A New World, a New Way: Against the Book

Chapters

Burning Curiosity
Burning Sensation
The Heat of Battle
Flaring Tempers
Hot Stuff
Heated Encounter
Fired Up
Prologue: Hot Pursuit

Burning Curiosity

Burning Curiosity

Jenny woke up, her entire body feeling numb. “What… happened?” She asked. She looked around and found herself in a clearing, not unlike the last place she remembered being. She sat there for a few moments as the rest of her memories came rushing back. The failed pursuit, being overpowered by the Gardevoir. “Dammit all,” she muttered. Now there was no way she could show her face around the station. She had been so close, too, she knew it.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, feeling sorry for herself, but she was interrupted by footsteps. She looked up, and couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, Scorch, it’s you,” she said to the Growlithe.

The Growlithe paused. “How… how do you know my name?” He asked nervously.

“I… Scorch, of course I know your name,” Jenny replied in confusion. “You’ve been my partner for years,” she added.

“Wait. You mean… no, you can’t be. You’re not Jenny.” Scorch the Growlithe adopted an aggressive stance and started glaring at Jenny.

“What!? No, Scorch, it’s me! I swear, I’m - woah!” Jenny had tried to stand up, but for some reason her sense of balance was completely off. “Ow,” she muttered from her new position, one that let her admire the sky.

The Growlithe relaxed its stance a little, not sure about what he was seeing. “Are you okay?”

“What happened?” She asked herself as she rolled onto her belly. Why couldn’t she stand up? It was like her body just didn’t want to move the way she wanted it to. She got onto all fours and realised that it felt much more comfortable. “What’s going on?” She looked at her hands. Or rather, were her hands were meant to be.

“WHAT!?” she screeched, staring at the pair of orange paws. “WHAT!? WHY DO I HAVE PAWS!?”

“Calm down!” Scorch started pleading. “Calm down!”

Jenny looked at her, whipping her head around to get a better look at her.body. Orange fur with black stripes, a fluffy cream tail, more cream fur on her chest and belly… There was no doubting what she was. “Why am I a Growlithe!?”

“I - I - I don’t know!” Scorch shouted. “Just please, calm down!”

“Why am I a Growlithe, Scorch!?” she shouted back, only just registering that her eyes were level with Scorch’s. “Why!?”

“If you were Jenny you wouldn’t be acting like this!” the other Growlithe roared, finally fed up with her behaviour. “Now stop!” Jenny gaped at the sudden angry outburst. “Thank you,” Scorch said, thankful that she had stopped screaming. “Okay. You say you’re Jenny. How… how can you prove it?”

“Umm… Err… W-when we first met. You set fire to my hat,” she offered.

Scorch gave her a flat look. “Every time I sneeze there’s a good chance I’ll set something on fire. You’re gonna need to do better than that to convince me.”

“Whenever it’s cold you sneak into my bed?” she tried.

“That would describe almost any Pokémon.”

“One time I woke up because you stuck your tongue up my nose. That woke you up, and then I had to spend two weeks with my shoulders and neck covered in bandages from when you snorted fire.”

Scorch just stood there, his jaw hanging open loosely. “Okay, yeah, y-you’re Jenny. Um. Sorry,” he added timidly.

“No, I…” Jenny sighed. “I can understand, I guess. Why, though?” She shakily took a few steps forward before losing her balance again. “Argh!” She spat out a mouthful of grass and looked at Scorch, who was failing to hide a smile. “This is gonna get boring fast. A little help?”

Jenny had no idea how long it took for her to get the hang of quadrupedalism, but it felt like it was too long. Still, being able to move properly on all fours meant that Scorch could finally lead her out of the little clearing he’d found her in.

It turned out that they were in a park. Around them were numerous Pokémon of varying species, mainly Pidgeys, Flabébés, Budews and even Skiddo. She was sure she could see few stranger specimens, like Arons and Mareep. What was most disconcerting was that each one had a voice she could actually understand.

“They’re all talking…”

“Yeah. Well, um, you’re a Pokémon now, so you can understand us,” Scorch pointed out.

“This is so strange…”

“My trainer turned into a Growlithe, and we are absolutely nowhere I can recognize,” Scorch retorted flatly. “I think we passed beyond the point of ‘strange’ a while ago.”

Jenny nodded as she kept looking around, listening to the voices all around her. She had never imagined that she would be in a position to actually understand what had once been meaningless noise. But despite the multitude of voices, there was one thing they all had in common. “They sound confused.“

“I am as well. This park isn't anywhere in Kalos. And some of those Pidgeys mentioned being from Kanto. We're all confused,“ Scorch admitted nervously.

Jenny looked around before nodding to herself. “Come on, Scorch. We're gonna get some answers.“

“We are?“ her Growlithe partner asked.

“I’m a police officer. I might not look like it,“ she admitted, “but I can at least ask questions. Maybe someone here knows something.“

“I guess it’s better than sitting here...“ Scorch followed Jenny, partly out of a sense of duty, partly to help when she stumbled over her own paws again.

The officer-turned-Growlithe walked through the park, feeling more and more confident by the second. She could do this, it was what she was trained to do. As long as she ignored the fact that she was asking Pokémon instead of people, it was going to be just like questioning witnesses at a crime scene. With her strategy planned out, she stopped under a tree. “Excuse me!“ she called out. “I’d like to ask a few questions!“

“Get in line, pup!” an angry voice from above called back.

Jenny looked up and suddenly felt a lot less confident. Glaring down at her from its vantage point was an angry-looking Pidgeot. And it wasn’t just angry, it was angry. “Eep.“ And it towered over her, easily twice her height.

“What makes you think you can just waltz in and demand answers?“ the Pidgeot asked loudly. It didn’t even wait for an answer, instead just flapping its wings furiously and sending Jenny flying. The Growlithe let out a yelp of surprise as she suddenly found herself airborne until she slammed into a tree a few dozen feet away and fell face first into the mud.

“Jenny!“ Scorch shouted as he ran up to her. “Are you okay?“

Jenny let out a low groan, unfortunately leading to mud leaking into her mouth. The Growlithe shook her head and spat mud from her between her teeth. “Oww... did you get the number of that Rhydon?”

“Come on,“ Scorch said softly, putting his head under her chin and helping her up.

Jenny let out another groan as he helped her up but once he had she blinked twice and looked at him down her mud stained muzzle. “Thanks Scorch.”

“Let’s find a pond, get that washed off.“

As Scorch led the way, Jenny wiped away what she could. “I guess Pokémon aren’t all that different from humans,“ she muttered.

“Huh?“

“Turns out that some Pokémon are natural-born assholes too,” Jenny replied with a shake of her head. “If we were human I would arrest him for assault.“

Scorch laughed a little. “Get used to this kind of thing. Unless we find some Fire Stones we’re kind of left at the bottom of the ladder as far as ‘respect’ goes.”

“Really? Why?“

“Because we’re ‘small’,” Scorch replied with a small shrug. “Not to mention that only Arcanine are really seen as ‘adults’. Heck, if it wasn’t for you picking me I’d probably still be too weak to do much good in a serious fight.”

Jenny sat by the edge of the small pond and looked at her reflection. Instead of her familiar human face, with its blue hair and authoritative eyes, the face that looked back could only be described as ‘adorable’.

“Arceus... I’m cute...” she muttered to herself.

“Yeah, you are,“ Scorch said, looking at her with a big smile on his muzzle. “Uh, sorry.“

“You’re cute too,“ Jenny said. The other Growlithe started scowling a little, but she missed it because she was trying to wash away the mud.

“Hello?“ The pair looked to the source of the voice and saw a Tympole poking its head out of the water. “Are you okay?“ it asked Jenny.

“Yeah, I’m okay,“ Jenny replied, shaking her head rapidly. “I just got gusted by that big Pidgeot over there...” she said with a nod in the direction of the tree.

“Yeah, that guy’s a jerk. What did you want to ask before?“

Jenny laughed a little, immensely relieved that someone was willing to help. “I was hoping that someone knows something about how we ended up here,“ she explained. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything, would you?“

The Tympole blinked blankly at her. “Not a clue, sorry Miss, I just woke up in this pond a little while ago... I really hope that my family is around here somewhere but I haven’t seen any of my brothers or sisters in... well I just hope that they’re okay.”

“Oh… sorry.“ Jenny coughed awkwardly.

“Eh, don’t worry about it... I’m sure they’re okay,” the Tympole replied, more trying to reassure itself then it was her. “Anything else?”

“No, that’s… Actually, no, there is one more thing. Did anything happen just before you woke up here?“

The Tympole thought for a moment. “There… was a voice,“ it admitted. “I don’t remember what it said, though. Sorry I can’t be any more helpful.“

“It’s alright,” Scorch stated with a small nod. “You’ve already helped a bunch...” he glanced at the little bits of mud still on Jenny’s fur, refusing to come off. “Actually, do you think you could help clean that off?”

“That might not be a good idea,“ Jenny said cautiously. She was a Fire-type now, and to get the mud off would need a Water-type move. But what if it knocked her out?

“Don’t worry Jen, so long as he doesn’t put any force into it you’ll be fine,” Scorch assured her with a smile. “We’re not like Charmander, you know.”

“If you’re sure...“ she replied uneasily.

“Don’t worry, I’ve done this kind of thing before,” the Tympole assured her with a small chuckle as it sucked in a breath and then let out a smooth trickle of water across Jenny’s muzzle, washing away the mud in a comforting spray. “There you go, all done.”

“Phew. Thanks, I was worried you were gonna blast me into another tree or something,“ she admitted.

“Nah, I’m not a jerk,” the Tympole replied. “Us little guys gotta stick together, you know? Even if you two are already together no reason not to have more friends, anyways see ya.”

“I’m not that little...“ Jenny grumbled as the Tympole swam away. “And what did it mean by that?“

“Well... I’m a guy, you’re a girl, we’re both Growlithes... figure it out,” Scorch said slowly.

