He stared at the email sent to him by his agent, urging him to renew his contract.
He was tired of his 'work'.
It was fun before, when his friends were there, but now?
He wasn't so sure anymore.
Staring at the email a bit more he sighed, then closed his laptop.
He still had to think.
***
"What is that?"
Kai didn't mind being called an 'that', but he pretty much minded the tone, so he didn't show much respect to the Ursaring guy infront of him.
His new trainer, Marina, had brought him to her workplace, a prison, to help with work.
He had done this before, at hospitals, psychiatric centers and prisons too.
But it still annoyed him how much he encountered people like this guy.
"This is Kai" His trainer introduced "He'll be helping me with work from now own"
Kai showed off his vest with a bit of scorn and the man twisted his muzzle with discontent.
"And what could this little thing be able to do in a prison?" He asked "Bite a shin?"
Well, as much of an ankle bitter as he was when he was younger, he was offended despite of, in fact, being able to use Bite.
He held back the deep desire to bite the man and mimicked his trainer, who kept a polite smile on her face.
"Although he can do that" Marina said "He is more capable than you think, now, if you excuse us"
She started to walk and so did he, both ignoring the man, who tried to keep the conversation going.
They quickly left and went to a place similar to a shared hospital room while Marina explained some things.
"During the morning I work on the medical wing, but in the afternoon I work with the patients in my office, is that ok?"
"Of course!"
There's no way that he wouldn't be ok, he might not be an Audino or a Chansey, but he knew how to do first aid care.
But since it was a prison, he definitely should expect some nasty bruises.
They waited for some time, more staff came and he was introduced to them.
Really nice people! Better than many he had met before!
He had just met the head nurse (a scary looking, but actually lovely Meowth lady) when he heard it.
The sound of fighting in the distance.
"Seems like today will start busy" Said the head nurse, apparently also able to hear it, then she turned to him with a smile "Can we count on you?"
He nodded with a smile as he got ready in case physical interference was needed.
The sounds got louder, the voices too, and sure enough, the door was swung open with force as some Taurus guy was brought in while fighting the guards.
Ok, he might need to interfere sooner than he thought.
"Kai, Roar!"
Seems like it 's showtime!
"Hey!"
The man froze in place, face pale.
He had concentrated enough Roar on the man to make him stop, which was good.
The guards, a bit confused, brought the man to the bed as Marina patted Kai.
"Good job bud"
His tails wagged, but he kept his guard up.
He didn't notice the way many eyes turned to him.
Kai had a patient to keep an eye on!
***
/Boring!/
/So boring!/
Raff watched as Spark and Thunder, Bria's Emolga and Pachirisu (who had the teacher permission to be out after explaining why she had them in the first place), flopped over an equally bored Bria.
The first period had just ended, but it was history classes, the one they both were good at, but also the one Bria hated the most.
/Are all classes like this?/
Lily and Atlas seemed actually interested in the class, while Thorn was practically loafing in his head, half asleep, and Hellion and Entropy were sleeping on the ground by his feet.
"Actually yes" He said "It's good to know the history of the world we live in, after all, not all species are native, like elves!"
He had always found this fascinating.
His great-grandfather, who was still alive and kicking, is a Survivor. He witnessed the end of his world and the arrival of his species in this new world when he was still Raff's age.
The System that brought his species in this world even gave him the Survivor title, something that can only be obtained through near death experiences or the end of one's world.
Back when he lived at his mother's place, he used to sneak around to hear his great-grandfather tell the story of that day, a tale Raff could only see coming from a book.
History was one of his favorite classes, second only to Alchemy.
Alchemy was just incredible! To make something out of something else, to make a potion out of seemingly useless things!
There's no way he wouldn't like it.
That's why he was excited when they left the classroom, Alchemy was the next subject of the day.
/This place smells so nice/
He could only agree with Lily, the Alchemy Room had a wonderful smell of herbs, some sweet fragrances that he knew were poisonous and even some strong ones that were good for healing.
"Pets are not allowed in this class, Xanthe and Auberon"
Their group was immediately greeted by the teacher, a tall man with black hair and fair skin.
His yellow eyes stared at the Pokemon with a bit of curiosity.
Teacher Duke (yes, his name was Duke) was a dragon that liked teaching and didn't like disturbances in his classes.
But that wasn't exactly the case here.
