Huh, Lucia really didn't think any of what Navy had been talking about dragons before. Lucia nodded along with his words, taking mental notes about what he had said. It did make sense, given how dragons were interpreted in media. Egotism did seem like a very "draconian" trait that all of them could wield.

"I, uh, didn't think about all of that. Thanks for the heads up. It's a lot to take in. I guess I could avoid them for now, but I did see that the Safari Zone has a Gible up for catching! How much could that thing eat anyway? It's pretty small!"

It was a start, at the very least.

"Balanced team it is then! I think I could go out and find some new Pokemon out in the wild, if you wanted to come along! A-And could you maybe take a look at my PC and see what types I should focus on right now?"

Lucia held up her newly acquired mobile phone gotten with help from the helpful doctor and showed her PC boxes to Navy. She eagerly awaited his judgement, before adding on:

"When you ran the gym, did it have a theme or anything? Or even a type? Back in Paldea, our gym challenge was a bit weirder than yours."

Navy

☉

Lucia's list came to a halt just as she was getting into the better list of Pokemon that she had wanted to put on a team. Navy spoke and like the perfect aspiring trainer, the impressionable child listened to every word. His little moment of hesitation did confuse her for a moment, but maybe he was just collecting this thought? A lot went into settling on a Pokemon team!

"Wow, a Charmander sounds like a whole lot of work!" Lucia observed, "Eris Halla taught me a little about taking care of one, but it's still been kind of hard. I'll definitely do that fire pit trick thing. Hopefully he doesn't melt or anything."

Truthfully, Lucia did tend to move around a lot. It was just a natural path for a trainer, especially somebody like her, who tended to keep out of the public eye. Navy's offer to teach her how to built one was well appreciated and one that Lucia would happily jump at.

"Thanks! I guess if I had to boil it down, I want a widespread team. I don't really know how to build a good one, just pick all the ones people use often. Hero's pretty powerful, but I know he's got it in him to help me become a champion!"

The cowardly Dunsparce let out a little squeak in agreement, the small wings fluttering around.

"Aren't dragon-types super mega powerful, Navy? That's what all the other trainers say. Why not build a team just full of them?"

Navy

☉

Doug's coat felt heavier than it had before hand, though it was a needed comfort all the same. Lucia sniffled, though felt a tad bit better once they embraced one more. This time, however, Lucia hugged Doug back with every last once of herself. The godly powers did make her strength slightly better than they would have been, though she was careful not to squeeze him to death.

"Thank you...I-I promise I won't ask for much."

She cried. Hard. Harder than the first night alone. Harder than when the Charmander had burned her her during the battle so long ago. Yet mixed in with these tears of pain, Lucia looked up at Doug. Her eyes stung, yet she buried her face in his clothing again. The scenery shifted to a familiar spot, the apartment that Doug had. It had everything, the living room, the balcony, even the far off room that she could recognize by the few decorations she had up.

Somehow, despite it being so little, it meant so much to her.

"D-Do you mind if I stay? Like at the actual apartment?" Lucia asked. The sadness still lingered, but somehow, she thought as if she could know the answer right then and there, but still wished to hear it. That smile did say everything she had wanted to hear though, as she hugged him again.

"I'll be the best roommate ever! I'll clean up, and do my laundry, a-and learn medicine like you! Just give me a chance and I'll pay you back for everything you've done for me, I promise!"

(Bonus post to tie things up with Lucia)

John Sullivan | ameena abadi

☉

She furrowed her brows in thought at Navy's answer. It was that same look that a child gave when having an inkling that an adult knew what they were talking about, though that small bit of revolting against adults and those older than them. The revelation of even the champion and his husband had their fair share of defeats underneath their belts did help some.

But Lucia looked up a little at Navy. Maybe it was just that look in his eyes, or the general vibe he had. But the child felt that he was somebody she could trust. Lucia picked up Hero with her hands and carry the Dunsparce over her shoulder as he began to ask about him.

"Ace? What's an ace?" Lucia asked. "But not really. Normal-types are only weak against fighting-types, so that's not a whole lot to worry about! Oh, but I did have a short list of what I wanna get sometime!"

Lucia sounded proud of herself, the once timid looking girl taking on a newfound confidence, even if for a moment just talking about her hopes and aspirations.

