loud voice had declared victory—

  That was what being a partner meant.

  Sprigatito finished cleaning her paw and glanced at the small one curled against her human's other side. Ralts. The new one. The scared one who felt everything too deeply and trembled at loud noises and had somehow found the courage to face a creature made of stone.

  She hadn't expected to like Ralts.

  When her human had first caught the pale little thing, Sprigatito had been... not jealous, exactly. But wary. She'd been with her human from the beginning—from the scary crash and the hiding and the moment she'd decided to trust this strange, sad creature who played sounds from a glowing rectangle. That bond was hers. Special. She didn't want to share it.

  But watching Ralts over time and in that battle...

  The small one had been terrified. Sprigatito could see it in every line of her body, feel it in the way the air around her seemed to shiver with barely-contained panic. Rock creatures were big. They hit hard. And Ralts was so fragile, so new to fighting, so obviously outmatched.

  She'd fought anyway.

  When the ground had shaken and thrown Ralts across the arena, Sprigatito had felt something clench in her chest. Not just concern for a teammate—something fiercer. Protective. The same feeling she got when she sensed danger near her human.

  That's one of mine, she'd realized. I don't want her to get hurt.

  It was a strange feeling. She'd only known Ralts for maybe a few days. But somehow, in that moment, the small one had become pack.

  Ralts stirred in her sleep, making a soft sound that might have been distress. A nightmare, maybe. The small one had those sometimes—Sprigatito could tell from the way she'd wake up trembling, reaching for their human's presence like it was the only solid thing in the world.

  Without really thinking about it, Sprigatito shifted closer. She pressed her warm body against Ralts's side, letting her presence seep through—safe, calm, here.

  The trembling eased. Ralts's breathing steadied.

  Good.

  Sprigatito settled her head on her paws and let her eyes drift closed. Tomorrow they'd be traveling again. New places, new challenges, new chances to prove herself. She was looking forward to it.

  But for now, her human was sleeping peacefully, her new packmate was calm beside her, and the victory was still warm in her chest.

  This was what being a partner meant.

  She wouldn't trade it for anything.

  Ralts

  She dreamed of the before-time.

  Green darkness. Familiar minds humming nearby—Mother's warmth, Father's steadiness, the flickering presence of her siblings. Safety. Belonging. The world made sense.

  Then: noise. Chaos. Emotions like knives—anger, greed, cruel satisfaction. Running. Hiding. The awful silence where her family's minds had been.

  Alone. So alone. Cold and small and—

  Warmth pressed against her side. Not her human's warmth—different. Softer fur, a heartbeat that purred rather than thumped.

  Sprigatito.

  The nightmare faded. Ralts surfaced slowly into wakefulness, her psychic senses reaching out automatically to map her surroundings. Her human was there—his mind a familiar constellation of emotions, mostly peaceful in sleep but with that undercurrent of sadness he always carried. The green one was pressed against her, radiating calm protectiveness that wrapped around Ralts like a blanket.

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  Safe, she thought. I'm safe.

  It still surprised her sometimes, how safe she felt with them. After her family had been taken, she'd spent so long alone—hiding in the forest, avoiding humans, trusting no one. Every mind she'd sensed had felt wrong somehow. Dangerous. Selfish. Wanting things from her that she didn't want to give.

  Then he had come.

  Her human was... different. His emotions were complicated—layers upon layers, grief and hope and fear and determination all tangled together. But underneath all of it was something solid. Something kind. When he looked at her, she felt seen. Not as a tool or a prize or a burden, but as... herself. A person, even if she couldn't speak like humans did.

  And when she'd told him she was scared of fighting, he hadn't been disappointed. He'd just said that's okay and we'll work on it together and I believe in you.

  No one had ever said that to her before.

  The gym battle had been the hardest thing she'd ever done. Standing on that arena floor, facing the floating rock creature, feeling her human's faith in her like a warm hand on her back—she'd wanted to run. Every instinct had screamed at her to teleport away, to hide, to let Sprigatito handle it because Sprigatito was brave and strong and didn't freeze up when things got scary.

  But she'd thought about her human's words. Courage matters more than perfect victories.

