[Solo] Character Development Posts

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A thread for me to put up solo posts exploring the relationships between Nitrine and his Pokemon, or relationships among his Pokemon, in the absence of adequate amounts of such interaction in public threads with other members. In other words, one-shot drabbles for character development. Having a single thread for such posts will prevent me from spamming by making new threads and racking up unwarranted money from doing so.

[Deleted]

A sort of "epilogue" to Midnight Mischief.

Oxana hurried forward a few paces to walk side-by-side with the Clefairy, demanding, "Why did you wander off like that? Nitrine has already told you several times you're to sleep at night."

Kellen answered, "Because I'm a Clefairy. I love nighttime, especially when the moon gets big and full like it is now. I wanted to play in the moonlight and feel its energy."

"That's not a good reason to be disrespectful of Nitrine's wishes. You think he's going to love you after this?"

Behind them, Nitrine alternated between watching his step as he kicked through the grasses and flowers and watching his Pokémon.

Kellen sucked in a breath. "Maybe not, but I don't want to hear about what Nitrine thinks about me from your mouth. You're not him, so don't speak for him."

"So? I know him better than you do, and he's going to be so upset with you when we get home."

Nitrine said, "Quiet, both of you. Not another peep until we get home."

Home was not too far away at this point. They'd been marching single-file with Kellen at the front, followed by the Snubbull and their owner, for over a half an hour. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Once inside the house, Nitrine locked the front door and said, "Kellen, why don't you have a seat on the couch? Oxana, you sit, too."

The Clefairy's wings, which had been glowing for as long as he was outside in the full moon, had lost their luster as he hopped onto the couch and folded his hands in his lap. Oxana sat in a velvet armchair against the adjacent wall.

Nitrine brought a glass of water and set them on the coffee table. Dark rings hung under his brown eyes as he lifted the hoodie up over his head to remove it. Taking a seat by his Pokémon, he said, "Kellen, I'm really disappointed in you. You deliberately waited until Oxana and I were asleep to sneak out of the house. What's worse is that you went onto another rancher's property! I'm surprised that Abomasnow didn't smash you into a pulp for trespassing."

Kellen bowed his head and lowered his gaze to the floor. Oxana crossed her arms.

"Do you have any idea what that means? I could be in trouble with that rancher when he finds out. Besides that, do you know how that makes me feel, that you disobeyed me when I told you I wanted you to sleep tonight?"

"Disappointed, and unhappy…?" muttered the Clefairy. He knew Nitrine couldn't understand him the way he could understand Oxana, but it was worth a shot.

Nitrine filled him in. "It makes me feel like I can't trust you, and like you don't like or respect me. Kellen, I do a lot for you. We haven't known each other for more than a few days, but I sacrifice my time to read about your species, make sure both of you have clean food and water, clean beds, and plenty of space to roam. That's what you do when you care about someone—you make sacrifices for them.

"If you want to show me that you love, or at least respect me, you need to make sacrifices, too. One of those is to stay indoors at night. I know Clefairy have a connection to the moon, but you have to sleep at night for me. We're going to start training soon, and I'm going to need you to be well-rested in the daytime." Nitrine leaned forward and sipped his water.

"I'm sorry," Kellen mumbled, clenching a fist against his own heart.

"But, in your defense," the young man said, "I didn't do a very good job of keeping you awake during the day. I'll do a better job of that in the days that come, okay?"

Kellen looked up at him and gave one nod, his face full of remorse.

"Oxana, come stand in front of me." When the Snubbull complied, Nitrine's brows furrowed. She put her ears back right away.

"Don't think I can't hear the way you talk to Kellen. I don't like it. I love you, Oxana, because you've helped me get through some difficult trials in my life, and because you're like my baby, my child, that I raised. I get that you feel close to me, but the jealousy has to stop. If you're my child, consider Kellen your brother. I don't love him less than I love you. He's like a new friend that I'm slowly getting to know, that's all.

"I don't want to see you guys fighting, arguing, or getting jealous over me. I want to see you both become friends." He glanced at Kellen to include him. "Help each other grow and change. Understand?"

Frowning at the floor, Oxana nodded with a guilty grunt.

"Apologize to Kellen."

She looked up at the Clefairy, still in the couch. "Sorry, Kellen."

Nitrine smiled at both of them and opened his arms. "Come give me hugs before we go back to bed."

Oxana climbed into his lap while Kellen nestled up to Nitrine's side. Nitrine pulled the Clefairy into his lap, and his kissed both of his Pokémon's pink heads. "We're in this together, alright?"

