I woke up to a punch.
A literal punch.
Thwack!
"OW— Mankey!"
The little martial-arts menace stood on my chest, arms crossed, glaring like I'd insulted his ancestors by sleeping past dawn.
"Okay, okay, I'm up," I groaned.
He punched me once more for emphasis.
Pidgeotto cooed from the balcony, amused.
I dragged myself out of bed, stumbling toward the bathroom while Mankey clung to my shoulder like an angry backpack.
Today was important.
Today, I had to lead a team of ten officers into the forest.Today, I had to be responsible. Mature. Reliable.
Mankey punched me again for good measure.
"Stop hyping me up violently."
After getting ready and throwing water on my face to fully wake up, I headed to the living room.
Both Eevee were curled up between my parents on the sofa — the most pampered fox creatures in India.
Mom stroked their fur. Dad had an Eevee asleep on his lap while he read the news.
"Morning," I said.
My mother looked up. "Morning? It's almost eight! You're too carefree for someone leading police and army officers today."
Mankey chattered proudly like Yes, scold him.
I sighed. "I need to talk about Eevee before I leave."
My parents straightened.
"First," I said, pointing, "they need exercise. So take them for a short run in the morning. Sagar can join."
Sagar poked his head out of his room at the words morning run.
"Me? Run? Why?"
"Because," I said, "if you want to be a trainer someday, you have to build stamina. And Eevee need it too."
He immediately stood straighter.
"Fine. I'll run."
Mom laughed. "Your brother finally found motivation."
Next, I explained brushing their fur, feeding schedules, water bowls, and grooming.
Then came the part that made both parents freeze.
"And… they need to battle each other a bit."
"NO." my mother said immediately.
"They're babies!" Dad added.
"I promise," I said calmly, "it won't hurt them. Think of it like wrestling between siblings."
Before they could protest more—Both Eevee hopped off the sofa, faced each other, and chirped:
"Vee! Vee!"
Then bumped heads gently, demonstrating.
My parents melted.
"Ohhh they're so disciplined—"
"Are they saying they're okay with it?"
I nodded.
"See?"
My mother sighed in defeat. "Fine. But gently. Very gently."
I placed all leftover berries from yesterday on the dining table.
"These are for emergencies. I wrote everything down."
I stuck a neon sticky note on the fridge:
"Berry Effects — Read Before Using!"
Oran = healing
Pecha = antidote
Rawst = burn
Cheri = paralysis
Aspear = freeze
(With a simple doodle of Mankey punching a berry to remember)
Mom nodded with the seriousness of a doctor receiving medicine.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of the babies."
The Eevee snuggled into her arms proudly.
I headed back to my room and stuffed my bag with:
2 water bottles
2 empty bottles
dry fruits
candies
powerbank
notebook + pencil
a few spare clothes
No tent, no survival kit — the department team would bring professional gear.
I strapped the bag tight.
Pidgeotto fluttered onto my shoulder, ready.
Mankey cracked his knuckles like he was going to war.
I exhaled deeply.
"Okay… let's go."
Leaving Home
Mom hugged me tightly. Dad touched my forehead in blessing. Eevee twined around my legs one last time before returning to the sofa. Sagar saluted dramatically.
"Come back safe, Commander Aakash."
I smacked his head lightly.
"Shut up."
But I smiled anyway.
As I stepped out of the building and toward the forest path, Mankey riding on my back and Pidgeotto gliding ahead…
…I realized something.
Yesterday, I was just exploring.
Today, I was leading.
And this time, it wouldn't be just a day trip.
I was planning to stay inside the forest for three days.
Long enough to teach, train, discover…and hopefully prove that coexistence was possible.
The forest breeze brushed my face.
Mankey punched my shoulder lightly, as if saying,
"Let's show them."
I nodded.
"Yeah. Let's begin."
By the time I reached the operations zone outside the forest, the sun was climbing higher, warming the barricades and metal structures.
It felt different from yesterday.
