Old Enemies....New Friends? (Zandrophin, Nicole)

"Nero this is Nicole, my daughter. You're going to have to protect her alright? After all your mother has protected me since I got her." Nicole’s father spoke, softly patting the head of the three-year-old girl asleep in the bed they stood in front of. Nero’s Vulpix self tilted his tiny head and looked at the Ninetails (his mother) behind the man. The Ninetails nodded with a soft "Ninetails" letting him know it was alright and that she agreed with her trainer. He then looked back at the little girl and jumped, gently so as not to wake the girl, onto the bed and curled up next to her. "Vulpix." He confirmed to the man who had spoken to him's words. The man smiled and gently patted him on the head. "Thank you. I know you are just what she is going to need."

“Nero… Where are you? I give up, you win!” Nicole’s three and a half year old voice could be heard calling as the Vulpix, who was currently hiding under the sofa, gave a small yip and began to wiggle his way out of his hiding spot to go and meet his trainer in the room their game had started in. Once he was out from under the sofa, he began to run in a charging like motion towards where his trainer’s voice was coming from, only to run into the familiar legs of his mother. *Nero, did you hide under the sofa again?* She asked gently. *Yep! This is my tenth win!* His voice sounded excited. *Nero, that isn’t nice to Nicole. Let her win for once. You don’t want her to stop playing with you now do you?* Now his mother scolded him. Nero looked up at her, her image blurred slightly with time, a pout on his face. *No… I want her to keep playing with me….* He admitted. *Then go apologize. She looks upset.* He runs off at that, continuing the way her came.

“No, Nicole, that’s not right! Look at the stats again and recalculate what you believe the total we would get would be.” Nicole’s father chided watching his daughter go back to staring at the large books in front of her tiny, four year old form. He gave a whine at her feet trying to get her attention as she started writing, very neatly for someone her age, in the notebook in front of her. “Not now Nero, I’ll play later.” She said, eyes never leaving the paper in front of her. At this he gave a small whine, and then moved to paw at Nicole’s father’s leg. The man gave a small laugh and picked up the small Pokemon. “Nicole, move back in your seat just a bit.” He said to the girl who, without fully backing away from the paper, moved in her seat the way her father told her to. The man placed the small Vulpix in the space made then. “No sense in not giving him some attention, after all, he is your little protector, aren’t you boy?” Her father commented getting a small, happy yip from him. Nicole gave a small giggle and then moved forward once more, one arm going around him so that he could move into her lap more. Once he was situated, he looked over what Nicole was doing, only to see scribbles, and what he thought were what humans called numbers.

“What’s a Gala daddy?” A still four year old Nicole asked looking at the elegantly decorated envelope she was holding. “Think of it as a place that powerful people meet up to brag about their power.” Her father said off-handedly. Nero’s Vulpix self jumped up and snatched the envelope from her hands. “No Nero! That’s daddies! That is not a toy! Bad. Put it down. Don’t make me call Athena!” Nicole scolded him, a stern pout on her face. Upon hearing his mother’s name though, he dropped the envelope and gave a small whine. Nicole’s father, however, gave a full-hearted laugh. “Darn. There goes my excuse to not go. Not every day that a man can say, a baby Vulpix ate my invitation.” He chuckled causing Vulpix Nero to give a small yip and wiggle his now grown in six, red tails. “Daddy, don’t encourage him. He might try and chew up my stuffles if you do that.” Nicole’s whined, thus causing Nero to nuzzle up against her leg with a small whine of his own. He then batted at her leg asking to be picked up, which the girl immediately did, while simultaneously picking up the invitation to the Gala.