Kellen smiled at the Snubbull, but it fell when she only gave a glare. She didn't seem to like the idea of sharing—but what choice did she have?

[Deleted]

Nitrine quickly returned home from the Jaded Meadows. Before letting his Pokémon out, he made a few purchases online for some berries and medicine. That done, he went out to his barn house and sprayed all three of his Pokémon with Potions. Oxana and Kellen seemed right as rain when they were sprayed with one bottle each, but Nitrine’s new Doduo, DJ, still seemed moody.

He stepped up to DJ slowly. His long legs and necks made him—them?—even taller than Nitrine. He asked, “How are you feeling, buddy?”

DJ squawked out of one beak, “I’m hungry! Give me food!” The other head jabbed Nitrine in the chest with his beak.

Oxana took several steps forward, growling, “Watch it, you. He's your owner; give him some respect.”

“He interrupted my hunt,” grumbled the bird, “and then he beat me up. All I want is some food; is that so much to ask?”

Nitrine couldn’t understand the Pokémon’s speech, but when he pulled out one of his newly-purchased Oran Berries, the Doduo's eyes lit up. The trainer cooed, “You want this?”

“Yes! Give it!” Again, DJ honked out of one head and made a lunge at Nitrine with the other. Nitrine jumped back just in time to avoid another peck in the chest, holding the berry up and away.

“Okay, just wait a minute.” The Doduo seemed to groan as his trainer peeled off the firm skin and offered half to each head. One head glared at Oxana and Kellen and scanned the rest of the barn while the other head snapped up and swallowed down both halves.

Nitrine’s Pokémon wandered back to the house with him to get more food. He set Oxana and Kellen’s bowls outside, and he obtained a larger one for DJ, writing the Doduo’s nickname on the side. He poured some general feed Pokemon kibble into Kellen’s and DJ’s dishes and topped them with sliced oranges and bananas. Then he gave Oxana her meaty variety of kibble. As they ate, Nitrine used his smartphone to scroll through an article on how to train Doduo as mounts.

He went inside to grab some dried fruit. When he returned, DJ was zipping all around the property, running literal circles around Kellen, who seemed to try to chase after him. Oxana was standing nearby, barking, “You’re never going to catch him.”

“You’ll never catch me!” crowed the Doduo.

Nitrine whistled, and Oxana and Kellen dutifully came to his side. DJ hesitated before he trotted over, too. “Hey, DJ, can I sit on your back?” he asked his Doduo, who shook both heads. “What if I gave you a dried fruit piece?” He patted his pocket.

DJ’s heads exchanged a glance before pecking Nitrine’s pocket. He slipped his hand into his pocket as he said, “Can you crouch down for me? I’ll let you have a fruit piece.”

The Doduo lowered to the grass and swallowed down two fruit pieces while Nitrine settled on his back. DJ straightened up; Nitrine’s feet hung about about half a meter above the grass. He gripped the ruffly feathers on DJ’s back, between Nitrine’s own legs, in alarm. “Okay, okay,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Maybe take a few steps forward.”

“Nope!” squawked the Doduo.

Nitrine dug a treat from his pocket and threw it. “How about now—!” He nearly lost his balance when DJ bolted off after it, then again at the sudden halt when the bird bent down one head to eat the fruit, the other head watching the two Fairy-types run up.

Oxana scolded, “Be careful with him! He can’t take care of us if he gets hurt.”

DJ blinked at her, his expression turning to one of remorse. “I didn’t think about that…”

Nitrine gently patted the watchful head’s neck, saying, “We need a lot of practice, but I think this can work out. Let’s try walking from here to the front door, nice and easy…”

They practiced for about two hours, making rounds about the property. Occasionally DJ would get frustrated and pop a squat, wanting nothing more than to race around. Nitrine patiently coaxed him until he ran out of fruit pieces. By that point, DJ was done wanting to work.

“Well,” Nitrine said, standing up from his bird’s back, “if you want me to feed you more treats, we’ll have to go into town sometime and buy more. And I’ll need a ride. Think you could do that for me?” DJ shrugged his tiny wings. The work wasn't as fun as racing along the fields, but he got food out of it, at least.

Status: Oxana @ 56/60 HP (93%); Kellen at 26/26 HP (100%); DJ @ 36/36 (100%)
3 Potions and 1 Oran Berry got used.

[Deleted]

Nitrine stared down with wide eyes at the little black fox before him. For some reason, this was not what he was expecting from the Dusk Ball he'd picked from Kristen’s giveaway. Then again, he wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. But it wasn't the Pokémon before him, staring right back with its tail wagging. It took a glance at Nitrine’s other three Pokémon standing in a semi-circle around them before turning its attention back to the trainer.

