Pass me the Aux, Levi (Pokemon×Trainer×Pokemon)

[LovelyBones]

It wasn't easy, being soft for abandoned, neglected and or hurt pokemon, regardless of whether they were open to help initially or not. Odhran had a not-so-bad habit of adopting and fostering pokemon as he traveled and trained his team for the League, wanting to take his chance at going up against the Champion himself, Leon. Though, all the minor detours meant that his team was getting stronger than where his next gym would be, and while he didn't mind too much, he had a sense of fairness and justice, not wanting to be unfair.

And so, in his travels, he was looking for a pokemon to raise and train to an appropriate level, when he had seen a flier for an adoption event in the town he was getting supplies in. It seemed there was a fighting ring bust, and some of the pokemon were being adopted out to good homes, and despite his better judgement, he headed on over, at least to see, maybe offer comfort even if he couldn't adopt. The young man greeted Nurse Joy and Jenny as he came in, and saw a corner that appeared to be previously full, with only one remaining kennel against the wall. The sight of the cage alone broke his heart, but seeing the fearful Toxtricity inside hurt even worse. He steeled himself before coming over with a soft, gentle smile, and sat three feet from the cage door.

The kennel looked barely big enough for the human to sit in there comfortably, and could only imagine how cramped the other must be, how scared he must be. "Hey, big guy...." He began in a soft tone, his expression soft, and clear he was trying not to cry in sympathy. He was so soft.... "You came from a bad place, huh? You didn't deserve any of that...." He noted the rings in the other's horns, and swallowed softly. "Poor boy.... the humans that did this deserve what they put you through, and worse-- I just hope they were all caught, and you and anyone else was with you get the justice you deserve." Odhran sniffed softly, before carefully pulling out his bag, and pulling out a poke-cupcake for the other.

"You're looking a little thin there, buddy.... would you like this?" He asked, offering it after taking a small bite. "See? It's safe!" He didn't know if food was used to drug the other or not, so it was probably best to show that the food was safe. "A little rich, though.... then again, this is better for pokemon, than humans. You guys have faintly different diets than us...." Odhran may be talking to a wall at this point, but he wanted the other to know he was happy to talk, at least keep the pokemon company for a little while, even if the Toxtricity didn't want to be adopted by him. "Have you tried curry? I'd love to make you some, if you wanted me to! My team likes a bunch of different kinds! My starter, Levi-- he's my Intelion-- likes sweet and spicy curry best! I'd love to help you find your favorite!" He smiled sweetly, watching the pokemon, holding his case of poke-treats in his lap, happy to share more as the other liked.

"While you need a little more healthy weight on you, you look really pretty...." He cooed gently, glancing the pokemon over. "And you look like you give really nice hugs when you like someone! I like hugs, and giving them, too!" He giggled softly, before looking into the other's eyes once given the chance. "May I hold your hand, buddy? You have such big beans, and I'd love to give them a nice massage, if you'd let me?" Not once was a command given, the human giving the other choices, treating the other with as much respect as he could. "It's okay if you don't want a human touching you-- I know how hard it is to trust others after you've been hurt so, so terribly...." his expression grew sad, distant for a few moments, but he shook his head softly as he rubbed his budding tears away. "S-sorry.... I'm still recovering, too, even years later." He offered the other a sad, knowing smile, before taking that first small scoot closer. "But.... not all humans are bad, you know? There's Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, and the other trainers that helped save you and other pokemon from that bad place you were in...." He began, his thumbs gently rubbing along the lid of his treat case, swimming to keep his nerves down.

"Would you like to join me? I would love to take care of you, feed you well, show you things you haven't before!! We can explore with my team, go camping, and more!! But, I want you to know that I would never, ever force you to fight for me. You've fought enough, endured enough.... so unless you choose to be on my team, I am happy to have you solely as a companion." Odhran proposed with a hopeful, but patient smile on his face, heart pounding in his chest. "You are a living, breathing creature that deserves respect and care, and a chance at living a happy, wholesome life, and I want to have the chance to give that to you.... But, it's up to you. I wouldn't feel right if I took this choice away from you, force you to come with me.... so, I'm asking if you'd like to join me and my team, have a proper second chance. Would you like to join me, big guy?"