"I caught a Charmander a while ago and wanted to get a Charizard, but it's been kind of hard training him. Oh, and a Tinkaton and a Clodsire too! And a Garchomp is pretty good! Maybe even something like a Gengar! Did you know their tongues can outstretch to, like, 2 households long? And a Garganacl! And an Alolan Raichu! Oh, and..."

Lucia continued to ramble off Pokemon she had always wanted to capture to Navy, every other utterance bring out a childish side of her that was rarely ever seen.

Navy

☉

This power was incredible! Lucia felt as if she could do anything, and that anything was going to be what she wanted all along! The cityscape faded away, and bits and bits of Paldea slowly phased back in. Everything was picturesque, down to the last detail.

She didn't answer Doug at first, crafting the very world she wanted. They were at a school at first, with other kids walking about, unaware of their presence. Lucia smiled, tugging Doug along by the sleeve as they roamed around.

"I'm making a world where I can do anything! So now I can show you around Paldea!"

They came to a wide deck where the rest of the academy could be seen, with its wide buildings and more housing many such students. Lucia was happy to be back, though Doug could maybe see through that happy visage, beneath the words she spoke so freely.

There was something in the back of her mind, keeping her from relinquishing control. Any attempt to draw them from her by subduing her wasn't working.

---

The landscape changed again, this time in the middle of her birthplace, Cascarrafa City. The wide walkways were interrupted by various waterways between them, with bridges being the only way across. But Lucia was busy tugging Doug along again, pointing out places and more. She even formed one of their perfect dishes from memory and tried to take a bite of it, only for it to disappear.

"Huh? But I'm in charge! It's supposed to stay like that!" Lucia fussed. "Damn it, fine. But I can do what I wanted to do anyway!"

---

Around them, they came to be alone on a road, leading outside of a fairly lavish looking home. It wasn't as lavish as somebody with billions to their name, but a nice piece of property. The walls and foundation imploded, as they formed the interior of the house before the walls came in, followed by the ceiling.

Lucia looked at it and froze. Just wincing.

"Th-This is just an old house." she began, then shook it off. "Ah-I'll just destroy it! No biggie, right?"

Except, it wouldn't work. Lucia focused hard on destroying the house, smashing it to smithereens, but it refused to yield. This was supposed to be HER realm, damn it! Why wasn't this working? Was this still a dream of some kind?

Instead, a younger version of Lucia appeared behind them, though with short white hair instead of her current black. Dressed in a pink clefairy shirt with shorts and sandals on, several bruises littered her body. She was in tears, sniffling while two silhouettes were in front of the home, which she ran towards.

It was only identifiable of who they were based off of clothing and features alone, as their faces were but a hollow, invasive void.

The one dressed as a male held presents and balloons galore, with the female holding a chocolate cake. Both of their stands were neutral, though when the younger Lucia neared, they took on a more welcoming approach. Lucia hugged them, which they did return. But off to the sides as another older male, one who shared Lucia's features. His face wasn't entirely clad in darkness, and had features visible, though just barely.

One big happy family unit, going inside with the door closing behind them.

---

Lucia said nothing to Doug, a look of dejection present on her face. The elation was fully gone, replaced by a look of longing again before she seemed to return to normal.

"S-So what? I'm a god here! I'll just wipe out this house and make a new one! I'll m-make new parents, ones that don't care if I'm not in the Dean's List!"

The Paldean landscape faltered, the Megaopolis skyline slowly darkening the once cheery landscape as Lucia's control was slipping. She began to walk away, clenching her teeth while swiping the buildings away, bit by bit, until the Megaopolan landscape took their place.

"A-And I'll grow up to be a Champion, be a doctor..."

Her voice cracked, a burning sensation in her throat that she swallowed back down, now punching a hole where the fenced in community was, as it became the concrete jungle once more.

"A-And I'll get married to somebody who doesn't care what, have a million kids..."

Her voice cracked, raising an arm to the sun and closing her fist as the bright suun had turned a sickened ebony color, blotting out the landscape while

"And I'll be a better parent than they ever were, because I don't need them! AND I SURE AS HELL DON'T NEED THEM TO TEACH ME ABOUT HOW TO LOVE MY KIDS!"

Lucia was screaming, out of breath while facing the Megaopolan city, where it had all started at. She remained quiet, just standing in front of Doug, not talking. But after a moment of just standing there, she turned back around, back to the sulking mess that she was. Torn down to the most basic form of herself that she was.

