A New Home

This seems like the ideal place to stop.

Buffin had been traveling for days without rest. Recently having left her nest and the watchful eyes of her overprotective parents, she needed to get away. Far, far away. She couldn't let them find her and bring her back home. No, she didn't want to be kept in that seashore cave that she once called her 'home' again. Starting today, this small village is her new home now.

The Bagon set down her pouch on the ground and took out a Pecha Berry, biting into it. Yup, she could feel it. The start of a new beginning, a new life! And absolutely no rules! She flops down onto the ground and lets out a relaxed sigh.

"Now this... this is the life."

But you know what would make this parent-less, rule-free afternoon even better? Buffin stood up and began rummaging through the contents of her pouch for... something.

"Aha! Found ya!"

She takes out a small scrap of paper containing what seems to be a blueprint for a pair of artificial wings. There are some other things written in it too, but it's all chicken scratch. She's got the blueprints, now all she needed was an example. She takes at her surroundings.

"Anyone...?"

It had been a few days since Pilot's last outing with Hidon, his self-appointed "team captain", but he could still feel the soreness in his wings. Being with the hotshot Charmander always seemed to make him push himself to his limits... The competition between the duo was fierce, with each one constantly trying to outdo the other. Pilot knew he was stronger, though. Their last sparring match was a total fluke. He just got a lucky shot in, The bird told himself, instinctively rubbing his cheek where his partner had landed the final blow of the fight. 

Despite the aching pain shooting through his entire body, the Taillow found himself hopping through town and towards the Small Pond to get some flight training in before the end of the day. He couldn't take a day off, or Hidon might end up getting the edge on him! The last thing he wanted was for his rival to get another win in their next match! 

As Pilot passed through the town square, he couldn't help but gaze at the shops and wonder if there was anything that could make him stronger... After a moment of hesitation, the swallow Pokemon spread his wings and took flight, soaring above the marketplace to get a better look at all of the merchandise available. A few quick glances at his favorite stalls confirmed his suspicions: since it was late in the day, most of the good items had already been bought. If he wanted anything useful, he would have to wait until tomorrow morning, when the merchants would restock their wares. 

Sighing in disappointment, Pilot did a quick (and completely unnecessary) flip, and swooped down to the ground, almost crashing right into a random pedestrian! "Heehee, sorry~!" He chirped, patting Bagon on the shoulder and starting to hop away.

Buffin let out a surprised yelp as something zoomed right past her, stirring up some dirt and grass into the Bagon's face.

Frickin' brilliant.

And what's this? The passerby's also got some dirt on her blueprints too. Oh now she's boiling mad. The Bagon spun around; scowling, her nostrils flaring up with smoke.

"Watch where you're going you-! Oh. Woooah."

Buffin's expression suddenly shifted into a look of awe. A flying-type Pokemon! Right here! Right in front of her! And one that's she's never seen before too! What kinda flying type Pokemon is this tiny little bird? She wondered. Buffin was just about to ask him, but oh no. He's hopping away. Buffin scrambles after him, carrying her blueprints with her.

"W-wait! Wait! Come back! I need to talk to you!"

Pilot didn't even flinch when the stranger began to scold him, opting to just ignore them and keep moving. After all, he didn't have time to get chewed out by some random passerby! What more was there to say other than "sorry"? He wanted to get some flight practice in while the sun was still up.

The sudden change in tone got the songbird's attention, however. In a split second, the Pokemon went from irritated to awestruck, and then became a bit desperate. He immediately understood why: how could anybody in their right mind miss out on an opportunity to meet somebody as strikingly gorgeous as himself? Eager for some praise, the Taillow stopped in his tracks and turned around to address the owner of the vaguely feminine-sounding voice.

"Yeah, what do you need~?" Pilot smoothly chirped, a wide smirk on his face. He was a bit disappointed to find that the Pokemon wasn't nearly as beautiful (by a bird's standards) as he had hoped she'd be, but... Well, any form of admiration was more than welcome.

Ah, he stopped. Thank goodness. For a moment she though he was just gonna fly away and ignore her. Once she had caught up with him, she wiped away at the grass and dirt covering her face. Gotta look presentable ya know? Oh, but what to ask him first? She has so many questions she wants answers to, but she can't decide on what to ask him first. They're all such important questions (Well, in her case.) Maybe she'll start with what kind of Pokemon he is. Yeah, that's what she'll do.

"What kinda Pokemon are you? I've never a flying-type Pokemon like you before."

She circled around Pilot, full of curiosity. She gave him a gentle poke on the wing.

Pilot became even more smug when the Bagon beamed with curiosity, almost immediately questioning him about his species. For a moment, the bird just stood and watched his admirer excitedly circle him, a little shocked at how thrilled she seemed to be. Sure, he was a pretty cool guy, but did his gorgeous looks really warrant such a dramatic reaction? Heehee, doesn't really matter, He told himself, shrugging. As crazy as the dragon seemed to be, he was really enjoying her attention. 

"I'm a Taillow~!" Pilot chirped, proudly puffing his chest outwards. "Name's Pilot! Part of Team Rising at the guild. Yeah, that's right, kind of a big deal around here~," He boasted, extending his wing to the Bagon and nodding his head affirmatively. He briefly considered winking at the Pokemon just to see what her reaction would be, but he didn't want to give her the wrong idea... 

