fic: Catching Flight
Feb. 20th, 2018 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: Catching Flight
Series: TF2(/Pokémon)
Character/pairing: Scout/Miss Pauling
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 6729
Summary: Pokémon AU. Scout may be an elite member of Team Fortress, but he routinely fails at being a villain.
Author's note: I wasn't going to write this AU, but I ended up finishing a snippet because the notes I had for Miss Pauling's pokémon team were cute.
Previous entries: Catch Me | Catch You | Catch These Hands
For Sarah!
The Administrator's room was dark, with a line of screens behind her. On each of them was a scene of the bases. Medic in his laboratory, with his bodyguard Heavy nearby, Engineer in his workshop, and Grunts scurrying about. Nothing escaped her watchful eye.
A Honchkrow was perched by the sole window, ready to fly out and send messages for anyone outside the reach of the base. Clouds of smoke rose up from her cigarette. The ashtray before her was already full. Few could chainsmoke like their boss.
Her purple suit was designer, and certainly impeccable. She sat, legs crossed, dripping with disdain as Miss Pauling gave her report.
"A new team?'
"Scout was the one who found out. He and Pyro made an attack on the Grunt. And he was pretty open about being a part of Team Fortress," Miss Pauling said.
"Two of the Main Nine?" The Administrator curled her lip. Fine lines showed through, past her ruby lipstick. "How brazen."
"You know how the Main Nine are. Always getting into trouble," Miss Pauling said.
She gazed coldly at Miss Pauling.
"No, Miss Pauling, I believe you are the one mistaken. Engineer spends all his time working on technological developments, and keeping our mainframe alive. Medic keeps our team healed and has many beneficial experiments. Heavy does his job as a bodyguard admirably. Spy has given us much invaluable information on the dealings of other teams and the Elite Fours, and Champions of the lands. It's only Scout who keeps getting into trouble."
Miss Pauling held her clipboard a little tighter to her chest. "...Saxton Hale spends his time wrestling with Ursarigs," Miss Pauling said.
She raised her hand, as if the wave away all concerns. Ashes fell upon her desk. "This is not about him. Besides, Scout couldn't even lift a single Ursarig," the Administrator said.
Even though she knew she was pushing it, Miss Pauling persisted. "He could outrun one, though. Also, I think you forgot a few key details. Soldier keeps getting in physical fights, and Pyro has been connected to several fires. Medic himself has been known to be eccentric, to put it mildly."
"I know my own team, Miss Pauling," The Administrator said. Her voice had grown low. Miss Pauling knew not to push anymore. She'd seen her boss at her angriest, and knew exactly when the danger zone had been reached. Most people couldn't even bear to meet the Administrator's piercing gaze. But Miss Pauling had accustomed to her boss.
"Yes...ahem, about the other team," Miss Pauling said.
The Administrator turned back to the screens. "It will need to be investigated further. Send who you feel is competent enough to do the job."
"But, as you said--many are busy or untrustworthy. Do I have permission to supervise? And if I find it's enough of a threat, do I have permission to launch an attack? Their Grunts seem even more unfocused and weak than usual. If we strike while they're still growing, we could easily destroy the team."
The Administrator looked her over skeptically. Miss Pauling didn't duck her head, and kept her shoulders back.
"If you believe you have enough power, then do so," the Administrator said.
A message came across the screen, and the Administrator turned around again. With that, Miss Pauling was dismissed.
*
She stopped by to check on her garden of pokémon, and pack before she left. Recently, there'd been several eggs, she suspected from the Sunfloras, from how they danced together. She'd put up a fence to keep her garden safe, and moved all those pokémon back to her own little house. It was a villa, of sorts, a white picket dream nestled away far from the warehouses and deserts of Team Fortress.
She bent down as the beautiful arrays of flowers rushed to see her. Their blooms were even more lustrous today, then when she'd last visited.
"I need to go off and do something. Please be careful."
As the Beautiflys and Butterfrees fluttered their beautiful wings, and all her little flowers parted, she noticed that she now had a small pond in her backyard. A Goldeen surfaced to peer at her. Its gold, frilly fins hung like a ballgrown.
As she glanced up, Scout rose up from beside the Goldeen, the knees of his jeans were covered in grass stains and mud.
"Scout!"
"Hey, there you were. I was just comin' to see my old pals. I hopped the fence, in case you were wonderin'."
It would take quite a head start to vault over the fence, but she could see him doing it. Especially to revisit all the pokémon he'd given her.
"I have a door, you know," Miss Pauling said dryly.
Scout put his hands in his pockets. "Funny thing, it was locked."
"Oh, I'll get you a key sometime. Um..." she gestured towards the pond. "This is new. I'm guessing you were the one who did it?"
"What, that?"
"Yes, that. Usually people ask before they spring surprise landscaping on someone...though it really is beautiful."
Scout rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, about that... that actually wasn't me. I was thinkin' maybe Sniper was lonely, bein' as all he had was a Cactuar, a Krookidile, a Sandile or two... and I was tryin' to figure out what he'd want. So I came back here for ideas."
"That still doesn't explain how I got a free pond," she said.
"Basically, Pyro showed up and brought their Houndoom along--did I mention it evolved?--And I mean one hell of a diggin' party. Those two had dirt flyin'. I was goin' to fill it back in, but it started rainin', so I headed in. Guess Mother Nature did the rest."
"And the Goldeen?"
"Well, if you got a pond, you gotta have somethin' to go in it," Scout said.
"Spontaneous landscaping aside, it really livens up the place. Besides, the plants seem to like it." And they did. The Sunflora would drop their roots into the water and glance up so refreshed, they looked like something out of an advertisement for energy drinks.
"Actually, you were just who I was looking for," Miss Pauling said.
"Yeah? We got a mission?" Scout said.
"I informed The Administrator about that Grunt and Team you went against. She told me to assign the people to investigate. And I've chosen," she said.
Heavy, Soldier and Engineer, and Demoman were busy with important experiments, while Sniper and Spy were unreachable, and off on some other high-risk mission. Soldier and Pyro were less than reliable, to put it mildly.
Which really left one person. Except, she knew who she was going to pick all along.
Of course, Scout was a little unfocused, and would have to be watched.
"Oh, you want me to show the place I saw the Grunt? I'll fly you over," Scout said.
"Fly...over there?" Miss Pauling said.
"Yeah, it's the quickest way."
"Well, I'll get the tickets," she said stiffly. "Though it will take a while to book them--"
"We don't need any tickets, I got a Pigeot." He paused when he saw her expression. "Don't tell me you're worried... Wait, you've never flown on a pokémon before?" Scout said.
"Is it really that hard to believe?" Miss Pauling said.
"Totally. Completely. Absolutely. A whole lot of other words that end with ly," Scout said.
"Well--Airplanes exist, you know," she said.
"Who needs one of those when you got a pokémon? It's amazin', feelin' the wind in your face. Cuttin' through clouds at the speed of sound. It's incredible."
She glanced warily back at the pokéball held in his hand. "Are you sure it can handle both of us and fly?" she said.
Scout just laughed. He started to wind up, and threw his pokéball like it was a baseball. A huge bird of prey with massive wings, dull tan feathers, and a large crest flew out with a screech. She was starting to see why he'd laughed; the Pigeot was practically the size of a small plane in itself.
"There you are, pal. We got a guest this time, so behave."
The bird let out another screech.
"I know, I know. You wanna go fast. But not too fast, all right? I know, you never thought you'd heard the words 'too fast' from my mouth. But it's true. You got the most important girl in the world ridin', so be careful, all right?"
The Pigeot began to ruffle its feathers.
"Yeah, that's a good boy." He rubbed its feathery chest. "Now just be still a minute."
He helped her up onto its back. Unlike a Rapidash, she struggled to figure out exactly where to position herself. With a sinking feeling, she realized that if she picked the wrong place to sit, she'd end up falling to the ground from very high up.
"Erm, doesn't this come with seat belts? Or some kind of saddle?"
"Naw, we don't need anythin' like that. Just hold on tight, I won't let you slide," Scout said.
He got up onto the Pigeot much more easily than her, with superior experience in flying. She wrapped her arms tight about his waist, and buried her face against his back.
"Not that I'm complainin', but I gotta breathe," Scout said.
