Work Text:
Caretaker
“Now Ben, remember not to feed them too much or work them too hard, okay,” Professor Kukui said over his shoulder from his desk. “We need them in extra good shape for tomorrow,”
“You can count on me, professor.” Ben cheerfully replied as he walked in the opposite direction with three shiny pokéballs in his hands. It was his favorite part of the day: playtime for the starters.
“Don’t worry, they haven’t suckered extra food from me since the first week I started here”
“Oh yeah, I remember. When you first started you were a little too good at caring for them” the professor commented, chuckling.
“Other than how they get their food, I’d say that they’re already pretty good at taking care of themselves, training wise,” Ben noted as he slowed to a stop. “They work themselves out the perfect amount. And once Rowlett gets tired and starts napping, their energy leaves them as if they were mega drained,” Ben concluded with a yawn, suddenly feeling drowsy himself just thinking of Rowlett’s frequent naps.
“Okay then, make sure not too much energy leaves them,” Kukui ordered, smiling at Ben’s use of a pokemon move for his comparison. “Like I said before, I need them at their best tomorrow,” he added as he turned back to his research.
16 year old Ben had been working as Professor Kukui’s assistant ever since the Professor’s new lab had been finished, not long after the first Alolan Pokemon league. The league had influenced the creation of a lab in two ways.
Firstly, with the Professor’s dream of forming an official league realized, he was able to dedicate his time not spent teaching at the pokemon school to a new dream: researching pokemon. However, he soon found that he could only take his research so far from his basement. With the new lab, he could have better equipment and lab assistants.
The second reason was how the league had affected the region itself. It had caused a fair amount of population growth in Alola by attracting aspiring trainers, businesses, and somehow even more tourists. The lab was much more accessible to the many new people than Kukui’s beachside home.
“Okay everyone, come on out!” Ben exclaimed as he tossed the three spherical devices into the air.
The three pokéballs spun and each clicked open with a flash of light as they released each creature stored inside. Rowlett appeared from the ball of bright plasma and cooed happily as he lifted himself about a foot off of the ground with his little wings. Litten materialized, stretched, and started licking his paw. And finally, Popplio’s ball of pulsating energy popped open revealing the small sea lion Pokémon in a pose with her arms out wide, her head tilted up, and her eyes closed as she let out a showy “Pop-pop!” Rowlett, already getting a bit tired from flying, lowered himself down to the ground next to Litten. Ben knelt down in front of the three Pokémon.
“Rowlett, use your wings more, you lazy little bird. Are you a flying type or what?” Ben asked good naturedly as he rubbed Rowlett’s fuzzy head, which was accompanied by a stream of soft coos, as if the small owl was purring.
“Popplio, make sure you don’t trap anyone in a balloon who doesn’t want to be in one,” Ben said as he pet Popplio’s head with his other hand. Popplio giggled mischievously as she reached up and trapped Ben's left hand between her head and her flippers. Ben smiled and chuckled, distracted for a second.
"Hey! Stop that you manipulative little-"
He exclaimed, as he tried to pry Popplio's flippers off of his left hand. The effort, however, was futile; Popplio just kept grasping whichever hand Ben was using to remove her flippers from his other hand. Ben eventually just gave up and retracted his arm, with the small blue pokemon attached, into a cradling position.
Ben smiled, feeling the warmth of the one armed hug, then looked up. He saw that Rowlet had taken two or three small hops to the left and had his head tilted in confusion. Ben looked a bit to the left to see Litten silently inching away.
"Wait one second Litten," Ben said as he walked over with Rowlet following behind. He knelt near Litten and held out his hand. "C'mere buddy," he almost whispered. Litten approached but stopped, not quite touching Ben's hand. Ben closed the remaining distance and gently rubbed Litten's head. ”Litten, try your best to interact with the others some more. Remember, you won't see each other often after tomorrow,” Litten squirmed and tried not to show that he was enjoying being pet as he let out a slightly annoyed meow at the comment.
“Lastly," said Ben, as he used both hands to set Popplio down, directing this remark at all three pokemon. "I can’t play with you today. I have an assignment from the professor. Okay?” The three each indicated that they understood, Popplio and Rowlett with a noise and Litten with a curt nod.
“Okay everyone, play nice and have fun!”