Bigger. Heavier.
The temporary military encampment had grown overnight — more tents, more soldiers, more equipment. Floodlights had been repositioned. A fresh line of sandbags edged the forest boundary.
This wasn't a simple observation post anymore.
It was the birth of something new.
The Pokémon Department.
At least… a prototype.
Pidgeotto landed gracefully beside me, folding her wings. Mankey leapt from my shoulder and thumped his chest like he was announcing the protagonist's arrival.
Two constables guarding the entrance nodded at me with a mix of respect and disbelief.
"Sir, your team is waiting inside."
Sir.
Ugh.
I wasn't used to that.
When I stepped into the main command tent, ten people turned toward me.
All wearing heavy armor.
All carrying assault rifles, sidearms, tactical vests loaded with ammunition, grenades, survival knives…
They looked like they were heading for a war with Godzilla, not a field training session.
The only exception was Mama — in simple tactical gear, sipping cutting chai like it was a normal Tuesday.
He waved. "Rascal, you're late. I was getting bored."
Captain Kabir Sethi stepped forward, saluting.
"At ease," I said awkwardly.
He nodded and gestured toward the group.
"Your team is assembled. Introductions, as requested."
One by one, they stepped forward:
Sub-Inspector Meera Iyer — calm voice, steady hands."I handled wildlife conflict cases. Happy to learn from you."
Constable Rohan Deshpande — energetic, couldn't stop fidgeting."Long-distance runner. Fast on my feet. Sir— your monkey is staring at me."
Mankey glared harder.
Dr. Kavya Sharma — government-appointed biologist."I specialize in animal behavior. I… never expected to shift from tigers to Pokémon."
Lt. Arjun Singh — Army Engineer Corps."Terrain specialist. Good with gadgets. And improvisation."
Cpl. Imran Qureshi — combat medic."If someone gets stung or bitten, I'll keep them alive. Preferably without getting punched by that Mankey."
Mankey cracked his knuckles.
Ritu Jain — cybersecurity expert."Your Pokédex code has holes. I'll fix it."She pushed up her glasses like she was scolding me.
Bhavesh More — Aarey forest guard."I know these woods better than anyone. Pokémon are… new, but forest is forest."
Tanisha Kulkarni — Fire Brigade."Search and rescue specialist. Pokemon or not, I get people out alive."
Then Mama Kadam slapped my back."I'm Yashwant Kadam, his mama. Job: Keeping this idiot alive."
The group laughed.
Even Captain Sethi smiled.
Reality Check
Then I looked at their gear again.
Full armor.Bulletproof plating.Loaded rifles.Grenades.
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"No. Absolutely not."
The team stiffened.
"What do you mean, sir?"
I gestured at their armor.
"This. Remove it. Now."
Confusion rippled through the group.
Mama grinned knowingly.
I pointed at their full vests.
"You can't move in those. Pokémon battles require flexibility, speed, quick reactions."
Captain Sethi frowned. "But sir, it's dangerous—"
"Armor won't help you," I said. "Not against creatures that can fly, burn, paralyze, poison, or hit like a speeding scooter. A Tauros will break those plates like cardboard."
That made everyone freeze.
Dr. Kavya hesitated. "Then… what do we take?"
I crossed my arms.
"Just simple tactical gear. Light gear. And a pistol. Knife is recommended."
You could practically hear the collective WHAT?!
Captain Sethi opened his mouth — then shut it.
He had watched my stream.
He had seen a Growlithe battle.
Slowly, reluctantly, the team began removing armor plates and putting away rifles.
When they were done, they looked human again.Not soldiers preparing for slaughter.
Good.
I stood before them.
"All of you have been vetted. Police, military, forest department, fire brigade — you're the best of the best."
Their posture straightened.
"But being a trainer is different. You cannot treat Pokémon like tools. If you do, they will never trust you."
Meera nodded understandingly.Bhavesh looked thoughtful.Rohan looked like he wanted to ask a stupid question but was holding it in.