Jenny blinked. “O-okay. No offence, Scorch, but no. Hopefully this whole mess is temporary, and I don’t think anyone would accept ‘but I was a Pokémon at the time!’ as a valid defense. Not like I’m interested in that kind of thing in the first place...“ she muttered.

“Yeah, of course,” Scorch agreed with a nod of his head. “It’s kinda dumb to even think about in the first place.” He looked away. “Anyways, want to keep looking for clues Jen?”

“Jen?“ she asked, turning to face him.

“Hmm?” he asked with a frown. “It’s what I always call you... Or most of the time anyways.”

Jenny was about to respond, but an excited gasp cut her off. “Doggies!“

The pair blinked in surprise and turned to face a small, pale green Ponyta-like creature, staring at them in wide-eyed wonder. “Scorch, what is that?“

“... no idea.”

“Remedy, no.“

“But muuuuuum!”

The pale-blue unicorn gave her daughter a flat stare. “It could be dangerous, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Mum, I’m just going to the park to see these new animals,” Remedy, a pale green unicorn filly said with a pout. “What if some of them are hurt?”

“And what if some of them hurt you?” her mother countered.

“I don’t think they will Mum...” the filly replied with a smile. “After all, I betcha that they’ll notice that I’m related to a vet!”

“How, dear?” the mare asked. “All you have is one of my spare bags.”

Remedy thought for a moment, her face scrunching up as she did so before the answer came to her. “Magic!”

Nightingale looked down at her daughter and shook her head. “Darling...”

“I said I’ll be careful! What more do you want?”

“To give me a few minutes.”

Remedy stared at her mother as she walked into her veterinary clinic. “Wha?”

“You said you saw a metal tortoise, didn’t you?” Nightingale called out. “I need to see this for myself.” She stepped out wearing a set of saddlebags. “I don’t want you going alone, and I want to see if these things are real,” she answered.

“They are! I saw one walk past my window!” Remedy claimed.

“Well, we’ll go and make sure,” Nightingale said with a smile as she bent down to nuzzle her daughter. “But if we don’t find any then we’re coming right back okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now, let’s go.”

Nightingale followed her daughter as the filly hopped happily down the road. She wasn’t sure if the creatures Remedy claimed to have seen were real or not. If they were then things like the little dragon with the burning tail or the metal tortoise had to be documented. Perhaps if the creatures were truly as strange as he daugher said then she could send a scientific report to Princess Celestia, Nightingale had heard of it being done before after all.

It didn’t take the two long to get to the park, and when they got there, Nightingale’s eyes widened significantly... she was definitely sending a report to someone.

Remedy turned to Nightingale and gave her a smug smile. “I told you they were real, mum.”

Nightingale just nodded numbly... there were so many of them and most of them looked like nothing she’d ever seen before! She was starting to regret not bringing along a camera.

Remedy meanwhile just smiled and began to walk towards the creatures, her eyes on a particular pair who had wandered a bit farther away from the big clusters. “Doggies!” she shouted as she got close to them.

Nightingale followed her daughter’s line of sight and saw that the two did indeed resemble dogs. Very fluffy, strangely coloured dogs, but dogs nonetheless. They were, along with some of the bird-like creatures, the most normal of the lot.

“Mommy... can we take them?” the filly asked insistently.

“Well dear, I’ve never seen any dogs quite like them before, but they don’t have any fleas, they look healthy, and they seem quite docile... so until we can find their owners we can keep them.” And maybe I can do a little research… “Besides, we don’t want them to get hurt by all of these weird creatures.”

Scorch looked sidelong at Jenny. “It wants to take us. What should we do?” he hissed.

Jenny looked at the wide-eyed, off-colour Ponyta and a larger, pale blue one with a horn. She was wearing a white veterinarian's coat and little else. “I… Maybe we should go with them. For now, anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Scorch asked. “I’ll go with you, but this might be a bad idea.”

“It probably is, but I don’t know what else we can do,” Jenny admitted. “At least this way we can find out more about this place. This definitely isn’t Kalos.”

The other Growlithe nodded slightly. “Okay then, you’re the ‘boss’ Jen. And, I guess if things do go poorly, we could just burn our way out…”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone though…” Jenny said. She also had no idea how to go about accessing her new powers, but she didn’t feel like revealing that.

“Neither do I, but if we have to, we have to.”

“At least we didn’t have to hurt them…”

“How did this happen again?“ Scorch asked. The pair had been led to what looked a bit like a doctor’s office and had ended up with blue ribbons around their necks as makeshift collars..

“You saw those eyes, saying ‘no’ would have been like kicking a Pichu,“ Jenny retorted.

“Yay!” the little pony who had grabbed them exclaimed with a grin as she reached out and pulled the two Growlithes against her light green coat. “I’m going to love them and take care of them!”

“We can take care of ourselves. And, from a legal standpoint, I own Scorch,” Jenny pointed out with a frown as she was pressed against the filly’s side.

“Strange how all they can say is ‘Growlithe’, though. Never seen anything like it,“ the bigger one admitted.

“And they can’t understand us,“ Scorch added.

“Yeah, that is odd,” the filly agreed before frowning. “Is it okay if we give them some food?”

“Of course, dear, just make sure it’s not the medicated stuff.“

“Thanks mom!” the filly exclaimed, releasing the two Pokémon and dashing out of the room, leaving Jenny and Scorch on the floor in front of the blue mare.

“You two are peculiar,” the mare said with a small frown. “You kind of remind me of temple dogs that they have over in Neighpal but you’re the wrong color.”

“Great, more terrible Ponyta puns,“ Scorch muttered.

“I’m more worried about eating dog food...” Jenny replied with a grimace.

“Hopefully it’s good stuff,“ Scorch replied, his little tail wagging happily at the prospect of being fed.

“I’ll need to make sure to write down your descriptions before we find your owner...” the mare said, still frowning. “At least you’re obviously mates so you won’t get too lonely.”

Jenny’s blush was hidden by her coat. “We are not mates!“ she protested loudly.

The mare frowned at the barking dog. “Don’t worry, the food will be here soon I’m sure,” she assured Jenny, patting her on the head and completely misinterpreting the noises. “My daughter may be a bit excitable but she’s a nice little filly and she knows how to handle animals pretty well.”

“We are not animals,“ Scorch growled.

“I really wish that I had a talent for speaking to animals like some ponies I’ve heard about, then I’d know what you were saying,” the mare said, shaking her head as she turned away from them. “But oh well, no use wishing for something you don’t have,” she added as she walked over to the couch and her horn glowed as a dog reference guide floated over to her. “Maybe I missed something...”

“I got the food!“ Jenny turned and her eyes went wide at the smell.

The filly came trotting in with two dog dishes full of dog chow and... it smelled incredibly good. Jenny barely managed to restrain herself from diving in muzzle first as the filly set them down in front of her. After all... she wasn’t about to eat out of a dog dish!

Scorch had no such compunctions about where his meal came from, and was instead digging into the meal with puppylike abandon. “How can you eat off of the floor?“ Jenny asked in disgust.

Scorch looked up from his meal, licking kibbles off of his lips. “You realize this is where I always eat right? And this stuff is REALLY good too!”

Jenny stared at her meal. It smelled amazing, and the rumbling of her stomach WAS pretty insistent. “Just this once...“ she muttered. She leaned in, aware of the stares of the two that had taken them in.

“Jenny, if you don’t eat that then I will,“ Scorch told her seriously.

She rolled her eyes and took a small bite. She became aware of what was happening around her a few minutes later as her tongue automatically licked at her chops. “Wow,“ Scorch said. “It was like you hadn’t eaten in weeks.“

“What do you mean?“ Jenny asked, oblivious to what she had just done.

“Jen... you just zoned out and ate the entire bowl in less time than I did and I started first,” Scorch replied with wide eyes.

Jenny looked down at the bowl and saw that not only was it empty, it was spotless. “Wow...” she said, blinking in surprise. There were even bite marks where she had, in her fervour, missed the actual food.

“Well, you certainly have a strong pair of jaws,” the mare said as she glanced down at the bowl. “Keep them to yourself, okay? I don’t want to have to put you in a cone of shame.”

“A cone of…” Jenny stared at her, eyes wide. “You wouldn’t dare!”

Scorch just took the threat as the cue to begin to snicker. “Heheh, I don’t know Jen, I think you could pull off the Cone look.”

“Don’t you side with them, Scorch,“ Jenny said menacingly.

“Heheheheh, sorry, sorry, it’s just a really funny image,” Scorch said, a grin on his face as he continued snickering.

“I think your mate likes the idea,” the mare said with a small chuckle of her own. “I’m not sure if that’s a good sign, little one.”

“We are not mates,“ Jenny repeated angrily.

“Aww, they’re cute together,” the little filly said, smiling brightly as she hopped up on the couch with her mother. Then she turned back to the two Growlithes. “Let me know if you need to go outside to use the bathroom.” Jenny’s face fell when she realised she had failed to even consider that.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” Scorch told her reassuringly, giving the other Growlithe a lick on the cheek. “It’s easy.”

Jenny frowned... she may have eaten out of a dog bowl but there was no way she was going to use the bathroom outside… “Yeah, well we’ll see about that,” Jenny said. “I just wish we’d gotten some real answers about what’s happened to me and how we got here.”

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” Scorch said before letting out a yawn. “Now, I think I’m going to take a quick nap, you know how eating always makes me tired,” he added as he walked in a small circle and then plopped himself down on the floor, face against his tail.

Author's Note

"Elsewhere a Jenny-turned-Growlithe is getting freaked out at the constant flirting she's getting from her partner Growlithe."
That is the comment that started it all...

Burning Sensation

Burning Sensation

The moment Scorch had rolled over and started snoring, Jenny knew he was a lost cause. It would have been easier to wake a Snorlax, and a lot less painful. Still, the two Ponytas had been kind enough to make sure she had water, and had even given her a blanket of her own to sleep on. It was still on the floor, but she appreciated the sentiment.

