"Very well."
The Alakazam stroked its whiskers and smiled, met Vance's eyes for a moment, and then its shape faded slowly away where it stood.
"Grandpa Alakazam."
Feeling it go, the Ralts cried out after it, and got no answer.
It was not as it had been before. That kind voice would not come again.
"Grandpa... Alakazam......"
The Ralts stood frozen where she was, her small body shaking, sobbing, tear after tear falling from the corners of her eyes.
"Ah— this— Boss, what do we do about this?"
The Gyarados came up beside him and asked.
He had thought it was going to be something serious, and it turned out to be his Trainer's charm running over, with a Pokémon coming to them of its own accord.
And since the Trainer had taken her on, that meant this little green sprout was one of the team from now on.
The Gyarados stood seven or eight metres; even stooping down he was very much larger than a Ralts of only 0.4 metres.
So the little sprout he had her down for was not far wrong.
He called the Slaking a titch as well.
In the matter of size, he was the biggest.
"What do we do? We welcome a new teammate onto the team. What else would we do?"
Vance answered him.
"Oh. Oh. Then I'll go and say hello, shall I."
The Gyarados went puffing and blowing over to her.
"Ralts, is it? Don't cry. I'll look after you from now on. I'm the Gyarados, the big brother of this team. Apart from the Trainer, I'm the biggest here. Welcome aboard."
The Gyarados said it in his free-and-easy way.
The Ralts turned her head and looked, and there was the Gyarados bent down over her, dragging a smile across that ferocious face of his, which frightened her.
"H— hello."
The Ralts backed slowly away, tense.
"Eh? Don't be frightened of me. I look fierce, but I'm very gentle."
Seeing her frightened like that, the Gyarados hurried to explain.
What sort of eyesight was this? He, the Gyarados, was no beauty, but he had a decent enough shape to him. How could he frighten a Pokémon?
The Torchic had been the same in his day, and here was this Ralts doing it too.
"Ha ha ha. Stand down, Gyarados. Don't go frightening children."
The Slaking got to his feet, and for once opened his mouth to have a dig at him.
It had been a long time since he had last had a dig at him. It had lost none of its savour. Delightful.
"??? What do you mean, frightening children? I'm saying hello, thank you."
The Gyarados would not have that and said so loudly.
But the little green bundle below him was shaking still.
"Gyarados, stand down for now. The Ralts may not be used to it yet."
Vance spoke up then and told him to stand down.
"Eh?"
The Gyarados froze where he stood, not moving, as though he had been turned to stone.
The Ralts beside him edged slowly round, came up in front of Vance and climbed into his arms.
For the moment, he was the only one she felt she could lean on.
"Don't cry. We're teammates from now on."
Vance stroked her back and soothed her.
"Mm. Mm."
The Ralts gave a small hum against him, and the tears stopped.
"That's the Gyarados. He doesn't mean any harm."
"Mm. Mm. I know."
The Ralts said it softly. She can feel the feelings of Pokémon; if there had been harm in him she would have felt that too.
She had been frightened just now only because the first thing she saw on turning round was the Gyarados, and in that instant the weight of that huge body and that ferocious face had startled her, and she had been afraid without meaning to be.
His goodwill the Ralts could feel well enough.
"This is the Slaking."
Vance pointed at the Slaking next.
"Awooo. Hello there."
The Slaking raised one hand lazily, which counted as saying hello, and lay back down again.
"This is the Blaziken."
"Blaziken, Blaziken—"
The Blaziken answered warmly, and the flame that rose off him was not hot at all, only warm.
"This is the Aerodactyl."
"Roar, roar—"
The Aerodactyl beat his wings in welcome.
"This one is the Zweilous. This is Black One, and that is Black Two."
Hearing that, the Zweilous raised both heads and put out his goodwill, welcoming the new teammate aboard.
"Hello, all of you."
The Ralts answered them too. She could feel that these Pokémon were welcoming her and were not shutting her out.
After that interruption the Ralts had come round somewhat, though her spirits were still low.
And Vance found it a curious thing himself — one trip out of doors, and a Pokémon had come to him of its own accord and added itself to the company.
Was this what they called fate?
That evening Vance saw to it himself, and put together the food the Ralts liked best.
"Ralts—"
The Ralts looked very well satisfied, eating slowly, and looking rather elegant about it.
On the other side of her it was nothing of the kind. It was bedlam — great mouthfuls in at a time, bolted whole, straight down.
Set against the Ralts's elegance, it made them look rougher still.
Which made Vance think: yes, catching a female Pokémon was a good thing after all. It leavened the mixture.
A good subject for comparison.
The Gyarados and the others caught on to something, stopped eating and looked over.
Ought they, perhaps, to be minding the impression they made?
While the Gyarados was thinking about it, the Slaking scooped up a handful of food in passing and started on it.
"Roar, roar—"
The Gyarados stopped thinking and joined the fight over the food.
He had been about to mind the impression he made; now there was no need. Damn it, if he left it any later the Slaking would have had the lot — and the Aerodactyl was over there too, quietly getting himself in on it.
Only the Blaziken looked at all refined about it. His appetite was not large.
And the Zweilous went at it with both mouths, and ate no less than any of them.
"Eat slowly. There's plenty more, isn't there?"
Vance called over to them.
The Gyarados and the rest went on grabbing regardless. It was not a question of whether there was more. Once hands were in, the food war had begun, and there was no withdrawing from it.
Somehow, what you snatch tastes better. Roar, roar.
"Ralts—"
The Ralts held a red thing like a cake in both hands, watching the Gyarados and the others scuffle.
The mood was cheerful and easy, and it seemed to her rather a good thing.
Holding her food, she took a small bite. It suited her exactly, and her eyes narrowed to slits.
It was very good and very sweet, like the Berries the Alakazam used to bring her; and thinking of that, she thought of the Alakazam again.
"Grandpa Alakazam, I'm going to get stronger. I promise."
The Ralts thought of what the Alakazam had said to her, and her eyes were steady.
"Go on, Ralts. That's the way. The road ahead is one you must walk yourself."
Out in the dark, the Alakazam was watching her.
It had not gone after vanishing. It had stayed to watch her from hiding and see how she got on.
If she truly could not bear it, it would take her away again; but as it was, things looked well enough. She was settling in, little by little.