I continued:
"A true trainer builds mutual respect. Trust. Cooperation. You protect them — they protect you. Companions, not weapons."
I pointed at Pidgeotto.
"She's with me because she wants to be. Not because I forced her. And that's how your bonds will form too."
The group listened silently.
Good.
They were beginning to understand.
I clapped once.
"Okay. Let's test what you learned from yesterday's stream."
Rohan immediately panicked.
"Oh god sir I didn't revise—"
Mama slapped the back of his head."You were supposed to! Idiot!"
I pulled out three berries from my pouch.
A blue one.A pink one.A red one.
"Name them. And what they do."
Dr. Kavya stepped forward.
"Blue — Oran Berry. Heals injuries."
"Good."
Meera pointed at the pink one.
"Pecha Berry. Antidote for poison."
"Correct."
Ritu swallowed and raised a shaky hand.
"That red one… Cheri Berry. Cure for paralysis?"
"Perfect."
I smiled.
"You're ready to begin."
The team exchanged excited — and nervous — glances.
Captain Sethi stepped forward.
"Permission to move out, sir?"
I smirked.
"Let's go find your partners."
Before heading toward the forest, I made one last stop.
The medical tent.
Inside, the soldiers straightened when I entered — some out of respect, some out of confusion, some because they still didn't know what to make of "The Pokémon Guy."
I walked straight to the cordoned-off section.
The curtains were pulled aside today.
Beedrill lay there, awake.
Not aggressive.Not struggling.Just… watching the entrance.
The moment it saw me, its wings buzzed softly — not in anger, but recognition.
I stepped closer and raised my palms slowly.
"It's okay. I'm here."
My team, who had followed me out of reflex, stared from the tent's entrance in disbelief.
Even Captain Sethi muttered under his breath,"…that thing nearly killed two people yesterday."
Mankey growled protectively.Pidgeotto narrowed her eyes but stayed calm.
I placed a hand on Beedrill's bedside.
"You're healed now. If you're willing… we'd like to visit your territory."
The response was immediate.
Beedrill lifted its stinger — not in threat, but in agreement — and tapped the side of its restraint.
I nodded.
"Let's remove these."
The entire medical team panicked instantly.
"Sir, please— wait— don't—!"
"It's dangerous!"
"It might attack!"
I shook my head.
"If it wanted to attack, none of us would be standing."
Slowly, carefully, I unclipped each restraint.
Beedrill sat up — majestic, intimidating, but calm.
Its wings fluttered once.
The doctors flinched.
My team held their breath.
Beedrill turned toward me.
I pointed toward the forest.
"Take us to your queen. We need to talk."
Beedrill buzzed softly, then hovered into the air — graceful and surprisingly silent.
I turned to my stunned team.
"What are you all waiting for?"
They blinked.
Mama stared at the Beedrill like it had personally insulted his childhood.
Captain Sethi whispered,"…This boy is going to give me heart problems."
I pointed toward the trees.
"Let's go. We're visiting a Beedrill colony."
A collective shiver ran down the group.
But they followed.
Because today wasn't just training.
Today was diplomacy.
And the first alliance between humans and a Pokémon colony…
was about to begin.
_______________________________________________
mankey and pidgeotto current stats
Name: Pidgeotto (♀)
Species: Bird Pokémon
Level: 22
Condition: Healthy (Fully recovered)
Bond:78% — Strong & Loyal
Temperament: Protective, Alert, Affectionate
Known Moves: Tackle, Gust, Quick Attack, Wing Attack , Sand Attack
Role: Aakash's first partner / scout / aerial guard
Name: Mankey (♂)
Species: Pig Monkey Pokémon
Level: 8
Condition: Healthy (Minor soreness from battle)
Bond:51% — Growing
Temperament: Fiery, Competitive, Easily Triggered
Known Moves : Scratch, Low Kick, Karate Chop, Counter, Leer
Role: Close-range combat partner / frontline fighter