Now, she had a problem. She had drank too much. Scorch was completely out of it. She had to use the bathroom and had no idea what to do. I am not going to… go on the grass, she thought. I’m still human. I don’t look it, but I am. And humans use the toilet. She smiled for a moment. But where is the toilet?

As she looked around the room her ears drooped. There was a bookshelf, a desk, a table and two doors, but no obvious way to the bathroom. At least one of the doors was open, if she wanted to go outside.

Not happening, Jenny reaffirmed to herself. She may be trapped on another world in a body that wasn’t hers, being treated like a household pet, but she still had her dignity. She carefully stood up, swivelling her head around to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. Of course, she was Officer Jenny, she was a police officer, she wasn’t about to let a few closed doors stop her.

Except she couldn’t reach the handle. Even when she reared up it was still out of reach. “Great,” she muttered angrily. “It would have been nice if I got turned into something a bit bigger. Why is the handle so high up anyway?” she asked. “The little one wouldn’t be able to get in here.” She turned around and looked around, hoping for a chair to stand on.

When that turned up nothing, she turned to Scorch. “It’s not like he’s gonna wake up…” she rationalised. She still felt bad when she started pushing the still-sleeping Growlithe over to the door, though. As Jenny climbed on top of him to get to the handle, he began rolling over, threatening to throw her off. “No no no no!” she screamed as she slammed into the door, muzzle-first. “Ow…”

She looked up and sighed, seeing the handle was now in easy reach. At least all this effort had paid off. She grabbed the handle and pulled it, smiling that she was going to get out. Except, the door didn’t move. “No…” she said as she pushed the door, futilely. “No no no no no!” she screamed, hammering on it in frustration.

“Are you okay in there?” she heard a voice ask from the other side. “I’m hearing a lot of ‘Growl’s.”

“Argh!” Jenny found herself on her back when the door pushed against her, knocking her off of Scorch and onto the ground. “Ow…” she moaned as she clutched the back of her head. Scorch, despite getting rolled over, didn’t wake up.

“Why was he sleeping against the door?” the bigger Ponyta asked as she pushed her way into the room. Jenny just stared. Of course. The door was pulled open from this side. She sighed angrily as she righted herself. If she had spent a few moments to actually think, she would have realised that.

“Were you trying to get out?” Jenny nodded, for some reason feeling like a child at school getting told off. “Why? You got bored?” The Growlithe nodded again, hoping it would let her explore a bit. Maybe she could find the toilet. “Well, I guess you can walk around. Just don’t go drinking out of the toilet.”

Jenny almost tripped, almost halfway out the door, at hearing that last part. “Drink from the toilet!? I am not a Grimer!” she yelled angrily, snarling at the pony. “That’s disgusting!”

“Woah, calm down,” the big Ponyta said placatingly, calmly petting her head, completely ignoring the display of aggression. “I don’t want to have to get a muzzle.”

That shut Jenny up, her snarl quickly becoming a grimace. Being treated like an animal was one thing, being treated like a dangerous animal was another completely. She lowered her hackles - and what a weird idea that is, she thought - and took a few deep breaths. She was a police officer, she was meant to be calm and rational. She wasn’t supposed to lose control of her emotions so easily.

After calming herself, she simply stared ahead as she resolved to find the toilet. Too much time had been spent dawdling, and she had no idea how much control she had as a Growlithe. She definitely didn’t want to find out at a bad moment and get branded incontinent. “Toilet, toilet…” Her head swivelled as she looked around, not sure which way to go. “What would Scorch do?” she asked herself.

She sat on the ground for a moment, her rear legs squirming as she tried to think. Whenever Scorch was after something, whether it was the trail of a criminal or the box of treats she had hidden, he used his nose. She cocked her head. Now that I’m a Growlithe… could I do the same? she asked herself. “Only one way to find out…” she muttered, sniffing.

She was almost knocked over from the information overload. She’d been ignoring things before, more focused on why she was a Growlithe to pay attention to what she could do now. Smells were so much more intense, and she was smelling things she’d never knew existed. She remembered hearing that Growlithes had one of the best noses of any Pokémon, and now she knew why. It was like she had been blind her whole life and was seeing for the first time.

Somehow, she knew how to pick apart the overwhelming array to get what she wanted. To her left, she could smell the remains of burnt toast and peanut butter, along with what she guessed was tea. To her right was the smell of bleach and disinfectant, not exactly what she wanted. Ahead lay toothpaste and soap. “The toilet will be next to the bathroom,” Jenny said confidently. Most houses she had been in had been laid out that way, and she saw no reason this would be any different.

She hurried in the direction her nose pointed her in, really starting to get desperate. Pushing the door open with her head, she sighed when she saw a porcelain trough. “That makes sense, they have four legs,” Jenny mused, nudging the door closed. “And so do I,” she added as an afterthought. “This should be easy.”

“Arceus-damned pull chain! Get! Down! HERE!” Jenny shouted angrily, her teeth gnashing at the chain which taunted her by staying several inches out of reach. Of course, this had to be the part where everything fell apart. She could have slipped and fallen into the toilet, or missed. But no, fate would not be that kind.

“Jenny?” She turned around and saw Scorch, having wrenched himself from Cresselia’s realm, staring at her in confusion. “What are you - ?”

“Scorch!” she barked. “Get here and let me stand on you!”

“I… what?” the Pokémon asked.

“I need to pull this chain. If I get on your back, I can reach it!” Jenny explained loudly. “Now get over here!” she ordered.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, I just want to hurry up and flush this stupid thing so I can nap.” Jenny blinked. “Did i just say ‘nap’?”

“You remember what those eggheads call Growlithes?” Scorch asked. “The Puppy Pokémon. And the force wondered why no-one took us seriously…” he muttered.

“Hey, don’t do that,” Jenny said, stepping away from the chain. “There’s nothing out there with a nose like a Growlithe, and you have no idea how amazing that is.” She looked around, frowning. “There’s probably somewhere better to have this conversation than next to a toilet that hasn’t been flushed.”

“All right, I’ll get next to the wall and you jump on my back,” the other Growlithe said, getting into position.

“Just don’t move,” Jenny said, jumping up and grabbing the chain with her teeth.

“There you are. Why are you…” They both turned to see a slack-jawed Nightingale staring at them. “Huh. Well… At least you’re not drinking from the toilet...” The pony disappeared, her confused expression never changing.

“Why would we drink from the toilet? People poop in there!” Scorch pointed out.

“I don’t get it either,” Jenny agreed.

Nightingale was at a loss. She’d been observing the two ‘Growlithes’ since she’d taken them in the previous day, and what she had seen didn’t make sense. At times they acted just like puppies, but at times they displayed intelligence and problem-solving abilities far beyond anything that could be expected.

She tapped her pen against the paper, trying to find the best words to use. She glanced at the pair, watching as they seemed to argue. Over what, she had no idea.

“Look, Jenny, you don’t know how long it’ll be, you need to practice!”

“But what if I get turned back tomorrow? It’ll all be wasted,” Jenny pointed out.

“Not really,” Scorch retorted. “At least this way we won’t be sitting on our butts all day getting fed treats by the girl. Though I guess that isn’t so bad…” he trailed off.

“No, bad Scorch,” Jenny said, smacking him lightly. “I won’t watch you get fat and lazy. You’re still a Police Officer, even if you’re not ‘on duty’ at the moment.”

“Technically, you’re the officer, I’m just the attack dog,” he pointed out.

“And if you get fat, it reflects poorly on me,” she shot back. “And I guess you’re right, even if we get nowhere it’ll be interesting.”

“Now the student is the teacher,” Scorch said mystically.

“Stop that and teach me how to breathe fire already,” Jenny complained. Despite how much she wanted to be human, the idea of breathing fire, something she’d seen Growlithes do hundreds of times, was suddenly very interesting. Maybe it was because it was now a possibility, or maybe it was some old childhood fantasy reawakened. Either way, it was kind of exciting.

“We should go outside, don’t want to set the curtains on fire or something,” the other Growlithe mentioned awkwardly.

Nightingale watched as the pair left the room, a pen hovering in the air over a notepad. “The two seem perfectly capable of having complete discussions amongst themselves, though for some reason they consist solely of parts of the word ‘Growlithe’. I do not know why as of yet but…”

“So, how does this work?”

“Well…” Scorch stopped to think. How did it work? He’d been doing this his whole life, he’d never had to actually think about how he did it before. “First thing’s first, take a few deep breaths and get relaxed.”

“Okay…” Jenny did as he said, not sure where this was going.

“Fire can do a lot of damage, but only if you let it. As long as you remain in control of your emotions, you remain in control of the fire,” he explained, recalling something his parents had mentioned years ago. “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use fire when you’re angry, but you need to control the anger. If it controls you, then the fire might die, or go out of control.”

“That… that’s kinda profound, Scorch,” Jenny admitted. “I didn’t know you were like that.”

“You could only start understanding me yesterday,” he pointed out. “Heck, I could be a real philosopher and all you’d ever hear is ‘Growl, Growlithe, Growl’.”

“Heh, good point.”

“Another important thing is to call your attacks.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s… hard to explain. Most Pokémon battles aren’t to the death. So, we call our attacks so the other guy can brace themselves.” Scorch shrugged. “At least, that’s the way I see it.”

“Hmm.”

“All you need to do is take a deep breath, and… Flamethrower!” Scorch opened his mouth and let out a stream of fire into the air, bathing the area in heat. “Easy as that,” he stated. “Though perhaps you should start with something like Ember first.”

“All right then.” Jenny did as he said and shouted “Ember!” Nothing happened.

“Uh, Jen, I said Ember, not Fire Fang,” Scorch said, pointing out that her teeth were burning. “Still, that’s kinda neat,” he admitted as she tried to look at her jaw. “Took me ages to figure out how to do that.”

“Thanks, I - did you hear that?” she asked, her mouth still full of fire.