"C'mon Pigeot, let's show her what we're made of. Full speed ahead!"
"Maybe not full speed! Medium speed is fine!" She yelled above the rising sound of wingbeats.
She held tight to him as they soared high above. The trees, villages and cities had become small beneath them. Unreal, like little models. Far be it from afraid, Scout laughed and chattered along as they dove through clouds, only to come out wet.
"So much for sittin' back and sleepin' on a cloud!"
And she laughed too. For the whimsy, the beauty of it all. Her fear had fallen away. He would never let her fall, and his pokémon were so loyal, they would guard her to their dying breath.
*
"This is where you saw them?" she said. They'd landed at the outsets of Fortree city. Scout had scaled up those ladders with ease, but Miss Pauling had taken longer. It was a lot harder to climb in a dress, after all.
"Naw, but we're gettin' there," Scout said.
"We're supposed to be doing scouting on this new team you mentioned," Miss Pauling said.
"We are, we totally are. We're just takin' the scenic route. There's so much I gotta show you! Like route 120."
"Route 120?" she said skeptically. It didn't exactly sound like a romantic date spot.
"Oh, Miss P, you got no idea."
Scout kept smiling, like he was full of secrets. It was only when they arrived that she realized the weight of those secrets. She looked around in wonder. Millions of stars was reflected back in the pristine and clear water. She let out a gasp, taking in more and more of the beauty.
"Scout, it's gorgeous!"
"I know, right? I took a night walk down here--guidin' some kids home and makin' sure they got there safe--and I couldn't stop thinkin' about how much you'd love it."
A splash cut the vision of stars reflected in the water below. A pair of bunny ears surfaced.
"Just a sec, I gotta get this!"
Scout set off at a run, and dove right off the cliff.
"Scout--wait!"
He hit the water in an explosion of water. For several seconds, he didn't surface. Each second he was gone felt like a blow to her chest. She rushed to the side of the cliff, and looked down. Dammit, what if he'd hit his head on the rocks below? She slipped off her shoes. She wasn't the best swimmer, but like hell was she going to let him drown. Just as she steeled herself for the jump, Scout surfaced with a blue pokémon wrapped in his arms.
"You idiot! At least bring out a pokémon to defend yourself!"
"I'm fine! Fine as hell, in fact." He tapped the pokéball, like he was cracking an egg. The blue rabbit disappeared. It jerked around for one, two, three and a final fourth before it floated beside him. It was like the pokémon were just dying to get into his pokéballs. Which sounded dirtier than she meant it.
"Score one for Team Scout," he said.
She rushed down the steps, to help him up. He was soaked through, and proudly holding up a new pokéball. A blue one in a design she hadn't seen before.
"Scout, you were completely reckless! You could've gotten hurt and if that happened I don't even know what I'd--" she cleared her throat. "It would be bad. You can't just go hugging wild pokémon even if they are cute!"
"Aww, Miss P, you worried about me."
"Of course I did. I'm your girlfriend," she said.
"I know how to swim. I grew up near the docks, remember?"
She pulled off his cap, and checked for any scrapes. Water dripped down his back. Scout flushed with happiness under her attention.
Scout laughed. "If I knew you were goin' to fuss over me like this, I'd jump off more cliffs."
"Don't even tease, I know you'd do it, too," she said crossly.
He leaned in, and nuzzled her, wet and cold, but the heat seared her through. "I'd jump off any cliff for you."
"I'd prefer you stay on dry land," she said.
But Scout was too full of the adrenaline of the moment to be brought down by her tone. "I caught it, Miss P! I got it without even a makin' a hit! See, I worry about those little tubers. Some of them go out so deep. Found out recently these Azumarrills like to prevent pokémon from drowning with water bubbles. Figured they'd do the same for the little tubers out there," Scout said.
"They don't evolve until at least level thirty, or was it twenty five? Regardless, it has to be quite a high level. Do you think a child could handle it?"
"C'mon, it's a sea bunny, not a big-ass dragon. I'll give it a pep talk and tell it about how it has to keep those little tubers safe, and it'll be gentle with them."
She chuckled, despite herself. "I bet they'll listen."
Scout smiled wide. "Of course they will. I mean, it ain't that hard. There's all these professors tryin' to figure out the secret of pokémon. You just gotta listen to 'em. Be nice, make sure they're well fed and taken care of after battle."
"You're like the PokéWhisperer," she said.
Scout laughed. "Yeah, that ain't goin' to stick. Just ask my ma. I ain't whispered a day in my life," she said.
"True."
"PokéYeller, maybe," Scout said.
She glanced up at the starry sky. "It's getting a bit chilly, and you're completely soaked."
"Guess I'll just have to strip it off." With a smirk, Scout peeled off his wet shirt, and balled it up in his hands.
"Oh, that reminds me! I had somethin' else to show you." He tossed out a pokéball from his hip. Floatzel sprung out, and struck a pose. It resembled an otter, with auburn fur, two large tails and a grin as puckish as Scout's own. "Here's my new buddy. Ain't he somethin'?"
The Floatzel puffed up its chest, full of pride. She was surprised it didn't start flexing.
"He's super fast, and a great ride. Climb right on, it's steady." He reached out his hand. She took it, and stepped over onto the pokémon's back.
"Scout, it's a dead end," she said.
"Nah, just wait for it. You'll see." He scratched the Floatzel behind the ears. "Now, not too fast, pally. Sure, you and me can rocket around, but I don't want Miss Pauling to fall off!"
"Are you sure we'll both fit? I don't want to hurt him," she said.
The Floatzel put its paws on his hips and let out a series of indignant squeaks.
"Don't worry about it. He's plenty strong. We'll just have to snuggle close," Scout said. He couldn't contain his smile at that. Floatzel jumped into the water with a giant splash, and Scout soon followed.
With a playful eye roll, she climbed on and wrapped her arms about his waist. They glided slowly across the water. The reflection of stars shone under each ripple and wave dispersed beneath them. They passed under the bridge, the sky blocked out for a moment.
She rested her head against his back, and savored the moment. The beauty of Route 120, the feel of him near, even the slight swish of water beneath them.
The grassy shore seemed bare, save for one hole in the rock. Scout grinned, and pulled out another of his pokémon. His Watchog started tunneling, remarkably quick.
Scout motioned her in. She ducked into a little cave.
"Welcome to our very own secret base! I always wanted one of these, but I was a city kid. The closest you get to a secret base is curlin' up in a trash can or findin' some abandoned warehouse. But those things are always crawlin' with some team or gang, so it's dangerous."
It was a pocket of dirt, darkness, and not much else. Children, however, would have loved a secret place to call their own.
He glanced around. "I should decorate it or somethin'. It's kinda bare and---" he grinned at this. "A little dirty."
She clutched her arms across her chest. "It's a little cold, too."
"Right on it," Scout said.
He tapped a pokéball attached to his belt, and out came his Rapidash.
"Do me a solid, would you? Keep this toasty but not too toasty." He laid his shirt over its back.
The Watchog had been left out, and kept moving in jerky motions. It would much on a berry, and suddenly look up, only to much again. It scampered all through the base.
"If you're not careful, your shirt is going to catch on fire," she said.
"My shirts are pretty heat resistant. Gotta be, to keep from breakin' into flames from how hot I am," Scout said
"Hey, Rapidash, do me a solid and put a fire in here, would you. Don't go overboard, now," Scout said.
The Rapidash pawed at the ground with its hoof. The Watchog scampered near with a handful of sticks. Before long, a small fire was going.
Finally spent, the Watchog curled up in the corner and settled into a fitful nap.
"Actually, wait. That reminds me. I did get one," Scout said.
He pulled out a little red mat with a pokéball emblazoned on the front, and set it down for her.
"There. It'll almost be comfy."
"What about you?"
"My ass is made of steel. No dirt is goin' to take it down."
She smiled at this. She certainly wasn't going to dispute it, not when his bragging was simply stating the truth.
"Speakin' of ass, you should've seen me kick that Grunt down. I gotta start filmin' my conquests," Scout said. He looked about ready to flex his thin bicep.
Miss Pauling raised one perfectly shaped dark eyebrow. "You mean the times when you let children beat you because you don't want them to cry and give them your money?"
