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Goh cradled Sobble in his arms. "Just like a baby, isn't he?"
Raboot stood on tiptoe to look at the sleeping water lizard. Goh glimpsed a little smile before Raboot turned back to his game with Riolu, which involved kicking a pebble back and forth.
"Be careful," Chloe chided them. She had stayed at the lab for dinner that night, and afterward, she had spread her homework over half the table. Yamper and Pikachu dozed on top of her bag. Goh held up his foot in time to shield the dreamers from a pebble gone rogue, and Raboot took the game into the hall.
Goh stared after him. "Do you think he'll be next?"
"Next what?" Ash asked, returning from the kitchen. He hadn't been able to sit still while the others worked, so he had helped Mimey make pudding. Judging from the stain smeared across the front of his shirt, Goh was pretty sure more of the pudding had ended up on the floor than in the bowl.
"Well, first it was Yamper who got jealous of Pidove. Then Pikachu got jealous of Riolu." Goh nudged at Sobble's fin with a finger, and Sobble curled closer to him in his sleep. "Do you think Raboot will get jealous of Sobble?"
"No way." Chloe set down her pen. "He hasn't gotten jealous of all your other Pokemon."
Ash pulled up a chair. "Yeah, you two have a different kind of relationship."
"What do you mean by that?" Goh reached over to brush a streak of pudding off Ash's cheek. Chloe clucked at them both and slid a napkin across the table.
"It's just, if either of you were going to get jealous, it would be you," Ash said. "Remember the Beautifly migration? You got super jealous of those Pokemon that Raboot befriended."
Goh scowled. "That wasn't jealousy. I was thinking about what was best for him, that's all."
"Uh huh," Chloe said. "And you're telling me that you wouldn't rather be playing with Raboot and Riolu instead of doing homework right now?"
Goh glanced down at the workbook that, admittedly, he had abandoned when Sobble crawled into his lap. "Point taken."
"Don't worry so much," Ash said. "I think Raboot likes being surrounded by other Pokemon, and Sobble is such a cutie, it's impossible not to like him. Raboot will be fine."
Of course Ash was right. Raboot took to his new role of "big brother" like a Ducklett to water.
When Mimey brought out the pudding, Raboot shared part of his bowl with Sobble. Later, when Chloe had to leave, Sobble teared up-- which meant everyone else started to cry, too. Raboot saved the day by pulling funny faces until Sobble laughed.
The next day, Sobble tagged along to the store when Goh needed to pick up more Pokeballs. Goh hadn't expected Sobble to brave the crowded PokeMart, but Raboot encouraged him through the door and pointed out an equally shy Poliwag hiding behind a toddler's legs.
One night, the pair disappeared before bedtime, Goh didn't find them until he climbed into the top bunk. They had formed a cave using every pillow in the room and had fallen asleep. Goh took about a dozen pictures before tossing Ash's pillow down to him and going to bed, too.
Goh should have been pleased, but he couldn't help wondering about Raboot's easy acceptance of the new Pokemon. Chloe might have seen Sobble as just another Pokemon to fill Goh's Pokedex, but Sobble was different. Goh wanted to raise him with the same care that Ash was raising Riolu. He knew Sobble had just as much potential, after all.
One morning, after Goh finished chores in the park, he sat down beside Raboot and asked point-blank, "Aren't you jealous? You're not the only Pokemon coming on our adventures anymore."
Raboot shrugged.
Goh sighed. He had expected as much from his unflappable partner. Sometimes he missed how excitable and expressive Scorbunny used to be. At least then he gave Goh some clue about his thoughts.
"Well, let me know if you ever feel that way, I guess." Goh got up. Raboot hopped up to follow him, but Goh waved him off, explaining that he was just going to hang out in the lab for a while. Raboot would have more fun in the park.
Once in the lab, though, Goh found himself rereading the same paragraph over and over. He set aside his book and laid his head on the table. He didn't know why this was bothering him so much.
Maybe Ash was right, and he was just feeling jealous of Ash and Chloe. Their Pokemon adored them so much. Goh had grown up dreaming about a special connection like that. Granted, his dream had revolved around a connection with Mew. Still, since Scorbunny had joined him, Goh had been trying so hard to be a good partner.
What had the professor told Chloe? That Yamper's jealousy proved how close he was to her? Goh wanted that-- proof that he wasn't the only one who cared.
"Sob?" Sobble poked at Goh's hair until Goh looked up. "Sobble?"