“Yeah,” the other Growlithe said with a frown. “Smells like a… a pile of scrap metal.”

“But it moved.”

“Yeah...” he replied uneasily.

Author's Note

If you know what happens in the main story, what's gonna happen should be kinda obvious.

The Heat of Battle

The Heat of Battle

Scorch walked without looking where he was going. He didn’t need to, his nose all he needed to tell him where to walk.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jenny asked.

“I want to know why there’s a Steel-type around here,” he answered.

“It’s a Steel-type?” Jenny asked as they walked down the road. “Are you sure?”

“The only other thing that could smell like this would be a Trubbish or a Garbodor,” the male Growlithe explained. “But they have a whole bunch of other smells clinging to them, not just the one. Trust me, you’d know if it was one of them,” he finished ominously.

“So, what do you think it is?” Jenny asked, ignoring some of the stares they were getting. Being bright orange and cute was starting to become a problem, as more than a few of the Ponyta children had to be restrained by the adults. She’d experienced being petted by Remedy, and found that hooves did not make for good petting equipment.

“No idea,” Scorch admitted sheepishly. “Could be a Klink, could be a Scizor, or it could be a - ”

Scorch had to cut himself off when a stampede of the Ponytas and a few smaller Pokemon came towards them. He quickly pulled Jenny close to a building. “What’s going on!?” she yelled over the thunder of hooves and panicked screaming.

“I think we found our Steel-type!” Scorch yelled back, craning his neck to try and see over the stampede.

The ground began to shake as their quarry got closer. “I told you to stop poking me! I told you to leave me alone! But no, you just had to keep doing it! I hope you’re happy!” they heard someone shout to the fleeing Ponytas.

“That sounds bad…”

“Oh no… If that’s what I think it is...”

A great monster, easily three times as tall as them, and magnitudes larger, rounded the corner. It had a black body covered in thick steel plating, and it glared around the area. “Hmph. Bunch of cowards,” it said, stomping its way forwards.

“That’s an Aggron,” Scorch muttered.

Jenny was just glad that she didn’t need to use the bathroom before. She certainly wouldn’t need to now, if that had been the case. She’d seen Aggrons before, but that had been when she was close to them in height, and they had always been with a trainer. But now that she was a lot smaller than she was used to being, the normally-intimidating Aggron was much scarier to be around. “Maybe it won’t notice us?” she squeaked.

The Aggron’s head swivelled towards them with alarming speed. “He did…” Scorch muttered fearfully.

“What are you two doing over there?” the Aggron asked loudly.

“What do we do?” Jenny hissed.

“Stop hiding and get out here, maybe?” They both turned to the Aggron, who was looking at them curiously. “If you’re trying to not be seen, you’re failing.”

“Y-you’re not mad at us?” Scorch asked timidly.

“Why would I be?” the Aggron asked back loudly. “You weren’t poking me when I kept saying not to. Dumb Ponytas...” he muttered angrily, looking around in case any of them didn’t get the message before.

Jenny looked up at the Iron Armor Pokemon, her fear starting to fade. Now that she knew that its - his - anger wasn’t directed at her, she could calm down a little. “Um. Why are you in a city?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, looking around with a frown. “I just woke up in a scrapyard yesterday. When I decided to make the most of it and start eating, one of those Ponytas came up and started yelling at me.” The Aggron shrugged. “I didn’t know it was his, so I left. When I woke up this morning, one of them was poking me with a spear. So I ate it.”

“The Ponyta?”

“No, the spear. It tasted kinda spicy,” he added. “After that, I rolled back over. Then there were TWENTY of them!” he shouted. “I had to eat six more spears and five helmets before they got the message!” He punctuated his point with a powerful stomp that drove his foot close to a ten inches through the cobblestone. “But no! More of them came back! I had to send one through a wall to get them to leave me alone, then chase off the ones that were watching!”

“So that’s why you were stomping down the road…” Scorch muttered. “And why you smelled like a scrapyard. I wasn’t smelling you, I was smelling your breath.” His laughter died in his throat when he noticed the terrifying glare he was getting from the Aggron.

“I don’t make a habit of smacking around Growlithes…” He raised a hand threateningly. “But you’re making it tempting to start.”

“Please forgive him,” Jenny said, quickly getting between the two. “He doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.”

The Aggron kept glaring at Scorch. “Make sure your brother learns some manners,” he growled.

“He’s not my brother,” Jenny replied, just glad that he didn’t think they were mates.

“Your mate, then.” Or not.

“He’s not my mate, either,” she said flatly. “We’re… um, it’s kinda complicated.”

“She used to be a human, I used to be her partner, so that sort of makes her my master.” Scorch cocked his head to the side. “Trainer? Mistress? Whatever.”

“She used to be human?” The Aggron turned to look at Jenny before snorting. “Right. And I used to be a Skarmory.”

“It’s true. I was a police officer, and now… I’m a police Growlithe,” Jenny muttered. “It’s like whoever decided to change me into a Growlithe didn’t even try to be creative,” she added angrily.

“Huh. I don’t know if you’re telling the truth or not,” the Aggron said slowly, “but I guess I’ll take your word for it.” He plopped himself down onto his hindquarters, making the ground quake. “Can’t see what you’d gain from lying to me,” he added with a shrug.

“So you have no idea how you got here either?” Scorch asked.

“Nope,” the Aggron said, shrugging. “Like I said, woke up in a scrapyard. A few other Pokemon I’ve ran into have no idea what happened either. One of them said something about Arceus…” He made a snorting noise. “Nothing against Arceus, but I don’t think he’d be able to pull this off.”

“Wait, Arceus?” Jenny asked. “Arceus is real?”

“Very real. But I think his power has been exaggerated all the time,” the Aggron replied. “Something else brought us here, I’m sure.”

“Do you have anywhere to go?” Scorch asked.

“I was gonna find a mountain and carve out a cave,” Aggron replied carefully. “Why?” he asked suspiciously.

“Well… I was thinking…”

“Scorch, are you gonna invite him to where we’re staying? Really?”

“Why not?” he asked back. “I don’t think it’d hurt, and I bet Ms Nightingale wouldn’t mind.”

“I don’t think she’d appreciate us bringing a six-foot tall, metal-eating monster that can smash walls without trying.” Jenny nervously glanced at Aggron. “Um, no offense?”

Aggron snorted. “If the worst you can do is call me ‘monster’, we’re not going to have many problems. And if I were to go with you, what would be in it for me?”

“A warm place to stay?” Jenny offered.

“I bet Remedy would love to have her own metal dinosaur,” Scorch chuckled.

“What? Who?” The Aggron looked between the two, confusion written on his face.

“Oh, she’s the daughter of the Ponyta that took us in,” Jenny explained.

“She keeps giving us snacks,” Scorch interjected.

“She treats us like… well, pets, but I think that’s just because she doesn’t know any better,” Jenny said, shooting a quick glare at the other Growlithe. “But, we get fed, somewhere warm to sleep, and someone who likes hugging us. It’s nice,” she admitted quietly.

Aggron sat there, pondering. “I suppose… I can follow you. I’m not saying,” he said loudly, “that I’ll stay with you. But, I’ll take a look. If… what did you say her name was again?” he asked.

“Nightingale.”

“If this Nightingale is as nice as you say, I might stick around for a while,” Aggron said with a small shrug. “‘Sides, you two pups look like you need someone around to keep ya safe, no offense, but you’re kind of tiny.”

Jenny started growling at that. “Hey, could’ve been worse,” Scorch pointed out. “You could be a Dedenne. Or a Joltik.”

“I just wish I was a bit bigger!” Jenny shouted. “Hell, Flareons are bigger than us, and they have no use other than being walking pillows!”

Aggron looked down at her dryly. “Then find a Fire Stone and evolve. Stop complaining about your size when you’re a puppy,” he told her blandly. “Or at the very least, don’t do it so obnoxiously, pup.”

Jenny was suddenly aware that she was angering someone that could throw her through a brick wall with ease. “Sorry. Just… still adjusting to this.”

“Just try not to annoy everyone with your whinging,” Aggron said, getting to his feet. “Lead the way,” he commanded Scorch.

“I’m still not sure this is a good idea…” Jenny muttered as she brought up the rear of their strange little parade.

“Oh calm down, what’s the worst that can happen?” Scorch asked obliviously.

The trio progressed down the empty road. “Where is everyone?”

“No idea…” Scorch muttered as he looked around.

“Probably hiding from Aggron,” Jenny pointed out. “He is pretty scary-looking.”

“Yeah,” Aggron admitted proudly. “I didn’t get this big by being a complete pushover.” He started swinging his tail around to prove his point, making Jenny duck under it.

“Hey, watch it!”

“What?” he asked, turning around suddenly. It all happened too fast, and Scorch was looking in the wrong direction, leaving him with no chance to dodge.

The steel tail whipped around and slammed into Scorch’s leg, sending him spinning as a crack split the air. Jenny could only watch in horror as her partner slammed head-first into the wall of a house. “Scorch!” she screamed.

“Oh no,” Aggron said, turning around much slower. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to - ”

“I don’t care if you’re sorry, just - just help me do something!” Jenny shouted back, on the verge of hysteria.

“Okay, just calm down.” Aggron bent down to help Scorch back to his feet, but something came rocketing out from an alley, slamming into the side of his head.

“What the - ” Jenny turned to see a Blaziken land on its feet gracefully before entering a fighting stance.

“Leave the Growlithes alone,” it said menacingly.

“What do you mean, leave them alone?” Aggron asked back angrily.

“Exactly what I said. Now step away, or I will have to hurt you.”

“You’re welcome to try!” Aggron challenged, slamming his fists together in a show of intimidation.

“Very well, then.”

Jenny shut out the sounds of the battle as she rushed to Scorch’s side. “You’re really beautiful,” he slurred.

“Be quiet,” she muttered, looking over his injuries. Aggron had done a fair bit of damage, despite the blow being a complete accident. Still, the bleeding head wound wasn’t that bad, she knew that they always looked worse than they actually were.

