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Damian al Ghul Wayne stalked the halls of Wayne Manor upset at everything and everyone. It’d been just under 6 months since he moved to Gotham and his Father insisted he attend ‘school’ to better help him ‘learn to socialize’ and ‘make friends’ or some other nonsense. Which is fine, abysmally droll and more than a little pointless, but whatever. He could handle it, he’s both a Wayne and an al Ghul after all, he could handle near anything.
That's what he'd told himself until the fact that he doesn’t yet possess a Pokémon came up as an issue amongst his ‘peers’ anyway.
In the League you are not allowed a Pokémon until you complete your training to become a full fledge assassin. Which, from his understanding, is traditionally around the age of 13 to 16 or so. You then spend the next 3 or so years training and bonding with your Pokémon to form a highly lethal duo. In America, and Gotham, however it is tradition for a child to get their first Pokémon at age 10.
Or so he’d been led to believe anyway.
Apparently, among the elite of Gotham anyway, one is typically gifted their first Pokémon when they turn 9. From what he’d gathered from his truly insufferable classmates it was something akin to a status symbol though he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. But the fact that he didn’t have a Pokémon yet, despite having turned 9 a little under two months ago, was leading to ridicule among those he was supposed to call his peers.
And while he couldn’t care what they thought of him he worried that it would start rumors which would hurt his Father’s standing in Gotham's high society. He was also worried it could hurt his, admittedly rocky, standing within the family unit.
Which led him to now, looking for one Timothy Jackson Drake while silently seething. And listen, Damian would be the first to admit that he wasn’t the biggest fan of Drake. According to his Mother the older boy was ‘nothing but a snake’ and was the singular thing preventing him from his ‘rightful place’ as Robin. A sentiment he had wholly believed when he’d first arrived. He had even, regrettably, made an attempt on the older boy’s life shortly after they’d first been introduced to one another. And while they’d moved past that, with him genuinely apologizing to the older boy, and had become closer as a result something about Drake still rubbed him the wrong way in a way he couldn’t quite articulate.
That being said Drake was the only one amongst their ranks, family or otherwise, that was both born and raised amongst the high society of Gotham. One could argue that Grayson grew up amongst the elite but his entrance into it had been rather unconventional and then, after the fact, it had been Father that had raised him. And, unfortunately, Father had been raised primarily by Alfred who, while many brilliant things, was not himself a member of the elite of Gotham. Which left him with but one option if he wanted legitimate and useful answers.
Drake.
Finding the older boy however was often both incredibly difficult and obscenely tedious. Drake's schedule, if you could even call it that, made little to no practical sense. He just appeared on a whim and then disappeared just as strangely. 6 months in and Damian still hadn’t even managed to figure out which room within the Manor belonged to the older boy as he rarely if ever actually spent the night and wasn't, legally, a member of their family. Furthermore he hadn’t yet managed to figure out what the older boy did throughout his day past his Vigilante work as he rarely actually bothered to interact with the older boy as a civilian of his own volition. Though, in his defense, the older boy also didn't go out of his way to interact with him either.
“Deli” a cheerful ‘voice’ chirped in the distance pulling Damian’s attention away from his thoughts.
Drake never went anywhere, as a civilian, without his Delibird, a shockingly delightful Pokémon named Treasure. So if he followed the sound he’d find the older boy. And if, for whatever reason, they weren’t together he’d likely be able to bribe Treasure into leading him to Drake with some cookies.
The one nice thing he will say about Drake, to his face, is that his Delibird Treasure was truly wonderful and brilliantly trained. Anytime the cheerful pink bird Pokémon showed up Alfred made some of his award winning cookies and either some of his delicious hot chocolate or, as a rare and delightful treat, some of his homemade eggnog. For that reason and that reason alone he accepted Drake’s presence in his life. . .it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that the older boy always listened patiently without judgment whenever he needed someone to vent to regardless of the topic of his venting. And the fact that he never belittled him for asking ‘stupid’ questions and always answered them to the best of his ability definitely didn’t have anything to do with it either.
