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It was easy on paper: trade each other’s Paradox Volcaronas for the other. Ray wanted to do it for a long time; the problem was convincing Ivy. Ivy wasn’t too fond of moth Pokemon, and the very moment she saw a Slither Wing in Area Zero, she fainted. Iron Moths are okay and she can handle them, but Slither Wings? Nope nope nope.
Ray finally achieved success after days of pestering her. When she finally relented, he flew straight to Area Zero to catch another Slither Wing, preferably one with a milder temperate. The Iron Moths were out of his reach, but then again he had no idea how to handle robotic Pokemon (except for Miraidon).
Standing in the West Province away from towns, the two students stood in front of each other, with their funky lizard bikes. “Alright Ivy, you won’t scream this time, right?” He asked.
Ivy shrugged. “I’ll try.” Ray had many doubts about that.
On cue, they brought out their Pokeballs and traded by hand. Ray bounced the ball lightly, and then released his new Iron Moth. The Iron Moth twirled slowly around in the air, taking in its new environment before staring down at Ray.
“I don’t think I can get used to the small size,” Ray commented. He looked over at Ivy expectedly. Ivy took a deep breath and sighed dejectedly. She clicked the button, ready to see what awaits her.
A Slither Wing popped out. Like the Iron Moth, it took a moment to familiarize itself with its new surroundings. Once satisfied, it looked at Ivy with curiosity. Unlike the Slither Wings they encountered the first time they entered Area Zero, this Slither Wing was mild at most.
Ivy’s heartbeat increased in tempo. She bit her lip more times than usual. Breaths became shallow. The impressive, huge size of the prehistoric Paradox Pokemon was a complete contrast to the futuristic ones. And its feral appearance sealed Ivy in new territory. She started regretting this trade.
Then the Slither Wing stood on its two feet. And then, Ivy screamed.
Ray sighed. Ivy held out for a couple seconds before screaming. He could feel the Slither Wing’s confusion towards her reaction.
The Uva student fell on her rear and began scrambling backwards. When the Slither Wing went back on all fours and began crawling foward, she immediately got up and fumbled for a Pokeball.
“Colorado, do something!” She cried, sending out her Meowscarada. The Meowscarada, Colorado, had all confidence vanish as soon as he saw who he was up against. He began running in the opposite direction. Ivy flipped. “You’re a cat! Cats defeat moths!”
The Iron Moth grew hostile as soon as the newcomer entered the scene. It floated high above the ground and began emitting harsh soundwaves. As soon as the Slither Wing noticed, it started hissing and rose again, this time in a fighting stance.
Okay, it was time for Ray to step in before things escalated. Koraidon and Miraidon had the same thought too; transformed in their true forms. Koraidon stood in between the two Paradox Volcaronas and roared at the Slither Wing to stand down. Miraidon mimicked him to the Iron Moth. Ray returned the Iron Moth back to its Pokeball. With the enemy gone, the Slither Wing relaxed.
Ray looked around for Ivy, eventually finding her behind a tree with Colorado back in his Pokeball. He muttered under his breath.
“Ivy, what the hell?!” He shouted.
“Ray, I really don’t want to do this,” Ivy said, “Let’s trade back.”
“No! I’ve waited too long for this and you finally agreed!”
Ivy rolled her eyes and stepped around the tree. “And by waiting, you mean harassing me after classes.”
“And during biology.”
“Also that.”
The two kept bickering. Meanwhile, Koraidon looked down at the Slither Wing. The poor guy must’ve felt unwanted. He petted the Slither Wing on the head, feeling a little bad for roaring at it when it was going to defend itself from an opponent with type advantage.
“Look, all I’m saying is give the guy a chance,” Ray repeated.
“By why with moth Pokemon? We could’ve done this with Great Tusk and Iron Treads,” Ivy retaliated.
“Because I wanted to try this with these Pokemon. And besides, Slither Wing’s super fluffy.” He gestured to said Pokemon. “It’s very soft. I took a nap on my Slither Wing and it was the best nap I had.”