With that, all three of the small pokemon went off to play. Ben watched as he stood up and made his way over to a seat at the edge of the room. Although tempted to play with the pokemon as he often did, he stayed put and observed. The professor had given him specific instructions to watch the starters and take notes. They were going to be chosen by new trainers the next day and the professor wanted to make sure that each of the pokemon were ready to start an exciting journey with a new partner.
Ben didn’t mind though. He enjoyed watching the pokemon play almost as much as he enjoyed playing with them. Although he had instantly taken a liking to each of them due to their natural cuteness, over time he really had grown attached to each of them and their unique personalities.
Rowlett and Popplio are getting along great today, as usual.
Ben wrote notes in his journal as he watched Rowlett and Popplio pass a water bubble balloon back and forth: Popplio with her nose and Rowlett with a gust from his wings. Ben smiled, remembering the first time they played together. Rowlett had tried imitating Popplio by bouncing the balloon back with his beak, popping the balloon, and leaving himself very surprised and mildly wet. For a time, Rowlett was cautious around the balloons but he eventually learned their limits and properties. He was a very curious little pokemon. When he wasn’t playing with the others, he would ask Popplio to make him a balloon, which he would play with until it inevitably popped. He would then immediately beg popplio for another one. Popplio eventually got annoyed by this and started making Rowlett a few balloons the first time he would ask, to last him a while. Over time, Rowlett became quite an expert on the balloons and almost never popped them. With his experience, he knew exactly how to have the most fun possible given any balloon, of any size, whether it was filled with water or air.
Hopefully, Rowlett won’t miss Popplio and her balloons too mu
Suddenly, Ben felt something first touch, and then envelop, his head.
Ben stood up and let out a startled “Woah!” that echoed on the inside of the balloon that he was now wearing like a space helmet. Ben quickly realized that Popplio had redirected a pass from Rowlett over to him as he was writing. He set down his notebook and pencil on his seat and then moved a safe distance away from it, so as to not get it wet. Ben braced himself as he popped the balloon.
He then heard the expected *POP*, a startled meow from Litten over on the other side of the room, and Popplio and Rowlett’s laughter.
“Popplio, I told you that I can’t play with you today. I have my assignment,” Ben said.
Popplio let out a slightly disappointed noise but otherwise went back to playing with Rowlett without hesitation. It seemed to Ben as if she thought that it was worth a shot to try to get him to play with her and Rowlett. Ben sat back down and finished the sentence he was writing. Then, after thinking for a short amount of time, added:
Popplio just disobeyed two of my instructions trying to get me to play with her and Rowlett. I hope she doesn’t make too much trouble seeking her trainer’s attention.
Popplio was a very outgoing pokemon that thrived in the company of others, specifically when she was the center of attention. She was also fairly laid back, so she wouldn’t be too disappointed if she wasn’t. But that wouldn’t stop her from trying almost everything she could think of to accomplish her designs.
The way she is, I’m not not sure if she’ll love or hate the fact that she will have to be on a team with up to five other pokemon. That might depend on the personality of her new trainer.
Ben looked up from his notebook and looked over just in time to catch the tail end of an annoyed look from Litten as he turned away. The small Pokémon arched his back to focus his power, took a short apprehensive glance over at the other two, and then let out an ember attack towards the wall. Ben realized that he must’ve popped the balloon on his head at an inconvenient time, most likely as Litten was focusing power for a move.
Ben set down his notebook and jogged over to where Litten was training, noting a jealous look from Popplio. She obviously wasn’t too thrilled that Ben was visiting Litten, especially after he had just declined her invitation to play.
“Hey little guy,” Ben said gently.
Litten seemed to arch his back a bit more intensely but otherwise didn’t acknowledge Ben.
“Sorry about earlier. I should’ve warned you before popping the balloon,” Ben said apologetically.
Litten’s posture softened slightly. Ben sighed, glad that his apology had lessened the tension. Suddenly, Litten let out another Ember attack, though this one was much weaker than the others. Litten let out a frustrated meow and, to Ben’s dismay, arched his back once more with a greater intensity than before the apology was given.
“Alright, I get it. I’ll stop distracting you,” Ben said with a sigh as he turned to head back to his seat.
After taking a step, however, he paused, remembering Professor Kukui’s instruction to make sure the starters were in their best shape by the next day. He turned, “Make sure you don’t-,” he started to say. Just then, Litten let out another small blast of flame. Though this one was slightly better than his last, he still let out an angry yell and then turned to shoot Ben a look, practically pleading Ben to leave him be. Popplio and Rowlett looked on from the other side of the room.