“No… no like totally... beautiful,” he slurred again.

That’s just the concussion talking, Jenny told herself, not knowing if the blow had been that serious. “I’m pretty sure your leg isn’t meant to bend like that,” she said, pointing at one of his forelegs.

“The leg doesn’t matter,” Scorch managed to get out.

“Do you have somewhere you can take him?” Jenny looked up and found herself face to face with a Delphox. It was clearly female, given its voice, and it had a bandanna wrapped around its head for some reason. Jenny just nodded dumbly. “Okay,” the Delphox said, quickly putting Scorch on Jenny’s back. “Take him and get out of here. Blaziken and I will take care of the Aggron,” she said confidently.

The Blaziken let out a pained scream as he was thrown into a building, cracking the wall. “That’s the best you’ve got!?” Aggron shouted. “I expected a fight!”

“We’ll take care of it,” the Delphox repeated, sounding nowhere near as confident the second time. “Just go.”

Jenny stumbled down the road, struggling under Scorch’s weight. She wasn’t entirely sure how long she’s been carrying him for, only that the smell of his blood was making her nauseated. Still, she pressed on. Scorch was relying on her to get him medical attention, and Nightingale would be able to provide it.

“Come on Scorch, nearly there,” she said to the unconscious Growlithe. He didn’t respond, instead just drooling a little onto her leg. “Just hold on…” she muttered desperately.

“Mummy! The puppies are back!” Jenny looked up and saw Remedy smiling at them. Then the smile fell away. “MUMMY! One of them’s hurt!”

Jenny’s legs gave out under her, the strain too much. She was dimly aware of the sounds of hooves and someone talking, and then there was darkness.

Flaring Tempers

Flaring Tempers

Jenny sat stoically outside the door to Nightingale’s surgery. She had awoken some ten minute ago and, after a quick drink, had placed herself on guard. Part of it was because she felt responsible, part of it was a sense of duty, but it was mostly because she was worried. After waking up in a different body on an alien world, Scorch had been the only constant, the rock she could cling to. And now, she had no idea just what condition he was in. At the very least she knew that his leg was broken. But what if there were more injuries? What if, in bringing him here, she’s made things worse?

None of this inner turmoil showed on the outside though. To Remedy, it was like she had become a statue. “Come on,” she moaned, prodding the Growlithe with a hoof. “Do something.”

“Now Remedy, stop that,” Nightingale chided as she opened the door. “She’s just worried about her friend, aren’t you?” Jenny nodded once, still staring straight ahead. “Well, you can see him if you want. He should still be awake.”

Jenny moved so fast that it left Remedy blinking at the Growlithe-shaped space she had just occupied. “Scorch!” she yelled.

He lay in a basket on the floor, his left foreleg wrapped in white plaster. Attached to his head was a number of bandages to stop infection after Nightingale had stitched his head back together.

“Not… not so loud,” Scorch groaned. “I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

“It was the Aggron,” Jenny explained.

“Oh. That makes sense.” Scorch’s head fell back onto the cushion. “Why?”

“I think it was an accident. He was swinging his tail around, I yelled at him to stop, he turned around and… you just got in the way.”

“But I’m a Fire-type.

“Mass and weight don’t care about typing,” Jenny pointed out. “You’re lucky the worst you got was a broken leg and a concussion.”

Scorch brought up his good leg and rubbed at the adhesive bandage stuck to his head. “I guess. Just wish she didn’t have to shave me to get this on,” he complained. “And I’m stuck with this thing for a week,” he added, waving his broken leg around.

“It... looks good,” Jenny hazarded. “Like you’re a real... fighter!”

“A real fighter wouldn’t get caught off guard like that,” he muttered. “I should have known bringing someone as dangerous as him would get me hurt eventually.”

“It was my fault too. If I hadn’t yelled at him he wouldn’t have turned around and…” Jenny wiped at her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Scorch asked, worried at this change in her demeanour.

“I’m... I’m fine... I was just worried about you Scorch,” Jenny said with a small smile before she hesitantly leaned over and gave him a single lick on the cheek.

“You’re really comfortable with the whole ‘licking’ me thing, you know?”

“I used to kiss most of my friends on the cheek, this isn’t any different,” she explained.

“... then I hope you don’t mind if I return the lick,” he said with a small smile before he leaned over and licked her cheek.

Jenny chuckled before reaching over and hugging Scorch. “Thank Arceus you’re okay,” she muttered. “If I lost you I don’t…” She sighed wearily. “You’re the only thing that hasn’t changed since we woke up here.”

“Jen, you know I’ll always stick by you. I’m a Growlithe,” he said with a grin, “it’s what we do.”

“I’m a Growlithe too. Does that mean we’re stuck with each other?” Jenny asked. “Could be worse,” she admitted. “At least I don’t have to worry about you setting me on fire anymore.”

“That happened once,” Scorch said with a frown. “And I said I was sorry.”

“Greetings citizens of Equus, both old and new.”

“What was that?” Scorch asked, looking around for the source of the voice.

“I am Lord Arceus, creator of the Pokémon realm.”

“A-Arceus?” Jenny choked out. “Arceus is real!?”

“You have no reason to fear me, I come in peace. I have revealed myself to inform you that I am the one responsible for the Pokémon’s presence in this world, for the citizens of Equus, the Pokémon are the beings who have appeared over the past few days.”

Scorch’s jaw hung loose from shock. “W-w-why?”

“To my Pokémon, I say this: I brought you, all of you, here so that you could live in peace. Do not seek to harm the natives of this world, for I am the one responsible for your displacement. And to the Pokémon who went through changes when I brought you here I say this...”

“Changes? You don’t think…?”

“You are the ones who proved themselves worthy, those who were fair, kind and good in the old world, consider this your reward. And to all of you, as sapients the laws of Equus, and the varying countries, now apply to you, and only the laws of Equus.”

Jenny’s head was spinning. She was here because ARCEUS thought she deserved to be!? And that was the same reason she was now a Growlithe?

“That is all for now, but just to be clear, the Pokémon are not to be harmed simply out of spite, if you have a problem with what I’ve done, feel free to contact me, I currently reside in an ancient temple deep in the Everfree Forest, or a pocket dimension outside of the space time continuum, so if any of you wish to face the sheer power of a god, feel free to come by.”

“Jen, are you okay?” Scorch asked, seeing the other Growlithe begin to hyperventilate.

“Goodbye for now, though I doubt this will be the last you hear of me, and peace to you all.”

As Scorch did his best to placate the now-unmoving Jenny, Nightingale and Remedy stared at them. “They’re aliens…”

“They’re aliens!” Remedy shouted in glee, her eyes shining with happiness. “This is awesome!”

“Arceus… Arceus abducted us?” Jenny asked, her voice suddenly very low.

“Umm…” Scorch leaned back and took a good look at her face, a decision he immediately regretted. He’d seen kinder looks on a rampaging Hydreigon. “J-Jen?” he asked timidly.

“He abducted us and changed me? And other humans?” she growled. “What gives him the right?”

Scorch could feel the heat radiating from Jenny now, and he was sure he could smell something burning. “Jen! Calm down!” he shouted, trying to get through to her.

“What gives him the right to take somebody from everyone they love, everything they care for, everything they know?” she asked, flames licking at her teeth. “What?” she snarled.

“Jen, he had his reasons! He didn’t want Pokemon getting hurt - ”

“And what about me, Scorch!?” Jenny yelled, pushing the injured Growlithe away forcefully. “What about the other humans he brought here!? I’ll never see my parents again, and they’ll never know what happened to me! All the parents who lost their children, the children that lost their parents, what about them!? Are they just meant to suffer, not knowing what’s happened!? What Arceus did is CRIMINAL!” she yelled, setting fire to the basket in her rage.

“Remedy, get the fire extinguisher,” Nightingale instructed.

“H-he’s a god, he’s sorta beyond laws - ”

“I DON’T CARE! He’s ruined hundreds, thousands, no, MILLIONS of lives! He has to be held accountable!” she screamed, flames and thick black smoke rising from her mouth.

“WHARRGARBLBARGL”

Nightingale put down the bright red fire extinguisher and looked warily at Jenny, now covered in a blanket of fire-retardant foam and blinking in confusion. “I’m not sure what’s wrong, but I can’t let you set things on fire,” she said firmly. “You’re aliens. Or something. So that means I probably just assaulted you. I’m sorry, by the way,” she added. “Can you understand what I’m saying?” Jenny nodded dumbly. “Good. Can you read?” Another nod. “Can you write?” And another.

“Why didn’t you think of that before?” Scorch asked Jenny, poking her with his good leg.

Jenny spat out a wad of the foam. “I don’t know. Never thought about it,” she admitted. “Can you get me a towel? I feel ridiculous.”

“You look ridiculous,” Scorch affirmed, shaking the foam on his paw back at her. “Do you feel better?”

“Remedy, get me some ink and some paper, would you?”

“I’m still mad,” she said. “But… What can I do? You’re right, Arceus is a god. I’m just a Growlithe. I can’t do anything,” she muttered despondently.

Scorch simply rolled his eyes and muttered “Females…”

“What.”

“Nothing!” the other Growlithe quickly said, looking away from the glare he was getting.

Jenny looked down as a stack of paper and a pot of ink were dropped before her. “Okay then. You know that I’m Nightingale. This is my daughter, Remedy,” she said, motioning towards herself and the smaller pony. Jenny could see that her grin was taking up almost her entire face.

Jenny looked at the open ink pot before turning to Scorch. “Do they expect me to use my paw?” she asked sceptically.

“I guess,” Scorch shrugged.

“Okay then…” Jenny carefully dipped a paw into the pot and, as carefully as she could, wrote her name on the paper. It looked like a mess, like something you’d expect a preschooler to write, in all capitals, but it was legible enough. Using her other paw she moved the first piece of paper so it was next to her, then wrote ‘Scorch’ on another piece of paper.