Ask anybody, Damian al Ghul Wayne strongly disliked Timothy Drake. He certainly didn’t consider the older boy and his Pokémon to be a part of his family, he didn't.
“Drake” he called as he entered the kitchen to find the older boy sitting at the table pouring a cup of tea while Treasure ate a ‘biscuit’ happily. Alfred insisted there was a difference between a cookie and a biscuit but Damian thought the difference didn’t matter as they were both delicious.
Treasure evidently agreed with him on that as the delightful bir Pokémon loved 'bisuits' and cookies equally.
“What’s up Damian” Drake asked fetching a second cup and pouring him some tea, the way he liked it, without being asked or instructed “something I can help you with”
Taking the seat across from the older boy Damian took a sip of his tea. Part of him was worried that this was going to be the tipping point. This was going to be the ‘weakness’ Drake chose to use against him. And, as illogical as it sounded, that scared him. But Drake hadn’t betrayed him yet despite everything so maybe, maybe, he could trust him once more. Richard and Father both seemed to trust him, as did the rest of the family, so maybe he could learn to trust him without worry too.
“One of the Neanderthals at my school attempted to belittle me for not yet having my first Pokémon” Damian started eyes locked on his tea to avoid what was surely a look of disappointment or worse, pity, at his confession “and then I was informed that I’m the only one in my class to not yet have a Pokémon”
For a moment he paused, waiting for laughter or something worse that never came. Drake just sat quietly across from him not saying or doing anything besides taking a slow sip of his tea. After a moment Damian took a breath and glanced up, expecting to see some sign of mocking. Only there was none.
Drake was just observing him calmly.
“You’re 9th birthday was two months ago was it not” Drake asked softly his tone curious but not judgmental.
Damian nodded, almost bashfully in response. He didn’t quite understand what was happening. When he’d asked one of his teachers about the situation, having initially choosing to listen to Richard's advice that his teachers were ‘trustworthy’ people to ask questions. The man had just stared at him with eyes full of pity before telling him it was best he talk to someone ‘in his family’ instead of him. A choice that had helped lead him to where he was now.
“Ok” Drake said the gears in his head practically visible until Treasure chirped, successfully pulling the older boy out of his own head and back to their conversation “now, do you desire assistance in remedying this situation or are you just looking to vent”
This was why, despite often saying otherwise, he wasn’t actually opposed to discussing things with Drake. He always started by asking what he was looking for from the conversation before beginning to offer anything. He willingly and openly allowed him to choose the direction of the conversation and he never pushed past where he was comfortable. He wouldn’t admit it aloud but it was something he greatly appreciated. If only the rest of their 'family' could speak to him in this way instead of insisting on treating him like a child maybe he’d be less ‘prickly’ around them or whatever it was Todd insisted on saying he was.
“I would like assistance” he admitted after a moment of thought “Father insists that he will present me with a Pokémon when I turn 10 but I worry that will inevitably bring unwanted media attention onto our family. I would like to avoid such dribble if at all possible”
Drake nodded before pulling out his phone. He tapped at it a few times before handing it over to him. It was open on a Pokedex app.
“We have a couple options then” he admitted “I've filtered my Pokedex app to only show Pokémon I know how to acquire that someone under the age of 10 can legally own. Some are local to Gotham but others will take a little more time to locate”
“Find one you like and I can either help you catch it or can acquire it for you. If you want the list narrowed down further just let me know”
Blinking in genuine surprise Damian began to scroll through the heavily filtered mobile Pokedex. Some were Pokémon he saw regularly on the streets of Gotham. A few were Pokémon he remembered from his time with the League of Assassins. There were even a few he recognized from members of their family and other members within the cape community. The sheer quantity of Pokémon still listed within it was rather impressive if he was being honest.
Ironically Delibird was not featured in the Pokedex. Though, from what he’d been told, Drake's acquisition of Treasure was bordering on an impossibility so he wasn’t too surprised by that fact.
“What would you recommend” he asked after the sheer amount of Pokémon began to overwhelm him. While the number was impressive it was also incredibly difficult to sift through without assistance due to how much information there was to take in.