Ivy crossed her arms and stared down the Slither Wing. It’s really fluffy, she’ll give it that. But at the end of the day, it’s a moth. A really, really, reaaaaaaaaalllllly big moth.
Sighing, Ivy returned Slither Wing back to its Pokeball. She glared at Ray. “I feel like there’s more to this than just trading.”
A smirk grew on Ray’s face. “Yep. A week from now, we’ll battle with our new Pokemon. You better be friendly with Slither Wing at that point.”
Ivy hit the Naranja student on the head with a fist lightly. “At least you’re not as bad as Nemona.”
“Not even close.”
It’s been two days since they made that trade. Ivy hadn’t let Slither Wing out of its ball yet out of fear. But with Tuesday being a free day with no classes (or Nemona chasing her down for a battle), and the inevitable battle with Ray coming, she figured it was time to get to know Slither Wing.
Miraidon flew them out to the islet on Casseroya Lake. Nobody was gonna find them on the islet without running into a few zealous Veluzas. A picnic was set up to take advantage of the nice day. After statistics homework, it would be nice for Ivy to relax if it wasn’t for the Slither Wing.
The Pokemon in question hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, it was basking in the sunlight with Baguette and watching Pokemon swim by. The other Pokemon were a little wary of it, especially due to its huge size. And as expected, July was met with hostility any time she was within its radius.
Sitting on a small hill away from the water, Ivy stared at the Slither Wing in contemplation. How was she going to train it, let alone interact with it? Compared to the futuristic Pokemon which were all robots and, well, less feral, this thing is a living organism. And yet, it emitted a dangerously primitive aura that makes you want to run away.
Technically, this isn’t anything new. Scientists have already found ways to revive fossils from the prehistoric era, and those Pokemon are as easy to bond with as any other. So why was she so hesitant to interact with Slither Wing? One point was that it’s a moth. A really big and fluffy moth. And Ivy doesn’t like moth Pokemon.
Ivy sighed and continued petting a sleeping Eelektross. She quickly yelped when she felt something sharp poke at her back. The culprit swam around in the air.
“Oh, hey Maguro,” Ivy said. Maguro rotated her gills, creating sound out of friction. Ivy took her pointer finger and rubbed it up-and-down on her head. She looked back at Slither Wing.
“Why did I agree to this?” She hung her head down. Looking back, she really should’ve questioned Ray what Pokemon they were gonna trade. Had she known that they would trade Paradox Volcaronas, she would’ve immediately shot the idea down.
Maguro made another round of fish sounds as if she wanted Ivy to see something. Ivy looked up back at the Slither Wing and took another look.
“It… kind of looks like it’s loafing,” Ivy said, a small smile growing on her face. The Slither Wing had its legs tucked in, completely concealed within its fluff. The only thing preventing a full loaf form was its dinosaur tail sticking out. Colorado overheard her comment and squinted his eyes as if he was judging.
“Oh come on, Colorado,” Ivy laughed, “It’s not like you can do it now than when you were a Sprigatito.”
Colorado gasped at her comment. In retaliation, he took it as a challenge and attempted to loaf, despite his humanoid form. Ivy and Maguro laughed at his show when a slimy body began to rise from its slumber.
“Hey Emmet, had a good nap?” She asked. The Eelektross nodded, and proceeded to curl around her. She sighed and stood up, with Emmet hanging off her like a scarf. If Emmet woke up from a nap, that typically means he’s hungry.
Ivy stared at the Slither Wing while walking to the table. What would a Slither Wing like? Can they even eat sandwiches? Do they even know what a sandwich is? Thinking about the anatomy of a Volcarona, it would be pretty unrealistic for a Slither Wing to eat a sandwich since they have antennas and need to consume food in a liquid state.
Rummaging through the picnic basket (with no eggs thankfully), Ivy found she still had a full jar of peanut butter and jam, with a banana. It’s been a while since she had a PBJ sandwich. Ivy decided to go with the simple sandwich. But there were a lot of mouths to feed, so she’d have to make two. Well, maybe three considering one of those mouths is Miraidon.