“So, you’re Jenny and he’s Scorch?” Nightingale asked. Jenny looked at her flatly as Scorch rolled his eyes. “Right, stupid question. What are you?”

“Okay. Growl… Oh.” Jenny frowned at the page, having taken up most of it with just the first half of the word. “Okay.” She smeared everything she had written with a paw and maneuvered two fresh pages so they were side by side.

“Growlithe? The word you’ve been saying all the time?” Nightingale sounded genuinely confused by the idea. “That’s certainly odd. Still, it’ll make identifying more of you… what did the voice say? Pokemon?” she asked, looking at what had just been scribbled. Jenny nodded. “I’ll need to make a note of that somewhere…”

“Ask her where we are,” Scorch suggested.

“Good idea. Where… are… we… question mark.”

“Trottingham!” the filly shouted.

“Thank you, Remedy,” Nightingale said, glancing at Scorch as he moved his paws from his ears. “So, yes, Trottingham, in Equestria. Nice place, though some ponies can be a bit… close-minded,” she added darkly.

“Got any other questions?” Jenny asked, turning to look at the other Growlithe.

“Who’s in charge?”

“Okay. Government,” she said, writing the word as best she could.

“Equestria is a principality, but all the other countries refer to us as a kingdom. There are two princesses in charge, which make us a diarchy. No, wait, there’s that third princess, but I can’t remember if she has any real power,” Nightingale said, half to the Growlithes and half to herself.

“Princesses?” Scorch asked.

“The government’s a bit primitive, isn’t it?” Jenny asked. “Bet it’s completely corrupt and full of incompetents. Now, what about the police…?” she wondered.

“Police? You mean the local guard? What about them?” Jenny shrugged before writing ‘EVERYTHING’. Nightingale just sighed. “I’m a veterinarian, I don’t know anything about them that you’d want to know. My husband’s in the military, but that’s completely different.”

“Help me,” Scorch croaked out, suddenly getting smothered in a hug from Remedy.

“You’re so warm and soft and cuddly.”

“That’s nice, but you’re crushing my ribs!” Scorch said loudly as he tried to wriggle out of the filly’s iron grip.

Jenny put a paw to her mouth to laugh, but realised it was still covered in foam. “I really need that towel,” she muttered.

Hot Stuff

Hot Stuff

The rest of the day was very uneventful, at least for them. Outside, they could hear some degree of panic and confusion. Scorch spent the time adapting to walking on his plaster-casted leg. Jenny sat by a window, deciding to just look outside as she thought.

What was she going to do now? She was just a police officer. There was no way some god had decided that she could be ‘worthy’ enough. And just what was the criteria? Sure, she’d never been especially mean to Scorch, just letting the resulting pain from when he did something dumb like eat an entire tin of food act as punishment. Only once had she hit him, and that had been the time he’d set her on fire.

Her thoughts were broken around early evening when a green male Ponyta walked up to the door next to the window she was sitting by and hammered on the door. On his back was a Glaceon, curled up into a ball and sleeping peacefully.

Nightingale opened the door and smiled. “Oh, Mr. Sprout! Nice to see you.”

The pony, Sprout, smiled. “Nice to see you, too, Nightingale. I’m really sorry to interrupt, but -”

“Oh, no, nothing’s been happening except for the whole ‘Pokemon’ thing.”

“That’s actually the reason I’m here.” Sprout looked at the Glaceon on his back worriedly. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with him, it’s like he was sleeping in the ice box.”

Jenny watched as the pair came inside. The Glaceon opened an eye lazily and looked at her. “Hello,” he said.

“That is strange. But maybe it’s normal?” Nightingale suggested.

“I thought it might be, but I just want to be safe.”

Nightingale turned to Jenny. “Jenny? Is this normal? I know you were listening.” Jenny looked at the ground and began tracing words with her paw. “Just yes or no. Are…?”

“Glaceon!” the Glaceon supplied.

“Are Glaceons supposed to be cold?” She nodded. “There you go. Nothing to be worried about.”

Glaceon jumped down from his vantage point and slinked his way towards Jenny. “Well, hello there beautiful,” he said suavely.

“Hi,” Jenny replied carefully.

“While you’re here, we may as well have some tea,” Nightingale suggested, leading Sprout out of the room.

“Sounds like a fine idea to me. I swear I saw one of my rose bushes walking around earlier…”

“Now what’s a beautiful thing like you doing here?”

“I… kinda live here.” Jenny wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was feeling a bit light-headed.

“Really now?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her as a silky smile crossed his face. “And how did that come to be when you could be living somewhere much more... interesting?”

“W-well, my friend Scorch got injured, and I’m not going to leave him alone,” she retaliated. She quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts. Just what was that smell?

“Ah, that’s too bad,” the Glaceon said, his smile still silky as he threaded his way towards her, every movement of his body catching Jenny’s eyes. “See, I was looking for a friend of my own. Someone to keep me company.”

“O-oh. I see,” she stammered, her face warming up. It was clear what his intentions were.

“Do you now?” he asked her, raising an eyebrow as he got a little closer and whispered. “Do you like it?”

“L-like what?” she asked back, trying to stop her eyes from roaming over his body. And what a fine body it was!

“What you see of course,” he said, his voice silky in her ears as he rubbed against her side, sending a tingling down her spine. “What you hear, and what you feel.”

She felt so hot inside, hotter than normal. Her thoughts were a mess, her tongue refused to cooperate, her nose was full of that strange smell and the only thing she could focus on was admiring him.

“You’re speechless,” the Glaceon pointed out with a small chuckle as his tail ran down her back to the base of her tail, sending a million new signals through her body. “I’m flattered that someone as lovely as you would give me even a second glance.”

“I - I… Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because your beauty outshines the sun itself,” the Glaceon whispered in her ear as his tail continued to rove down her body.

“Ahem.” The pair turned to see Scorch glaring furiously at them. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Talking to a beautiful Growlithe of course,” the Glaceon replied suavely. “Is that a bad thing?”

“It is when you use Attract,” Scorch replied angrily. “Now, are you going to stop, or will I have to give you third-degree burns?”

“I would never do something so base,” the Glaceon said, sniffing dismissively in Scorch’s direction. “Do not listen to these awful accusations,” he added to Jenny. “They are nothing but lies and slander.”

“But I trust Scorch. He’s my friend,” she replied dreamily. “Why would he lie?”

“Because he wants you for himself,” the Glaceon stated, his tail still running down her back. “Though in my opinion, you’d be wasted on him, something that he surely knows.”

“I warned you,” Scorch snarled, his teeth ablaze. “Last warning.”

The Glaceon’s eyes narrowed and it gathered ice to it’s maw. “Shall we?” he asked Scorch with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ve always enjoyed taking down creeps like you.”

“I’m only a creep because you haven’t sealed the deal yet,” the Glaceon replied caustically as his tail ran down Jenny’s back again, unleashing another few dozen sensations that made her begin to pant slightly. “Isn’t that right my little beauty?”

“I - I - I - ” Jenny was unable to finish, so enraptured by the new feelings surging through her body.

“Enough!” Scorch shouted, pouncing at the sexual predator before him. Even with an injured leg he easily pinned his opponent to the ground. The Glaceon let out a yelp of surprise as he pushed against the enraged Growlithe. Without warning, Scorch sank his burning jaws into his side.

“AH! GET OFF OF ME!” the Glaceon wailed as he tried to shake or beat Scorch off with his tail, shaking his body left and right.

It was no use, as Scorch just put more force into the bite. Jenny was still too out of it do to much more than watch, though. She watched as the other Growlithe briefly let go. “You gonna give up now?” he snarled.

“Yes-yes fine! Sorry!” the Glaceon said, scuttling away from Scorch. “I didn’t know she was already yours... sorry... I was just looking for some tail...”

“Refer to Jenny as ‘some tail’ again and I will rip out your tongue,” he hissed back, his teeth burning again.

“Okay! Arceus you’re touchy!” the Glaceon exclaimed, jumping further away. “I wasn’t going to hurt her or anything!”

“Except you would have! She is completely against sleeping with other Pokemon at the moment! And using Attract? What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing, it’s a perfectly legitimate way to give someone an amazing night that they’ll always remember,” the Glaceon replied with a roll of his eyes.

“Is that what you tell yourself to get to sleep at night?” Scorch demanded, his anger mixed with genuine concern.

“It was great to see you again, Sprout.”

“Nice to see you again too, Nightingale.” The pair of ponies walked back into the room. the stallion turning to the Glaceon. “Come on, we’re leaving now.”

The Glaceon shot Scorch an annoyed look before giving Jenny a seductive smirk. “If you ever want to trade up, let me know,” he said before he turned away, his hips moving in just the right way to make Jenny blush.

“Just wait for the effects to wear off,” Scorch muttered darkly. “Then we’ll see how she feels.”

“If I ever see that pervert again I’ll melt his face off!” Jenny screeched.

“And the great thing is, you actually can do just that,” Scorch cheerfully pointed out.

Jenny let out a sigh and turned to the other Growlithe. “Hey, thanks for being there. Y’know, stopping him from taking advantage of me.”

“Jen, we’re friends. I’d be a pretty terrible friend if I just let him get away with it.”

“I know. Still, thanks.” Jenny licked his cheek before yawning widely. “Good night,” she muttered, curling into a ball.

“Night, Jen,” he said back. As he lay down, he couldn’t help but think back to what the Glaceon has said.

Author's Note

A short, interlude-y thing to speed things along.

And assume you got the very tail end of Jenny's angry reaction to being messed with like that.

Heated Encounter

Heated Encounter

Jenny stretched out as she woke up the next morning. She couldn’t help but laugh at Scorch, laying on his back and murmuring something. Deciding to let the sleeping Growlithe lie, she stepped out of the room and saw Remedy stumble towards the dining room.