[NicTheDjinn]

It's all he'd ever known. He'd been bred for this, abilities and physical traits hand selected to make the best fighters. From the moment he hatched, he'd been prepared for his future in the fighting ring. He was manhandled to get a good look at him and harshly punished for any complaint, let alone any sign of aggression towards a person trying to handle him. Upon approval, his training officially started and he was thrown into combat. Several times a day, every day, till he was too exhausted to move. He shot up through the baby ranks only to be thrown in with adult pokemon when they thought he could survive and survived he did.

As a toxel he was an underdog, making his trainer plenty of money as people seemed to refuse that a little pokemon like him could possibly be tough enough to survive on a team like these. He could still remember the roar of the crowd when he evolved right in the middle of a battle he'd nearly lost. It was thrilling... Up till they got back home and he was beaten for almost losing. Evolution would never save him again, after all. Life continued and he was traded several times, each time getting a new name. Trouble, Staticsnap, Psych, Sounwave, and finally Toxic.

As Toxic he found himself on a shockingly stable team. He helped his team climb, defending and supporting them as readily as they did him. They were kept all together in a single cramped cage when not fighting or training, the six of them close-knit. They slept in a pile, licked each other's wounds as they couldn't legally be taken to a pokemon center after fights, and even sought pleasure from each other when they thought they could get away with it. Queen of Thorns a toxapex, Juggernaut a ferrothorn, Eidolon a dragapult, Backdraft a cinderace, and Eclipse a corviknight. These were his family now... Once he'd proven himself as worth the trade for sure, his trainer even started to breed and stud him for profit.

That was, of course, till the raid.

It was chaos. The raid was as sudden and violent as you might expect, pokemon turned on pokemon and human alike. He'd finally been taken down while keeping an officer from attempting to get to an unconscious Backdraft, vision blacking out as Queen charged in to defend him. When he woke, all his wounds were healed though the scars he'd gathered over the years were still very much in place. He looked around at cages filled with pokemon, some that he vaguely knew, but that was all. His friends, his little family, were gone. He was paranoid and aggressive without them, slamming back to the days were he had no one to count on. Every human that had to deal with him was terrified until they realized he only acted this way inside a cage and never did more than mock charge. As he was deceptively aggressive and actually one of the most manageable pokemon sent to them, it was decided that he would be taken to the adoption event scheduled to be held.

And so his cage was moved out with many others, some in this group and some outside of it, but sadly he still didn't see any of the faces he so desperately wanted to see. A little card was hung outside of his cage, reading what information they had on him based on scans.

Name: N/A
Level: 53
Nature: Timid
Ability: Punk Rock
Moveset: Overdrive, Sludge Bomb, Boomburst, Volt Switch
EV Spread: Sp. Atk 252, Speed 252, Defense 4

There was one thing repeatedly checked through the day and the main reason he was still right where he'd started. No one believed he was actually 'timid' as there was nothing timid about him. He hissed, snarled and charged the bars anytime someone came to close to his cage. Another question that kept coming up was that if he was a wild pokemon or feral with a personality like that. They were about ready to give up and close up only to have someone come in to have a look right at the end. He was allowed to look at the only remaining pokemon they had and apologized for starting to pack up while he did so, though encouraged him to take all the time he wanted with the toxtricity.

Sure enough, when another human approached his reaction was the same as it had been with every other person. He hissed in warning only to scramble up onto his padded feet and hands when they sat down anyway and even greeted him. The greeting only earned him a mock charge, then the 'aggressive' creature scuttled to the back of the tiny enclosure. Anyone that bothered to look past the overt behavior would easily be able to tell what was going on. This was fear aggression. The poor thing was nothing short of terrified.

There was one other detail, of course... How thin he was. The heavily scarred pokemon was clearly underweight and that had those large, fearful eyes snapping onto the pokemon friendly cupcake. He stared jealously as it was nibbled only for the human to very bravely offer it to him. He hesitated, staring for a long moment as he babbled, having stopped paying attention to him at this point. Slowly, he started to move forward again, not stopping till his face was pressed to the bars. His mouth opened then, a long, flat, blue tongue reaching out. The muscle wrapped around the offered treat and it was taken with shocking gentleness, carried all the way into his mouth only for it to close on the whole thing. Only then did he scoot back against the far bars of his cage to silently chew. It seemed no one had actually attempted to bribe the panicked pokemon with food.

