Archive of Our Own

The problem with their current route was that Taillow kept escaping and coming back with berries. Kageyama wasted a lot of time chasing Taillow, and even though he returned each time, he flew back slowly, full but still carrying berries in his mouth. It was making the trip through to Fortree City take longer than it should've been.

Kageyama was sick of losing him every time Taillow took off. He cut through bushes and jumped over a few rocks trying to narrow his speed close enough to keep an eye on Taillow, but the other times he always fell behind. He managed to trail Taillow this time, up until Taillow flew around a tree.

Kageyama ended up stumbling into a clearing. Taillow was hopping on the floor, chirping happily at someone's feet. He barely acknowledged Kageyama's arrival with a quick head turn.

Kageyama rested his hand on the nearest tree to catch his breath. The stranger had berries in his hand, and he was looking up at Kageyama. 

"That's…my taillow…" Kageyama pointed at Taillow as he gasped and panted. Taillow's tail twitched from hearing his name.

"This isn't a wild taillow?"

Kageyama grimaced at him as he took Taillow's pokéball and called him back into it. Taillow was too busy eating to dodge, and he was enveloped in the light as his wings flapped in surprise. When the pokéball clicked closed, Kageyama's hand fell, and he sighed.

"No, he isn't wild. I've had him for a few days now."

The stranger bent from his seat to gather the rest of his berries in a green piece of fabric. Some of his clothes were green, too.

"Are you feeding him properly? He seemed hungry," he said as he tucked the fabric into a ball. He patted the middle before picking it up, and he balanced it in his hand.

"He ate almost everything I had."

"Then you're feeding him too much."

"Why're you trying to tell me how to take care of my own pokémon? I can do it myself."

Kageyama crossed his arms and jerked his head away, but the pokéball slipped out of his hand and thudded on the ground. The stranger's eyes followed it to the floor.

"Do you drop your pokéball often?"

Kageyama grunted and muttered to himself as he scooped it back up.

The stranger tilted his head. "Are you a new trainer?"

"I've been a trainer for a year." Kageyama waved his hand. "I'm just going to leave now."

Kageyama turned and took a few steps. He didn't hear footsteps, but the stranger caught up to him, the berries still held in his hands in a bundle.

"If you're having so much trouble with Taillow, then why don't you trade him?"

Kageyama tried to quicken his pace, leaning forward and away from the other trainer.

"I know a breeder who's looking for a taillow to trade for."

"I'm keeping him," Kageyama snapped. That was the wrong reason to have to trade a pokémon away. If Kageyama didn't like Taillow at all, then he would've considered it, but he wanted a flying type. Giving away a bad-tempered pokémon just for their behavior was the mark of a terrible trainer.

The trainer still walked beside him, frowning in thought and glancing over Kageyama. His clothes now made Kageyama think that the stranger was a breeder, especially with the packet of berries and the mention of another breeder. Only a breeder would be nosy about care-taking, anyway.

"Where're you going?" he asked Kageyama.

"Fortree."

"Fortree's that way." He pointed in another direction. It wasn't the exact opposite of where they were walking, but it was still out of the way.

"I knew that." Kageyama stomped around him and headed in that direction.

Kageyama didn't see him follow, and he relaxed in satisfaction. He walked on his own for half an hour, but when he turned around a tree, he saw the same breeder sitting on a rock. A zigzagoon sat next to him, nuzzling his head up into his hand.

"Are you following me?"

"You're walking in circles. You passed by me twice."

Kageyama's feet stopped moving completely, and he groaned. "You've got to be joking."

The breeder was smiling, but when Kageyama cleared his throat, the stranger lifted his hand to rub at his mouth.

Kageyama dug his heel into the ground. He already embarrassed himself multiple times, and he felt his throat clamp from standing in front of the stranger now. He narrowed his eyes trying to bring himself to talk, and he ended up just staring.

"It's getting dark," the breeder said. He was still rubbing the amusement out of his mouth, but his eyes were shining as if he was laughing. "Do you want a place to stay?"

Kageyama's eyes drifted to the side. "…Yes."

He was led to a small house past the second bridge, next to a house he knew was full of wingull. Kageyama told him his name during the walk over and little else, but that didn't stop the breeder from talking. Kageyama learned that the breeder's name was Kunimi. 

And that Kunimi's house was also full of pokémon.

Kunimi motioned at them to move away from the door as they entered. "Some of these are Suga's. He doesn't live here, but he dragged in a couple pokémon anyway."

Kageyama vaguely remembered hearing that Suga was his friend, the other breeder. Kunimi gestured at pokémon and gave their nicknames, but Kageyama didn't catch any of them.

"They all live here?" he asked. He lifted his leg as a few pokémon gathered around him in interest, their heads craning up.

Kunimi laid out his berries on the floor, and most of the pokémon turned and crawled over to nibble.

"Yeah. They do," Kunimi said quietly. He patted a pichu on the head.

Kageyama tried to sit on the couch, but as soon as he did, a skitty jumped on his lap. Kageyama lifted his hands and leaned back into the couch in surprise.

"How do you even live with all these pokémon?"

Kunimi shrugged as he scratched the pichu. "I don't like catching and battling with pokémon, I just care for them, and they keep coming in."

Kageyama snorted at that, but he kept watching Kunimi pet and feed several pokémon. They all hunkered down and sunk into the floor under Kunimi's hand as he petted them, and bird pokémon fluffed their feathers. Kageyama found himself grudgingly petting skitty's back, and he hunched his shoulders as he noticed Kunimi gently smile at the pokémon.

Kageyama let out a sigh, and he coughed to try to cover it up. This sight was nice, but it also made him feel like he was going to say or do something stupid.