Scout playfully stuck his tongue out. "Big brother Scout has to let the kiddos win sometimes. Otherwise how are they gonna buy lunch?"
"Their parents give them lunch money, Scout," she said.
"Yeah, but they're growin' kids! They need two, maybe three lunches! And some pokédolls and a new video game system!"
"When you become a dad, you're going to spoil your children so much," she said.
"Oh, you got no idea. No goin' and leavin' my kid off to do their journey alone. We're goin' as a family! All of us."
Her cheeks turned just a tinge of pink as she realized she was in that vision of the future.
"Ahem--Actually...I'd--Could you tell me more about the team?"
She could at least then have one vein of truth to put through the report, which would have to vastly downplay the amount of extraneous sightseeing Scout took her on. Miss Pauling was already quite used to lying about Scout on official reports. At this point, it was second nature.
"Of of course!" Scout was always willing to talk about himself. "So, there was this creep. I caught him kickin' his Houndour. I came in and started kickin' him instead. Then Pyro came in and helped. They went off with that Houndour, and a couple others, too," Scout said.
"You actually managed to supply the team?" For once, she wouldn't have to falsify paperwork and pretend that Scout had caught pokémon for someone other than herself and every child he passed along the way.
"Pyro just charged in and took it."
"That's sweet of you. I'm sure Pyro will take good care of them."
"I wanted to get you some Vulpixes, but I had no luck. Wait, that was supposed to be a surprise. I ain't no good with surprises, though."
She touched his hand. "You know what they say. 'It's the thought that counts.'"
"I'll get you them someday. That I promise," Scout said.
"Tell me more about the team," Miss Pauling said.
"Oh yeah. I got sidetracked. That was the only guy I saw, but it was definitely a new team. And I figure if one is like that, probably the rest are. Grunts don't tend to go solo or do big operations. If a Grunt messes somethin' up or treats somebody badly, it's because their boss told 'em to."
"You're right, it's usually the high level ones which do the betraying or trailblazing," she said.
Scout stretched out in a long yawn, like a cat. "Man, I should've thought to bring some marshmallows. We could've roasted 'em. Come to think of it, if I had some crackers and chocolate, we could have s'more."
She smiled."Let me guess--you gave them to children you met along the way?"
"Got it in one. I had some, too. And of course, my pokémon all got one, too. Didn't take long for that whole bag to be done." He chuckled at the memory.
"Hey, Miss Pauling--You wanna sleep out in the secret base, or head back to camp out at one of the inns or pokécenters?"
"How about we save that for next time? This has been fun, but this mat isn't even big enough for my pokémon to sleep on, let alone myself."
"Sure. We could head back to Fortree, and make it to Lilycove in the morning. I could buy a bed or two, dependin' on whether you get cold and wanna share." Scout winked.
"I--" she blushed.
Scout chuckled. "I'm jokin'. It's a bit early for that. I'll totally kiss you goodnight, though."
"Why wait for goodnight?" she said.
The cave went dark as he put Rapidash back into the pokéball. She leaned up. Her hand rested against his cool, still damp chest as their lips met. His lips were chapped, rough, and yet sweet. Like lemonade. Yet there was warmth between them, a spark.
"Sheesh, you're freezing! You'll catch a cold, or worse if we don't hurry back. I hope the PokéCenter has a shower, because you need to need to get warmed up immediately."
"It's great when you worry about me, Miss P," Scout said.
Together, they returned outside. The water was as clear as glass as they rode back towards the city of trees.
*
She woke up to the sound of birds. Nestled in the warmth of the covers, she woke up slowly, to the sounds of birds and a gentle stream of dappled sunlight filtering through her windows. It was only when she groggily checked the clock that she realized just how late the hour was. Nine AM! A full four hours later than her usual waking time.
She quickly showered, got dressed, and met Scout out at the front of the PokéCenter. He had a handful of corn. Several Tailows flew up and away, back to the tree tops. They chirped indignantly, and ruffled their black feathers.
He wore a new red t-shirt, with a pokéball, with a lightning bolt behind it on the chest, and a pair of slightly ripped jeans. His cap was slightly off-center, making her think that at some point, a bird must've landed on it.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle them. I can't believe I slept in so late," Miss Pauling said.
Usually she was up by five AM, and off to working in front of the glare of a computer screen.
He tossed away the corn, and brushed his hands on his jeans.
"Aww, give yourself a break. Everyone gets a little jetlagged," Scout said.
"Still..." she said.
Scout grasped her hands in his. "You work hard for us all the time. Don't know what the Team would do without you. You deserve a few extra hours of sleep now and then."
She smiled. "Well, I guess it can be our little secret."
"All right, I love secrets. Especially when they're yours!"
"Just try and keep them better than the company secrets you screamed across the battlefield," she said.
"My lips are sealed," Scout said.
She gave him a skeptical look.
"Correction: if you're kissin' me then I can't be spillin' secrets," Scout said.
"Okay, that one I can buy," she said.
Scout laughed. "I'm just sayin'."
"Indeed you are. Let's go for breakfast, Sergeant Loose Lips."
"Ooh, I got a promotion," Scout said.
She rolled her eyes, but with a smile. Because that's how they were. He made her smile even at the silliest things.
*
Scout caught three more Azumarills back on Route 120 again. He handed them out like party favors to a trio of very small tubers. Each one was dwarfed by their brightly colored inner tubes. Their faces lit up, as they ran back to their mothers to show off their new pokémon.
"You're arming the enemy again," she said, unable to keep the fondness out of her voice.
"The enemy? Naaah! They're too adorable," Scout said.
"Before you know it they'll be fighting for badges and trying to take on the Elite Four, all with pokémon you caught them," she said.
"Gosh, I sure hope so. I'd cheer them from the stands and be yellin' 'I caught that Azumarill!'"
She chuckled. Scout was hopeless in this respect. A romantic, naive and full of endless hope in those around him. She'd just have to falsify some more papers and pretend like one of the Team Fortress grunts had gotten them. She'd personally created a whole brigade of false Team Fortress grunts just to cover up his shameless habit of giving pokémon away.
*
They arrived in Lilycove city before sundown. It was a glorious city of cobblestone paths and a view of the sea.
Scout grinned. "You wanna do some shoppin'? I'll carry your bags."
"We really do need to get on to checking out that Team--"
"Told you, scenic route," Scout said. "Besides, ain't every day you get a department store as nice as this. And we do need supplies."
"Your bag has enough to feed about two cities. I don't know how you even carry it," she said.
It looked about full enough to burst. Scout grinned. "Always prepared. Besides, it's a good work out!"
"They might move on," she said.
"Oh, that Team knows I'm comin' for them. I kicked their Grunt's teeth in, and Pyro friggin' took an axe to 'em. Took their pokémon, too."
"And I'm sure you yelled to the heavens that you're from Team Fortress. You always do," she said with a sigh. One of the hardest things as an assistant to the Administrator was keeping Scout from accidentally blabbing out secrets. It'd been her idea to put him on pokémon catching duty. If he was occupied elsewhere, then he couldn't overhear things and somehow fail to realize they were top secret.
"Yeah!"
Scout missed the part where it wasn't always a good thing to tell everyone what Team he belonged to.
"Well, it can't hurt to see what they have," she said.
Scout set off on a run up the steep slope towards the department store.
*
Miss Pauling glanced over the list of nutrients. Zinc, Carbos, and more were all lined up through the clear glass display at the counter.
Scout leaned in over her. "Ooh, good choice for the long run. I should buy some x Speed for the next battle."
"Literally every pokémon you own has Agility," she said.
"As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as 'fast enough.' If you're faster than the other chucklehead, you'll take 'em out every time. They won't even be able to hit you."
Still, 9,900 was a lot of money to shell over. She'd have to write a long drawn out report explaining why she'd spent almost 10 thousand.
"You want some? I could buy it," Scout said.
"I'm going to consider the logistics for a later trip here."
"We're goin' to come here again?" Scout broke into a big smile.
"Knowing your love of the scenic route, I'd say yes," she said.
Scout broke into a cheer. A cashier smiled at them, and shook her head as they went up to the next clear glass store. It was filled with all sorts of products, from pokédolls to little toys meant to distract wild pokémon, and other things related to evolution. She scanned the shelves, while Scout headed straight to the cashier.