As he chewed, he listened to the human go on, and on, and on, and on... Much to his shock, he seemed to be wrapping up with asking if he'd like to come with him. More shocking, it was being made clear that he didn't have to fight if he didn't want to. He'd always assumed that fighting and breeding were his only desirable qualities. Why would he want him if it wasn't for that? For a while longer, he stared, continuing to chew. He'd long since chewed the cupcake to mush, of course, but he was reluctant to swallow it as he didn't often get treats like this. In the end, he reluctantly swallowed.

Slowly he moved forward again, still watching the human wearily. In the end, he pressed his face to the bars like he had before and did something no one here had ever seen him do. "Can I...? Can I have another...?" He'd spoken. Up till now, it was all hissing, snarls, and growls, but when he spoke, it was quiet. His voice was soft, if a little gravelly. Timid. True to his information card, he was timid.

[LovelyBones]

Odhran was happy that the other took the cupcake so gently, and even moreso that the other seemed to enjoy it, tried to savor it as long as possible. Though, he wasn't surprised when the other asked for another treat, and he offered it with a smile. "Yes you may.... you have a really nice voice, you know?" The human giggled faintly, before fishing put a few berries, and set them in the cage carefully. "We don't want to upset your stomach-- too much all at once won't end well, believe me." He laughed softly then, before slowly stretching where he sat, then relaxed again. "But, you'll get to eat as much as you like, once your stomach can handle it!! And proper meals too, not just cupcakes!!" He smiled, before having an idea.

"Say, would you like to meet my team? They're all characters, but I'm sure you'll like them with time! But, only if you want to. This is probably overwhelming, being here like this." He gave a sympathetic smile, not focusing on how the cleanup from the event was almost over by now. "But.... I'll be happy to take care of you, help you heal, feel at home with me and my team, if you'd like. You're a sweet boy, I know you are." He spoke gently, before extending the hand carefully to the other, hoping for an accepting hand in turn, or sweeter yet, the other resting his face in the human's warm palm, accepting pets. "My team and I aren't perfect, but we're as close as can be, friends to the end! Would you like to join us?"

[NicTheDjinn]

He tensed as his cage was reached into, hissing as he backed up into a corner again. He was used to living in tiny, enclosed spaces and as such he was very defensive of the small space he currently viewed as his own. Still, even know, he made no move at all to try and attack the human, regardless of his posturing. Hell he didn't even mock charge again with the human in his space. He remained tucked back once the hand retreated for a moment before moving forward and finally picking up the berries with careful fingers, popping them into his mouth and chewing them one at a time to make them last, similar to the previous cupcake.

"Your team doesn't matter to me. I'll work with whoever I'm paired with." He admitted quietly, his behavior slowly becoming more and more subdued with each new kind gesture. He wasn't used to this treatment... The one thing that stood out about this human, though, was his lack of fear. People tended to be afraid of him and he generally liked it that way. If people were afraid of him, they were less likely to fuck with him. This though... This was different in a way that he didn't know how to deal with. He looked down at the hand once again reaching into his cage, this time without food to offer. His touch peeked out and traced along his own lips to make sure he got all the juice from the berries, clearly weighing his options as he stared at the hand. This human, for reasons he couldn't really understand, really wanted him. At the same time, he wasn't committing instead repeatedly asking for his permission like he had a say in the matter. He wasn't stupid. He didn't.

He hesitated for a moment longer before slowly moving forward again. While toxicity lacked teeth and didn't have particularly strong bites, it didn't change the fact that they were physically rather large and as such could still hurt someone quite a bit if they chose to bite. It was risky and a show of trust that the human had little reason to offer. All the same, shockingly, the bold trainer was rewarded. The poison-electric pokemon leaned in, closing his eyes as he pressed his face against the human's waiting palm. "I don't think I would hate being owned by you..." That... Was a rather backhanded way of putting it, but it was sort of confirmation?

[LovelyBones]

Odhran noted the hissing as the other being not quite ready to have his space invaded, and wasn't upset by it. However, it was also progress, not being mock-charged for the intrusion. The slow, thoughtful eating was a faint worry, though, as he wondered how long he was left without food, if he'd have any food disorders to keep in mind. Regardless, the trainer was going to do his best to help this sweet pokemon heal, even if it takes years, or the rest of his life.