Making the sandwich was very easy: just spread the peanut butter and jelly, then you add sliced bananas. Satisfied, Ivy cut two of the sandwiches into equal pieces. Emmet called for the others to come to the table. A joyful chorus filled the air as the Pokemon began walking over.
As expected, Miraidon was the first. Ivy handed them their full-sized sandwich to which they eagerly chomped it down in a few bites. She playfully pushed it away when it began sniffing the other two.
“Go away, you had yours,” Ivy laughed. The next was Emmet, who unwrapped himself to get his piece. Then the rest of her team got theirs. And finally, the Slither Wing.
Ivy felt her body tense up again as the Paradox Pokemon approached. She forced a smile and offered it a piece. “This is a sandwich,” she said, “It has some jam, which is kind of like nectar?”
The Slither Wing sniffed the sandwich, and then tilted its head in confusion. Ivy picked up on it. It wasn’t sure how to eat something solid like a sandwich. Sighing, Ivy put the piece back on the table. She didn’t want to leave the Slither Wing out. It may be a moth Pokemon, but it’s also a living being with emotions.
Her eyes wandered to the jar of jam and an idea popped in her mind. Grabbing it, she offered it to the Slither Wing. “Here! This may be better.”
Once again, the Slither Wing sniffed the jar. This time, it stuck its long mouth inside. She could feel the jar moving inside with the jelly drained. The Slither Wing drew itself back from the jar, chittering happily. Ivy looked inside the jar. It was drained clean.
“You like it?” She asked. The Slither Wing chittered again. Judging by the high note, it seemed pretty happy with the jam. “That’s great!” Her body relaxed. “I guess you aren’t so bad after all.”
But the Slither Wing wanted more. It crawled over to see any other jars lying around. “Sorry bud. That’s the only jar. But I have some berries if you want.”
The Slither Wing ended up eating all of the berries. Ivy should’ve expected that such a big creature would have a large appetite. It plopped onto the ground, looking out onto the lake. Ivy grabbed her sandwich and made a bold move to sit next to it. The Slither Wing didn’t mind, but rather happy.
Would it dumb for Ivy to attempt small talk with a prehistoric Pokemon? Ray would laugh at her for that, and then poke fun at her fear of moths.
“So, um… what do you think of the modern time period?” She asked. The Slither Wing didn’t answer. “Figures.”
She bit into her sandwich and swallowed bitterly. She must’ve left a bad impression on the Slither Wing, especially considering how she screamed upon seeing it. It owed an explanation for her behavior.
“I’m sorry if I came off as rude before,” she apologized, “The thing is that… moths kind of freak me out.” Again, no reaction from Slither Wing. “Two years ago, I had a Dustox fly into my room in the middle of the night. It’s funny because Dustox isn't native to Unova. But I was so scared because it can scatter poisonous powder from its wings. Luckily, a group of rangers were looking for it and captured it, but you know, the fear had already settled in.
“And then I read that other moth Pokemon have similar effects with their wings. Most of the part, pretty bad stuff. But then there’s Volcarona, who saves people and Pokemon in freezing temperatures… well according to legend.” She smiled at the Slither Wing. “Volcaronas are your species’ descendants. Do you want to see them?”
She pulled out her phone again and showed the Slither Wing the page. The Slither Wing stared at it so curiously. It must have been amazed that its species developed the ability to fly in the air. Then it started chittering at a low frequency. If Ivy had to guess, it was probably in distress over how Volcarona lost its fluff in its bottom half.
A small robotic noise caught their attention. Ivy looked back at the table to see everyone done. There was a half of a sandwich left, with Miraidon staring it down intently. Ivy rolled her eyes.
“Alright Miraidon, you can have that one,” she said. Miraidon’s LED eyes shifted into a happy expression as it pulled the sandwich off the table. In the meanwhile, Ivy stood up and dusted her skirt. The Slither Wing got up and looked at her curiously.
It followed her back to the table where it watched Ivy pack everything up. Then she looked back at Slither Wing. “I guess we’re all done with the picnic,” she said, “We’ll go to Medali to get some more jam since the closest Artisan Branch is there. I’d like to show you around but it’s a pretty normal city. Aaaaaaaaand you probably shouldn’t be seen in public.”