Scout picked up several stones, all connected to evolution, and a pokédoll he promptly gave to the first child they passed. She was starting to understand why he never seemed to
That, and he always packed dozens upon dozens of every kind of potion made. If one of his pokémon so much as got a paper cut he'd be right there, cooing over them as he sprayed them down with an expensive potion.
With that, they headed up towards the roof. As they hit the sunlight, Scout stretched out.
"Ooh, good work out. You know, goin' up stairs works your whole body. So even real fit people can be tired, but not me! I train with stairs all the time. I let my pokémon out to run with me. It really helps their stamina."
Unlike Scout, who was eager to run around the roof and get yet more exercise, Miss Pauling felt dizzy. Maybe she could stand to get out a little more; spending all day planning out Team Fortress' next attack in front of a computer screen, and endlessly forging paperwork to cover up the actions of the Main Nine wasn't exactly keeping her in shape.
She mentally put aside the idea of putting in the paperwork to make Scout her personal trainer. It'd give them more excuses to spend together, after all. Even if it mostly consisted of Scout running circles around her, while his mouth moved twice as fast with all the things he had been saving up to say to her, it would be worth it.
"Whatcha want? My treat. They got MooMoo milk, lemonade, water and some soda," Scout said.
"Hmmm...I'll take some lemonade," she said.
"Good choice."
But he didn't just get that. He shoved bills in as he got dozens of each drink and shoved them into his already overstuffed bag.
He put two lemonades before her, while he kept out a MooMoo Milk and a bottle of water for himself.
She sipped a lemonade, while he settled down on the bench beside her.
"That reminds me, I got this at one of the kiosks while you were lookin' at supplies."
She gasped as he held out a bouquet. "They're called Gracideas."
"Oh--Scout! They're beautiful," she said.
"I heard somebody say in Sinnoh, they give 'em out as thank yous. You do a lot for us, and I don't think the Administrator is sendin' any 'thank you' cards. So, consider this like a thank you card...though one day I'll find one of those which is right, too."
She buried her face in the Gracideas, dainty and white, and full of his affection.
"Thank you, Scout. Just---thank you."
"No, thank you."
"Scout..."
The scent of the Graceideas, the sound of the sea, and him so close. It was another scene straight out of a movie. Scout would always find new ways to make more dramatic and romantic times with her.
The door up slammed so hard against the wall, it broke their intimate moment. She looked over in shock as a whole group of children ran straight towards them.
"Big brother, you're back in Lilycove!"
"Hey, pals!"
The kids all ran towards him as fast as their little legs could take them. The group was made up of a boy in shorts, a little girl in a floral bathing suit, with an inner tube shaped like a pink donut around her shoulders and a kid dressed up like a ninja.
"Did you bring any pokémon for us?" said the ninja kid.
Scout tapped his lower lip in a dramatic, overexaggerated way to make the children giggle. "Maaaaybe. Have you been catchin' any of your own?" Scout said.
"I caught a Goldeen!" said the tiniest of the bunch, a little girl with stubby brown pigtails and a face full of freckles.
"Good job, Reika!"
"I caught a Poochyena!" said the ninja boy.
"Great choice, Nate!"
"I didn't catch anything new, but I raised up a Beautifly!"
"Good goin', Kenny!"
He pulled out his bag, which was filled to the brim with pokéballs.
"Oh, oh, what's this? I guess I do have somethin' for you all!"
A cheer rose up among the children. Nate leapt straight up into the air, nearly knocking Reika right over.
"Ey, careful there. This roof is rough, you'll get a skinned knee if you're not careful."
Nate hung his head, utterly abashed by the thought of disappointing his hero. "Sorry..."
"It's all right, champ. You're just excited, is all. And you all should be excited, because---
I got Azumarills enough for all of you!"
The tubers laughed gleefully as he tossed the pokéballs their way. They tapped the pokéballs and hugged their brand new little water bunnies to their chests. The pokémon seemed just as happy to see their new trainers. Laughter filled the roof, both human and pokémon.
When they'd settled down enough, Scout cleared his throat.
"You think that's all? Because it ain't! It's time for an encore! Aight, who wants a flyin' type? I was tryin' for a Swablu for Miss P here. They're like huggin' clouds. But I kept runnin' into Wingulls. I'm pretty attached to my Pigeot to raise 'em up."
"Me!" Reika began to hop, her voice growing higher and higher to drown out the rest of them.
"I can't fight with that kind of screamin'." He tossed a pokéball towards her.
"Aaaand I caught a Tailow."
The ninja kid leapt close, like he was preforming a sneak attack.
"Whoa! you almost got me, Nate!"
"Pow, pow!" Nate, the ninja kid lifted up the pokéball like a trophy.
"Hmmm. I think I might be all out...."
Kenny put his hands behind his back. His lower lip began to tremble.
"What's this? Could it be a Ledyba, just for you?"
Kenny burst into a big smile. He threw his arms about Scout, and all the other kids joined in.
"Aww, you guys!" He reached out to ruffle their hair, one by one.
"And that ain't all..."
He pulled out a bunch of bottles of water and handed them out. "Remember to make sure your pokémon are all well hydrated! I give mine a drink after every battle."
He bent down, and gave them all a conspiratorial look.
"Listen, there's a nasty Team about. They hurt pokémon."
"Hurt pokémon? Nooooo!"
Reika started to cry.
"Now, now, no tears. We're goin' to smash 'em. You wanna help me out?"
The children raised their hands in the air. "Yeah!"
"Now you see that new series of warehouses and concrete uglies at the edge of town? That's where I found 'em," Scout said.
"That? B-But it's scary," Reika said.
"No it's not! We'll beat them all, pow pow!" Nate lifted up his little wooden practice sword and started to swing.
"We'll work together!" Kenny said.
"No place is scary as long as you have pokémon! Besides, your big bro is goin' to be right behind you. I just gotta talk a bit with this pretty lady here. Did I mention she's my girlfriend now?"
The kids giggled. Some broke into that sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g song.
"That's exactly what I like to be doin'," Scout said.
It only made the kids giggle more.
"Aight. I'm goin' to get packed. I'll meet you down there! If you're too afraid to go on your own, we can fight 'em together," Scout said.
"All right, big brother Scout!" The children all gave him a salute, and ran towards the stairs.
Miss Pauling was stunned. It took her a few minutes to process what had just happened. "You....just weaponized the ten year olds to take out other Teams. You made them do your dirty work for you. Wait---was that your plan all along?"
All along she thought Scout was almost too good to be part of Team Fortress, and he was actually a Machevellian Genius of the first order.
"I wouldn't call it dirty work; that team's full of real creeps. Besides, with those Azumarills, they'll be fine," Scout said.
All along she'd thought him a little naive, even oblivious at times, but here he was pulling out the most brilliant Machiavellian plan she'd ever seen. Even more, by arming these children, they'd put on a veneer of respectability to cover up their actual plans.
Or maybe he really just did believe in the power of children, in the future. She could tell. Either way, she looked at her boyfriend in a very new way.
"That's--the most brilliant plan I've seen. It's amazing. You're amazing," she said.
Scout gripped the brim of his hat, and smiled. "Good of you to finally notice!"
"We shouldn't let the children go into that secret base all alone, though. They're awful young. They might not be able to handle those pokémon," Miss Pauling said.
"Nah, not my pokémon. I train 'em real well. They'll take care of the little ones," Scout said with pride.
She did have to admit, that even without any badges to prove her mettle, her pokémon were all very well behaved. Scout really had a knack for working with pokémon. Not only could he catch them with ease--often without even wearing them down--his pokémon were fiercely loyal to him. Even when they were given away, they'd take to heart his instructions to listen and protect whatever child he'd found along the way.
"Besides, we were goin' in right after 'em. I just had to talk official with you. Like, how much is the top lady goin' to yell at me if we attack this base?"
"I got complete clearance to destroy this Team," Miss Pauling said.
"Good. I've been wantin' to knock their teeth in for what they do to pokémon. And, you're right; why let the kids have all the frickin' fun? We should try battlin' together sometime. Like now," Scout said.
She tossed her can of lemonade into the trash. "Let's destroy them."
"Oh, Miss P. I love it when you get aggressive. I can't wait to see you on the battlefield. We'll fight 'em together as a team," Scout said.
