The Alpha Bagon slowly lifted its head and looked directly into Gladion's eyes. For a moment, neither of them moved.
The young Dragon type seemed to be studying him, as though it was trying to decide whether the strange human standing before it was worthy of becoming its trainer.
Then Bagon stepped forward and lowered its head again, this time not from fear or submission, but with a clear sense of purpose.
It looked toward Gladion's Poké Balls and then back at him before proudly declaring, [If you are truly as strong as you seem, then I want to become your partner. Will you make me as strong as you?]
Gladion could not help smiling at the confidence in the young dragon's voice. "Make you as strong as me? You are already much stronger than I am physically. You can probably headbutt a wall and make the wall apologize. What you lack is skill, experience, and a ridiculous amount of good food to bring out everything hiding inside that body of yours."
Bagon's eyes immediately brightened at the mention of food. [Then I accept your offer, but I want you to understand that the food part of your promise is very important. I have heard humans sometimes give their Pokémon tiny portions and call them meals, and I refuse to live like that.]
Gladion laughed as he looked at the Alpha. "I think we are going to get along very well. You are greedy, arrogant, aggressive, and already negotiating your meal plan before you have even joined the team. Somehow, you remind me of several people I know."
Sabrina, who had been watching the exchange, covered her mouth to hide a smile. "You are describing yourself, Gladion," she pointed out.
Gladion looked at her with complete confidence. "I prefer the term ambitious and nutritionally aware."
Bagon nodded seriously. [I also prefer that description.] Sabrina shook her head. "Wonderful. There are two of you now."
The enormous Salamence mother stepped forward from behind her son, lowering her massive head until her eyes were level with Gladion.
Her expression was no longer suspicious. Instead, there was a quiet trust in her gaze. She looked at Bagon before speaking in a deep voice. [Take care of my boy. He is a feisty one, and he will probably test your patience more times than you would like. He has a habit of charging into problems before thinking about them, and he believes that being the strongest creature in the room is an excellent excuse for ignoring everyone else.]
Bagon immediately protested, [Mother, I do think before charging. I simply finish the thinking very quickly because I already know what I want to do.]
His mother stared at him for several seconds before replying, [That is exactly the sort of answer I was talking about.]
She then turned her attention back to Gladion and continued, [But beneath all that pride, he has a gentle heart. He protects the younger Bagon, shares his food when he knows they are hungry, and stays beside injured Bagons during a hunt even when everyone else has returned to the nest.]
Gladion nodded. "I understand."
The Salamence mother seemed satisfied with his answer. She then looked sharply at her son and added, [And you will listen to him. Becoming his partner does not mean you can ignore every instruction simply because you think you know better.]
Bagon lowered his head slightly as his mother began what was clearly a lecture he had heard many times before. [And another thing, you must remember to clean your teeth properly after eating. I do not care how delicious that wild Pokémon was or how exciting the battle became. You cannot walk back into the nest with blood between your teeth and expect me to pretend you have good manners.]
Bagon looked embarrassed as several younger Bagon began giggling. His mother continued without mercy. [You also need to stop using your head as the first solution to every problem. Walls are not enemies, trees are not enemies, and your father's tail is definitely not an enemy simply because it happens to be in your way.]
Bagon muttered, [That was an accident.]
Gladion had to turn away for a moment because he was struggling not to laugh.
Bagon's mother was not finished. [You will eat properly, sleep properly, listen to your trainer, and stop challenging every strong Pokémon you see simply because you want to know whether you can defeat it. One day you will meet something stronger than you, and I want you to have enough sense to learn from that battle instead of becoming a story your father tells the young ones.]
Bagon sighed. [Mother, I understand.]
She narrowed her eyes. [And you will remember to brush your teeth after eating.]
Bagon lowered his head in defeat. [I will remember to brush my teeth after eating.]
Gladion finally laughed. "I have a feeling raising you is going to be more complicated than I expected."
Bagon looked up proudly. "That is because I am special."
His mother immediately added, [He is also dumb.]
Gladion nodded. "I noticed."
The father salamence just gave his son a nod.
Bagon returned it and then Gladion quickly swept him into a Pokeball.
-----Author Notes------
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