Ben looked at the floor. “Again, I’m really sorry Litten,” he muttered.
Ben hurriedly made his way back to his seat. He opened his notebook, content to resume his assignment. He wanted to be a good caretaker. He wanted so badly for the Pokémon to like him and to enjoy and fondly remember their days in the lab. He felt that Popplio and Rowlett did, but he was unsure about Litten.
Litten is acting as cold as ever towards me today.
Ben let out a single feeble chuckle at the irony in that sentence. Ben didn’t know why, but despite his best efforts to build a bond with Litten, he couldn’t get Litten to warm up to him. Again, realizing the unintentional irony in the previous thought, Ben smiled dejectedly, not even in the mood to laugh anymore, however weakly.
Maybe Litten should’ve been born an ice type.
Ben realized that his notes were getting mopey rather than scientific.
Anyway, he was frustrated with me and the others for distracting him during training. He gets distracted easily. This might partially explain why he prefers to train alone.
But a full explanation for Litten’s behavior eluded him. Litten did fine training with Ben and the others during the usual time in the morning. And Ben knew how badly Litten wanted to be chosen by a trainer. He suspected that was why he trained extra during playtime. It was because Ben knew this that he wanted to tell Litten to take it easy. He knew how much Litten anticipated the next day and wanted him to be at his best for it. But Litten wouldn’t listen, or even give Ben the chance to really speak. Ben stared at the floor; a sour expression crept onto his face.
“Pop?”
Popplio moved into Ben’s line of sight with Rowlett in tow, both their faces and body language filled with concern.
“I told you that I can’t play with you guys-,” he started to say. But before he could finish, Popplio and Rowlett jumped up onto Ben’s lap and gave him a hug. Ben hugged back and reveled in the cozy embrace for a good while.
”You guys know me so well,” Ben said as he pulled away. “Thanks. I feel much better now,” he assured them. He smiled while trying not to tear up. He wasn’t lying. The tears he felt were from an overflow of positive emotion. Giving and receiving long hugs from the Pokémon he cared for tended to have this effect on him.
“Alright you two, as you were,” Ben half-jokingly commanded. And with that, Poopplio and Rowlett once again went off to play. Ben again opened his notebook and returned to work.
-----------
Ben watched with pride at the amazing game the Pokémon had improvised. Rowlett was flying in tight turns and constantly pulling in and out of quick dives around one of Popplio’s balloons. Ben watched as the balloon meandered on the turbulent air currents created by Rowlett‘s maneuvers. Popplio was balancing on her hind flippers in the center of Rowlett’s circular flight path, ready to bounce it back up with her nose if it fell too far. Even Litten had joined in the game and would occasionally release weak ember attacks under the outer edge of Rowlett’s circle to create updrafts of hot air for the balloon. It was mesmerizing. Ben excitedly wrote a description of the game in his notes and immediately started to provide a few extra comments.
They’re three little geniuses! Not only is the game fun and intricate, but it’s effectively training a unique aspect of each Pokémon’s powers. Rowlett is practicing controlled flight with added turbulence from the updrafts caused by Litten’s ember attacks. Popplio is practicing her balance and some evasiveness as she dodges the occasional wayward blast of fire. And Litten is practicing his precision and power control. I have high hopes for each of them!
Ben flipped through his pages of notes for the day. Happy with how much he had recorded, and satisfied to leave his commentary on the Pokémon’s game as the concluding remark, Ben closed his notebook. He then looked over at the clock. It was 12:52. Play time was supposed to end at 12:30, but in the excitement caused by the new game the Pokémon had invented, everyone had lost track of the time.
“Alright you three, listen up!” Ben yelled.
Popplio dropped down to all four of her flippers, Litten’s posture relaxed, and Rowlett landed next to the others. Each Pokémon turned and looked at Ben.
“Lunchtime!”
This declaration was followed by cheers from the Pokémon. They immediately started over to the section of the room that had their food bowls. Ben walked alongside them on the left.
As they made their way over, Ben and Litten each stole short sideways looks at the other. Whenever Ben thought he caught Litten looking at him he seemed to suddenly become very interested in the blank wall opposite to the three Pokémon.
