Jennifer was asleep.

                           

                           

                               

                             

“Ralts?”

                         

“Ralts?” “Ralts?”

                      

                      

                         

                            

Or at least, she would be. If it weren’t for the three adorable Ralts children on either side of her face, touching and pulling on it to get her to wake up.

                     

Not that Jennifer minded.

                 

She was trying very hard not to look awake. She was trying very hard to school her features and make sure she didn’t smile.

                     

“Ralts!”

“Ralts!” “Ralts!”

                                            

~They’re just too cute~

                             

                               

≈Mistress we know you’re awake! Get up! Get up!≈

≈≈Get up! Get up!≈≈

                     

                     

                      

“Good morning my darling daughter!”

                            

“Ralts!” “Ralts!”

“”Ralts!”” “” Ralts!””

                                          

“URK?!— What is going on here?!”

Jennifer eyes snapped open at the sound of that deep vibrato.

“D-Dad?!”

“R-Ralts?!”

“”RALTS?!”

              

The four on the bed all turned towards the sudden appearance of the man who walked into the room.

He stood at the corner at the end of the room, that connected the hallway to the door of the room.

He wore a brown shirt with a white lab coat; also had on dirt stained covered blue jeans.

He was tall with an extended belly. His arms and legs were lanky and his brown hair was slightly thinning. His sky blue eyes the same as his daughter looked down at his progeny with a smile on his face. His face was rough from being outdoors all the time, along with all the

“Oh good! You’re awake now, thank Arceus!”

“H-Hi dad,” Jennifer greeted her dad with a sheepish smile as he stared at her and the Raltses that were pulling at her face. “Sorry about missing you the other day, I was really looking forward to seeing you when I got to your house.”

“Hmph, seems we keep meeting each other in the hospital recently huh?” His expression turned sour as his face scrunched up.

Oh dad! Don’t! Jennifer thought terrified at what her father was about to do.

“Waaa!~ Jennifer!~” He cried as he ran towards his daughter.

The Ralts siblings had to move as Jennifer’s dad pushed his way forward to press his stubbled cheek against hers.

“ACK!— Wai!— don’t— DAD!” Jennifer protested being treated like a child.

“Oh Jennifer! You don’t know how worried I was when I got that call from May that you had been attack by a wild Pokémon! I was so scared that this was that terrorist attack incident all over again! WAAA!”

“Dad! Come on! I get that you were worried! And I’m sorry I did something stupid, but you don’t need to cry over me like this. I’m fine!” Jennifer tried to assure her dad.

But her dad shook his head, refusing for a second to pull away from his daughter.

“You’re not fine though! You are the opposite of fine! You’re terrible!”

“That is a pretty mean thing to say to your injured daughter old man!” She groused at her father’s word choice.

Honestly! What did mom ever see in dad? what with his clumsy way of speaking and all…

“See?! Look how terrible you are! Calling your father an old man! You must be in so much pain!”

“It’s your overbearing affection and scratchy beard that is hurting me! Now get off of me!” Jennifer groused at her father.

Her father backed off after that, wiping his eyes of the tears he was crying.

“Sorry about that, *SNIFF* I’m just to happy to see that you’re not dead!”

“Seriously old man… *SIGH* …Your word choice sucks as ever I see.” Jennifer lamented.

“Be that as it is,” He said to his daughter with a smile on his face. “I’m just so glad that you’re alive and here in Hoenn little Spearow.”

“Daaaaaddd!~” Jennifer groaned in displeasure at being called that.

“W-What?!”

“Not in front of the Raltses!”

He smiled down at his daughter as she was surrounded by the three tiny Ralts next to her head

“Aawww!~ Is my little Spearow embarrassed for her Pokémon to hear me talking cutely to my daughter?!~”

“First of all, they’re not my Pokémon, so you can get that stupid idea out of your head. Second of all! You’re not cute! Your gross old man!”

“ACK!—“ He dad clenched at his heart from the blow his daughter’s word had on him then knelt down like he was having trouble standing. “Why must you be so mean to me?!” Her dad asked in despair.

                           

“Ralts?”

Hmm? What was that?

“A-Are we really not your Pokémon mistress?” The eldest asked Jennifer sadly.

ACK!— my heart! Now it was Jennifer’s turn to wallow in despair.