"They're not pets sir" He said "Mine are contractual Beasts and Bria's are here the prevent her from shocking people"
As if on cue, a visible spark surged from Bria, startling the students passing close by as it flew out to the Pokemon.
Spark and Thunder, who received the attack first hand from her shoulders, weren't affected by it.
Duke stared at her for a moment, eyes a bit wide, then proceeded to nod.
"Go to your seat Xanthe" He said before turning to Raff "I still need a better reason to allow yours to enter"
He expected that, so he had built a plan on the way there.
"Actually teacher" He said "I wanted your help with something related to them"
That brought a look of curiosity at the man's face.
"Most of my new beasts have poison" He explain "I was wondering if you could help me see how effective it is"
The man's eyes immediately shone with a glee he only saw when Raff told the man there was a new Beast in World Tree.
Teacher Duke loved learning, but it was hard for him to find something he didn't already know, so small things like a new beast never seen before and the possibility of a new type of poison was like a Christmas present for him.
"Come over" Said the teacher "Let's see this poison you speak of"
He held back a smirk.
It always worked!
***
"Kiki!"
Kiara wasn't surprised when her dragon came through the door with an excited look.
She had seen this look many times before, it was the look he had when he found something new.
No, she was surprised with what he had brought with him.
Rafflesia Arnoldii Auberon, nephew of Sunflower, guild master of World Tree guild, and one of the few people who bring new things to entertain Duke.
"There's a place I want to go!" Said the dragon "And Auberon here knows where it is!"
Said kid looked ready to puke while Duke carried him under his arm.
She let out a sigh.
What a day…
—
"So that's what happened"
Kiara looked at the boy, who ate a strange blue fruit he took from his spatial bag while still looking a bit sick.
"Yeah" The boy said meekly "I showed him the poison moves of my Pokemon and ended up introducing him to what a pokemon is, he got exited and here we are now"
She nodded, then looked at the side, where her dragon was sprawled with a purple face while surrounded by the boy's beasts.
They had found her office at some point, apparently thanks to the brown and blue dog's nose, and three of them immediately attacked Duke with their poison attacks.
He was a dragon, so the poison wasn't fatal to him, but it still left him incapacitated, which she found impressive.
"Miss principal?"
Her attention was brought back to the boy, who had finished eating his fruit and now looked a bit better as he offered her another blue fruit and a spiky red fruit.
"The blue one will help with the poison" He said "And the red one is more like an apology for the trouble, I know Dragon Tamers are resistant to heat, so I think you'll like it"
Curious, she took both, giving the blue one to Duke (who crawled his way to her), and took a bite out of the red one as the bony dog whined at Auberon, apparently not happy that he gave away one of its Tamato.
She had to admit, although she wasn't a fan of spicy foods, she would buy a few of these as snacks if she learned where to get them.
It has never been this easy to feel heat building up before.
One look in Duke's direction and she could see that he was visibly better.
"I got these from the same place I got my Pokemon" Auberon said "The tamato you just ate is Hellion's favorite, but that seems to be the case for all fire Types"
Said Hellion was happily nibbling a tamato of itself.
She finished the fruit with a gleam in her eyes.
"Could you tell me where you get these?"
Now she was invested.
***
A young girl, definitely a recently graduated from the Academy, was standing in front of a stone path where Hunters were coming and going.
She was Matilda, an idol Witch, and she had come to this strange place to look for a familiar.
She had learned about this place from an unexpected source, the flower shop run by a really sweet elderly couple of retired Hunters that she usually visited to get fresh materials.
She met the Pokemon there, getting introduced first handed to Maverick, who was sitting on the shoulder of the owner of the shop.
It was then that she learned about the ranch.
She just had to come!
Finding Witches familiars is hard since it was needed to find a being willing to tie itself to you.
A familiar to a Witch was like a sword to a swordsman, or a wand to a mage.
It was essential for them to unlock their full potential.
Any living being can be a familiar, but Beasts are expensive and aren't willing to make pacts, people much less, and Demonic Beasts aren't an option.
So pokemon it is!
Maverick had told her that many Pokemon may be very willing to make a pack with her, but after hearing her out, he had a recommendation.
So here she is! In the Pokemon Ranch to look for said recommendation!
She walked past the people, some who stopped to stare at her.
Matilda was wearing a hoodie, cap, sunglasses and a mask, making her look suspicious in this warm weather, but she could take any risks of being found out.