A Team of two. She liked that idea.
Series: TF2(/Pokémon)
Character/pairing: Scout/Miss Pauling
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 6729
Summary: Pokémon AU. Scout may be an elite member of Team Fortress, but he routinely fails at being a villain.
Author's note: I wasn't going to write this AU, but I ended up finishing a snippet because the notes I had for Miss Pauling's pokémon team were cute.
Previous entries: Catch Me | Catch You | Catch These Hands
For Sarah!
The Administrator's room was dark, with a line of screens behind her. On each of them was a scene of the bases. Medic in his laboratory, with his bodyguard Heavy nearby, Engineer in his workshop, and Grunts scurrying about. Nothing escaped her watchful eye.
A Honchkrow was perched by the sole window, ready to fly out and send messages for anyone outside the reach of the base. Clouds of smoke rose up from her cigarette. The ashtray before her was already full. Few could chainsmoke like their boss.
Her purple suit was designer, and certainly impeccable. She sat, legs crossed, dripping with disdain as Miss Pauling gave her report.
"A new team?'
"Scout was the one who found out. He and Pyro made an attack on the Grunt. And he was pretty open about being a part of Team Fortress," Miss Pauling said.
"Two of the Main Nine?" The Administrator curled her lip. Fine lines showed through, past her ruby lipstick. "How brazen."
"You know how the Main Nine are. Always getting into trouble," Miss Pauling said.
She gazed coldly at Miss Pauling.
"No, Miss Pauling, I believe you are the one mistaken. Engineer spends all his time working on technological developments, and keeping our mainframe alive. Medic keeps our team healed and has many beneficial experiments. Heavy does his job as a bodyguard admirably. Spy has given us much invaluable information on the dealings of other teams and the Elite Fours, and Champions of the lands. It's only Scout who keeps getting into trouble."
Miss Pauling held her clipboard a little tighter to her chest. "...Saxton Hale spends his time wrestling with Ursarigs," Miss Pauling said.
She raised her hand, as if the wave away all concerns. Ashes fell upon her desk. "This is not about him. Besides, Scout couldn't even lift a single Ursarig," the Administrator said.
Even though she knew she was pushing it, Miss Pauling persisted. "He could outrun one, though. Also, I think you forgot a few key details. Soldier keeps getting in physical fights, and Pyro has been connected to several fires. Medic himself has been known to be eccentric, to put it mildly."
"I know my own team, Miss Pauling," The Administrator said. Her voice had grown low. Miss Pauling knew not to push anymore. She'd seen her boss at her angriest, and knew exactly when the danger zone had been reached. Most people couldn't even bear to meet the Administrator's piercing gaze. But Miss Pauling had accustomed to her boss.
"Yes...ahem, about the other team," Miss Pauling said.
The Administrator turned back to the screens. "It will need to be investigated further. Send who you feel is competent enough to do the job."
"But, as you said--many are busy or untrustworthy. Do I have permission to supervise? And if I find it's enough of a threat, do I have permission to launch an attack? Their Grunts seem even more unfocused and weak than usual. If we strike while they're still growing, we could easily destroy the team."
The Administrator looked her over skeptically. Miss Pauling didn't duck her head, and kept her shoulders back.
"If you believe you have enough power, then do so," the Administrator said.
A message came across the screen, and the Administrator turned around again. With that, Miss Pauling was dismissed.
*
She stopped by to check on her garden of pokémon, and pack before she left. Recently, there'd been several eggs, she suspected from the Sunfloras, from how they danced together. She'd put up a fence to keep her garden safe, and moved all those pokémon back to her own little house. It was a villa, of sorts, a white picket dream nestled away far from the warehouses and deserts of Team Fortress.
She bent down as the beautiful arrays of flowers rushed to see her. Their blooms were even more lustrous today, then when she'd last visited.
"I need to go off and do something. Please be careful."
As the Beautiflys and Butterfrees fluttered their beautiful wings, and all her little flowers parted, she noticed that she now had a small pond in her backyard. A Goldeen surfaced to peer at her. Its gold, frilly fins hung like a ballgrown.
As she glanced up, Scout rose up from beside the Goldeen, the knees of his jeans were covered in grass stains and mud.
"Scout!"
"Hey, there you were. I was just comin' to see my old pals. I hopped the fence, in case you were wonderin'."
It would take quite a head start to vault over the fence, but she could see him doing it. Especially to revisit all the pokémon he'd given her.
"I have a door, you know," Miss Pauling said dryly.
Scout put his hands in his pockets. "Funny thing, it was locked."
"Oh, I'll get you a key sometime. Um..." she gestured towards the pond. "This is new. I'm guessing you were the one who did it?"
"What, that?"
"Yes, that. Usually people ask before they spring surprise landscaping on someone...though it really is beautiful."
Scout rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, about that... that actually wasn't me. I was thinkin' maybe Sniper was lonely, bein' as all he had was a Cactuar, a Krookidile, a Sandile or two... and I was tryin' to figure out what he'd want. So I came back here for ideas."
"That still doesn't explain how I got a free pond," she said.
"Basically, Pyro showed up and brought their Houndoom along--did I mention it evolved?--And I mean one hell of a diggin' party. Those two had dirt flyin'. I was goin' to fill it back in, but it started rainin', so I headed in. Guess Mother Nature did the rest."
"And the Goldeen?"
"Well, if you got a pond, you gotta have somethin' to go in it," Scout said.
"Spontaneous landscaping aside, it really livens up the place. Besides, the plants seem to like it." And they did. The Sunflora would drop their roots into the water and glance up so refreshed, they looked like something out of an advertisement for energy drinks.
"Actually, you were just who I was looking for," Miss Pauling said.
"Yeah? We got a mission?" Scout said.
"I informed The Administrator about that Grunt and Team you went against. She told me to assign the people to investigate. And I've chosen," she said.
Heavy, Soldier and Engineer, and Demoman were busy with important experiments, while Sniper and Spy were unreachable, and off on some other high-risk mission. Soldier and Pyro were less than reliable, to put it mildly.
Which really left one person. Except, she knew who she was going to pick all along.
Of course, Scout was a little unfocused, and would have to be watched.
"Oh, you want me to show the place I saw the Grunt? I'll fly you over," Scout said.
"Fly...over there?" Miss Pauling said.
"Yeah, it's the quickest way."
"Well, I'll get the tickets," she said stiffly. "Though it will take a while to book them--"
"We don't need any tickets, I got a Pigeot." He paused when he saw her expression. "Don't tell me you're worried... Wait, you've never flown on a pokémon before?" Scout said.
"Is it really that hard to believe?" Miss Pauling said.
"Totally. Completely. Absolutely. A whole lot of other words that end with ly," Scout said.
"Well--Airplanes exist, you know," she said.
"Who needs one of those when you got a pokémon? It's amazin', feelin' the wind in your face. Cuttin' through clouds at the speed of sound. It's incredible."
She glanced warily back at the pokéball held in his hand. "Are you sure it can handle both of us and fly?" she said.
Scout just laughed. He started to wind up, and threw his pokéball like it was a baseball. A huge bird of prey with massive wings, dull tan feathers, and a large crest flew out with a screech. She was starting to see why he'd laughed; the Pigeot was practically the size of a small plane in itself.
"There you are, pal. We got a guest this time, so behave."
The bird let out another screech.
"I know, I know. You wanna go fast. But not too fast, all right? I know, you never thought you'd heard the words 'too fast' from my mouth. But it's true. You got the most important girl in the world ridin', so be careful, all right?"
The Pigeot began to ruffle its feathers.
"Yeah, that's a good boy." He rubbed its feathery chest. "Now just be still a minute."
He helped her up onto its back. Unlike a Rapidash, she struggled to figure out exactly where to position herself. With a sinking feeling, she realized that if she picked the wrong place to sit, she'd end up falling to the ground from very high up.
"Erm, doesn't this come with seat belts? Or some kind of saddle?"
"Naw, we don't need anythin' like that. Just hold on tight, I won't let you slide," Scout said.
He got up onto the Pigeot much more easily than her, with superior experience in flying. She wrapped her arms tight about his waist, and buried her face against his back.
"Not that I'm complainin', but I gotta breathe," Scout said.
"C'mon Pigeot, let's show her what we're made of. Full speed ahead!"