”Hello. What kind of Pokémon are you?” Nitrine asked.

”Wuff!” barked the little black fox, more in greeting than anything.

Crouching down, he offered fluffy creature his hand to sniff. It turned around with surprise when Oxana put her nose under its tail for a sniff. Nitrine scolded, “Oxana, manners!”

The Snubbull straightened up and took a few steps back, her expression one of mild remorse.

DJ snickered. ”I don’t even get why you have to do that with every Pokémon you meet.”

Oxana turned towards him as the little black fox sniffed the loose pink skin around her belly. ”It’s the best way for me to find out his natural smell, but I don’t expect you to understand. Bird.”

Using his smartphone, Nitrine snapped a picture of his brand-new Pokémon sniffing his Snubbull and put the image in a search engine. The results were immediate. “A Zorua?”

It turned to face him and yipped. ”Yep, that’s me!”

As it sniffed and became acquainted with his Pokémon, Nitrine read the information available about Zorua. He stiffened. Zorua is a Dark-type.

His mind wandered back to his home in Jubilife City. His father, an infamous loan shark, guarded the property with two Dark-type Pokémon. His Mightyena during patrolled the property every night, barking at suspicious characters. If a person turned out to be a real threat, she would lunge and bite. His father’s Sneasel, which slept in the tree in the front yard, occasionally accompanied her on attacks. Being guard Pokémon, neither particularly enjoyed contact from Nitrine or his brother when they were kids.

He watched the Zorua frisk around DJ. The Doduo took a few small, dancing steps while Kellen and Oxana looked on, whispering between themselves. He hasn’t hurt anyone yet, Nitrine thought. Perhaps it’s not a Mightyena in a little body.

Nitrine crooned, “Hey, c’mere, little guy!” The Zorua bounded over to Nitrine but tumbled right over onto its back. Chuckling, he leaned forward to rub its belly. It was acting just like Oxana when she had been much younger. “Or maybe you’re a little gal? …nope, you're definitely a little guy.”

He gently lifted his Pokémon around the middle and turned him around to inspect him. “Hm… Well, I could just be completely uncreative and call you Cole. You look like a Cole.”

The Dark-type Pokemon tilted his head, and Kellen said, “He means your name.”

Nitrine said, “Cole it is, then! I’m sure they’ve told you, but this is Oxana, Kellen, and DJ. Welcome to the family. I hope you all can get along well.” He set Cole down on his feet and watched him bounce away towards the rest of his Pokémon, thinking perhaps he was wrong about Dark-types as a whole.

[Deleted]

Pre-narrative Stats
Status: Kellen @ 20% (6/24) HP; DJ @ 48% (17/36) HP; Oxana @ 93% (20/22) HP
Items: Oxana, DJ - holding 1 Blue Apricorn (each)

Cole darted up to Kellen and bumped his nose into Kellen's side before dancing away again. "Tag, you're it!"

"Stop it," grumbled Kellen. He was in the barn with the rest of his teammates, seated in front of Nitrine. His trainer was crouched beside him, shaking a Potion.

Nitrine admonished, "Cole, settle down. Kellen needs his rest." He sprayed the Potion onto his Clefairy's wounds. Kellen's expression became one of relief as the liquid spray soothed his pain. Nitrine pecked his forehead.

Cole's ears fell, and he whined, "Aw, that's no fun at all!" He sat down and slumped.

Nitrine moved to crouch down next to DJ, seated nearby. He called, "Oxana, come here. Do you still have that Apricorn?"

The Snubbull removed the Apricorn from the folds of skin around her belly and handed it over to her trainer. He said, "Cole, look at this! See this?" When he had gotten his Zorua's attention, he held up the Apricorn, pulled back his arm, and chucked it almost all the way across the barn. "Go get it!"

Cole dashed after it, tripping over his own feet a little but quickly regaining his balance. Oxana chuckled.

Nitrine took the opportunity to take the other Blue Apricorn from DJ before using second Potion on his wounds. The Doduo's were a lot less severe, and he recovered much more quickly, up and playing tag with Cole in just minutes. The young man smiled at his Pokemon, muttering, "Glad to see you all feeling better."

He turned to his Snubbull again. "Oxana, here." He reached into his pocket and held out a smooth, ovular stone. Oxana sniffed at it. "This is a Lucky Egg," he said. "I got it as a gift recently. It's supposed to help Pokemon grow faster when they battle. I figured you don't have much longer to go until you evolve, so we might as well help along the big finish the next time we battle someone."

Oxana took the Lucky Egg and nestled it underneath the skin folds of her belly. "Thanks!" she barked.

