that's her baby

by kyoswimm

Summary:

Tyrantrum's her baby. He deserves the world.

( tyrantrum and bonnie over the years. )

 

---

 

Bonnie is seven when she has to say goodbye.

 

It’s not fair. It’s not fair!

Serena gets Pancham, Ash gets Noibat. Why can’t she get Tyrantrum?! Who cares if these dumb science people had him first! They don’t deserve him. They didn’t take care of him, or rescue him from Team Rocket!

And then Tyrantrum approaches her. Despite the rage and sadness festering in her belly, she manages to put on a strong face for him. She doesn’t want to leave him… but she has to. 

She says her goodbyes, cradling his massive snout in her hands, and promises she’ll visit him.

But internally, she promises to come back for him. She’ll take him away from this stuffy room and these stuffy people,

 

And give him the world.

 

---

 

Bonnie is nine when she starts researching.

 

Dietary needs, social behaviors, move pool, scientific name, egg group, abilities… honestly, she puts more effort into Tyrantrum than actual school. Still, though, she wants to be the best momma possible when she gets her license. She presses her lips together to frown- allegedly, Tyrantrum carry themselves with arrogance. A Tyrantrum looks down upon strangers as if they’re inferior, and lash out violently if they consider something ‘disrespectful’. Her baby sounds nothing like that! 

Well, she made a point to teach him manners. That better stick.

 

---

 

Bonnie is eleven when she gets her trainer license.

 

She finally obtains Dedenne from her brother, of course. But Professor Sycamore lets her choose a starter Pokémon anyways. It’s tradition, after all! Clemont received Chespin, so it's only fair Bonnie gets to pick one, too.

She goes with a Froakie. Heck yeah.

Bonnie looks over her card- a thin device with an LED display, that shows her current party in cute little boxes. Her heart pangs when she sees the four empty spaces.

Soon, boy. Soon.

 

---

 

Bonnie is eleven when she returns to the fossil research center. 

 

Initially, they don’t let her take him. There’s a whole list of why not- he’s easy to work with, a kid can’t provide enough food for one, yadda yadda. Thankfully, she can pull some strings with Sycamore, and that’s that.

Of course, she guesses their prized tyrant suddenly becoming feral played a part in the transfer. Whatever. What does matter is that, after four years, she has him . And she’s not letting him go ever again.

 

---

 

Bonnie is twelve when she reaches the Lumiose Conference's finals. 

 

Getting to this point was hard . Ash must’ve been really good at hiding his exhaustion, or he just never got exhausted. Either way, she’s here- and she can smell that first place trophy. The only thing left in her way? Trevor and his Mega Aerodactyl.

The fossils clash, Head Smash versus Giga Impact. They’re both tired from all the fighting, and this is the final gambit. Tyrantrum’s losing.

A whine slips out from Bonnie’s throat. She no longer cares about winning. Her boy’s getting hurt, and it pains her. 

Tyrantrum hears his mama’s distress. Drawing upon all the strength he can muster, he begins driving Mega Areodactyl back. With a last push of force, he shoves Areodactyl back, and headbutts them downwards. Aerodactyl gets hit with the force of a freight train. 

The dust clears; Areodactyl’s down, halfway in the dirt.

The crowd erupts. He won. He won . Tyrantrum jumps around while shaking his arms, bounding back over to his mom.

Bonnie can barely contain her own laughter, watching as her special baby boy stumbles onto the ground before her and starts rolling around. She covers his snoot in kisses and pets! 

“Look at you! My little boy’s become a champion, huh? Have you?” 

Bonnie barely has time to react before she gets accosted by a giant tongue.

“Tyrantrum, no! You’re getting me all wet and stinky!” Bonne laughs, pushed onto her rump.

 

---

 

Bonnie is 12 when she loses her fire.

 

“You’re not gonna challenge the Elite Four?” Clemont asks her. “... no.” Bonnie admits. She’s in Sycamore’s yard, laying against Tyrantrum’s side. Clemont is rightfully concerned. “You got all eight badges, and you won the Lumiose Conference. There’s nothing stopping you from doing it.”

“I know .” Bonnie snaps at him. “I just… I don’t know. I’ve just felt so weird about it after the championship.” She gives Tyrantrum  scritches behind his crown. “I don’t feel excited about it. I know I could do it, but I just feel… blegh! I don’t get it. Why can’t I get excited about it?! What’s wrong with me?!”

It’s Serena’s turn to talk now, lifting Dedenne off her lap and sitting him down. “ Mon  Cherie, there isn’t anything wrong with you.” Serena frowns. “It sounds to me like you've become burned out.”

Bonnie looks at her, swallowing the knob in her throat. “Huh?”

“I was thinking the same thing!” Clemont nods. “It’s like me and the gym, remember? I built Clembot to manage the gym for me because I lost my passion for it.”

“I thought you hated being a Gym Leader cus you didn’t have time for inventing.”

Clemont opens his mouth, but then closes it. “I mean, that was a factor…”

“That's still burnout!” Squishy’s core pipes up.

“But - but Ash didn’t get burned out!” Bon whines. “He kept going!”
“Your first mistake is trying to be Ash.” Serena chides. “Bon Bon, Ash is a freak. We know this.”

Dedenne crawls back onto Bonnie’s shoulder.