A hurt, lost kid in a world that she wasn't sure where she belonged.

"Wh-Why don't they love me?" she asked, her grasp on the godhood available for the taking.

John Sullivan | ameena abadi

☉

Huh, Lucia had actually gotten that right. It surprised her, given the fact that she had a tendency to overthink things at times. She accepted the small win and watched the monitor with just as much excitement and gusto as Navy did, though perhaps not as much once she learned about how they came to know one another.

The ground underneath them rumbled from the MAX LIGHTNING used, while the Nhilego and Blastoise continued to duel.

"Oh, so you're her father? Wow, that's gotta be cool having a former gym leader as a Dad. If she's this tough to beat, I can't imagine how strong you are!"

She was envious, in more ways than one. Like none that she'd ever let him know about. But the child just continued to beam up at Navy while he d9issuaded her from any titles or anything she was about to use. It left her a little deflated, but she relented.

"R-Right. Navy. I'm-"

She hesitated using her name so freely. For now, she'd just go with something simple, what Doug had always called her by.

"Lucy. It's an honor to meet you! And I guess I am, yeah..." She crossed her arms at the screen for a moment, then chewed the inside of her cheek.

Navy probably had began to notice some things about her now that she was close by. A couple of scratches here and there, but nothing a kid would have that was out of the ordinary.

"I've been trying to work up the courage to go in, but seeing everybody else here all ready, and then watching them fight is...I don't know if I'm ready for this. I need to beat her to be a Champion, but I barely have anybody on my team that could last a minute. I've been training with one of my strong team members, but it's not going so well."

Her hands, often hidden inside of an oversized jacket meant for somebody maybe twice her age, were visible at times when she move them around. Out of habit, she reached down to carry her Dunsparce as they were briefly visible. What they looked like wasn't exactly pretty.

Medical bandaging around the thumb and index fingers, with some scorch marks against the cuffs of the jacket. Minor burns, but ones that were treated.

"I dunno, I guess I'm just worried about losing. What if I embarrass myself in front of anybody watching in here?"

Navy

☉

The sudden sound of a voice coming beside her is enough to cause Lucia to jump, looking to the right of her while her attention remains glued to the screen in front of her.

"Yeah, a rock-type into a water-type is pretty bad. But Tsubaki's pretty tough! I know she hasn't been here as long as the previous gym leader, but she's not one to take a type disadvantage lying down!"

Tsubaki dynamaxed her Pokemon, causing the floor to emit a soft shake. The process had always interested Lucia. The vibrations had made her a bit jumpy on the first day, but she had learned to enjoy how cool it felt. This gym must have been pretty well put together to not come crashing down at a shock like that! Lucia paid attention as the man spoke, as indeed, the challenger's Blastoise would become next to Dynamax. Its form had changed entirely, with its shell increasing to such amazing heights.

"Whoa, I didn't know they'd change form like that!" Lucia said, starry eyed and still learning about all the cool quirks Dynamax had. "I bet you'd have a pretty cool form as well, Hero!"

The Dunsparce beside her let out a rattled hiss either in agreement or in being terrified. Whatever the case, the child knew that he could definitely do it...somehow. The exact specifics for how it worked were pretty unknown, but it couldn't be too hard, could it?

The man's question did cause her to stumble, with her eyes still glued to the screen, even as the Blastoise had began to use its G-Max moves against the Nhiligo.

"Uh, I don't really know. Is there a right answer?..." Lucia said, looking confused. "You probably shouldn't have one one type of move one a Pokemon, so I'd say she could still outspeed him. Blastoise is kind of slow for all of its-"

She turned around to look at who had talked to her and in an instant, her expression changed. Confusion had morphed into awe and excitement. Her azure eyes dancing over every identifiable detail on the Sheriff's form.

"N-No way! You're...Michael Navidson! I read about you when I first came here! I mean, there's not a whole lot ever since Tsubaki took over, b-but you're like famous! Oh, I should have brought something to sign!"

The Dunsparce by her let out a soft yawn, coiling around his trainer's feet as she continued to have her little freak out.

"What are you doing here? Are you watching the challenges like I am?"

Navy

☉

It was your average day at the Dewford Town Gym. Trainers of all shapes and sizes from all over Hoenn would come out to try their luck against the gym leader here, Tsubaki...Well, Lucia really didn't know how to pronounce that name of hers. Hyakukulan? Hyakugurashi? She had to look it up for a bit just to make sure that she was saying it right...