"Maybe not full speed! Medium speed is fine!" She yelled above the rising sound of wingbeats.
She held tight to him as they soared high above. The trees, villages and cities had become small beneath them. Unreal, like little models. Far be it from afraid, Scout laughed and chattered along as they dove through clouds, only to come out wet.
"So much for sittin' back and sleepin' on a cloud!"
And she laughed too. For the whimsy, the beauty of it all. Her fear had fallen away. He would never let her fall, and his pokémon were so loyal, they would guard her to their dying breath.
*
"This is where you saw them?" she said. They'd landed at the outsets of Fortree city. Scout had scaled up those ladders with ease, but Miss Pauling had taken longer. It was a lot harder to climb in a dress, after all.
"Naw, but we're gettin' there," Scout said.
"We're supposed to be doing scouting on this new team you mentioned," Miss Pauling said.
"We are, we totally are. We're just takin' the scenic route. There's so much I gotta show you! Like route 120."
"Route 120?" she said skeptically. It didn't exactly sound like a romantic date spot.
"Oh, Miss P, you got no idea."
Scout kept smiling, like he was full of secrets. It was only when they arrived that she realized the weight of those secrets. She looked around in wonder. Millions of stars was reflected back in the pristine and clear water. She let out a gasp, taking in more and more of the beauty.
"Scout, it's gorgeous!"
"I know, right? I took a night walk down here--guidin' some kids home and makin' sure they got there safe--and I couldn't stop thinkin' about how much you'd love it."
A splash cut the vision of stars reflected in the water below. A pair of bunny ears surfaced.
"Just a sec, I gotta get this!"
Scout set off at a run, and dove right off the cliff.
"Scout--wait!"
He hit the water in an explosion of water. For several seconds, he didn't surface. Each second he was gone felt like a blow to her chest. She rushed to the side of the cliff, and looked down. Dammit, what if he'd hit his head on the rocks below? She slipped off her shoes. She wasn't the best swimmer, but like hell was she going to let him drown. Just as she steeled herself for the jump, Scout surfaced with a blue pokémon wrapped in his arms.
"You idiot! At least bring out a pokémon to defend yourself!"
"I'm fine! Fine as hell, in fact." He tapped the pokéball, like he was cracking an egg. The blue rabbit disappeared. It jerked around for one, two, three and a final fourth before it floated beside him. It was like the pokémon were just dying to get into his pokéballs. Which sounded dirtier than she meant it.
"Score one for Team Scout," he said.
She rushed down the steps, to help him up. He was soaked through, and proudly holding up a new pokéball. A blue one in a design she hadn't seen before.
"Scout, you were completely reckless! You could've gotten hurt and if that happened I don't even know what I'd--" she cleared her throat. "It would be bad. You can't just go hugging wild pokémon even if they are cute!"
"Aww, Miss P, you worried about me."
"Of course I did. I'm your girlfriend," she said.
"I know how to swim. I grew up near the docks, remember?"
She pulled off his cap, and checked for any scrapes. Water dripped down his back. Scout flushed with happiness under her attention.
Scout laughed. "If I knew you were goin' to fuss over me like this, I'd jump off more cliffs."
"Don't even tease, I know you'd do it, too," she said crossly.
He leaned in, and nuzzled her, wet and cold, but the heat seared her through. "I'd jump off any cliff for you."
"I'd prefer you stay on dry land," she said.
But Scout was too full of the adrenaline of the moment to be brought down by her tone. "I caught it, Miss P! I got it without even a makin' a hit! See, I worry about those little tubers. Some of them go out so deep. Found out recently these Azumarrills like to prevent pokémon from drowning with water bubbles. Figured they'd do the same for the little tubers out there," Scout said.
"They don't evolve until at least level thirty, or was it twenty five? Regardless, it has to be quite a high level. Do you think a child could handle it?"
"C'mon, it's a sea bunny, not a big-ass dragon. I'll give it a pep talk and tell it about how it has to keep those little tubers safe, and it'll be gentle with them."
She chuckled, despite herself. "I bet they'll listen."
Scout smiled wide. "Of course they will. I mean, it ain't that hard. There's all these professors tryin' to figure out the secret of pokémon. You just gotta listen to 'em. Be nice, make sure they're well fed and taken care of after battle."
"You're like the PokéWhisperer," she said.
Scout laughed. "Yeah, that ain't goin' to stick. Just ask my ma. I ain't whispered a day in my life," she said.
"True."
"PokéYeller, maybe," Scout said.
She glanced up at the starry sky. "It's getting a bit chilly, and you're completely soaked."
"Guess I'll just have to strip it off." With a smirk, Scout peeled off his wet shirt, and balled it up in his hands.
"Oh, that reminds me! I had somethin' else to show you." He tossed out a pokéball from his hip. Floatzel sprung out, and struck a pose. It resembled an otter, with auburn fur, two large tails and a grin as puckish as Scout's own. "Here's my new buddy. Ain't he somethin'?"
The Floatzel puffed up its chest, full of pride. She was surprised it didn't start flexing.
"He's super fast, and a great ride. Climb right on, it's steady." He reached out his hand. She took it, and stepped over onto the pokémon's back.
"Scout, it's a dead end," she said.
"Nah, just wait for it. You'll see." He scratched the Floatzel behind the ears. "Now, not too fast, pally. Sure, you and me can rocket around, but I don't want Miss Pauling to fall off!"
"Are you sure we'll both fit? I don't want to hurt him," she said.
The Floatzel put its paws on his hips and let out a series of indignant squeaks.
"Don't worry about it. He's plenty strong. We'll just have to snuggle close," Scout said. He couldn't contain his smile at that. Floatzel jumped into the water with a giant splash, and Scout soon followed.
With a playful eye roll, she climbed on and wrapped her arms about his waist. They glided slowly across the water. The reflection of stars shone under each ripple and wave dispersed beneath them. They passed under the bridge, the sky blocked out for a moment.
She rested her head against his back, and savored the moment. The beauty of Route 120, the feel of him near, even the slight swish of water beneath them.
The grassy shore seemed bare, save for one hole in the rock. Scout grinned, and pulled out another of his pokémon. His Watchog started tunneling, remarkably quick.
Scout motioned her in. She ducked into a little cave.
"Welcome to our very own secret base! I always wanted one of these, but I was a city kid. The closest you get to a secret base is curlin' up in a trash can or findin' some abandoned warehouse. But those things are always crawlin' with some team or gang, so it's dangerous."
It was a pocket of dirt, darkness, and not much else. Children, however, would have loved a secret place to call their own.
He glanced around. "I should decorate it or somethin'. It's kinda bare and---" he grinned at this. "A little dirty."
She clutched her arms across her chest. "It's a little cold, too."
"Right on it," Scout said.
He tapped a pokéball attached to his belt, and out came his Rapidash.
"Do me a solid, would you? Keep this toasty but not too toasty." He laid his shirt over its back.
The Watchog had been left out, and kept moving in jerky motions. It would much on a berry, and suddenly look up, only to much again. It scampered all through the base.
"If you're not careful, your shirt is going to catch on fire," she said.
"My shirts are pretty heat resistant. Gotta be, to keep from breakin' into flames from how hot I am," Scout said
"Hey, Rapidash, do me a solid and put a fire in here, would you. Don't go overboard, now," Scout said.
The Rapidash pawed at the ground with its hoof. The Watchog scampered near with a handful of sticks. Before long, a small fire was going.
Finally spent, the Watchog curled up in the corner and settled into a fitful nap.
"Actually, wait. That reminds me. I did get one," Scout said.
He pulled out a little red mat with a pokéball emblazoned on the front, and set it down for her.
"There. It'll almost be comfy."
"What about you?"
"My ass is made of steel. No dirt is goin' to take it down."
She smiled at this. She certainly wasn't going to dispute it, not when his bragging was simply stating the truth.
"Speakin' of ass, you should've seen me kick that Grunt down. I gotta start filmin' my conquests," Scout said. He looked about ready to flex his thin bicep.
Miss Pauling raised one perfectly shaped dark eyebrow. "You mean the times when you let children beat you because you don't want them to cry and give them your money?"
Scout playfully stuck his tongue out. "Big brother Scout has to let the kiddos win sometimes. Otherwise how are they gonna buy lunch?"
