Ravina wanted to bed, it had been a long day and the excitement of the day and Cinder officially becoming hers was no longer enough to keep her going, exhaustion was now winning.

She showered, Changed, Checked her Pokégear and then pushed open her bedroom door and stopped.

Someone was sitting on her bed, small, pink-haired, barely taller sitting down than Cinder was standing. Several distinctly nonhuman eyes reflected the light from a handheld game console. And beside her, perfectly comfortable on Ravina’s blankets, sat a Chikorita.

Ravina remained in the doorway as Ito looked up. “…Hi.”

Ravina stared at her, then Chikorita, then Ito, then Chikorita again. “No.”

Ito blinked. “No what?”

“I have had a very long day.” Ravina started as Cinder peered around Ravina’s leg.

His entire body stiffened and Chikorita saw him.

“Chiko!” She hopped off the bed.

Cinder stared, recognition and then confusion as he looked up at Ravina as though expecting an explanation.

Ravina didn’t have one as she pointed toward the Grass-type. “So I’m going to ask this once.”

Ito paused her game. “Okay.”

“Why is Professor Elm’s missing Chikorita in my bedroom?”

Ito looked down at Chikorita, who had already wandered over to greet Cinder. 

“Oh.” Ito considered. “Her.”

“Yes. Her.”

“I found her.”

Ravina’s eye twitched. “Where?”

“At the professor place.”

“The laboratory.”

“Probably.”

Ravina slowly covered her face as Cinder and Chikorita sniffed one another cautiously.

There was a cheerful chirp as apparently neither Pokémon considered the situation especially alarming.

Ravina lowered her hands. “You stole Professor Elm’s Chikorita.”

Ito looked offended at that. “Stole is mean.”

“What word would you use?”

Ito thought about it. “Acquired?”

“No.”

“Found?”

“No.”

“Rescued?”

“From what?”

Ito shrugged. “There was a red-haired boy breaking things.”

Ravina froze. “What?”

Ito resumed pressing buttons on the game. “He climbed in.”

“Silver?”

“I don’t know.”

“Red hair? Angry face? Looks like smiling might physically injure him?”

Ito considered. “Yes.”

Ravina stared.

“You saw him break into the lab?”

“Mhm.”

“And you didn’t stop him?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Ito looked genuinely confused. “Why would I?”

Ravina opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. “Because he was stealing a Pokémon!”

Ito pointed toward Chikorita. “So was I.”

Ravina made a noise somewhere between a groan and a scream. Cinder lowered his stance in reaction while Chikorita remained cheerful. Then another thought reached Ravina and her eyes narrowed.

“…Wait.”

Ito looked up.

“Why are you here?”

That earned another thoughtful pause. “I took a nap.” Ravina waited, prompting for more explanation.  “In a box.”

“…What box?”

“The one with blankets.”

Ravina stared. “The linen box?”

“Maybe.”

“The linen box we packed before leaving home?”

Ito nodded.

“And then?”

“I woke up here.”

Ravina continued staring. “That’s it?”

“It was a very good box.”

Ravina slowly looked toward the ceiling, they had arrived in Johto a couple of days ago. The linen boxes had been some of the last things unpacked. Ito had apparently climbed into one before shipment, gone to sleep, and remained asleep through most of the process.

Ravina decided she did not possess the emotional reserves required to process that tonight.

“Fine.”

Ito smiled. “Great.”

“No. Not great.” Ravina stepped into the room. “Get up.”

Ito blinked. “Why?”

“We’re going to Professor Elm.”

Ito’s expression immediately soured. “No.”

Ravina stopped. “What?”

“No.”

“Ito.”

“Ravina.”

“You have his Pokémon.”

Chikorita chirped and Ito pointed at her. “She likes me.”

“That isn’t the point!”

“It seems important.”

“It is important, but it’s not the only point!”

Ito considered this and Ravina took a slow breath. “Come with me.”

“Um…” Ito looked toward the window.

Ravina’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t.”

“…Nah.” Ravina froze as Ito stood up. “I’m on vacation now.”

“What?”

“I wanna have fun.”

“Ito.”

“See things.”

“Ito.”

“Eat weird food.”

“Ito!”

Chikorita wandered back toward her and Ito scooped her up surprisingly easily. “I’ll see you later, kay?”

Then she stepped onto the windowsill, Ravina’s eyes widened as she felt her stomach drop. “Do not!”