She was a small star in the social media, with not many fans or followers, but with too many controversies not to be known.
She, a Witch, was a creature born out of dark magic, something people usually see in a bad light because of Demonic energy and because it's something used by demons, a race not many people like.
Her small reputation that wasn't even big enough to make her a simple local celebrity was tarnished by fake rumors made by one of the imperial princesses of the Golden Empire, whom she offended by accident once when they were both still at the Academy.
She could barely leave her home now and everyone that she went to ask to be her familiar would turn their backs on her, she would be expelled from most shops, she didn't even join a guild, scared to be mistreated there as well.
The flower shop she usually goes to is one of the only places she can go without a disguise.
The owners actually took her in for some time when she was kicked out of home after she graduated and helped her to get on her feet before she opened her small potion shop.
They tried to convince her to stay longer, but she didn't want to be a burden.
She also wanted to prove to them she could take care of herself!
But things are still complicated, Matilda can't use her magic properly for as long as she remains partnerless, so she doesn't have much luck on hunts.
Things couldn't remain like this! She had to make a change!
So she set foot inside the place and was ready to ask for the owner when suddenly…
"Hello?"
She jumped in a fright and took a few steps to the side as a guy with green hair that seemed to be around her age came into view.
And heavens…
"You good?"
He looked like a mess.
Dark circles under his eyes, a tired expression on his face and a weak smile that shone with a gloomy light.
"Yeah" He said with a yawn "Just some problems with a troublemaker"
As if on cue, a giggle caught her attention as a small figure came from behind the guy.
It seemed childish and cute, but the mischievous smile on its face made it clear who made the guy look like this.
"Anyway!" He said with newfound energy "I'm Nate, owner of this Ranch, how can I help you?"
Oh! So this was the owner?
He looked younger than she thought he would be.
"I'm Matilda" She said "Mister Friederich told me about this place and Maverick recommended me to meet a group of rescues"
The guy's eyes immediately shone with anticipation.
"Really!? Which group?"
"He said it was Sticks and Stones"
She found the name strange, but didn't say anything out loud.
Nate gave her a reassuring smile as he gestured for her to follow him and made questions.
"Are you in the entertainment industry?"
"I tried to, but, you know, scandals, fake news, rumors…"
"So that's why the disguise! But don't worry, this group will help you with this if you ever want to return to the business. It's their specialty!"
She doubted it.
Sticks and Stones did not sound like a group specialized in entertainment.
He must have seen how skeptical she was as he took a file from his spatial bag and gave it to her after leafing through it a bit.
She took a look at the file and was surprised by what it showed.
[Sticks and Stones
Composed by the main dancer and singer Blossom (a Braixen), the musician Stem (a Luxio) and the bodyguard Sprout (a Pangoro).
Sprout was raised by the same trainer, but ran away when said trainer pushed him too far with his training and permanently damaged one of Sprout's knee when he was still a Pancham, disabling him to dance, but he can still work as a bodyguard and still loves music.
Blossom and Stem started wild, but took a liking to dancing and singing, but were chased out after interrupting many competitions and attacking competitors to make shows by themselves.
Note 1: They might fight a lot, but it's never serious.
Note 2: Sprout's refuses to heal his knee despite knowing that Tapu Lele can do so, he doesn't want to dance anymore, but is willing to give dancing lessons]
She was surprised by how cute they all were, even Sprout in his own way, but it was their stories that made her pause.
It was… a bit like herself…
Witches and Wizards are rare since their fertility is very low, so 90% of the species is composed of the ones made out of natural black magic.
Matilda was a rare case, born out of a Witch and a Wizard, but put to adoption soon after being born since her parents weren't prepared to be one of the few of their species to have naturally born kids.
She grew up as a wild child that seeked attention from anyone who could give her, she did everything that she could to show people that she was there, that she exited, that she wanted to feel loved.
She even accepted being adopted by a family that only wanted a replacement for their daughter if that meant that she would be loved.
Well… it obviously didn't work, and it was that desire to be loved that she offended the imperial princesse, getting a bit too close to a boy she didn't even know was the princess's secret boyfriend, and it was what drove her to stop posting anything new on her channel.
She could still post if she wanted, but why post if the response will be so cruel?
With that in mind, she couldn't stop herself.
"Can I meet them?"