“And burnout isn’t permanent!” She continues, momentarily running a hand down her leg. “You can always challenge the Elite Four later! In the meantime, you should focus on anything but battles.” Serena takes a bite out of a pastry. “Branch out a little! Find something that reignites the spark of your passions.” Serena leans forward a little bit. “And don’t forget, you could always try contests. I think you'd like them.”

Bonnie thinks about it. I mean, she tried doing what Ash does, and she liked it. Maybe she’ll try Serena ’s way for once.

“Well, maybe I will!” She sticks her tongue out at her. "But not because you asked!"

"Finally," Squishy nods. "I can share my magnificence with the world! Finally, Kalos shall be dazzled by-"

"Squishy, I don't know how to tell you this," Serena snickers, "But Legendary Pokemon can't participate."

"What?! That's fucked up. That's fucked!" Squishy's eyes bulge out of his head. 

 

---

 

Bonnie is 13 when she tries her first contest.

 

It doesn’t go well for her- she doesn’t even make it past preliminaries! Maybe she would have fared better in Hoenn or Sinnoh, but Kalosian tastes don’t really align with “big dinosaur made of rock crushing crystals into dust”.

She feels like crying.

“This is outrageous.” Squishy scowls at the participation ribbon. “Outrageous! I call nepotism!”

Smeargle raises her eyebrow at him. “Squishy, who was being favored of nepotism?” Bonnie rips off her showcase gloves. “Well, it had to be somebody. Don’t tell me Kalos doesn’t appreciate the rule of cool. I mean, you were fantastic out there!” Squishy bounces around in a circle. “And the audience loved you! It’s not your fault the judges couldn’t appreciate breaking new ground. When was the last time you saw a Beedrill and a Tyrantrum in a contest?!”

Zygarde wasn’t wrong, the crowd loved her performance. But it wasn’t up to the crowd, was it? They aren’t 'educated enough' to be judges.

“I bet they would’ve let you win If you brought me out there.” Squishy bounds over to her foot. “I would’ve been like, ‘thousand waves’ and you would be all, ‘combine it with dazzling gleam and aurora veil!’ and the judges would’ve been like, ‘whoaaaaaa psssshhhh whoaaaa that’s so pretty and badass and stuff!!’”

She prods him with his foot. “Squishy, Zygarde would be cheating. And cheaters never prosper.”

“Says you!”

 

When intermission comes, Bonnie refuses to stay. Yet somebody calls her on the way out. It’s one of the judges, the guy with the monocle. “Excuse me, miss? Miss Meyer?”

She swivels on her heel to face him, gathering the most realistic fake smile she can manage. “Oh, hi!”

“You’re leaving already? Not very sporting of you.”

“Well,” Bonnie shrugs. Dedenne and Squishy poke their heads out her bag. “I don’t see a reason to stick around. Sorry. I can watch the rest of the performances at home.”

“Well, I understand. Trying something new and failing at it would put anyone down.” She clenches her teeth at his words. What was his name, again? “Still, I must say, your performance was visually impressive. You have some real potential! I was wondering if you would like a few tips.”

“... sure!” Maybe this guy isn’t a fancy dickhead. Maybe she read him wrong.

“Your performance was beautiful, and certainly a display of power… but some of the Pokemon you perform with aren’t really suited for such a task. I mean no offense,” he claps his hands together. “But Tyrantrum is much too boorish. Maybe-”

 

Bonnie turns around and leaves. She's not coming back.

 

---

 

Bonnie is 16 when she takes Tyrantrum to the park. 

 

“Why do you spoil him like that?” Clemont asks her.

“Huh?”

“Tyrantrum.” Clemont points at him. He’s trying to make friends with a trainer’s Furfou. “You know, you really should stop treating him like a baby.”

“He is a baby, Clemont.”

“Bonnie, he’s bigger than my car. That’s not a baby.”

Bonnie snorts. “Noivern.” Is all she says.

Her brother pauses to think. "That's... that's completely true, actually. I stand corrected... still, you shouldn't-"

“Tyrantrum! Tyrantrum, no! ” Bonnie runs off, waving her arms. “Put that tree down!”

Clemont sighs, but smiles. At least she holds her “wonderful special baby boo bop dew drop” accountable for his own actions.

 

---

 

Bonnie is 24. It’s the present day.

 

The week was exhausting. League season’s starting up soon, so she had to spend the entiiiire week evaluating the gym circuit, subjecting the Leaders to questionnaires, having a mock battle with them, suggesting changes in difficulty, and she still hasn’t kicked Malva out of Coumarine gym. Worse, she didn’t have time to stream, meaning she never got a break to have fun. 

Tyrantrum, bless his heart, drops his brush on Bonnie’s chest, surprising her. 

Whine.

“Okay, okay, you. I get it.” She sits up on the couch. “Come here.” 

Tyrantrum lowers himself to the ground in front of her, giving Bonnie clearance to brush his plumage. His purrs feel like a small earthquake. Brushing him is therapeutic to Bonnie, it’s such a small thing that makes her feel so whole.

 

That’s her baby. And he deserves the world.

That’s her baby, and he wants her to be loved.

 

She loves him so much.

 

---

Notes:

when i started writing this it almost snowballed out of control, but it got too angsty and that did /not/ fit the vibe i was going for. maybe i'll post the cut content on its own at a different time.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of kyo's anipoke another road repaved content