"Hey." Goh leaned back in his seat, and Sobble climbed up his shirt to poke at his face. "What's up, buddy?"
Sobble poked at his face again, and this time, his toe-pad came away with a tear.
"Oh no." Goh dabbed at his eyes, embarrassed. Sobble's eyes turned watery, too, and he waved his hands. "No, it's okay! I'm fine, see? No need to cry."
Sobble snuggled in with his face against Goh's neck, and Goh melted. "You're so cute," he said, and Sobble made a little half-ribbit, half-purring sound.
Well, at least Sobble cared.
"Everything okay?" Ash asked. He walked over and pulled up a chair. From his shoulder, Pikachu offered a tired wave.
"Mmhm. How was training?"
"Well..." Ash scratched his cheek. "Did something happen with Raboot? He offered to spar with us, and he seemed, um... extra motivated."
"What do you mean?"
Pikachu heaved a huge sigh. "Pikaaa..."
"He wiped the floor with Riolu and Farfetch'd," Ash admitted. "I haven't seen him this worked up in a while. Pikachu settled him down. Last I saw, Mimey was patching him up.
Goh jumped up. "What do you mean, patching him up? He's hurt?"
"Just a scrape," Ash said. Goh left his bag and bolted toward the kitchen, where they kept the first aid kit.
By the time he got there, Raboot was perched on the edge of the counter. Mimey pressed a wet cotton ball against the scrape on his knee, and Raboot's ears stiffened at the contact.
Goh placed Sobble on the counter, and Sobble cuddled up to Raboot's side. Mimey stepped aside as Goh took over the first aid. When Goh asked what happened, Raboot made a jabbing motion with his paws. Mimey, on the other, signed out a story that involved tripping over a stick.
Goh chuckled at the way Raboot crossed his arms, annoyed at Mimey for the change to his story. He tried to be as gentle as possible as he applied the bandage. "There. Good as new." Sobble cheered.
Then Raboot surprised him by lifting his arms out, like he used to do as a Scorbunny. Goh lifted him up and held him against his hip like a little kid. Raboot didn't look him in the eye, but he sank into the embrace with a little sigh of relief.
"Feeling better?" When Raboot didn't respond, Goh put away the first aid kit. Sobble watched from the counter as Goh carried Raboot around the kitchen. He found some leftover pudding in the fridge and got a couple bowls out. Ash and Pikachu arrived just in time to claim the last two servings.
"I think he's asleep," Ash said. He leaned against the counter between Goh and Mimey. Behind them, Pikachu used his pudding to draw a mustache on his face, and Sobble helpfully added pudding eyebrows.
Goh pressed the side of his face against the top of Raboot's head. He suspected that Raboot was faking it, but if he was going to let Goh cuddle him for once, Goh wouldn't give him away. "I wonder why he was so upset."
"Well, that's easy." Ash pointed his spoon at him. "You've been moping around here for days. Of course Raboot's upset, too."
"Huh?" Goh glanced down at Raboot. "Really? You think?"
"Sob!" Sobble gave up on covering Pikachu's face with pudding to climb up on Goh's other shoulder. He seemed to agree with Ash. "Sobble, sobble."
"This is about that jealousy thing, right?" Ash chuckled. "I told you not to worry. Don't you remember how you encouraged Scorbunny to get out and enjoy the big wide world? Can't you see that Raboot's doing the same with Sobble?"
"Oh. I didn't think about it like that." Goh sighed. "I just wish we were as close as you and Pikachu. Sometimes it's like you two are the same person."
Ash glanced back and finally noticed the pudding art on Pikachu's face. "Gee, thanks." He laughed and found a towel to clean up.
"Anyway," Ash said, "if Raboot didn't love you, he wouldn't follow you around like a shadow."
Something clicked. "Follow..." Goh peered down at Raboot. "So that's why you got mad. I told you to stay in the park. I just didn't want to bore you, that's all."
Raboot peeked an eye open. "Rab."
"Sorry." Goh hugged Raboot, who looked away again but didn't budge.
"All good now?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, I think so." With Sobble on his shoulder and Raboot in his arms, Goh felt better than he had in days. "My Pokemon really are the cutest," he bragged.
Pikachu immediately protested, and Ash rose to the bait-- arguing that Riolu, as the only baby Pokemon in the facility, won by default. Goh playfully argued back. Truly, the only thing that mattered was that Raboot and Sobble knew how much he loved them.
As they snuggled closer, Goh got the impression that the feeling was mutual after all.