Chapter Text
“Phew, I'm glad that's fixed up.”
Scotty wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve, chuckling as he saw his trusty companion- Rotom, named Rowan- do a happy little spin in the air near him, its electric-like arms zipping up and down.
The Scottish man was a well known engineer around the region, his expertise being desired for all sorts of jobs. Today he finished fixing a signal tower up in a mountain region, accompanied by a Rhyhorn who was “parked” down more by the path he traveled. Scotty had to climb up a little more to actually reach the tower, but now he could start to pack up and get ready to leave. He didn't want to pay a late fee on the Rhyhorn.
As Scotty finished packing up his tools, a flash of silver caught his eye from behind a nearby boulder. Curious, he stepped closer, squinting to make out the small, metallic shape huddled between the rocks. It was an Aron, but not like any he’d seen before- its body glimmered in an unusual silvery hue.
“Oh, poor wee thing,” Scotty muttered, eyebrows knitting in concern. “What happened to ye, eh? Ye look like ye’ve got a rough case of metal sickness or something.”
When speaking, the mon’ looked up, it's eyes looking a different color as well. This Pokemon definitely wasn't healthy! Not to mention it was alone, so no doubt it left the herd to possibly pass without being near anything. However, despite clearly being sick, the Aron didn't seem keen on being messed with. It let out a displeased groan, quickly moving to stand up.
“Wait! Don't go, I got ye something!” Scotty moved without thinking much, quickly reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a little baggie with some puffs in it. “I'll pay ye back Rowan.”
The electric ghost buzzed with a response, but it was more interested by the new friend as the engineer held out a puff.
The odd Aron paused, its big ol’ head turning to look at the food. Sniffing once and twice, it decided to take a bite.
Scotty smiled when he felt the small Pokemon’s metal gently nudging against his hand as it ate. “There we go. See? I'm nothing bad. I just wanna help.”
The Aron nibbled cautiously at the puff, each bite slow and deliberate. Scotty kept his hand steady, smiling as the little Pokemon grew more comfortable. After a few moments, Aron glanced up at him with those unique, red eyes. It seemed to be much more welcome to Scotty now, as it drew closer.
“Another?” The man asked the little mon’ pulling out another puff- which it ate. Scotty couldn't deny how cute the little fella was. He always had a soft spot for steel types, so this was melting his heart. The Aron finished its treat before Scotty leaned down, and tried his best to scoop up the Pokemon without scaring it. “C’mon, let's get ye to someone who can help.”
Surprisingly, the Aron didn't resist. It was scooped up into Scotty’s arms, and it stayed relatively calm. That made the engineer feel better. “Alright, let's get a move on, Rowan.” The buzzing Pokemon gave a pleased spin in reply, zipping down to the Rhyhorn in excitement to get a move on.
Carefully making way to the Rhyhorn, Scotty kept a hold on the sick mon’ and sat on the large beast. Thankfully his tools were already on his belt, so he just had to give the Rhyhorn the go ahead. “We're making a pit stop at the Poker center, bud.”
The large RhyHorn just gave a grunt in response as it started to move.
“I'm definitely going to pay out my arse with late fees…”
As the Rhyhorn trudged down the last stretch of the mountain path, the Pokemon Center’s red roof came into view. Scotty felt a wave of relief, thankful his new friend could get some help soon.
Inside, the center was bustling, with trainers and Pokemon resting after their long journeys or seeking care. Scotty scanned the room, looking for the one face he knew he could count on. His gaze landed on McCoy, who was busy finishing up some bandaging on a rather fidgety Machop.
“Len!” Scotty called out as he made his way over, his accent slipping through in his urgency.
McCoy glanced up, brow furrowing when he saw Scotty approaching with an unusual bundle in his arms. He quickly finished the last bandage, mumbling. “Scotty, what in blazes…?” He moved to meet the Scottish man halfway, eyes shifting from Scotty to the small Pokémon in his hold.
“Picked up a sick wee one up on the mountain,” The engineer explained, carefully holding the Aron in his arms. “Looks like it’s in a bad way. Thought it had some kinda metal sickness.”
The doctor looked down at the Pokemon, a look of uncertainty in his gaze. “Well, it does look rather… Odd. We can take it back for examination.”
As they walked, the Aron looked up at McCoy with wide, slightly anxious eyes, its tiny legs curling against its body as if bracing for something unpleasant. “Don't worry, Len’s gonna fix ye right up.” Scotty spoke softly to the Aron, hoping to reassure it.
