Frontier Town Traveller's Haus - Dining Hall

[Chibi Pika]

Virga paused.

“Ah… that is…”

Human lifespans were so short, how was she supposed to remember? A quarter of a century? No, less than that, even. Did humans measure their lifespan in months? Surely not… (But humans did seem to enjoy the number 12… could 144 months be a significant age?)

The humans in charge of official matters considered many of the Chosen to be adolescent. Was a decade sufficient for human maturity? But physical maturity was insufficient for social maturity, for some reason…

Damn it all. The bear cub would certainly think Virga a fool for not knowing this piece of useless trivia. But responding with ‘around a decade’ risked looking even more the fool. How to navigate…

‘I require assistance.’

‘…Huh? With what?’

‘I have been asked of your age.’

‘Huh?? Why???’

‘Don’t ask me! Mortals are always concerning themselves with whether some number permits them to take action, rather than ability. I have never understood.’

‘………This is about fighting the Rockets, isn’t it?’ (A sigh.) ‘I was fifteen.’

Virga straightened, shaking her head. “Apologies, I’m unfamiliar with human ages but… I believe she was fifteen.” She did not know how this answer would be perceived.

 

[canisaries]

She didn't need to think that hard. I would have been okay with just 'teenager', Ben thought.

"Fifteen," Ben repeated. "Yes, that is pretty young for a human to be doing something like that." Humans that age were often heroes in the books he read for school as a teen himself, but those were books. "Opposing criminals that abuse pokémon... feral or sapient? Or both? Not that any of those options is a good thing."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Feral or sapient? He said it as though those were distinct terms from his culture, rather than descriptors. Feral for those who lived in the wild, perhaps. So the natural counterpart would be those that lived among humans. (Sapient? What a pretentious manner of thought, thinking themselves the wisest for consorting with humans.)

"I never heard of them being particularly discriminate," Virga replied, preening a wing feather. "Wild or trained, it made no difference to them. My associates and I lived in the wild, and they targeted us there, but they likewise have captured mon who live among humans. And so, it was useful to have human allies who could navigate human society."

 

[canisaries]

Ben was a bit confused before he thought things through more properly. "Oh, sorry, I think I assumed your world worked more similarly to mine than it did. When I say sapient and feral, I mean smart and not-smart. Like, sapients know how to talk, whether it's in a mon language or a human language. Ferals just kinda make noises. Most ferals live in the wild and most sapients live among humans, but you can also have trained ferals and sapients that live in their own communities." He took his other paw off his plate and tapped his chest with it. "I'm a sapient that lives among humans myself, but my Mama says that her be'ima - grandmother - was part of a tribe in Ruthenia. Don't remember the name right now, though..."

Ben cleared his throat. "Anyway, the reason I brought that up was because capturing ferals and capturing sapients break different laws, and I guess I was figuring it took different kindsa criminals, too. But if you don't have that split, then... I don't know."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Virga tapped a claw to the wooden table. "Ah, right. As is the case on Forlas, apparently." There has been mention of that, when the group had left the ancient garden in search of food and shelter. Many of the mon they'd spotted while crossing the desert had been incapable of speech. It unsettled Virga. What had led to such a thing being the case?

"So, you live among humans. You prefer it that way?"

 

[canisaries]

That was the case on Forlas? Actually, yes, Ben supposed that made sense.

"So, you live among humans. You prefer it that way?"

"Er, well... yes," Ben said. "Humans tend to have the best... what's the term? Quality of life. From what I've seen of mon-only settlements, they don't tend to be, ah... very..."

Ben didn't want to be rude about it, especially not in front of someone who came from the wilds herself.

"What I mean is, I just prefer human ones. Personal choice."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Virga pierced a red berry with her beak (a small sign had labeled it as "hot" yet Virga detected no heat... had the staff forgotten to warm it?).

"Human society has always felt terribly arbitrary to me. I prefer to live by my own rules."

(If Mew were here, they might have made some quip about how that wasn't so much a "living amongst humans" problem as it was "living amongst other beings." Then they would accuse the sea of being a hermit.)

"But, I understand that many Pokémon find it comforting. As with training." Virga paused for a moment, considering something. "Being with a trainer... you enjoyed that as well?"

 

[canisaries]

"Oh, yes," Ben said, a small smile forming on his face. "I'd briefly been with other trainers before Mike, and those were alright and all, but Mike was the first one who really believed in me. That I wasn't just a small-time bear, but a superstar, and we were gonna take the world by storm. He made me his ace and even gave me a show name, Grizz. Sounds a lot cooler than just Ben."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Hm. That wasn't too dissimilar to the trained mon that Virga knew of back home. Of course, it wasn't hard to see that that there might be certain advantages to allying with humans, particularly for the sake of navigating human society and forging a reputation. A mutually beneficial arrangement was only logical. And yet, for the first time, the sea found itself imagining itself in that position. No longer a legend, a common bird with a common Pokéball. Partnering with humans as if they were... equal.

Something tightened in Virga's chest, and she opted to finish the last of her chosen berries for the sake of something to do. Once the plate was cleared, she turned to Ben and said, "Well. With any luck, perhaps you might obtain another suitable human one day." Comforting words so often felt like empty platitudes, but that would have to do.

The Rookidee adjusted her wing feathers, making sure everything was in order before taking note of the springtime air drifting through the open window. "I should resume my training so that I might obtain a more useful form for combat."

 

[canisaries]

"Well. With any luck, perhaps you might obtain another suitable human one day."

Ben had to try his best to mask how these words made him feel - sickened.

No. Another trainer is not going to fix things. Mike can't be replaced.

"I should resume my training so that I might obtain a more useful form for combat."

"Ah, sure. I'll leave you to it. Thanks for the talk," Ben said. Save for that last part.

He gave a wave with his free paw and headed off with his plate. He supposed this was enough socialization for the morning - he could eat by himself now if he wanted to.

<><><>​