No!— it’s not— what I meant to say is,— Look Ralts, I like you three, a lot even. And I already promised you three that I would look after you; so you three can come to my house and live there and be safe: I will make sure you three grow big and strong and are well fed as long as you’re there. I’ll make sure each of you grow up into healthy Gardevoir, just like your mother.

The blue haired Ralts tilted her head after hearing her mistress’s words.

“How is that not being your Pokémon then?”

I……..

Jennifer was at a loss for words.

Look! It’s just different alright? I won’t be forcing you guys into battles, and I won’t be telling you guys what to do. You’ll just be living at my house and doing what you want for as long as you want to live there: rather than Trainer and Pokémon, we will be a family.

“”A family?”” The Raltses ask together.

Jennifer nods her head in affirmation.

That’s right, a family. Just like May is my surrogate big sister to me, I’ll be your surrogate big sister to all of you. Jennifer told them in their minds. So no more mistress stuff, save that for your actual trainers one day, from now on, you can call me Big Sis-J! She told them smugly.

“”Big Sis-J!”” The two younger siblings jumped up to hug on Jennifer’s face showering her with affection and tiny loving kisses on her cheeks.

“H-Hey you two! That tickles!” Jennifer said accidentally out loud.

While they were laughing though. The eldest sister was clenching her fine skirt while looking down In frustration.

Jennifer and the other two Ralts noticed after a moment that their sister was upset.

“H-Hey Ralts? What’s wrong?” Jennifer called out to the blue haired Ralts gently.

““Ralt Ralts?”” Her siblings doing the same.

But the Ralts didn’t answer, she just turned and looked away from the three of them, she sat down, still clenching at her slip while puffing out her cheeks in frustration. 

“Ralts Ralts!” She said back to them.

They all looked at each other with blinking eyes at the Shiny’s sudden demeanor shift.

Hey Ralts… Talk to me. What’s wrong, what happened?

“Ralts Ralt alts!”

Of course I won’t understand. Jennifer thinks with a laugh. Not unless you tell me. She points out.

                      

“…………………………….”

               

Ralts sat there quietly pouting for a long time before finally answering.

                              

“Ralts Ralts alts lts Ra Ralts alts!”

                           

Her siblings looked from their older sister to their human with wide eyes, wondering how she’d respond to their sister’s defiance.

                      

Jennifer smiled sadly at the Ralts who had apparently set her heart on becoming her Pokémon.

                              

Look Ralts… I understand that this isn’t what you were hoping for. But what you’re asking for is something I don’t want either. I don’t like Pokémon battles. Jennifer started to explain. I wouldn’t be able to give you guys the kind of training a real Pokémon Trainer could; and I wouldn’t want it to be me that would hold you back from being the very best Pokémon you can be. I know that you have your heart set on me, but I promise, I will find you the very best and most wonderful Trainer out there who will raise you to your fullest potential! And I won’t stop searching until I do.

                      

Ralts clenched her tiny hands tighter on her slip.

She hated how much her mistress refused her like this; how she denied her request in becoming her Pokémon. How she selfishly refused to acknowledge Ralts wishes. But she also loved the fact that her mistress wanted nothing but the best for her. That she promised her basically to take on an unending search for her until she found a trainer that Ralts found better than her Mistress.

              

But that is impossible………

                                

 no one is ever going to replace you Mistress.

                     

Ralts sighed at her plight.

She stood up and turned to walk towards her mistress’s head. Her face still down cast.

“……Ralts alts?……” Ralts asked Jennifer. “…Ralts Ralt alts alts?…”

Jennifer smiled at her.

Yeah, I promise. She assured the Shiny Ralts. For as long as you want, and no matter how long it takes to find your perfect trainer. You can stay with me forever.

“……*SNIFF* RALTS!” The eldest Ralt fell from where her standing position to flop onto Jennifer’s cheek.

“H-Hey! Not you too!” Jennifer cried out loud.

“”Ralts alts!”” Her siblings reaching over to pat their older sister on her head.

            

But the Shiny just held onto her Mistress’s cheek, rubbing her face against it.

                     

I don’t care if she doesn’t want me to call her Mistress, she will never not be my Mistress to me!

               

“Hou hou hou! Look at you! These little guys love you!” Her father said after he stood back up and saw his daughter smothered by the Raltses.

