I'll post 5 Bonus Chapters this week, if we gather 1300 PS by this weekend.
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Megan Stuart had once been an ordinary girl from a quiet town surrounded by fields of sunflowers.
But when she was only four, war swept through her home. That day, Megan watched both her parents die before her eyes.
She and her older brother were taken as slaves by the enemy nation. From then on, their lives were spent like weeds in the mud, insignificant, trampled, and caged alongside monsters captured from the wild.
Megan was assigned to care for those captured monsters forced into labor in the royal city, while her brother became a stable boy.
At first, Megan had been terrified of monster.
But when she saw them beaten and bloodied by overseers for refusing to work, her fear slowly turned into pity.
Later, when she heard Lord Lucien remark that Magikarp were incredibly resilient, that even in the filthiest ponds they could survive, something stirred in her heart.
Yes… For her and her brother, those years in captivity had been their "filthiest pond."
But that life was over now.
Under Lord Lucien, she and her brother were free. They had their own cabin, no longer slaves, and next year Lucien had promised to grant them a field where they could plant sunflowers once more, just as their parents had.
Even in hardship, endure, that was the spirit Megan had learned from Magikarp.
"Fish, fish… Stay strong and get through this winter with me and my brother," she whispered softly.
Kneeling in front of the wooden trough her brother had carved from a hollowed tree, Megan stroked the six Magikarp swimming inside. They lined up neatly in the water, gazing back at her.
Megan's hand brushed over their heads, the same way she had once comforted the wounded monsters in the cages.
"Don't worry, Magikarp. Things will get better for us."
The water rippled, and one Magikarp leapt joyfully, splashing droplets everywhere as though answering her words.
The cabin door creaked open. Megan turned to see her brother, Chris, step inside. Though only sixteen, years of hardship had given him a maturity far beyond his age.
Watching his sister tend the monsters, Chris gave a practical warning.
"A blizzard's coming. Don't go outside the next few days. Keep warm. Supplies are low, if you get sick now, we won't have enough medicine."
"Yes, brother," Megan nodded quickly. Then, seeing him about to leave again, she asked, "Where are you going?"
"The stables are ready. I need to bring the Bouffalant there. They're too valuable to lose."
Bouffalant, those mighty buffalo with thick, afro-like manes, could haul heavy goods and plow fields. They would be essential for the territory's survival.
Meanwhile, Lucien had returned to his tent, frustrated after failing to spot the elusive Snivy again. The Grass Snake Pokémon had vanished back into the trees.
Just then, a familiar cry came from outside.
"Minccino!"
Lucien looked up, startled, as the five Minccino scurried in through the flap of the tent, each carrying chestnuts, pinecones, and wild berries piled high in their tiny arms.
Lucien blinked. "…What's all this?"
"Mincci!" the little chinchillas chirped proudly.
This was the Minccino's winter stash!
From what they had observed these past days, Lucien didn't seem to have the habit of storing food.
One of the Minccino tilted its head at him.
If this human ever grew hungry in the middle of winter, maybe they could share a little of their acorns and berries with him…
But…
Lucien and that Dratini of his both looked like they ate a lot.
The chinchillas glanced at the pile of nuts and fruit they'd carried in and suddenly felt a knot of worry tighten in their tiny chests.
Would there be enough left for later?
Would they… starve?
The more they thought about it, the more anxious they became.
No, better to find more food while there was still time!
With a few quick squeaks, the Minccino hastily covered their stash, then scampered back out of the tent.
Lucien blinked in confusion.
"What was that about?"
He had thought Minccino's Ability was Technician, not something like… hoarding.
Maybe stockpiling food was simply part of their instinctive behavior. Either way, there was no point puzzling over it now.
The blizzard was closing in, and before it arrived, he and Dratini needed to train harder.
"Wrap, Leer, Twister, Thunder Wave…" Lucien ran through the list of moves Dratini had already mastered, considering how to build on them.
Since Dratini had no legs, its training had to focus on high-speed flight. And as for physical strength…
Lucien's eyes drifted to Dratini's sleek, sinuous body. Its true weapon wasn't its fangs or its horn, it was that flexible tail.
"Alright. Then we'll start with tail-strength training."
From there, he could slowly raise the intensity.
When Lucien had first arrived in this world, Dratini had been scrawny from the harsh journey and sudden climate change. But now, thanks to steady care and daily practice, the little dragon had put on some weight and vigor.
Without modern machines or equipment, he could only rely on natural methods.
"Well… besides strengthening its tail, we can start teaching Dratini to fly with weights."
Lucien stepped outside, found several smooth rocks, and tied them to Dratini's body with rope.
This kind of training would become common centuries later, but in an age when people knew so little about systematic Pokémon development, it was a method far ahead of its time.
At first, Dratini flinched under the awkward weight, its slender body twisting uncomfortably in the air. But it didn't cry or stop. To grow stronger, to survive, it endured the strain and forced its way forward, coiling through the snow-laden air with the rocks tugging at its scales.
Lucien watched with quiet relief.
Thank Arceus… Dratini wasn't the kind to give up at the first taste of pain or exhaustion.
After a moment's thought, Lucien picked up a sturdy branch, planting it upright in the ground. He would have Dratini lash it again and again with its tail, each strike sharpening speed and power.
While his partner trained, Lucien turned to the more delicate task he could manage. He had several fish brought in from storage. With careful hands, he deboned and ground the flesh, rolling it into neat little balls before steaming them over the brazier.
Though he bore the title of lord and had servants at his disposal, Lucien believed one thing firmly: a true trainer should tend to their Pokémon personally. To cook for them, to understand their needs, to share in their struggles, that was how bonds were forged.
When the day's training finally ended, Dratini sagged onto his lap, scales still warm from exertion. Lucien fed it the steaming fish balls one by one, then rubbed its muscles with practiced fingers to ease away the stiffness.
The blizzard outside howled, snowflakes chasing each other across the dark sky.
But within the tent, the brazier glowed red, radiating springlike warmth.
Dratini curled tighter against Lucien, content. Delicious food, warmth against the cold, and the person it trusted most by its side;
This was happiness.
...
Stones Plzzz
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