Grr, it was Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki ! Darn it!

She stood in line with the other people here, though unlike them, Lucia had been noticed by staff about frequently spending all day present but never actually checking in for a gym battle here. The first day, she stood in line and awaited to be checked in at the front, only to really sit off to the side and just be lost in her own thoughts.

Even when offered to move to the front by staff in some bid to appease her, all the kid did was to just watch others. She did this by looking at the monitors showing the interior from the lobby, even cheering on some of the people whom she had quickly befriended outside. No doubt that the kid and her Dunsparce were quickly making a name for themselves.

It was an anomaly for sure, one that had given her a bit of a reputation across the span of a few days.

For now, Lucia stood looking up at the monitor in the lobby against, her eyes glued to the screen as she watched the gym challenge currently going on. Her eyes held that same look of fire many trainers had, yet there was a strange envy to her gaze. A fierce longing that didn't ever appear to really leave, much like herself.

It only became a problem when staff had began to report her taking snacks and waters meant for the trainers and pokemon due to the hot weather Hoenn was experiencing. Once was fine, but multiple visits had began to make staff ready to send a wellness check, yet nobody knew where the girl stayed or lived.

Until a chance timing would come, with Lucia still staring at the sign up sheet at the front desk, but forever staying away.

Navy

☉

"Volt. Such a pretty name~"

Volt had been so cute and already friendly to her. Her fingers tickled from the quills and watched as the Jolteon offered himself as a mount for Lucia. She would have gladly taken him up on the offer, although the mention of seeing Shalin's fastest racing team member was more than enough to catch the child's interest.

"Yeah! I'd love to see which one's your fastest!"

Shalin called for her Zeraora, who leaped into the fray in record time! Instead of being on two feet like all others, hers was...kneeling? Was it hurt in some way? It caused the younger girl to looked at it in confusion before turning her attention back towards the other Ranger.

"Oh, I've got a Zeraora too, but it's not really something to race like yours!" she said, looking between Volt and the other mythical pokemon.

"You could try out Savanna for now while I ride Volt! I'm still trying to get the hang of riding down."

Shalin Nariya

☉

Once the collar popped itself from around her neck, Lucia gasped for precious air as confetti rained down upon them. Lucia clutched her throat while feeling her hands trace the area where the collar of thorns had been present, only for Doug to hug her again. While pained and hesitant, she did return the embrace this time.

His question burned itself inside of her mind. Why did she feel like everything bad that had happened was on her instead of them? It had been some time since she stopped to consider it. And yeah, it made sense. She was trying to get away from all of that. And no matter how much people told her, they just didn't understand.

"B-Because it just is!" Lucia said in a pathetic whine. "If I was a better trainer, my parents would...and my brother would still be here! B-But I wouldn't have met you and- I don't know! I'm sorry, okay?!"

She became cognizant of something with Doug. A kink in his armor that she could peer into and see just how he got his powers. In her little frantic fit, she despised herself for being a thorn in Doug's side for so long. He probably hated her, always crying and nagging.

"Ah-I'm sorry. I just need to be strong like you. Please don't hate me..."

Lucia tugged and sapped Doug of the newfound powers wholesale. The sudden feeling of pure power flowed through her smaller body as she felt all weird. Like vibrating, but she wasn't hurt or anything. In fact, she felt the best she had since she had left Paldea! With this new stolen abilities, she'd get started on what her goal was.

Lucia caused the buildings of Megaopolis to shrink, break, collapse in on itself and more. She was going to do whatever it took to construct the home she wanted most of all. Nothing else mattered in the long term, even if it meant destroying all of the city.

John Sullivan | ameena abadi

☉

The landscape before them was fragile, with buildings and skyscrapers filled to the brim with instabilities. The actual time they were in this weird, funky dream, everything had appeared resolute and firmly ground. To see it in a state like this was pretty disheartening. Where would all the megaopolans live in a place like this anyway?

But what was more surprising was how Doug had begun to slowly rewind the ages of time that had passed. Lucia stood beside the combat medic, floored at the sudden amount of power he could just have to rewind time so freely.

"Are you doing all this?"