"Their parents give them lunch money, Scout," she said.
"Yeah, but they're growin' kids! They need two, maybe three lunches! And some pokédolls and a new video game system!"
"When you become a dad, you're going to spoil your children so much," she said.
"Oh, you got no idea. No goin' and leavin' my kid off to do their journey alone. We're goin' as a family! All of us."
Her cheeks turned just a tinge of pink as she realized she was in that vision of the future.
"Ahem--Actually...I'd--Could you tell me more about the team?"
She could at least then have one vein of truth to put through the report, which would have to vastly downplay the amount of extraneous sightseeing Scout took her on. Miss Pauling was already quite used to lying about Scout on official reports. At this point, it was second nature.
"Of of course!" Scout was always willing to talk about himself. "So, there was this creep. I caught him kickin' his Houndour. I came in and started kickin' him instead. Then Pyro came in and helped. They went off with that Houndour, and a couple others, too," Scout said.
"You actually managed to supply the team?" For once, she wouldn't have to falsify paperwork and pretend that Scout had caught pokémon for someone other than herself and every child he passed along the way.
"Pyro just charged in and took it."
"That's sweet of you. I'm sure Pyro will take good care of them."
"I wanted to get you some Vulpixes, but I had no luck. Wait, that was supposed to be a surprise. I ain't no good with surprises, though."
She touched his hand. "You know what they say. 'It's the thought that counts.'"
"I'll get you them someday. That I promise," Scout said.
"Tell me more about the team," Miss Pauling said.
"Oh yeah. I got sidetracked. That was the only guy I saw, but it was definitely a new team. And I figure if one is like that, probably the rest are. Grunts don't tend to go solo or do big operations. If a Grunt messes somethin' up or treats somebody badly, it's because their boss told 'em to."
"You're right, it's usually the high level ones which do the betraying or trailblazing," she said.
Scout stretched out in a long yawn, like a cat. "Man, I should've thought to bring some marshmallows. We could've roasted 'em. Come to think of it, if I had some crackers and chocolate, we could have s'more."
She smiled."Let me guess--you gave them to children you met along the way?"
"Got it in one. I had some, too. And of course, my pokémon all got one, too. Didn't take long for that whole bag to be done." He chuckled at the memory.
"Hey, Miss Pauling--You wanna sleep out in the secret base, or head back to camp out at one of the inns or pokécenters?"
"How about we save that for next time? This has been fun, but this mat isn't even big enough for my pokémon to sleep on, let alone myself."
"Sure. We could head back to Fortree, and make it to Lilycove in the morning. I could buy a bed or two, dependin' on whether you get cold and wanna share." Scout winked.
"I--" she blushed.
Scout chuckled. "I'm jokin'. It's a bit early for that. I'll totally kiss you goodnight, though."
"Why wait for goodnight?" she said.
The cave went dark as he put Rapidash back into the pokéball. She leaned up. Her hand rested against his cool, still damp chest as their lips met. His lips were chapped, rough, and yet sweet. Like lemonade. Yet there was warmth between them, a spark.
"Sheesh, you're freezing! You'll catch a cold, or worse if we don't hurry back. I hope the PokéCenter has a shower, because you need to need to get warmed up immediately."
"It's great when you worry about me, Miss P," Scout said.
Together, they returned outside. The water was as clear as glass as they rode back towards the city of trees.
*
She woke up to the sound of birds. Nestled in the warmth of the covers, she woke up slowly, to the sounds of birds and a gentle stream of dappled sunlight filtering through her windows. It was only when she groggily checked the clock that she realized just how late the hour was. Nine AM! A full four hours later than her usual waking time.
She quickly showered, got dressed, and met Scout out at the front of the PokéCenter. He had a handful of corn. Several Tailows flew up and away, back to the tree tops. They chirped indignantly, and ruffled their black feathers.
He wore a new red t-shirt, with a pokéball, with a lightning bolt behind it on the chest, and a pair of slightly ripped jeans. His cap was slightly off-center, making her think that at some point, a bird must've landed on it.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle them. I can't believe I slept in so late," Miss Pauling said.
Usually she was up by five AM, and off to working in front of the glare of a computer screen.
He tossed away the corn, and brushed his hands on his jeans.
"Aww, give yourself a break. Everyone gets a little jetlagged," Scout said.
"Still..." she said.
Scout grasped her hands in his. "You work hard for us all the time. Don't know what the Team would do without you. You deserve a few extra hours of sleep now and then."
She smiled. "Well, I guess it can be our little secret."
"All right, I love secrets. Especially when they're yours!"
"Just try and keep them better than the company secrets you screamed across the battlefield," she said.
"My lips are sealed," Scout said.
She gave him a skeptical look.
"Correction: if you're kissin' me then I can't be spillin' secrets," Scout said.
"Okay, that one I can buy," she said.
Scout laughed. "I'm just sayin'."
"Indeed you are. Let's go for breakfast, Sergeant Loose Lips."
"Ooh, I got a promotion," Scout said.
She rolled her eyes, but with a smile. Because that's how they were. He made her smile even at the silliest things.
*
Scout caught three more Azumarills back on Route 120 again. He handed them out like party favors to a trio of very small tubers. Each one was dwarfed by their brightly colored inner tubes. Their faces lit up, as they ran back to their mothers to show off their new pokémon.
"You're arming the enemy again," she said, unable to keep the fondness out of her voice.
"The enemy? Naaah! They're too adorable," Scout said.
"Before you know it they'll be fighting for badges and trying to take on the Elite Four, all with pokémon you caught them," she said.
"Gosh, I sure hope so. I'd cheer them from the stands and be yellin' 'I caught that Azumarill!'"
She chuckled. Scout was hopeless in this respect. A romantic, naive and full of endless hope in those around him. She'd just have to falsify some more papers and pretend like one of the Team Fortress grunts had gotten them. She'd personally created a whole brigade of false Team Fortress grunts just to cover up his shameless habit of giving pokémon away.
*
They arrived in Lilycove city before sundown. It was a glorious city of cobblestone paths and a view of the sea.
Scout grinned. "You wanna do some shoppin'? I'll carry your bags."
"We really do need to get on to checking out that Team--"
"Told you, scenic route," Scout said. "Besides, ain't every day you get a department store as nice as this. And we do need supplies."
"Your bag has enough to feed about two cities. I don't know how you even carry it," she said.
It looked about full enough to burst. Scout grinned. "Always prepared. Besides, it's a good work out!"
"They might move on," she said.
"Oh, that Team knows I'm comin' for them. I kicked their Grunt's teeth in, and Pyro friggin' took an axe to 'em. Took their pokémon, too."
"And I'm sure you yelled to the heavens that you're from Team Fortress. You always do," she said with a sigh. One of the hardest things as an assistant to the Administrator was keeping Scout from accidentally blabbing out secrets. It'd been her idea to put him on pokémon catching duty. If he was occupied elsewhere, then he couldn't overhear things and somehow fail to realize they were top secret.
"Yeah!"
Scout missed the part where it wasn't always a good thing to tell everyone what Team he belonged to.
"Well, it can't hurt to see what they have," she said.
Scout set off on a run up the steep slope towards the department store.
*
Miss Pauling glanced over the list of nutrients. Zinc, Carbos, and more were all lined up through the clear glass display at the counter.
Scout leaned in over her. "Ooh, good choice for the long run. I should buy some x Speed for the next battle."
"Literally every pokémon you own has Agility," she said.
"As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as 'fast enough.' If you're faster than the other chucklehead, you'll take 'em out every time. They won't even be able to hit you."
Still, 9,900 was a lot of money to shell over. She'd have to write a long drawn out report explaining why she'd spent almost 10 thousand.
"You want some? I could buy it," Scout said.
"I'm going to consider the logistics for a later trip here."
"We're goin' to come here again?" Scout broke into a big smile.
"Knowing your love of the scenic route, I'd say yes," she said.
Scout broke into a cheer. A cashier smiled at them, and shook her head as they went up to the next clear glass store. It was filled with all sorts of products, from pokédolls to little toys meant to distract wild pokémon, and other things related to evolution. She scanned the shelves, while Scout headed straight to the cashier.