Odhran was curious about the other's wording, and hummed before bringing out a little dusk ball, and letting out a rather tiny Mimikyu, who had a few colorful patches here and there, unlike a few wild variants. "Well, to start, this is Darling! He's fairly shy, but a good cuddles, once both parties are willing!" The smaller pokemon proceeded to hold Odhran's other hand after scuttling away behind and around the human, before peeking up at the Toxtricity, before offering a small but friendly wave. "Darling warms up with time, I'm sure, but he's also still young, too. He eats like a Mudsdale, but he doesn't grow quickly. You'll mostly see him riding on the others or my shoulder while we're camping or stretching out at a safe spot to." Darling nudged at his ball, before he went inside on his own. "Ah, I guess he's done. Let's see...." Odhran then sent out the rest of his party, though they were placed a comfortable distance away. "This is the rest of the gang! We have Ignus, the Volcarona," said pokemon bowed it's head silently, then tilted his head curiously. "A new friend....?" His voice came softly, though held the timbre of a calm fire. "Then, we have Hugin, the Corviknight," the armored raven looked at the Toxtricity, a faint squint in his eyes, before giving a silent nod, nothing more. "Hes fairly quiet, but he's fiercely loyal!! Next, is Red Queen," the largest pokemon had to sit on the floor in order to get a look at the electric pokemon, then had a mischievous glint in her eye. "You look fun to play with...." she said, her voice deep, growls, yet still melodic, surely fitting her name. "There's Shiek, our Lucario," the aura pokemon's four locks lifted a moment as she examined him, before they dropped quickly as she bore a silent but sympathic look, then looking to Odhran with familiarity, at least on an emotional level. "And last but not least, Levi, my Inteleon!" The slender lizard looked at Toxtricity with a calm demeanor, and smiled.

Introductions over with, they had all went back to their balls on their own, leaving the original pair alone once more. When the electric pokemon had finished his berries, and began to deliberate his next move when Odhran had offered his hand, the human was anxious. He was worried the other may not like him, reject him, but he was relieved when the pokemon accepted him, and even leaned into his touch. The human's warm hand gently pet along the side of the other's face, slow and soothing. "And I'll be happy to get you out of here, show you the world.... well, at least Galar. I'm not able to leave the region yet, but soon!" He giggled, petting the other until the he seemed to be satisfied, before standing carefully to head over to an attendant, get the paperwork handled, fee paid, and soon had the ball that was coded to Toxtricity in hand, and the key to the cage. Nor.ally, the attendant would have unlocked the cage, as they had with the other pokemon, but Odhran showed himself capable. Cage opened, he held the ball in hand, waiting in his open palm. "Let's get you out of here, and get you a proper, hot meal, okay? Would you like to be in your ball, or walking with me?" He asked, bright, excited, and genuinely relieved. "I wouldn't doubt you'd like to get some good, proper stretches, walk a bit after being in there.... really, they needed a bigger size for you." He shot a glance at the staff that didn't seem as attentive, but looked back to Toxtricity, and smiling warmly once more.

"Do you have a name? Or would you like one, even if its new to you? If you'd like a name, I would call you Aux! But, if you don't like it, and have a name you like better, I'll call you the one you like!"

[NicTheDjinn]

He'd, of course, been fed properly ever since the raid, but the way he savored food suggested that he wasn't used to having it. Thankfully Odhran had chosen to treat him while there were no other pokemon nearby or his behavior would have been quite different, something he would discover soon enough. He looked over as the trainer pulled out his main team one by one. His posture changed then, realizing that these were the pokemon he would likely be interacting with the most. These would be the ones he needed to gain approval from. From the moment he was presented the tiniest mimikyu he'd ever seen till the trainer offered his hand. He laid himself down, head locked at an angle by one of the fins at the side of his head, twisted to lay on one shoulder, then further twisted so his hips were angled as far upwards as the spikes at his waist would allow. He even spread his legs to maximize the effect, eyes cast down and only glancing up to snatch glances at the pokemon as they were presented to him.

The poor thing had clear eye contact issues and the way he so submissively offered his belly even though not a single pokemon had shown a shred of aggression or dominance towards him. It seemed to come naturally too... The poor thing... He held his posture right up till the human stuck his hand into his cage again, hesitating for a moment longer before rising to meet the offered hand. As he was pet, his eyes never closed sans the need to blink. Hell, they barely narrowed when the other's touch grew too close to his eyes. Even though he was allowing the touch, he clearly didn't trust him enough to let him out of sight.

