Chapter 13: The First Choice
The forest was quieter now.
Not empty—never empty—but settled, as if the day itself was beginning to wind down. Sunlight filtered through the canopy at a slanted angle, painting the trunks in warm gold and long shadows. Aarav slowed his pace, letting his breathing even out as he made his way back from the deeper paths.
He had planned to head home.
That had been the plan.
But the small pouch at his side still held a few berries. Fresh. Untouched. Carefully wrapped.
He glanced down at it, then toward the direction of the mountain plateau.
"…One more stop," he murmured.
Ting-Lu lifted its head slightly, ears twitching.
Aarav smiled faintly. "Yeah. I was thinking the same."
They changed direction.
The climb back toward the plateau was easier this time. Familiar ground. Familiar stones. Aarav moved with more confidence, stepping where he remembered loose rocks and avoiding uneven ledges.
As they reached the edge of the plateau, he slowed automatically.
He didn't call out.
Didn't rush.
He just listened.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound of metal striking stone echoed faintly across the open space.
Aarav's lips curved into a smile.
"She's here."
Tinkatink stood near the center of the plateau, her small body braced as she swung her hammer against a chunk of exposed ore. Each strike was careful, deliberate—not wild. She paused between hits, inspecting the metal, adjusting her grip, then striking again.
Working.
Alone.
Focused.
Aarav felt something twist gently in his chest.
He stepped forward slowly.
The Tinkatink noticed him almost immediately.
She froze mid-swing, hammer held aloft, eyes wide.
Recognition flickered across her face.
She lowered the hammer and tilted her head.
Aarav crouched and pulled the cloth napkin from his bag, unwrapping the remaining berries. He placed them gently on a flat stone near the edge of the plateau.
"I brought these," he said softly. "For you."
The words didn't matter.
The gesture did.
Tinkatink stared at the berries, then back at Aarav.
She took one cautious step forward.
Then another.
She sniffed the berries carefully, poked one with the edge of her hammer, then picked it up with her free hand and took a bite.
Her eyes widened.
She ate the rest quickly, then paused, clearly remembering her manners. She looked up at Aarav, cheeks puffed slightly, and nodded once.
Thanks.
Aarav chuckled quietly.
"You work hard," he said. "You shouldn't have to do it hungry."
Ting-Lu stood a short distance away, calm and watchful. Its presence didn't overshadow the moment—it anchored it.
The Tinkatink finished the berries and wiped her hands on her dress, then walked back to her work area. She tapped the ground once with her hammer, then turned and looked at Aarav again.
Not shooing him away.
Inviting.
Aarav rose slowly and stepped closer.
He watched her work now, really watched.
The precision.
The patience.
She wasn't just smashing metal. She was shaping it—learning its resistance, its weaknesses, how it responded to pressure.
This wasn't random scavenging.
It was craftsmanship.
As he watched, a familiar flicker appeared in his vision.
A small status window.
He didn't summon it.
It appeared on its own.
---
POKÉMON STATUS
Name: Tinkatink
Type: Fairy / Steel
Level: 7
Innate Ability:
– Immutable: Core attributes cannot be forcibly altered or degraded.
Moves:
– Astonish
– Fairy Wind
– Metal Claw
– Draining Kiss
Special Attributes:
– Attack +
– Speed +
---
Aarav's breath caught.
"…Those stats," he murmured.
Attack and speed.
On a Pokémon already capable of steel manipulation.
And Immutable.
An ability that meant her foundation—her effort, her growth—couldn't be stripped away.
A deadly combination.
Not because it was flashy.
But because it was earned.
Aarav looked from the window to the Pokémon herself.
Small.
Scarred.
Focused.
Alone.
"You're strong," he said quietly. "Not because you're powerful. Because you keep going."
The Tinkatink paused and looked up at him.
She didn't fully understand the words.
But she understood the respect.
Aarav knelt.
"I'm going to be honest with you," he said, voice low and steady. "I'm new at this. I don't have everything figured out."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a standard Poké Ball. Simple. Red and white. Nothing special.
"But if you want," he continued, "you don't have to do everything alone anymore."
The Tinkatink stared at the ball.
Then at Ting-Lu.
Then back at Aarav.
She tightened her grip on the hammer.
For a long moment, Aarav didn't move.
He didn't throw the ball.
Didn't force the choice.
"I won't take your hammer," he said gently. "I won't stop you from working. And I won't leave you behind."
The words settled.
Ting-Lu stepped forward once and lowered its head slightly, as if acknowledging her.
A fellow heavy-burden bearer.
The Tinkatink looked at Ting-Lu, then down at her hammer.
She tapped it against the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Then she walked forward.
Slowly.
She placed one hand on the Poké Ball.
Aarav's heart pounded.
"…Your choice," he whispered.
She nodded.
Aarav activated the ball.
Light enveloped her gently—not violent, not abrupt. She vanished into it in a soft shimmer, the ball rocking once…
Twice…
Click.
Silence.
Aarav stared at the ball in his hand.
His first Pokémon.
Not gifted.
Not assigned.
Chosen.
The ball glowed faintly, then stilled.
Aarav exhaled shakily and pressed it to his chest.
"…Welcome," he said softly.
Ting-Lu let out a low, approving sound.
Aarav released her immediately.
Tinkatink reappeared in a flash of light, hammer still firmly in hand. She looked around once, then at Aarav.
Then she smiled.
A wide, proud smile.
She lifted her hammer and tapped it gently against Aarav's boot.
Bond sealed.
Aarav laughed, warmth spreading through him.
"Yeah," he said. "I think this is a good start."
The sun dipped lower behind the trees, shadows stretching long across the plateau.
Aarav turned toward the forest path leading home.
"Ready?" he asked.
Tinkatink nodded enthusiastically and took her place beside him, hammer dragging slightly behind her with a familiar metallic scrape.
Ting-Lu followed, steady and calm.
Together, they descended from the plateau—trainer, legendary, and a small metal-forger beginning a new chapter.
Aarav didn't know where this path would lead.
But for the first time, he knew how it would begin.
With choice.
With effort.
And with trust.