Slither Wing moved its body in a dance-like motion. Ivy couldn’t help but laugh in amusement. She can’t tell if she’s getting better at reading prehistoric Slither Wing or she’s making up its mood. One thing she does know is that it’s growing on her.
The hail battered against Ivy’s face as Miraidon took a sharp turn. A provoked Glalie chased them after falling for July’s taunt. Unfortunately, July fell into worse wear and had to be recalled, forcing Ivy to retreat.
The steep hill naturally boosted Miraidon’s speed as he drove down, leaving the Glalie in the dust. On the other side of the snow were greener hills into Area Three of the North Province. The hail shifted into heavy rain as they crossed the border.
Ivy shivered as her uniform got soaked, including the heavy coat. Noticing this, Miraidon drove to a nearby cave. The nearby group of Sableyes began gathering around, only to be shooed off by Miraidon’s roar. No one else dared to bother them.
Ivy stepped off Miraidon and immediately went to remove her coat and blazer. She sighed as she pulled the beret off her hat, completely drenched. Squeezing the water out, she shook it off and let it air dry. Then she sat down on the cold, stone ground.
“Bummer…” she mumbled, “Did someone use a Castform on the entire province?”
Miraidon shook off any droplets of water and laid next to his Trainer. He tried to emanate as much heat as possible, but he wasn’t as good as Koraidon. July could work well, but the poor Ceruledge had just finished a tough battle against Ryme.
A Pokeball shook in Ivy’s belt. Raising her eyebrows, Ivy clicked the ball. Out came the Slither Wing, completely dry much to Ivy and Miraidon’s envy.
“Oh hey,” she greeted, “What’s up?”
The Slither Wing didn’t look around the cave this time and instead stared at the outside. It chittered as it saw the pouring rain.
“Yeah, it’s raining cats and dogs right now,” Ivy said, “Too bad I can’t call a Flying Taxi since there’s no service in a cave. We’ll just have to camp here until the rain’s over. Which… I have no idea how long it’s gonna take.”
The Slither Wing noticed Ivy shivering, and Miraidon covered in water. It crawled between the two, raised itself on its hind legs, and then sat down. Prying its wings out, it fluttered them slightly, heating the area immediately. The water droplets around the cave evaporated into steam.
Ivy and Miraidon sighed in relief. “Oh, that feels really good. It feels like a sauna.”
A few Deinos gathered around, curious about the steam. Miraidon stared them down, nudging them away with his tail. The Deinos retreated a few feet away and sat down, enjoying the warmth.
Ivy watched rain comfortably now that the Slither Wing turned things around. She could see a few Floettes hiding under the flowers, and using theirs as an umbrella. A Sunflora moped around with a big frown on its face. The rain continued pouring, now seen as tranquil compared to the miserable drive earlier.
At that point, Ivy felt completely dried. She looked at the Slither Wing with eyes focusing on its fluffy body. Ray did say that the fluff was super soft.
“Hey,” she said, catching the Slither Wing’s attention, “Is it okay if I touched your fluff?”
The Slither Wing nodded. Besides getting comfortable in the modern era and around Ivy, it was improving on understanding the modern language, or… well, Galarian to be specific.
Ivy raised her hand and gingerly placed it on the fluff. Her eyes widened in amazement. Ray was absolutely right; this thing was super soft! And it was warm too! It reminded Ivy of a heated blanket, no, a heating weighted blanket.
Ivy snuggled into the Slither Wing with a big smile. The Slither Wing rocked its head side-to-side as if it was vibing, for lack of a better term. It jumped a little when it felt Miraidon’s cool, metal head nudging it in the same manner. Feeling warm and happy inside, it continued rocking its head.
“I wonder how Ray’s dealing with the Iron Moth…” Ivy pondered out loud.
Ray stared in bewilderment as the Iron Moth struggled to separate from Sandy Shocks’ magnets. The Sandy Shocks waved its body around, hopping from one foot to another while shrieking. It didn’t help that the Iron Moth was flapping its wings in panic, emitting hot waves onto the Sandy Shocks’ metallic body.