"I hope it hasn't been too cold out here for you, or Kellen," Nitrine injected. It had been a couple months since he moved the two Fairy-types outside into the barn, to keep things fair for DJ, who was not allowed inside the house. Oxana had, for the first week, scratched and whined at the front door of Nitrine's house; he would find her in the morning asleep on the doorstep.

The Snubbull shook her head.

"Have you guys been keeping each other warm? Cuddling, perhaps?" He grinned at her.

Resting nearby, Kellen sneezed.

Oxana shrugged. "Maybe... just a little... Only because it was cold."

Nitrine rubbed her head, chirping, "It's alright to admit you've warmed up to him in the past couple of weeks. No pun intended." He leaned over and nodded to Cole, chasing after DJ's long legs. "I'm sure you and the little one can get along just fine too. I'm glad DJ seems to like him."

Oxana just shrugged again. Another youngster. They would have to wait and see.

Post-narrative Stats
Status: Kellen/DJ @ 100% HP; Oxana @ 93% (20/22) HP
Items: Oxana w Lucky Egg
Both Apricorns have been placed into the Apricorn Box.

[Deleted]

Oxana, still disgruntled about Nitrine taking his sweet time with her breakfast, sniffed at one of the Oran berries on the tree in the recently-established Berry Plots behind the house. It looked ripe enough. She picked it and gobbled the whole thing in two bites, licking her chops. "Mm..." she muttered, "not a fan of the dry feeling it leaves in my mouth."

Just then, Nitrine came around the house with her food dish. His face turned down into a frown as he said, "Xana! Stay away from those berries! Did you eat one?"

Folding back her ears, she nodded. "I was hungry!"

He crouched beside her with a sigh, setting down her food dish, and gave her a pat on the head. "Good things come to those who wait. This food is a new recipe, and I hid some extra-special treats in it."

Oxana sniffed the food. It was fragrant with hot, moist meaty bits among the dry kibble. Taking his hand to give it a single, affectionate lick, she barked, "Thanks for the food!" before diving into her meal.

Nitrine sat back and watched her eat, trying to suppress his grin, lest she look up and catch him staring. Those treats weren't the normal peanut butter biscuits he normally gave her as a snack. (Much to his surprise, Ginger, DJ, and even Kellen enjoyed them, too.) Amid the new food he had served hid five Rare Candies. He'd received a handful as a gift every so often for the past few months, and he'd amassed a collection, which he kept in an old cheese ball jar. Supposedly, they were packed with enough energy that they could help a Pokemon evolve. He wasn't sure how many he needed, but five seemed like a good number to start with.

He hoped they wouldn't make her sick.

Licking her chops, Oxana wiped her mouth with her hands. Nitrine stopped trying to hide his grin. "How was it?"

His beloved Snubbull smiled back at him. "It was everything I was craving. Thank you!"

A gurgling noise sounded from her stomach. She belched, and before she had time to cover her mouth, she began to glow with a harsh white light. Nitrine shielded his eyes, and for barely a moment, he wondered if she was going to burst. She glowed for two, three solid minutes before finally the light vanished. He lowered his hand from his eyes.

She was a Granbull, a big, purple Granbull!

Though, she seemed to be having trouble holding her head up.

Indeed, Oxana held one paw under her massive lower jaw, flanked with a pair of impressive tusks, as she gazed at herself, her longer arms and legs, her bulky body, her huge paws. She still had loose skin, but not enough to stash items under anymore. The skin had tightened and toughened around her wrists and neck, as though providing some minor protection to those areas.

"Oxana?" Nitrine ventured. She turned her attention to him. Her eyes seemed scrunched with anger as she lowered both arms to her sides, deciding to just let her heavy jaw fall agape. He asked, "Do you, uh... remember me?"

Oxana's face shifted to recognizable excitement as she dropped to all fours and charged into Nitrine's lap, sitting on him. Her arms were around his shoulders as she licked his face. "Duh, Nitrine!"

"Ha ha, careful, careful!" Nitrine shouted. "You kinda punched me in the chin with your big chin."

Her face seemed to scrunch up again, but he soon realized that that was a neutral expression for the species--they naturally looked intimidating, especially when they showed off those tusks. She gave a tiny whine. "Sorry about that. I guess I don't know my own strength now."

He rubbed her head, saying, "It's not your fault. I'm sure it'll take some getting used to. Let's not just sit here, though; let's go show the others!"

Oxana has now be formally healed to 100% HP.
Oxana was given 5 Rare Candies and grew to lv 25. She also evolved into Granbull but learned no new moves.