She watched as pillars and concrete towers were slowly turned back in time to their original places. Glass shards reformed into planes and settled comfortable inside of their sockets. It was breathtaking to see, but was a good amount of evidence to suggest that they were, in fact, dreaming.

"I guess were are...But it feels so- Grk!"

A tightness wound around the child's neck, unseen. Lucia inhaled as much air as she could given the blockage and clutched her throat. Her noises were pained and struggling to breathe properly. Any attempts of coughing or clearing her throat weren't working, and she was slowly falling back down to her knees.

Lucia looked up with terrified, pained eyes that moved in erratic patterns.

A whisper flowed through her own ears, instructions on what to do to survive this ordeal.

She had to confess. To speak only the truth.

But she couldn't! All these secrets she had kept from not only Doug, but everybody! She had so much to keep away from people, to make sure that there wasn't anybody that could ever see her dirty laundry!

"Can't...breathe...""

If she died in the dream, would she then die in her sleep? Lucia didn't know. The restriction of air was gaining strength over time, a good enough deterrent from keeping things inside of her bright little mind. Her eyes focused on Doug while she reluctantly let the floodgates open.

"I-I'm sorry. I have to tell the truth." Lucia said before reluctantly let the floodgates open.

"M-My parents are Rocket members in Paldea, and they've been in since they were your age."

The thorns had stopped growing at least, but she still had felt the air escaping her.

"I have an older brother before he disappeared and put all the expectations on me. My first Pokemon was Hero, I wanted to get something like a cool Fuecoco but he found me first. I helped smuggle Pokemon to Team Rocket"

She coughed again, still choking. It wasn't good enough?! She gulped down any last thoughts of what Doug might have thought of her before she finally let out what she had been holding back.

---

tw:// abuse & its aftereffects

SPOILER: Click to show

"If...If I didn't live up to my parents' expectations, they'd hit me. Dad would get frustrated that I didn't pass a class or didn't do as well as my brother and just lashed out. Sometimes it was slapping, but other times, he'd throw books, tablets, cups, anything he had at me."

"I had to learn how to apply make up to prevent anybody from finding out."

"Ah-I lost the qualifiers for the Blueberry Regional Trainer Cup. He kicked Hero while he was recovering, called him weak and I yelled. H...He put his hands on my throat and squeezed, all while telling me that I was worthless to him, and that I had better started to take things more seriously."

The thorns were slowly shrinking down again, signifying that she was being truthful, though they still were fastened tight.

"I ran away from Blueberry Academy a week after that by sneaking onto a fishing boat and hiding. We got to Slateport and I ran off as fast as I could. i don't know where I'm going or who I run into, that's why I don't trust the League. I'm homeless and sleep on a moldy mattress in the park where nobody can see me."

Lucia was crying again, tears slipping down her cheeks as her throat was slowly gaining some slack while she continued belting out truths to herself that she thought could help. Anything that she thought could rid this thing lodged inside of her throat.

"I'm responsible for everything. I'm not good enough for my parents, not good enough for the gyms..."

The choking feeling returned, but she continued on.

"I deserve everything bad that happens to me for being weak."

Tighter.

"My parents were right, and I should have been the one to go missing, not my brother..."

Even tighter...

"And I..." she coughed once, then continued. "I don't deserve to be happy."

---

Although lessened, Lucia could feel the airways struggled to keep from being closed. She wanted out, wanted to actually live through this ordeal./ Hands pawed at her neck for a rope that was not there.

John Sullivan | ameena abadi

☉

Lucia continued to ran frantically. She didn't have any idea where this scenery was in terms of a good place to hide, but anyplace away from here was good enough. When the scenery returned back into Megaopolis, she watched as the ground began to glow faintly of magma underneath her fleeing feet. John's question was ignored as she spied the cityscape becoming more fragile, and the tower look ready to collapse at any moment. She eventually came to a stop in a breathless mess.

"Ah-I'm sorry. Bad memories." she said, feeling some minor relief at Megaopolis as compared to the brief Paldean landscape.

Lucia looked up at her mentor again, her expression troubled. She wanted to tell him everything, just blabber on about how fucked up her life was, but she knew he wouldn't care. All she could do was to look troubled at him before finally speaking.

"What's going on? Are we still in the prison? Why is Paldea here?"

All questions that she was praying that Doug had the solution for, though none was likely. She hung around him still, trying to study around them for some kind of clue or answer.

John Sullivan | ameena abadi

☉