In the examination room, the engineer laid the Aron down gently on the table as McCoy came over with some equipment, his Audnio in tow. Scotty felt a bit tense as the poor mon’ got some scans and examinations, the Aron’s red eyes looking up at him.
After a few minutes and reading the results, McCoy was a bit puzzled. “Well, it's definitely a bit malnourished, but besides that it's perfectly fine.” The doctor read aloud results, but stopping when the Aunido made a soft noise of alert, and pointed to something on the screen. “Oh, pardon me. She's fine.”
“A lass?” Scotty didn't really mind, but it was still nice to hear he was taking care of an interesting gal. “That's nice and all- but that doesn't explain her coloring.”
“Metal sickness, you say?” The doctor arched an eyebrow at Scotty, amused. “You engineers see a shiny surface and assume it’s rust or something.”
“Aye, well, I’ve never seen an Aron that color before.”
“That's because she's a shiny, Monty.”
Scotty blinked, taken aback by McCoy’s revelation. “A shiny, ye say?” He peered down at the small Aron, her steel body now gleaming under the soft fluorescent light of the Pokemon Center. He felt a mix of relief and mild embarrassment, realizing that he'd misjudged the situation.
“Aye, that explains a lot…” He murmured, scratching his head, his usual confidence faltering just a little. He’d been so focused on helping the poor thing, he hadn’t considered that the little Aron might just be a special case.
Despite the confusion, McCoy was happy. “Either way, you still tried to help her. So, that's a good job on your part.”
The engineer looked up at the doctor, unable to hide a flush on his cheeks. “Thank ye, Len.”
Finishing up the examination, Aundio helped put away the tools while McCoy went ahead and gave Aron a quick touch up. “How'd you even find her?”
“When me and Rowan were on our way back to town, I just saw her. She was completely alone, tucked away in some rocks.” Rotom did a quick spin and a sizzle besides Scotty, proud to be recognized for its rescue efforts.
McCoy hummed with thought as he used some regular ol' cleaner to ease away from scuffs on the small Pokemon. "The other Aron of her family probably excluded her. Being shiny does nothing for your natural camouflage. It leaves you and your group open to predictors."
The Scottish man frowned. “So yer saying they abandoned her?”
The doctor paused in his cleaning as Scotty’s words hung in the air, his hands slowing for a moment. "Yes," He finally said, his voice softer than usual. "It’s not uncommon for Pokemon to be left behind if they’re seen as different, especially ones like this, where their natural instincts or markings don't match up with the others in the herd."
The Scottish man sighed heavily, his heart going out to the little Aron. The poor creature had probably been so scared and lonely out there, just trying to survive. "It's a bloody shame," He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling the weight of the situation settle on him. "She deserves better than that.”
McCoy finished up the cleaning and straightened, stepping back with a satisfied nod. "She's in good shape now. No more “metal sickness”, just a bit of hunger and loneliness to heal. You did good, Scotty.”
With a job well done, Scotty thanked the doctor and headed back out to the Rhyhorn, seeing it was still waiting outside. First stop was back at the Rhyhorn rental, where he had to apologize profusely and cut a bit deep into his pocket to pay off the late fees. The handlers weren't the happiest, but at least that was taken care of.
Now, the next stop was a Poke café for Aron to catch some lunch. At the café, Scotty found a cozy little spot by the window, where Aron could settle down and take in her surroundings while they waited for her meal. Rowan buzzed and whirred around, checking out everything in sight, occasionally seeing how the Aron was holding up, who was sitting besides Scotty.
Rowan zipped around Scotty for a bit, chittering and chattering with electricity. Switching between its trainer and the new friend, Scotty got an understanding of what Rotom wanted. “Ye two can play all ye want. It's a bit of a wait before we get our lunch.”
As they waited for the food to arrive, Rowan began to float around the table, darting side to side, encouraging Aron to follow. At first, she just watched, hesitant, but then her curiosity won over. Hopping off the chair, the Aron got on the floor, Rotom getting closer to zip around and make it easier for Aron to chase them around.
Scotty grinned as he watched the two Pokémon begin their playful chase, Rotom buzzing with glee as it zipped around Aron's metallic form. The Aron, though still a bit shy, seemed to be enjoying herself, her little legs clinking across the tiled floor as she toddled after her new friend. It warmed the man’s heart to see her coming out of her shell.
The two mons kept running around, playing together, only stopping when lunch arrived. Since Rotom didn't eat actual solid food, Scotty was given a large battery to offer to the electric type- which it gladly leeched itself onto. Aron backed up a few steps when a bowl of pokefood was placed in front of it. When the bowl was left alone, only then did she take a sniff.