So they would be traveling together then. He'd barely seen the outside world as the fights he was part of were illegal and so usually took place within buildings or caves to keep out of sight. The only times he'd ever been outside was inside a Pokeball so he hadn't seen anything. That changed for the first time after the raid where he was placed in a kennel and then brought here. Sadly he hasn't really gotten the chance to enjoy his time outside as he's been gripped by fear the entire time. The human left him then for a bit, leaving him wondering what his future would be like now. Would they continue to be kind to him? Was he lying to get a hold of a powerful fighter? Would he train him to exhaustion like his other trainers had?

The attendant was both surprised and delighted to hear that the last pokemon they had up for adoption was finding a home. He was given a quick rundown of warnings, given the pokemon's origin, as well as all the information they had on him. A full move list, estimated age, recorded fear fullness, fear aggression, and food aggression. Shockingly, other than being underweight, and all the scarring, the toxtricity seemed to be in good health. The attendant further explained that he's already been microchipped and gotten his first round of vaccinations. Some signed paperwork and an adoption fee later and ownership was transferred to him. As they were quite understaffed, being nonprofit, they apologized and asked that they let the pokemon out on their own as they really needed to finish breaking down and get back to the shelter.

The poison-electric type watched on as his cage was opened up, watching the human wearily only to suddenly fly into a panic. The poor thing scrambled away, slamming painfully into the far side of the cage and scrabbling to press as much of himself up against the bars as physically possible. His eyes were huge, pupils narrowed to terrified slits, ribs visibly moving with his frantic breathing. The poor thing seems to have tuned out the world then, eyes fixated at the pokeball in the trainer's hand, recognizing it as his. The red and white prison had been with him from the day he hatched and he knew what it meant. They were going to a tournament. He'd be fighting for his life soon, like he had for as long as he could remember. His team was gone, his family was no longer there to back him up. This new trainer had a corviknight, would he switch him out so he wouldn't have to fight ground types or would he be expected to tank through his weakness? How badly would he be punished if he lost and survived? How bad would it be if items were used to help him?

[LovelyBones]

Odhran was concerned with how promptly the Toxtricity had taken a submissive position, even to little, shy Darling, and how the other seemed to avoid proper eye contact with the others as they were brought out. The trainer will gradually work on that with the poor guy, help him realize these are friends, not those he should posture for as if they were in a feral hierarchy of some sort. And even as the other accepted pets, the pokemon didn't once let his guard down. One day, one day he'll melt at Odhran's touch, maybe even ask for affection when he needed it from the human. One day, this Toxtricity will know what a healthy relationship was between pokemon and trainer.

The trainer was glad to know that the other was in overall good health, beyond being scarred and underweight, but when he heard that the Toxtricity had food agression as well, he made a mental note to ask what would make the other most comfortable, either eating first, then the other's, or if he needed distance from the others as they all at at the same time. Regardless, Odhran was determined to make this work, help the other live the rest of his life with minimal anxiety, fear and agression. After all, until a year ago, Odhran had his own traumas to work through to be where he is today. It isn't perfect, but he's stronger, thanks to his found family and team. He hoped he could do the same for the former underground fighter.

Though, a hitch came when the Toxtricity flew into panic, all at the sight of the pokeball that came with him. In his anxious thought process, he figured one outcome would work for the time being, and that was to call out Darling. "H-hey Darling? Can you hide this in your disguise for me? Our new friend doesn't like his ball, and we want him to feel safe, okay?" Odhran asked of the teeny pokemon, who looked rather confused, but after a glance at the Toxtricity, he quickly made the ball disappear, though it was obvious where it went after the neck of his costume swelled, only to relax in shape once more. Mimikyu looked to the scared pokemon again, and reached out for a moment, then shied when Odhran patted the little pokemon's head. "It's okay, you've done enough for now. You'll get to see him again once we're settled at camp, okay?" Darling gave a soft nod, before retreating to his ball willingly. Odhran took a few calming breaths, before looking to the other with gentle eyes again, and offered his hand out once more. "It's okay, you won't ever be in your ball ever again unless I'm getting you out of harm's way, okay? No more ball travel for you." He spoke soothingly, even if his eyes became glossy with tears. "It's going to be okay.... You aren't going back to that life ever again, so long as I live, and further.... okay?"