1

   “Swellow, get your winged carcass out here!” Shouted Emilia, Swellow’s longtime Pokemon trainer. Swellow let out an exasperated sigh, her wings drooping towards Emilia as she gave her a look. “Now, do you remember those moves I shown you?” She asked, opening the door that was near her, feeling the rather tender breeze of wind.

Swellow had nodded, showing one of her new moves, Aerial Ace. It was at first a difficult move for her to learn due to her weak wings, but she held on after the weeks of grueling training and discipline. Emilia was a good trainer towards Swellow, but she was often too strict to her.

“That’s good, but you still need to practice harder!” She scolded, heavily staring at Swellow. The pokemon looked down with worried eyes.

“I’m trying my hardest, dear Emilia,” Swellow finally replied, groaning as her wings already felt exhausted. “I have not yet perfected this move yet. I’m new to it still.”

All Emilia could respond was with a shrug. “I don’t care! Practice!”

Suddenly, another person came in, running to Emilia as they gave them a hard glare. They were wearing a trainer cap, with a yellow-white jacket and blue jeans. Maybe this was one of Emilia’s friends?

“For Arceus’ sake, you’re not training your Pokemon in the Pokemon League, Emilia! Stop pushing her so hard.” They retorted, walking to Swellow. Their hands pressed onto Swellow’s wings, tenderly rubbing them. They turned back to Emilia with another glare. “Her wings are not strong enough to perfect Aerial Ace. Let her be ok with this other than forcing her to get better.”

Emilia scoffed, folding her hands together with a huff. “Whatever, you’re not their trainer. You can’t judge me!”

“You are aware I gave you Swellow, right?” They reminded her with an eyebrow. “So, technically, I’m still their owner - just transferred.”

“That does not mean you can just touch my Pokemon!” She boasted, grabbing Swellow’s untouched wing.

“I can, and will. Emilia, why aren’t you wondering at this point to why your parents never wanted to give you a Pokemon in the first place?”

“Zea, do - not - remind me.” Emilia let out a groan, the remembrance of her parents not giving her a Pokemon when she was younger due to her forceful and abusive treatment towards them. Zea was the only person - and friend - that was kind enough to lend her Swellow. She had hoped that Emilia would’ve treated Swellow right, but now, it seemed like she was wrong.

“I have no choice,” Zea stood up, taking Emilia’s hand from Swellow’s other wing. Zea was now holding Swellow tenderly, rubbing her wings once more, smiling at the worrisome Pokemon. “You need to prove to yourself that you can treat Pokemon right!”

Emilia let out another scoff, putting her hands on her hips. “Ha! By - by what, hmm? Learning the power of friendship and understanding? You got to be joking, Zea!”

“Emilia, why are you like this? What happened in life that made you have such a rather overly disciplined personality?” Zea asked, holding Swellow slightly tighter.

“That is nothing to your concern!” Emilia snapped. “I will get a Pokemon of my own, and I know that they’ll appreciate my disciplined self!”

“What Pokemon would accept such a distasting personality?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll find one! And they’ll be twice as powerful as that ridiculous excuse of a flying-type!” Emilia said before leaving at the door, closing it immediately with a raged slam. Zea could hear her troubled mumbles from the distant.

“Why did she leave again?” Zea confusingly said, staring at the departing trainer.

Swellow shrugged, removing herself from Zea’s grasp, flocking down slowly until her talons gently touched the soft rug. “I don’t know. Dramatic effect, I do quite suppose. She looks at a lot of drama televisions shows all the time!”

Zea let out a snort of amusement, shaking her head. “Of course she’d be watching those kinds of ludicrous types of the genre! Those things get in her head and she mimics everything she sees from it.”

Swellow nodded with a responding snort, flying awkwardly on Zea’s shoulder. “It is such a shame that Emilia just stormed off like that.”

Zea nodded. “I know, but that’s Emilia. She has a bad temper, and we just got to get used to it.”

Swellow gave her a responsive chirp. “Whatever did she mean by having a better Pokemon?”

“That’s just something a lot of ego-born trainers say when they want to think they’re better than everyone. They try too hard and think they’re the greatest trainer since the invention of the Pokepuff!”

“Pokepuffs, mmm!” The thought of Pokepuffs allured Swellow’s mind, her eyes milky with satisfaction and hunger. “I haven’t eaten those in so long!”

“Want to go get one? Maybe us going to get some Pokepuffs will help get our minds off my ego-stroked, disciplinary-loving friend!” Zea smiled towards Swellow.

Swellow let out an excited squawk, her wings waved in excitement - and of course, hunger. “Indeed, so! Let’s go, then, shall we?”

“We shall!” The both of them felt rather calmer now, their minds away from Emilia for now as they were now focused on getting some tasty, sweet-smelling Pokepuffs.

Zea ran out of the door, alongside with Swellow as went to go to the nearest Pokemart with available Pokepuffs. Along the way, Swellow realized something and turned to look at Zea as they still had run.

“Hey, Zea? Wherever did you come from, by the way? You came out of nowhere when Emilia was scolding me!”

She thought for a moment from Swellow’s comment, then slapped her head from realization. “Oh, duh! I went to go ask for Emilia if it was okay for me to have you back, but the commotion that was happening made me forget.”

Swellow stared at her with wide eyes. “What do you mean, you wanted me back?”

“For… reasons.” Zea drifted from her words as they led into a mumble. “But, I’ll tell you later. Let’s go have them Pokepuffs, shall we?”

“Oh, yes, yes!” Swellow smiled, her nose could almost smell the delicious scent of the Pokepuffs. But, her mind was still troubled from the thought of what Zea had said. Did she want Swellow back? And, for what cost or reason?