“Wha!— guys!— I need to ask my dad!— Will you three back off a second!” Jennifer groused.

The Ralts backed off of their surrogate big sister with a giggle. They knew her frustration wasn’t malicious or that she was upset with them.

“That’s better!” Jennifer announced after they backed off. She looked up at her dad, while he was looking down at her with bright eyes.

“Hey dad?”

“Yes?” He replied with excitement in his voice.

“Do you think you would mind if these three could live with us for a while? Just until May and I find some suitable trainers for them?”

                       

“Of course you can…….— Wait?…” He started to answer his daughter with enthusiasm, but then got confused by her actual request. “So you’re not asking for to make them your Pokémon?”

But Jennifer shook her head.

“No dad, no. I still don’t wish to be a Pokémon Trainer. Probably never in fact.”

But even as she said that, a sharp unfamiliar pain stabbed into her chest.

Huh? What was that feeling?

But she shook it off.

“I just want to find them good homes and good trainers, so, all I’m asking for is a place for them to stay for a while.”

Johnathan reached up and scratched his cheek in confusion while looking down at his injured daughter; who was looking back up at him with hopeful eyes like she had just asked for the opposite of what he thought she was going to ask: that she had finally wanted some Pokémon of her very own.

But he mentally shrugged.

Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Maybe she will change her mind after taking care of them and these guys are gone, and she start developing an empty-nest syndrome from not having Pokémon around her.

It will also help her with being more careful from now on as well.

         

He nodded his head.

              

“Alright, that is fine. It’s not like you’ll be able to do anything for the next two months anyways with your injuries. So you will be at home taking care of them, right?”

“Really?!” Jennifer asked him cautiously.

“Ralts?!””

He nodded again.

“Sure, go nuts. Have fun taking care of them, I don’t mind if you want to bring them home with you while you’re recovering and grounded.”

                    

Jennifer pumped her fist into the air.

“ALRIGHT!”

The tiny Ralts celebrated with her as well, striking a pose while lifting a single arm into the air: matching what Jennifer was doing.

           

              

           

“…………………………..”

                                   

                                    

                                   

“……………………………..Wait?…”

Jennifer looked over at her dad with wide eyes.

“Did you just say I was grounded?”

                        

He nodded his head.

“Yup, grounded for four months until you finish your physical therapy. That you have scheduled two months from now, after your casts come off.”

“But!— But dad!”

But Johnathan was already shaking his head.

“No buts, this was the lightest sentence I could manage.”

Jennifer went pale at hearing his words.

She gulped before cautiously asking.

“…Lightest sentence?!…” She whispered.

He nodded.

“Yeah… I called and already told your mother what happened.”

“Oh Arceus!.. No!…”

“…Yeah…” Johnathan agreed with his daughter as he thought back on the memory.

           

                 

“Ground her!”

“B-But Honey!—”

“Don’t you dare Honey me! Why weren’t you there to pick her up yourself?!” She questioned her husband.

“Jasmine, I told you. Professor Birch and I had a last minute experiment going off, just around that time that we had set up months ago.” He told her and tried reasoning with his wife. “And May was more than willing to go and pick her up—“

“AND LOOK HOW THAT TURNED OUT!” She shouted at him. “By Arceus! I knew I should have flown with her and made sure she got to your place safely! What was I thinking?!”

“Now now! It’s not that—“

“Don’t you dare tell me it’s not that bad! She was nearly eaten by a wild Pokémon Johnathan!”

“Ground her! Ground her for months! No! That is to light… ground her for a year! Ground her so strictly, that the only rays of sunlights she sees! Are the ones from her room!”

                    

Johnathan was starching his cheek again while he remembered how scary that conversation with his wife went.

“I just avoid— I mean, I just managed to convince her not to get on the next plane and fly over here…… so, rather than complain little Spearow, be thankful it’s me you’re talking, and not your mother at this moment.”

Jennifer sighed in relief.

“I suppose you do have a point…” She looked up at her dad. “She goes overboard a lot, doesn’t she?”

“Oh yeah… definitely…” He agreed with his daughter. “But don’t tell her I said that!… Tell her I was firm with you!”

The two shared a laugh at the fact that they were both terrified of Jennifer’s mom.