"So, uh... You got a name?" He reluctantly asked, honestly not all that interested. He didn't want to be rude to one of his fans, though.

Oooo, a Taillow! She's never seen one before in her life, so please excuse her for being so excited. A team? A guild? What are those? Ah, no matter. She'll ask that later.

"Of course I got a name! My name's Buffin!"

The Bagon extended her stubby arm towards Pilot for a handshake. While she sounds confident, deep down she's actually pretty nervous about meeting Pilot. If one were to observe her carefully, one would see that she was shaking. She's never really talked to other flying-type Pokemon, except for the Wingulls and Pelippers that would hang around the beach, back where she used to live in, and she was afraid that she'd mess up. This Pilot guy seemed like a cool dude. Friend material.

"It's really ice-I mean, n-nice to meet ya!"

"Heehee, nice to meet you, too~!" Pilot chirped, grinning at the Bagon, who identified herself as "Buffin". It was an odd-sounding name to him, but hey, at least it was original! Plus, he already had a nickname for her in mind. He would keep it to himself until they knew each other better, though.

She seems alright, The avian thought to himself as he shook Buffin's claw. The gesture was somewhat awkward due to his lack of hands, but he managed to play it off pretty well, chuckling lightly when she grabbed his wing. It didn't take very long for him to pull back; he wanted to get down to business. 

"So, uh... What's up? I mean, I know that I'm a pretty approachable guy, but there had to be a reason you stopped me, right?" Pilot asked, tilting his head curiously. Between the sudden introduction and the fascinated looks he was getting from her, he needed to figure out what was going on.

Oh, right! Buffin took out a blueprint and rolled it out for Pilot to see. Drawn on it was a pair of wings. Artificial wings made out of feathers with some sticks tied up together in the shape of avian wings for its frame.

"See, I've always dreamt of flying high-up in the sky. I know us Bagons gain wings once we reach our final evolution, but I don't have the patience for that! The sky, it calls me! I have to get up there!"

The Bagon looks up at the sky, longing. Oh how she wishes to be up there. Soaring amongst other flying types.

"So, you see, that's why I needed your help. I was wondering if you could help me collect the materials I needed for my wings."

Collecting sticks and vines for her wings' frames would be a piece of cake! But feathers... well, they gotta come from somewhere.

"I'm not asking for your feathers if that's what you're thinking."

Pilot curiously peered over Buffin's shoulder as she rolled out some blueprints, apparently for a pair of artificial wings. The idea seemed a little silly, sure, but the Bagon's determination to get into the air was something that Pilot could both admire and relate to. The bird grinned as he recalled his early childhood, and all of the times he had jumped out of the nest against his mother's orders. Heehee, good times... He thought, distractedly staring up at the clouds while Buffin explained what she needed him to do.

It was only when the little dragon mentioned his feathers that Pilot zoned back into the conversation. "Heh, yeah, I definitely couldn't let you take mine," He said, his cocky grin disappearing. He was honestly mortified at the idea of having his precious plumage tampered with! "Guess you'll have to find some ferals for that... Heehee, should be interesting, trying to pluck a bunch of wild birds' feathers~."

With that amusing thought, Pilot's smile reappeared. He looked back down at the blueprints, interested to find out if they would actually work. Only one way to find out, He told himself. "I could probably help you out with this. My team's still resting up from our last mission, so I don't think I'm gonna busy or anything~."

Oh, but she couldn't. Not because it'd be a hassle, but because... well, they're birds! And she's not. If she were to chase after them, they'd probably fly off or something. And by feral, he meant those mean, senseless, brutes who'd attack any Pokemon they see, right? She can't definitely can't go after them. Well, not alone.

"So you're free this afternoon? Then that means you can help me snatch feathers from ferals, right?

If he can, then that'd be really great. And maybe he can keep her safe from them too.

"So can ya Pilot? Can ya help me?"

"Yeah, I'm free," Pilot told the Bagon, grinning. The avian typically placed a pretty significant value on his time, but... Well, he liked it when other Pokemon appreciated how awesome he was. His teammates certainly didn't seem like they did, so why would he hang out with them? "Sure thing, Buffy," The Taillow chirped, his expression becoming just a little brighter than it already was. "I can help you out with that! It'll be easy~."

He eyed Buffin's blueprints one last time, and then spread his wings. He was ready to go! "So, uh... Where are we going?" Pilot asked, glancing back at the Bagon. Huh, maybe I could even fly her over. She doesn't look that big, He foolishly thought, not aware that his new friend was probably well over ten times his weight! "And, uh... Wanna ride~?" The tiny swallow turned his back to Buffin, as if inviting her to hop on.

"Oh, cool then!" With Pilot's help, those pair of artificial wings will be finished in no time, and soon she'll be flying high up in the sky! Then, she can go wherever, and whenever she wanted.

"Hmm..." The Bagon observes her surroundings. In the distance, just a little farther away from where they were, was a forest with trees that were ripe with Pecha berries. "How about that place over there? That seems like a good place to start." Hey, it's forest. Obviously they're bound to find birds nesting in its trees.

"Do I!" Without reconsidering her weight, Buffin hops onto the back of the avian.