“Stupid school…”

Ah. Jenny remembered what that was like. At first it had been so exciting and fun. Then, as the years went by, bullying and nepotism and ignorant or incompetent authority figures had almost destroyed her enthusiasm. It was only after a demonstration at her high school of a police Arcanine taking down a ‘criminal’ where she found what she wanted to do in life.

“Remedy, stop complaining. You can’t lay about the house all day,” Nightingale replied.

“But the puppies get to!”

“Because they don’t have to worry about school. I’ll feed you in a moment,” the older pony said, glancing down at Jenny. She just plopped her rear on the ground and waited patiently.

Jenny watched as a bowl was filled with what she realised was kibble, like she used to feed Scorch. And that the bowl was the one she had left bite marks in. She sighed a little, knowing that this bowl was going to be hers forever now. She was honestly a little surprised Remedy hadn’t written her name on the side, though.

“Can we take Jenny with us today?”

The Growlithe looked up from her bowl, bits of food stuck to her face. Was that a good idea? “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nightingale asked. “The last time she left the house Scorch came back with a broken leg.”

Jenny scowled as she returned to her meal. That’s not like it was her fault. Scorch had simply led the way, she had followed, and that Aggron had simply gotten a bit over-enthusiastic. It had been an accident, short and simple.

“But if you’re with us it’ll be fine!” Remedy argued, sounding a lot more articulate than she had a few minutes ago.

“You should ask Jenny. It’s up to her.”

Jenny almost fell over when Remedy appeared right in front of her face. “Do you wanna?”

As politely as possible she used a paw to push the filly away. It was too early to be that eager about anything. Then Jenny noticed that she was tearing up. Making a big show of it, she rolled her eyes and slowly nodded, as if she was reluctant. Going back for another bite was a mistake, because the moment she did Remedy reached down and hugged her. “Remedy!” Nightingale yelled. “Let her go!”

Jenny began coughing up bits of kibble that had gone down the wrong tube. “Must not eat around the kid,” she muttered.

“What have I told you about being careful around dogs?” the older pony scolded.

“But she’s not a dog! She’s a Pokemon!” Remedy argued back.

“She looks like a dog and acts a bit like a dog. I don’t want you getting bitten.”

“It’s not like she’d bite me,” the filly retorted.

“But you don’t know that. Now, apologise to her,” Nightingale said, pointing at Jenny.

“Why am I getting dragged into this?” Jenny asked loudly. “All she did was hug me. I nearly choked, but I wouldn’t bite her.”

“Sorry Jenny,” Remedy droned in the way children do when forced to apologise. Jenny just smiled and patted her on the head. “This isn’t right,” the filly noted, her voice going a bit dark. “You’re not meant to be petting me.”

“I’m going to have to carry my camera all the time around you, aren’t I?” Nightingale asked. “It’s like everything you do needs to be documented.”

“Please don’t.” Jenny scowled at the older mare before turning back to her food.

She ate sedately, not wanting to make a show of it like that first day, before getting tapped on the shoulder. She looked up to see Nightingale looking down at her, with Remedy nowhere to be seen. “I’m sorry about my daughter. She doesn’t mean any harm, she’s just a bit too enthusiastic,” she said apologetically. “And half the reason she wants you to come with her this morning is to show off. You don’t mind, do you?”

Jenny thought about it for a bit. As much as she didn’t want to be treated like the prize Glameow at a Pokemon show, she also wanted to get out the house for a bit. She wasn’t sure if it was just because she hadn’t for a while or if it was a new Growlithe instinct though.

She decided that it could be worse, and this way she could see what the city was actually like. The last two times she had either been too busy following Scorch or carrying him to look around.

Remedy reappeared, a small set of bags draped over her back and resting on her haunches. “What did she say?”

“She said yes,” the filly immediately began cheering, “but if you misbehave, then she won’t come again. Okay?”

“I’ll be good, I promise!” Jenny and Nightingale watched as she happily bounced out the door. They both shook their heads at the display and followed her, the mare locking the door behind them.

Moments later, Scorch stumbled out into the kitchen, his plastered leg clacking along the floor. “What’s with all the yelling?” he asked sleepily. “Jen?” The Growlithe looked around, now acutely aware that he was completely alone.

“Come on!” he shouted, his tone a mix of anger and disappointment. “I broke a leg, not my spine! I can still go for walks!”

Walking with the two and getting a good look around the city gave Jenny some insight to the place. Namely that it was nearly indistinguishable from cities back on Earth, with the exception of the ponies. Strangely, though, there was a marked lack of Pokemon, limited to common Flying-types and the occasional feline or canine.

She made sure to note the sights and scents, in case she ever had to leave the house, so she could get back to Nightingale’s house. As much as she doubted that would happen, she also never thought she’d end up a Growlithe. Or that Arceus would be responsible. Maybe a Ninetales, but she always treated every Pokemon with as much respect as possible.

Ten minutes was all it took to get to the school, a large brick building that she realised shared a lot in way of appearance to the one she went to. Everywhere were more foals, and a lot of them were staring at her. “Uh oh,” she muttered, rapidly realising why this was becoming a mistake.

Before Jenny could consider backing away one of the foals stepped in front of her. This one was a bit taller than Remedy, and was smiling down at her. “Crap.”

“She’s so cute!” the foal screamed. That signalled the beginning of fifteen of the worst minutes of her life. And having been attacked by a drug addict’s Trubbish, who had been absorbing traces of Fantasy, Ice and crystal meth, that was saying something.

Eventually, they relented, but only after the sound of a bell tolling not far away. Jenny took stock of what had just happened. She had been tugged, hugged, pushed, pulled, poked, prodded and otherwise mistreated by more children than she wanted to count. “Now I know how Scorch feels when we did school demonstrations,” she said to herself as she patted down some of her coat. She glanced to the side to see Remedy getting one last hug from her mother. Then something hit the side of her head.

Strangely, though the blow hurt, it didn’t do much more than sting a bit, like a tennis ball. She looked around and saw a unicorn colt with a grey coat and a crimson mane. What really got her attention was the smug smile he wore. It was the one she’d seen on so many bullies and criminals before.

“What do you think you’re doing here, you dumb animal?” he asked, smirking as he swung his bag at her again. Now that she knew it was coming, Jenny was able to duck under it easily. “You freaks aren’t welcome here.” This time, Jenny caught the bag in her mouth and held on. “Hey! Let go!” the colt shouted, his smugness replaced with anger.

Jenny glanced at Nightingale, who appeared to be unsure what to do. As the colt tugged and yelled more insults at her, the Growlithe decided that she had had enough. Jerking her head to the side, the bag fell from his telekinetic grip easily. “You dumb animal!” Jenny’s temper flared at the last insult, as did the temperature inside her mouth.

The colt watched in silent shock as all his stuff started smoking. Jenny spat out the bag and focused on it. “I can do this,” she muttered to herself. She took a deep breath and… “Flamethrower!” She deliberately missed the bag, knowing that destroying his belongings would only have negative effects later on. Still, she was impressed with the amount of damage she was able to do the cobblestones, leaving them charred.

“So… you can breathe fire,” Nightingale noted as the Growlithe came up to her. “It seemed like it earlier, but I guess it’s nice to have confirmation. Just… don’t. Please?” she asked warily. “I have a business to run, and I can’t do that if you or your friend set it on fire.”

Jenny nodded. “We’ll only set thieves and home invaders on fire. They deserve it.”

As Jenny and Nightingale neared the house, Scorch stumbled towards them. “Jenny!” he shouted.

“I thought I locked the door,” Nightingale mused. Her eyes widened when she saw that the door had been completely obliterated, the frame scraped and bent. “What happened!?” she screamed.

“Scorch? What’s going on?” Jenny asked. The other Growlithe didn’t look any more injured, which was something. “What’s inside?”

“You remember that Aggron?” he asked timidly.

“What about - oh no,” she muttered as everything clicked. “H-he’s not angry, is he?”

“Angry? No. Impatient, yes.” Scorch turned around to see Nightingale poke her head through the door. “On the plus side, he’s not alone.”

“I already apologised!” they heard Aggron shout.

You tried to take a bite out of me, a monotonous, metallic voice replied in their heads.

“It’s not my fault you look like a hubcap!”

“A Psychic-type?” Jenny asked.

“We sorta have a translator now,” Scorch said.

“What are you doing!? Get out!”

Jenny gave Scorch a flat look. “Yeah, if we don’t get kicked out for this.”

Fired Up

Fired Up

Jenny took a few deep breaths to calm herself down as she walked through the destroyed door. Nightingale was glaring at Aggron, who had the decency to at least look apologetic. Next to him, at about head-height, was a Bronzor, which she guessed was the source of the telepathic voice.

I am deeply sorry, the same metallic voice intoned. I tried to convince him to wait outside, but he refused to listen.

“Is that supposed to make the fact that he destroyed my house okay!?” the pony screamed angrily.

“M’sorry,” Aggron mumbled, looking at the floor.

He says he is sorry, the Bronzor supplied. He did not intend to cause any damage and misjudged the durability of the door frame.

“He’s huge! The frame is made of wood! What did he think was going to happen!?”

“I said I’m sorry. What more do you want?” he asked petulantly.

He is willing to help repair the damage, the Bronzor offered.

“I never said that!” Aggron shouted angrily.

I cannot see any other way to calm her down, it pointed out.

“I heard all that,” Nightingale interrupted angrily.

As the pony began to vent her frustrations at the Aggron, Scorch sidled into the room and waved at the Bronzor. It floated down to him, spinning quizzically. “Do you reckon you can make it so she can understand us?” he asked.

The Bronzor kept spinning for a few moments. I can certainly try. I am not sure how long it will last if I do, though.

“Scorch, are you sure this is a good idea?” Jenny asked.

Scorch’s shoulders slumped. “This is kinda my fault, y’know, inviting Aggron here. I have to try to make things right, y’know?” He glanced at Aggron, whose expression was somewhere between anger and shame. “And this is just getting a bit embarrassing to watch,” he admitted.