Ito smiled and climbed out.

“ITO!” Ravina lunged toward the window. Too late.

Ito dropped lightly onto the small awning beneath it, crossed onto the garden fence and disappeared over the hedge with Chikorita tucked comfortably against her.

Chikorita looked back. “Chiko!” she called as they both vanished into the night.

Ravina remained halfway out the window in silence as Cinder padded up behind her. He looked outside, then at Ravina, then outside again. “…My familiar just told me no.”

Cinder chirped. “She’s never done that.” Another chirp.

Ravina slowly pulled herself back inside. The familiar contract, She could barely feel it. Back home it had always been present somewhere at the edge of her senses. A quiet magical thread.

But here it felt distant, weak, like trying to hear someone through several walls. Ito apparently noticed too. And her response had been to immediately declare herself on vacation and commit Pokémon theft.

Ravina sat heavily on the bed.

“Mum is going to kill me.” Cinder climbed up beside her.

“Not literally.” She added as he settled against her thigh and Ravina stared at the open window. “…Probably.”

 

Nostus did not kill her, but Ravina almost wished she had, as that might have been faster. The following morning, Nostus sat at the dining table with a mug of coffee in front of her.

Ravina sat opposite as Cinder occupied her lap.

Daphne had arrived ten minutes earlier with several documents Professor Elm needed Nostus to review and had unfortunately remained long enough to hear the story.

Nostus rubbed both hands slowly over her face. “Let me understand this.”

Ravina winced.

“One of your familiars followed us to johto…”

“Yes.”

“…inside our linen shipment.”

“Yes.”

“Because she was asleep.”

“Yes.”

“For several days.”

“…Probably.”

Nostus lowered her hands. “She then witnessed the theft from Professor Elm’s laboratory.”

“Yes.”

“Did not report it.”

“Yes.”

“And took the other starter.”

“Yes.”

Daphne was making a heroic effort not to laugh as Nostus looked toward her. “Please don’t encourage this.”

“I’m sorry.” Daphne covered her mouth. “I genuinely am.”

“You’re smiling.”

“I know.”

Ravina sank lower into her chair as Nostus returned her attention to her daughter. “And where is Ito now?”

Ravina stared at the table. “…Vacation.”

Silence, Daphne failed and a laugh escaped.

Nostus closed her eyes, so Ravina spoke quickly. “Chikorita looked happy.”

Nostus opened one eye. “That is currently the only thing preventing this from becoming substantially worse.”

“She really did.”

“I believe you.”

“And Ito isn’t dangerous.”

Nostus gave her a look, so Ravina reconsidered. “…Intentionally.”

“That qualifier is doing heroic work.”

Daphne laughed again. Nostus sighed again. “Wonderful.”

Ravina looked cautiously at her. “You’re taking this well.”

“No.”

“Oh.”

“I am calculating paperwork.”

Ravina’s ears lowered. “Oh no.”

“Yes.”

Nostus began counting on her fingers. “I have a magically contracted fae family member who does not currently possess citizenship, a recognized regional identity or a League registration.”

Daphne’s smile faded slightly. “That could be complicated.”

“Extremely.”

Nostus continued. “She is now travelling unsupervised with a Pokémon registered to Professor Elm.”

Ravina raised one finger. “Technically…”

“No.”

She lowered it as Nostus continued. “If Chikorita genuinely chooses to remain with Ito, Elm can authorize a transfer.”

Daphne nodded. “He probably will, if she’s safe.”

“Which still requires Ito to exist on paper.”

Ravina blinked. “She exists.”

“Not legally.”

“Oh.”

“Therefore I need to establish enough documentation that the League can recognize her as a member of our household.”

Another pause.

“Without explaining magic.”

Ravina smiled weakly. “You’re good at paperwork?”

Nostus stared. “Dont butter me up right now...”

“…Fair.”

Daphne reached for the coffee pot. “You’re going to need more of this.”

Nostus looked toward her. “That may be the kindest thing anyone has said to me this morning.”

Daphne poured her another cup. Their hands brushed briefly over the handle. Neither seemed particularly hurried to move.

Ravina noticed, she looked at Daphne, then Nostus, then the coffee. Interesting.

Nostus’s eyes shifted toward her and Ravina immediately became fascinated by Cinder. Not her problem…Probably.