“Look good?” Scotty asked Aron, but the mon’ just looked up at him. “No?”
Well, that was a bit peculiar. Aron ate pokepuffs earlier- so why the sudden distaste?
The engineer pulled out his trusty and honestly worn to hell Pokedex, flipping open the aged machine. Angling it over to Aron, a voice came from it. “This Pokemon has a body of steel. To make its body, Aron feeds on iron ore that it digs from mountains. Sometimes, hunger will drive it to descend from the mountains to eat bridges and rails, which makes it a pest.”
“Jeez, ye sure are a hardly lass, ain't ye?” The engineer asked Aron, getting no reply. “Well, good thing I've essentially accumulated a scrap yard. A lot of spare metal for ye to enjoy.” He chuckled, already thinking about the piles of unused metal scraps back at his workshop. He’d collected so many spare parts over the years- gears, screws, bits of old machinery- things that most people would consider junk. But to this little Aron, it’d probably look like a feast.
As they finished up at the café, Scotty packed up, carefully cradling the Aron in his arms as they headed back to his workshop. Rotom buzzed along happily, zipping up ahead and then floating back as if to urge them onward, excited and probably impatient.
Once back, Scotty set Aron down on a soft mat, watching her curiously as she surveyed the piles of metal strewn around his workspace. It was a sizable shed on his property he used to tinker and build whenever his engineering mind felt the urge, but now it would be perfect to feed the new friend.
At first, the Aron sniffed cautiously, uncertain of her new surroundings. But then, her hunger took over, and she began to carefully nibble on a piece of scrap steel, her eyes lighting up at the taste. It seemed she was quite pleased, which made Scotty relax significantly.
With some growing tired legs, the man claimed his spot on his worn down bench nearby, sighing with relief when he sat. He definitely wasn't getting younger, that was for sure. “Well, looks like ye’ve got a proper home here if ye want it, lass. Got plenty more where that came from, so ye won’t be going hungry anytime soon.”
Aron looked up from her meal, acknowledging Scotty. She gave a soft grunt and waddled over, nudging her head gently against his leg. He chuckled, reaching down to scratch her smooth, metal-plated head. “Ye’re a good lass, aren’t ye? Aye, ye just needed someone to see yer worth.”
The mon cooed happily, and Rowan gave their own zap of glee. It really seemed like the three of them were getting along. So, Scotty asked the golden question.
“How about ye join my team?”
The Aron looked up at Scotty with her big red eyes, a little unsure. Most Pokemon didn't want to be caught- tied to someone when they had such freedom already. But she had been casted out from her kind, and left abandoned, and this man saved her.
“It's up to ye,” The engineer added, hoping the little mon didn't feel peer pressured. “Ye can stay here, Pokeball or not.”
He got a soft headbutt on the leg for that, which surprised him. Aron looked up at him again, and gave a determined cry- not exactly a distressed sound, but one that was more so a war cry of sorts.
The Scottish man took the hint, and reached to his belt, unclipping an old Pokeball. He was never one for catching Pokemon- it had honestly been years since he had, as Rowan proved to be a fine partner. But, there was nothing wrong with a new friend.
“Here, lass.” He dusted off the ball, its red shine more prominent. He held it out to Aron, giving her the choice to allow herself to be caught.
There was a moment’s hesitation, but it didn't take long for the Aron to press her head against the ball- quickly being enveloped in the red glow as she disappeared into it. The ball clasped shut and shook.
One.
Two.
Three…
Ding!
“You've caught Aron! The Iron Armor Pokemon!” Scotty’s Pokedex chimed happily from his pocket, announcing Aron's capture.
Scotty couldn't help but grin like an idiot- even Rowan was zipping around and doing spins in the air out of glee. The engineer felt like a kid again- catching his first ever Pokemon. Getting up from the bench, the man looked at the ball in his hand. With a childlike smile on his face, he tossed the ball out. “Come on out!”
The Pokeball hit the ground, and quickly cracked open- freeing Aron from her ball. Giving out another cry, she quickly ran over to Scotty. The engineer bent down and clipped her ball back on his belt before picking up the little steel type.
“Ah, there we go. I got ye.” He spoke with a smile plastered on his face, grinning ear to ear. Aron gave another happy trill in response. “I think it's time I actually give ye a name, huh?” Another giddy noise from Aron. “How about Alisa? That's an island in Scotland.”
Aron- newly dubbed Alisa- gave a very pleased chatter in reply.
“Well, that settles it. Welcome to the team, Alisa.”