Scout picked up several stones, all connected to evolution, and a pokédoll he promptly gave to the first child they passed. She was starting to understand why he never seemed to
That, and he always packed dozens upon dozens of every kind of potion made. If one of his pokémon so much as got a paper cut he'd be right there, cooing over them as he sprayed them down with an expensive potion.
With that, they headed up towards the roof. As they hit the sunlight, Scout stretched out.
"Ooh, good work out. You know, goin' up stairs works your whole body. So even real fit people can be tired, but not me! I train with stairs all the time. I let my pokémon out to run with me. It really helps their stamina."
Unlike Scout, who was eager to run around the roof and get yet more exercise, Miss Pauling felt dizzy. Maybe she could stand to get out a little more; spending all day planning out Team Fortress' next attack in front of a computer screen, and endlessly forging paperwork to cover up the actions of the Main Nine wasn't exactly keeping her in shape.
She mentally put aside the idea of putting in the paperwork to make Scout her personal trainer. It'd give them more excuses to spend together, after all. Even if it mostly consisted of Scout running circles around her, while his mouth moved twice as fast with all the things he had been saving up to say to her, it would be worth it.
"Whatcha want? My treat. They got MooMoo milk, lemonade, water and some soda," Scout said.
"Hmmm...I'll take some lemonade," she said.
"Good choice."
But he didn't just get that. He shoved bills in as he got dozens of each drink and shoved them into his already overstuffed bag.
He put two lemonades before her, while he kept out a MooMoo Milk and a bottle of water for himself.
She sipped a lemonade, while he settled down on the bench beside her.
"That reminds me, I got this at one of the kiosks while you were lookin' at supplies."
She gasped as he held out a bouquet. "They're called Gracideas."
"Oh--Scout! They're beautiful," she said.
"I heard somebody say in Sinnoh, they give 'em out as thank yous. You do a lot for us, and I don't think the Administrator is sendin' any 'thank you' cards. So, consider this like a thank you card...though one day I'll find one of those which is right, too."
She buried her face in the Gracideas, dainty and white, and full of his affection.
"Thank you, Scout. Just---thank you."
"No, thank you."
"Scout..."
The scent of the Graceideas, the sound of the sea, and him so close. It was another scene straight out of a movie. Scout would always find new ways to make more dramatic and romantic times with her.
The door up slammed so hard against the wall, it broke their intimate moment. She looked over in shock as a whole group of children ran straight towards them.
"Big brother, you're back in Lilycove!"
"Hey, pals!"
The kids all ran towards him as fast as their little legs could take them. The group was made up of a boy in shorts, a little girl in a floral bathing suit, with an inner tube shaped like a pink donut around her shoulders and a kid dressed up like a ninja.
"Did you bring any pokémon for us?" said the ninja kid.
Scout tapped his lower lip in a dramatic, overexaggerated way to make the children giggle. "Maaaaybe. Have you been catchin' any of your own?" Scout said.
"I caught a Goldeen!" said the tiniest of the bunch, a little girl with stubby brown pigtails and a face full of freckles.
"Good job, Reika!"
"I caught a Poochyena!" said the ninja boy.
"Great choice, Nate!"
"I didn't catch anything new, but I raised up a Beautifly!"
"Good goin', Kenny!"
He pulled out his bag, which was filled to the brim with pokéballs.
"Oh, oh, what's this? I guess I do have somethin' for you all!"
A cheer rose up among the children. Nate leapt straight up into the air, nearly knocking Reika right over.
"Ey, careful there. This roof is rough, you'll get a skinned knee if you're not careful."
Nate hung his head, utterly abashed by the thought of disappointing his hero. "Sorry..."
"It's all right, champ. You're just excited, is all. And you all should be excited, because---
I got Azumarills enough for all of you!"
The tubers laughed gleefully as he tossed the pokéballs their way. They tapped the pokéballs and hugged their brand new little water bunnies to their chests. The pokémon seemed just as happy to see their new trainers. Laughter filled the roof, both human and pokémon.
When they'd settled down enough, Scout cleared his throat.
"You think that's all? Because it ain't! It's time for an encore! Aight, who wants a flyin' type? I was tryin' for a Swablu for Miss P here. They're like huggin' clouds. But I kept runnin' into Wingulls. I'm pretty attached to my Pigeot to raise 'em up."
"Me!" Reika began to hop, her voice growing higher and higher to drown out the rest of them.
"I can't fight with that kind of screamin'." He tossed a pokéball towards her.
"Aaaand I caught a Tailow."
The ninja kid leapt close, like he was preforming a sneak attack.
"Whoa! you almost got me, Nate!"
"Pow, pow!" Nate, the ninja kid lifted up the pokéball like a trophy.
"Hmmm. I think I might be all out...."
Kenny put his hands behind his back. His lower lip began to tremble.
"What's this? Could it be a Ledyba, just for you?"
Kenny burst into a big smile. He threw his arms about Scout, and all the other kids joined in.
"Aww, you guys!" He reached out to ruffle their hair, one by one.
"And that ain't all..."
He pulled out a bunch of bottles of water and handed them out. "Remember to make sure your pokémon are all well hydrated! I give mine a drink after every battle."
He bent down, and gave them all a conspiratorial look.
"Listen, there's a nasty Team about. They hurt pokémon."
"Hurt pokémon? Nooooo!"
Reika started to cry.
"Now, now, no tears. We're goin' to smash 'em. You wanna help me out?"
The children raised their hands in the air. "Yeah!"
"Now you see that new series of warehouses and concrete uglies at the edge of town? That's where I found 'em," Scout said.
"That? B-But it's scary," Reika said.
"No it's not! We'll beat them all, pow pow!" Nate lifted up his little wooden practice sword and started to swing.
"We'll work together!" Kenny said.
"No place is scary as long as you have pokémon! Besides, your big bro is goin' to be right behind you. I just gotta talk a bit with this pretty lady here. Did I mention she's my girlfriend now?"
The kids giggled. Some broke into that sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g song.
"That's exactly what I like to be doin'," Scout said.
It only made the kids giggle more.
"Aight. I'm goin' to get packed. I'll meet you down there! If you're too afraid to go on your own, we can fight 'em together," Scout said.
"All right, big brother Scout!" The children all gave him a salute, and ran towards the stairs.
Miss Pauling was stunned. It took her a few minutes to process what had just happened. "You....just weaponized the ten year olds to take out other Teams. You made them do your dirty work for you. Wait---was that your plan all along?"
All along she thought Scout was almost too good to be part of Team Fortress, and he was actually a Machevellian Genius of the first order.
"I wouldn't call it dirty work; that team's full of real creeps. Besides, with those Azumarills, they'll be fine," Scout said.
All along she'd thought him a little naive, even oblivious at times, but here he was pulling out the most brilliant Machiavellian plan she'd ever seen. Even more, by arming these children, they'd put on a veneer of respectability to cover up their actual plans.
Or maybe he really just did believe in the power of children, in the future. She could tell. Either way, she looked at her boyfriend in a very new way.
"That's--the most brilliant plan I've seen. It's amazing. You're amazing," she said.
Scout gripped the brim of his hat, and smiled. "Good of you to finally notice!"
"We shouldn't let the children go into that secret base all alone, though. They're awful young. They might not be able to handle those pokémon," Miss Pauling said.
"Nah, not my pokémon. I train 'em real well. They'll take care of the little ones," Scout said with pride.
She did have to admit, that even without any badges to prove her mettle, her pokémon were all very well behaved. Scout really had a knack for working with pokémon. Not only could he catch them with ease--often without even wearing them down--his pokémon were fiercely loyal to him. Even when they were given away, they'd take to heart his instructions to listen and protect whatever child he'd found along the way.
"Besides, we were goin' in right after 'em. I just had to talk official with you. Like, how much is the top lady goin' to yell at me if we attack this base?"
"I got complete clearance to destroy this Team," Miss Pauling said.
"Good. I've been wantin' to knock their teeth in for what they do to pokémon. And, you're right; why let the kids have all the frickin' fun? We should try battlin' together sometime. Like now," Scout said.
She tossed her can of lemonade into the trash. "Let's destroy them."
"Oh, Miss P. I love it when you get aggressive. I can't wait to see you on the battlefield. We'll fight 'em together as a team," Scout said.
A Team of two. She liked that idea.
