[Rank-up]Dialup learns of Mother

Mother had protected Dialup during the battle with the tyranitar- rotom hybrid. It hadn't been an accident- she hadn't been standing close enough to Mother for it to have been a beneficial side effect of the pokemon protecting itself. Dialup was settled back in her home, idly prodding at her bruises, looking to Wattson as he napped in the middle of a heap of Gibles, with Other nearby. She, too, had a few of the gibles resting in her lap, eyes closed. Dialup smiled at the sight, and then picked herself up with an exhausted grunt. She meandered out into the garden quietly, where she knew Mother was recharging- meditating, more like. It was peculiar, how at peace the garchomp seemed in the moment, with her tail tracing elegant patterns in the loam beneath her. Dialup's approach was heralded with a soft clearing of her throat. She grabbed a water bottle as she stepped out, and moved towards the temperamental psychic type.

Actually, as Dialup contemplated the garchomp, she frowned. Was Mother truly all that bellicose? Dialup hesitated, just to one side and a little behind her. She turned her attention to the ground beneath the floating Garchomp, and studied the whorls and grooves. Strange, how it seemed to form a map. Actually, as she peered at it more closely- it didn't look like a map, but am image. Flicks of forests, a smooth space between. Her tail-tip lifted, and coiled loosely up into her lap. Pebbles came up, and were carefully placed. A pale, smooth one settled into the center of the clearing. A slightly taller, thicker dark one plopped down next to it. A darker one next to that, and a soft pink- a neat little circle of stone. A dozen smaller pebbles, all in a variety of colors. They wove before her eyes, and then, one by one, the little ones vanished. Dialup didn't realize it, but she had sat down to watch, transfixed. Eventually, it was just the four largest stones. She frowned, as one by one, they slipped away, too- and left just the pale stone, and the dark one. Then- the pale one wandered away, too.

Some part of Dialup understood the symbolism of it- not entirely, though. There were some parts missing. There had been four large ones, and at least a dozen- maybe two dozen- little ones. Dialup counted to herself, mouthing names as she thought on it. Nine. She had nine gibles, and two Garchomps. Were there two more? Mother and Other were, obviously, female. Dialup looked up at Mother, and, for the first time, there was some semblance of peace in her eyes, thin slivers of ink black on a soft purple face.

When they'd first met, a short while ago, Mother had been enraged, trying to tug Tera out of Dialup's arms and to throw her aside. She had refused to let go- panick had tried to take hold, and, instead, Dialup had returned the squeaking gible to its ball. The aura had become oppressive, made it hard to breathe- fury, flooding into her mind. Blindly, Dialup had thrown a ball from her pouch- and, to her surprise, the garchomp was caught. Sealed within and straining. After a few tense moments, it turned white, and- well. There it was. Captured. At first, she'd assumed that the attack had been a territorial issue, but it had slowly solidified in her mind that, no, she'd caught one of the mothers- hence the nickname- in the way the Gibles more or less flocked to the near mythical figure.

Normally, pokemon were calmer after captured- but Mother had not shown any signs of domestication until Other had arrived a week after. After that, Dialup found they started to, if not get along better, at least Mother stopped trying to kill her.

And, having seen this little display, Dialup had an inkling as to why. They were missing parts of their little family, and Dialup had, essentially, poached the young. She frowned, pursed her lips, and then got up, and started picking up pebbles. "If I'm... understanding you... Then, we can go out, and look for more of your gibles? Bring you back together. Keep your family safe. Just- stop trying to take me off the census. Deal?"

There was no noise, no outward indication of understanding, but, after a moment, Mother closed her eyes, and turned her head aside, claws resting on her thighs, and the pebbles lifting from Dialup's hands, and started swirling around Mother's head slowly.