“Never thought I’d see an Aggron look so ashamed,” Jenny added.

Excuse me, the Bronzor said, floating into Nightingale’s vision. I am capable of letting you understand what both the Aggron and Growlithes say. Are you interested in hearing what they have to say? Nightingale just scowled. I am not very good at reading facial expressions. Please vocalise your answer.

“Fine. But if I don’t like what I hear, then - ”

One moment please, Bronzor interrupted. There was a strange pulse of energy as its eyes briefly glowed a vivid blue.

“Did that work?” Scorch asked.

“I think so,” Jenny replied, seeing the way Nightingale was now looking at them, wide-eyed and jaw dropped.

“H-how did you do that?” she asked, turning to the Bronzor.

I… I am sorry, I was unaware of how much energy I would expend doing that. I must rest, it informed, its eyes constantly opening and closing, as though its owner was struggling to stay awake. Forgive me for being unable to answer your questions, it added as it floated towards the ground, laying flat.

“If you can understand them, you can understand me,” Aggron said gruffly. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to being inside dwellings, and I am serious when I say that I did not mean to cause any damage.”

Nightingale’s anger had faded, now that the target of her ire was able to speak directly to her. Not to the point where it was forgotten, but enough that she was willing to hold a conversation. “And what am I meant to do without a door?” she asked.

“He could stand guard?” Scorch suggested.

“Why are you even here?” the pony asked, ignoring the Growlithe.

“The little guy there suggested it. Sorry about the leg, by the way,” he added, glancing down at Scorch.

Scorch was busy making frantic gestures for Aggron to shut up to notice Nightingale’s anger had turned to him. “Uhh…”

“Stay right there,” she instructed coldly, leaving the room. When she came back, there was a strange piece of plastic in her magic. “Hold still.”

“What is that?” Jenny asked.

“I don’t know. It looks like a…” Scorch trailed off as his eyes went wide. As best as he could with three good legs he made a mad dash for the door, screaming “No no no!” at the top of his lungs. He looked down when he realised that he hadn’t moved at all. “What?”

“I’ve had plenty of experience with unruly animals before,” Nightingale said coldly. “Are you going to make this easy, or are you going to make it hard?”

“Jenny!” Scorch screamed as he was levitated into the air.

Jenny for her part looked on blandly, as did Aggron. “I’m not bailing you out of this. This is much your fault as Aggron’s.”

“Come on! Don’t let her do this to me!” he pleaded. “I don’t want to wear the Cone!”

“Geeze pup,” the Aggron rumbled, rolling his eyes. “If the thought of a cone scares you this much you need to grow more fuzz on your dice.”

“I really should have put this on you after I fixed your leg for you,” Nightingale said, ignoring what the other Pokemon were saying around her. “The only reason I didn’t was because that Arceus started talking and your friend set herself on fire,” she explained, attaching the Cone around the squirming Growlithe’s neck.

The moment the infernal piece of plastic snapped shut around Scorch’s neck, he went limp. “Arceus, why? Why have you forsaken me?” he groaned, his voice that of a ‘mon without hope for tomorrow.

“Is he always this dramatic?” Aggron asked, raising an eyebrow down at Jenny.

“I’ve only been able to understand him for three days,” Jenny replied, ashamed with what she was seeing. “Scorch! Stop that, please, it’s humiliating.”

“And so is the Cone,” he shot back glumly as his paws hit the ground. Somehow he positioned it so the rim was flat against the ground, blocking his view of the rest of the world.

“Wow. I am so sorry, I don’t know why he’s taking it so bad,” Jenny said, turning to Nightingale.

“It cuts off my peripheral vision, my hearing, and it’s heavy,” Scorch said suddenly. “It’s like I’m half blind, half deaf, and have a huge weight around my neck! How would you like that!?”

“Little guy, don’t make me drop you on your head,” Aggron growled.

“Honestly, I did it to him because there’s no way I can do anything like that to you,” the pony said, glancing at the metal dinosaur.

“I’m gonna melt this off!” Scorch yelled, looking up, his eyes burning with fury. “You’ll have no-one to blame but yourself for making me do this!”

“Scorch! Heel!” Jenny snapped instinctively. “You’ve been bad and you’re going to suffer the consequences!”

“Yes ma’am,” the other Growlithe muttered, pouting slightly as he rested his head on the ground.

“Good.” Jenny cleared her throat. “Sorry, he just needs a firm hand every now and then.”

“I can see that,” Nightingale said, shoving aside the oddness of having one dog tell the other to heel, then she turned back to the Aggron and the Bronzor. “Now then... what am I going to do with you two?”

“I dunno,” Aggron admitted awkwardly. “I only came here because the little guy suggested it. You need a bodyguard or something?” he suggested.

“... I’m a vet,” she said slowly, caught off guard by his suggestion. “Why in Equestria would I need a bodyguard?”

Jenny pointed at the door. “That?” she asked. “And you said you’re a vet, surely someone has tried stealing the medical supplies,” she added, knowing that she was grasping at straws.

Nightingale let out a small sigh and shook her head. “No, no one has,” she said before glancing at the door. “But I guess I do kind of need someone to watch that until I can go out and buy another one...” She shook her head again. “You can stay until then,” she informed the Aggron. “So long as you don’t break anything else.”

“I won’t make that promise,” Aggron said. “I won’t try to break anything, but if it happens then it happens. I’m not used to being around so many fragile things,” he admitted. “So, sorry in advance for if I break something else.”

“Can you take this off now?” Scorch whined, scratching at the cone with his good leg. “I’m not going to chew at my cast or anything, come on.”

“Scorch, no. You’re keeping that on until I say so,” Jenny commanded. “I’m not letting you get out of being punished.”

“Oh…”

“I may have misjudged the dynamic you share. I guess you’re the alpha?” Nightingale asked, looking at the female Growlithe.

“Yeah, the alpha bitch,” Scorch muttered angrily.

Jenny shot a glare at the injured Growlithe. “What did you just say?” she asked, her voice low and full of terrible fury.

“N-nothing,” he replied, smiling awkwardly as he backed away slowly.

“What did you just say?” she asked again, pushing her face right into his.

“N-n-n-nothing?”

“Scorch, you can either come clean, or you can keep trying to run from it. And remember that I can breathe fire now. And I don’t care if you’re fireproof, I’m sure you won’t like melted plastic stuck in your coat.”

“You’re not being very nice,” he muttered. “What’s wrong with you?”

“You called me a bitch!”

“You’re acting like one!” he shouted back.

“And you’re acting like a BRAT!” she roared back. “You’re a police Growlithe! Start acting like it!”

“Maybe if you started acting like a police officer, I would!” he shot back accusingly. “You’re acting like one of those latte-sipping, make-up caked lunatics who think the whole world is there just to serve them!”

“Okay, both of you, shut up,” Aggron said, finally getting sick of their bickering, stepping between the two. “If you don’t shut up I’ll knock both of you out. Got it?” he asked menacingly.

“No you won’t,” Nightingale interjected. “But I will stick you both into animal carriers if you don’t stop,” she added, looking at both Growlithes.

“Screw this, I’m having a nap,” Scorch muttered angrily.

“Wait, Scorch - ”

“Jen, come find me when you stop being a bitch.”

“Scorch?”

“Uhn?” The Growlithe’s ears swivelled around.

“I’m sorry about before. I don’t know why I took it so hard,” she explained, stepping closer.

“I’m sorry too,” Scorch admitted. “I overreacted, I shouldn’t have called you a bitch.”

“Do you… do you mind if I sleep with you?”

Scorch’s ears shot up and he looked at her. “What?”

“Just next to you. So I’m not lonely.”

“Lonely?” he asked, curious.

“Like I said earlier, you’re the only thing that hasn’t changed. The last thing I want is to chase you away. So… can I?” she asked timidly.

“Sure,” he replied, scooting to one side of the basket so she had room. “Usually I’m the one crawling into your bed,” he pointed out.

Jenny giggled a bit and cuddled up next to him. “Good night, and keep your cold nose to yourself for once.”

“It’s the middle of the afternoon,” Scorch said flatly.

“I don’t care.”

The pair stayed like that, sharing each other’s body warmth, until…

“THIS IS THE GREATEST THING EVER!”

“Remedy’s home,” Jenny groaned.

“Just ignore her and she’ll lose interest eventually... or throw a sugar cube in the opposite direction,” Scorch grumbled, nuzzling against her. “I’m too tired right now to care.”

Author's Note

Why is Aggron not angry?
He knows he accidentally injured Scorch, understands that the Growlithes wouldn't want to get involved in a fight of that size, and he's intruding on someone else's territory. And given how territorial Aggrons are, he knows he's on thin ice.

Prologue: Hot Pursuit

Prologue: Hot Pursuit

“Get back here!”

“Why do they always have to run?” Jenny panted, bringing up the rear.

The pair of police officers couldn’t believe their luck. The Poképhile known as Gene Phillips, and the Gardevoir he was in a relationship with, were not even fifty meters ahead of them. Fugitives in multiple regions, the man and Pokémon had evaded capture from both normal law enforcement and the Ranger Union. If they managed to bring him in it would do wonders for their careers.

“You’re not going anywhere, criminal scum!” Her human partner yelled. “Nowhere except jail! Growlithe, use Ember!”

Jenny watched as one of the Growlithes, the one belonging to her partner, spat a ball of fire that missed so badly that it was obvious it wasn’t trying, instead smiting a tree nowhere near the target.

Jenny’s eyes went wide when the Gardevoir turned around and faced them, an arm outstretched. “Oh no,” she said, knowing what was coming.

“I apologize for this.”

Jenny was dimly aware of both her human partner and the two Growlithes with her collapsing. Great, she thought dimly around her mouthful of dirt. They were getting away. She and her partners had failed. Great, She thought again.

As unconsciousness claimed her, she heard something, a voice in her head.

“Rest now my children, for when you awake a whole new world shall be your home.”