Koraidon, in his Apex Build, marched over and pushed the two Pokemon apart. When the magnetic pull got weak enough, the Iron Moth was sent flying while Sandy Shocks fell to the ground. Even the Winged King himself stumbled a little.
“Oh Arceus…” Ray mumbled.
The rain began showing signs of an end, as it turned into a drizzle and clouds began to part. Ivy woefully got up and began putting her blazer back on. Miraidon continued snuggling into the Slither Wing, dozing off.
“You know, I feel like I should give you a nickname,” Ivy said. The Slither Wing looked at her with interest. She crossed her arms and tapped her finger as she brainstormed some ideas. “Dino…rona? Cause you’re an ancient Volcarona?” Dinorona didn’t sound right. She wanted something jovial and fun for the Slither Wing.
She thought back to how she nicknamed her Pokemon. Baguette was fitting for a Dachsbun, a literal bread dog. Then there was July, but that name was cool for a cool Pokemon like Ceruledge. Emmet was named after the Subway Boss who also happened to have an Eelektross. And then there was Colorado… something related to weed back in Unova.
It’s not like the futuristic Pokemon she nicknamed even helped give ideas. Iron Jugulius was called Hades and she even jokingly called her Iron Bundle “Capitalism.” She could call Ray and ask how he nicknamed his ancient Pokemon, but that would seem like she’s stealing ideas.
Ivy thought of the Jurassic Park movies. Immediately, her mind went to that one scene where it became a meme. She could jokingly nickname the Slither Wing “Jeff” but that didn’t ring well with her.
Frustrated, Ivy sighed and puffed out her cheeks. “I can’t think of anything.” She put her beret on her head and folded the coat. “I might as well call you Pepper for shits and giggles.”
However, the Slither Wing responded to the nickname “Pepper.” It clicked in a rhythmic pattern, catching Ivy’s attention. Did it like that name? Ivy blinked twice to see if her assumption was correct.
“Do you like Pepper?” She asked. The Slither Wing nodded this time. A big grin grew on Ivy’s face as she leaped and hugged the Paradox Pokemon. “Pepper it is!”
The rain had stopped just in time, and the clouds parted enough for the sun to shine on the land. The nearby Pokemon began coming out of their hiding spots to embrace the light. The trio stepped out of the cave, stretching a little and soaking up the sunlight. A strong smell of petrichor wafted on the ground.
“It feels nice to be out of that cave, and dry too,” Ivy smiled, with a glance at Pepper. “Alright Miraidon, let’s go back to Mesagoza.”
Pepper had other plans. They proceeded to crawl over to the flower fields and began sniffing them meticulously. The nearby Floettes hovered over them with curiosity. When one particular flower caught their interest, they expanded their tongue and began sucking the nectar.
“Or not,” Ivy laughed, “I guess we’re not in a rush.”
“So you did warm up to the Slither Wing,” Ray commented.
“I did,” Ivy replied proudly, “And you’re right. That fluff is super soft.”
After an intense battle, with Ray and the Iron Moth coming out as the victors, the four sat at the edge of the cliff and people-watched from a safe distance. Pepper snoozed with their head on Ivy’s lap while the Iron Moth stared straight at the sun. Ivy laughed at Ray’s flat recount of his time with the Iron Moth, to which he nicknamed Solaris.
“What do you think now?” Ray asked with a little snarky tone, “Still afraid of moths?”
Ivy shrugged. “Maybe,” she answered, “Venomoths and Dustox? Yeah. But Slither Wing? Nah.” She petted Pepper for emphasis. Solaris hummed obnoxiously, rotating its body to face Ivy directly. “I guess Iron Moths too.”
“Volcarona and Larvesta?” Ray added.
“We’ll see.”
“You’re petting a fluffier version of Volcarona.”
“Callarse la boca.”
“The fuck does that mean?”
“Learn Paldean, puta.”
The two burst into laughter, confusing the two Paradox moths. Oh well. All’s well that ends well.