> Ito Belongs to @adragonsdreaming

 

The tree, for once, was entirely innocent. Ito had been walking north with Hibi and Droplet when she noticed a strand of webbing stretched between two low branches.

She stopped, causing Hibi to nearly walk into her as Ito looked upward.

A Spinarak looked downward and the two stared at one another.

Spinarak had six legs. Ito currently displayed only two. This appeared to concern both of them as Ito climbed onto a nearby rock.

Spinarak lowered itself on silk and they continued staring.

Droplet sat down with Hibi beside her as Several minutes passed.

Ito finally spoke. “You're fuzzy.”

Spinarak clicked.

Ito lifted one arm, the sleeve shifted enough to reveal the pink fuzz along her forearm. “Me too.”

Spinarak descended another few inches and Ito smiled. “Oh, you're perfect.”

The Spinarak clicked again and then spat a strand of web directly into Ito's face.

Silence filled the air until Droplet made a tiny sound and Hibi looked away.

Ito peeled the webbing slowly from her cheek. “…Rude.”

Spinarak bounced on its thread as Ito reached for a Poké Ball.

That particular development had happened earlier that morning at a Pokémon Center counter.

Ito had placed three Poké Balls beside a packet of sweets and the clerk scanned the identification Nostus had somehow arranged.

The terminal chimed.

ITO SHALES
REGISTERED TRAINER
HOME REGION: OTHER / TEMPORARY JOHTO RESIDENCE
REGISTERED PARTNER: CHIKORITA

Ito stared fir a long moment that the clerk looked at her. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m a trainer?”

The clerk checked the screen. “Yes?”

Ito thought for another moment. “Neat.”

Then bought the Poké Balls, Legally. Which somehow made everything else she did with them considerably more dangerous.

Back beneath the tree, Ito enlarged one of those perfectly legitimate Poké Balls and Hibi stepped forward as Spinarak descended.

The battle lasted less than five minutes.

Hibi used Tackle, Spinarak retaliated with String Shot. Ito got hit with String Shot twice despite not participating. all while Droplet watched.

At one point Ito became distracted examining the silk attached to her own arm and Hibi had to chirp sharply to regain her attention. “Right.”

Spinarak launched again. 

“Hibi, left.” Chikorita dodged.

“Tackle.” The hit knocked Spinarak into the grass and Ito made her throw.

The Ball rocked. Once. Twice. Three times. Click.

Ito stared, then smiled.

A minute later Spinarak was sitting on top of her head. 

Ito scratched carefully beneath his jaw. “Webby.”

Spinarak clicked. “Good.”

Hibi stared at her. “What?”

Hibi looked pointedly at the strands of silk covering Ito's clothes that Ito also looked down. “…Also good.”

- - - - -

“Tree,” Ito repeated.

Ravina narrowed her eyes. “That somehow sounds more suspicious when you say it.”

Ito shrugged. The Spinarak lowered himself on a thread until he was hanging directly in front of Ravina.

“Hello?”

He clicked, and Owlbert leaned forward.

Webby immediately climbed back into Ito's hair. And Ravina glanced at Owlbert. “No.”

Owlbert stared at the spider. “No.”

Hoot.

“That one is definitely not food.”

Hoot.

Ito looked at Ravina. “Your bird eats bugs?”

Ravina sighed. “We discovered that this morning.”

Ito nodded. “Good bird.”

Owlbert puffed himself up. “Please don't encourage him.”

Cinder chirped. “You either.”

Ravina looked back toward Ito, something was bothering her.

Not the Ranger Styler, that was bothering her considerably. Not Marill, she was also concerning. Not even the fact that Ito apparently had Poké Balls.

Then it clicked. “Wait.”

Ito waited.

“How did you buy Poké Balls?”

“Money.”

“I meant legally.”

“Money.”

“No, I…” Ravina stopped and her eyes narrowed. “You're registered?”

Ito nodded and Ravina stared. “Mum did it?”

Another nod.

“When?”

“Dunno.”

Ravina looked toward Violet City, then back at Ito. Her mother had spent an entire week fighting Professor Elm's paperwork. Apparently somewhere within that mountain she had also found time to create a functioning legal identity for an interdimensional fae drider.

Ravina wasn't sure whether to be impressed or afraid. Probably both.

“You know what? Fine.”

Ito smiled.

“No. Don't look happy. We're nowhere near fine.”

A heavy scraping sound rolled from somewhere behind the wall and Ravina froze.

Cinder perked up and Owlbert straightened as the ground vibrated faintly beneath Ravina's boots.

Slowly, she looked past Ito, something enormous rose behind the stone wall.

Grey. Rocky. Segmented. Higher. And higher.

Until the head of an Onix appeared above them.

Ravina's mouth opened, but nothing came out.

The Onix lowered his head as Ito looked back. “Oh.”

Ravina pointed. “What is THAT?”

“Rocky.”

“I know it's an Onix!”

Ito blinked. “His name is Rocky.”

“WHY DO YOU HAVE HIM?”

“Trade.”