The Pokémon went to their respective bowls of Pokémon food, which were green, blue, and red after each creatures’ type. These were further distinguished by a topping of each of their favorite berries, which were cut into bite-sized pieces. The berries were the suggestion of a nice old woman they had once met at a fruit stand in the marketplace. Ben grabbed his bag lunch and sat down on the floor with the starters.
At first, no one spoke as they were all occupied with calming the recently acknowledged complaints from their stomachs. Even Popplio, who was known to take her sweet time to eat/play with her food, was too busy digging in to liven up the scene at first. However, after each had eaten their first few bites, they began to talk amongst themselves.
“Hey Rowlett, was flying through the swirling columns of hot air back there as fun as it looked?” Ben asked enthusiastically.
Rowlett cooed an excited affirmation and began re-enacting his flight earlier by hopping around and spinning with his wings outstretched without actually taking flight.
Though Ben didn’t understand the Pokémon perfectly, he enjoyed listening to them and occasionally repeating back what he guessed they had said based on their intonation and gestures. Though sometimes, Popplio would trick him by responding to something with the intonation very close to how Ben was expecting. Except Ben could tell pretty quickly from how the others immediately stifled their laughter, that what she had said definitely wasn’t what it had sounded like to him.
“Pop-plio poppli?” Popplio questioned, turning to Rowlett.
A short exchange followed. First, Popplio asked one or two more questions and Rowlett answered them. Then Popplio kept telling Rowlett one phrase insistently while he refused. Finally, with a look that seemed to say “You asked for it,” Rowlett took off with a gust of wind that knocked over the precariously balanced structure that Popplio had been in the process of erecting with her Pokémon food. She stared at the wreckage with a defeated look that seemed to say, “Yeah, I was asking for it”. Ben and Litten, who had been watching intently, turned to each other simultaneously. After briefly exchanging amused looks they began laughing cheerfully, seemingly forgetting their earlier conflict for the moment.
For the rest of the meal, Popplio acted a bit sad about her food structure being destroyed. Though Ben suspected that she was playing it up a bit, he still comforted her anyway, happy for the excuse to give her extra head pats and the like. Knowing that she would likely be off with a new trainer very soon, Ben wasn’t worried about spoiling her one last time. Other than this, the rest of the meal passed peacefully. However, Ben couldn’t help but notice a subtle sadness in Litten’s eyes as him and the starters ate and talked together.
As per usual, Rowlett was out like a light as soon as he finished eating. He had partially liquefied, assuming the form of a fuzzy blob with a beak. As if on cue, everyone else started to become sleepy as well. This feeling was extra potent that particular day because of how hard the Pokémon had played and how quickly they all ate due to the late start on lunch.
Popplio stretched and laid on her front. She propped up her head with one flipper and closed her eyes with a smile. Ben, who was sitting criss-cross near the three, looked on. To him it looked as if Popplio had dozed off while daydreaming in class… while laying down. Ben imagined that she had dozed off while daydreaming in school during nap time… because she was in kindergarten… for Pokémon. Ben shrugged at no one in particular, giving up on trying to recall a naturally occurring instance of Popplio’s peculiar sleeping position.
“Kindergarten?” Ben thought to himself. ”What a weird word. It almost sounds like the name of a Pokémon. Being made up of what sounds like existing words with slightly different spellings and/or pronunc-”
Ben froze. Just then, from the edge of his vision on the right, he noticed Litten standing only a few feet away from him. Litten had approached silently and while he was lost in thought so he hadn’t noticed him coming. Litten just stood there facing down and off to the side, with a blank look on his face. Ben turned to face Litten. In response, Litten shot a glance up at him but just as quickly returned his gaze back to the floor.
“How long has he been standing there? What does he want?
What do I say?
What-”
Ben’s thoughts were interrupted again, this time by Litten walking towards him, stepping onto his lap, turning himself around, and curling up cozily. Ben froze for a second due to surprise, until he felt the soft warmth of the small kitten Pokémon on his legs.
Rather than wonder what a kitten even was, as he might have under other circumstances, Ben instinctively began to pet Litten’s soft fur, slowly and gently. Litten, who, until Ben had touched him, had been looking at the floor with the same blank expression as before, gave a relaxed sigh, smiled, closed his eyes, and began purring. After this went on for a bit, Litten yawned and liquefied in Ben’s lap in the way only cats can. Cats, Ben thought, and certain strange little owls. The wordless message between the two was crystal clear. All was forgiven. All was well.
“Sweet dreams, little guy,” Ben whispered softly.