  So she'd stayed. She'd fought. She'd gone down, yes—the ground attack had been too much, too everywhere, impossible to dodge. But she'd tried. She'd landed hits on something that should have been immune to her attacks. She'd proven that she could face her fear and keep going anyway.

  And afterward, when her human had held her and told her he was proud...

  She'd never felt anything like that. Pride that wasn't her own, flowing through their bond, mixing with her own shaky relief until she couldn't tell where his emotions ended and hers began. He was proud of her. Not because she'd won—she hadn't—but because she'd been brave.

  That mattered more than any victory.

  Ralts shifted slightly, pressing closer to Sprigatito's warmth. The green one made a sleepy sound but didn't pull away.

  They were family now. Ralts hadn't been sure, at first—Sprigatito was so confident, so capable, so clearly bonded with their human in ways that Ralts was still learning. She'd worried that she was intruding. That Sprigatito would resent her for taking their human's attention.

  But during the gym battle, she'd felt something shift. When she'd gone down, she'd sensed Sprigatito's reaction—not annoyance or dismissal, but concern. Fierce, protective concern, the kind you felt for family.

  Pack, Sprigatito's emotions had said. That's one of mine.

  Ralts hadn't had a pack since the before-time. The thought of belonging again—of being claimed by someone who wanted to protect her—made her chest ache in a way that wasn't entirely painful.

  She reached out through the bond to her human, just a gentle touch to reassure herself that he was there.

  His sleeping mind responded with warmth. Here. Safe. Together.

  Yes. Together.

  Ralts closed her eyes and let herself drift, surrounded by the minds of her new family.

  Morning

  Sprigatito woke first, as she usually did.

  The sun was just beginning to paint the window with light, and her human was still deeply asleep—he'd been exhausted after the gym battle, emotionally as much as physically. She stretched luxuriously, careful not to disturb Ralts, and hopped down from the bed to investigate the room.

  Food soon? she wondered. Her stomach was making its opinions known.

  Ralts stirred a moment later, her psychic senses probably picking up on Sprigatito's movement. The small one sat up slowly, blinking, her green "hair" slightly disheveled from sleep.

  Morning, Ralts sent—not in words, exactly, but in feelings. Greeting. Acknowledgment.

  Sprigatito flicked her tail in response. Morning.

  They regarded each other for a moment. Something had shifted between them since the battle, some barrier that had existed without either of them really noticing. Now it was gone.

  You were brave yesterday, Sprigatito sent, surprising herself. She wasn't usually one for direct compliments. The rock creature was scary. You fought anyway.

  Ralts's emotions flickered with surprise, then warmth. You too. You got hurt. You kept going.

  That's what partners do.

  A pause. Then, tentatively: Are we partners? You and me?

  Sprigatito considered the question. She thought about the feeling she'd had during the battle—that fierce protectiveness, the sense of mine. She thought about how she'd pressed close during Ralts's nightmare, wanting to help without really deciding to.

  Yes, she sent finally. We're partners. Both of us with him. And with each other.

  Ralts's response was a wave of emotion too complex for simple words—relief, gratitude, belonging, hope. She was still scared of so many things. Still learning to be brave. But she wasn't alone anymore, and that made all the difference.

  Thank you, she managed.

  Don't thank me. Just get stronger. Sprigatito's tail swished. I don't want to do all the fighting myself.

  It might have sounded harsh, but Ralts could feel the affection underneath. The green one's way of saying I believe in you too.

  I'll try.

  Their human stirred, mumbling something incoherent, and both Pokémon turned their attention to him. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking in the morning light, and his gaze found them both.

  A smile spread across his face—that soft, genuine smile that made Ralts feel warm all over.

  "Morning, you two." His voice was rough with sleep. "Ready for breakfast?"

  YES, Sprigatito sent emphatically, even though he couldn't hear her.

  Very hungry, Ralts added through their bond.

  He laughed—he'd felt that one—and sat up, reaching out to scratch behind Sprigatito's ears with one hand while his other found Ralts's head.

  "Alright, alright. Food first. Then we plan the next part of the journey."

  Sprigatito purred under his touch. Ralts leaned into his hand, letting his emotions wash over her—contentment, affection, pride in both of them.

  This is what family feels like, she thought. This is what I was looking for.

  She'd found it. Against all odds, after everything she'd lost, she'd found it again.

  And she was never letting go.