“As you aren’t technically allowed to battle until you’re at least 10 I think a Pokémon you can bring to Gala’s and could link to your civilian identity would be the best option while you’re still training to eventually become Robin” Drake explained calmly, subtly addressing Damian’s future as Robin as an inevitably and not a possibility in a way that was strangely reassuring to the younger boy, while taking the phone back to scroll through it for him. After a moment of scrolling he paused before smiling softly “for example, maybe we could get you a Pokémon like this”
Handing Damian the phone back he smiled as the younger boy’s jade eyes widened slightly. It was a Purrloin, a Pokémon he vaguely recognized. If he wasn’t mistaken it was the younger form of Liepard, a Pokémon that Catwoman was notorious for having. But, according to Catwoman herself, they weren’t actually native to Gotham and relatively difficult to catch as they were extremely temperamental Pokémon.
But on Diana it was one of the cutest Pokémon he’d ever seen.
“Could I really have one” he asked sounding his actual age for once without actually caring about how young he sounded.
Drake nodded once, verifying that he did indeed want a Purrloin, before taking his phone back to make a call. Damian arched a brow not understanding what was happening until Drake began speaking.
“Hey Lina” Drake greeted Damian’s mind realizing he’d called Catwoman herself “wanna win some brownie points with Damian and one up B all at once”
Damian frowned at the wording but said nothing. He wasn’t entirely certain he fully trusted Drake to not be pulling some sort of long-con yet but the hope that this was really happening won out over his doubt. He’d only looked at the Purrloin for a few moments but the mere thought of him having one as his starter Pokémon made him almost giddy. Mother certainly wouldn’t approve of him feeling this way but he honestly couldn’t bring himself to care.
“Thank you Lina, we’ll see you when you get here” Drake promised before hanging up to look him in the eye “Selina will be here later today with a recently hatched Purrloin just for you”
Jade eyes widened as, for the first time ever, he found himself moving to hug Drake. If his actions startled the older boy he never noticed as Drake hugged him back near immediately.
~*~
Damian was practically vibrating by the time Drake opened the door for the one and only Selina Kyle. She looked as visually perfect as always while her stunning Liepard, Diamond, walked beside her. In Selina’s arms was quite possibly the cutest Purrloin, and technically the only Purrloin, he’d ever seen. It was even cuter in person than it’d been in the picture featured in Drake’s mobile Pokédex.
“Hello kittens” she greeted kissing Drake gently on the cheek before stepping past the older boy to approach him. She didn’t move to kiss him like she had Drake, a choice he greatly appreciated, but she did smile at him warmly before continuing to speak.
“A birdie told me that you were interested in giving this precious little one a forever home” she teased as the Purrloin in her arms peered at Damian its emerald eyes full of curiosity.
Damian nodded almost shyly in response. He knew his mother would call such an action a weakness but he was already head over heels for the kitten Pokémon before him and, in that moment, couldn’t care less what his mother would think of his reaction. It was the most perfect Pokémon he’d ever seen and it’d surely grow to be as majestic as Diamond, Selina's truly beautiful Liepard.
“Are you sure it’s alright for me to raise it” he asked before letting out a truly ‘shameful’ squeak as the Purrloin leapt out of Selina’s arms and into his.
“If I wasn’t sure before I certainly am now” she teased smiling warmly “Purrloin are incredibly prideful Pokémon, they don’t let just anyone hold them. Especially not on the first meeting”
Damian blushed fiercely at the implication that the kitten Pokémon in his arms had seen and liked something in him. That it had chosen him when it could’ve chosen anyone else. When it could’ve chosen a trainer as skilled as Drake over him it still chose him instead.
“Here” Tim interjected handing him a pokéball, a dusk ball to be specific “one last thing and then you’ll officially have your first Pokémon”
For a brief, embarrassing, moment Damian opened his mouth to ask what he was supposed to do with the pokéball. Thankfully the Purrloin in his arms seemed to naturally understand what to do as it willingly nudged the pokéball itself. A moment later the ding of a successful ‘capture’ sounded through the Manor’s entryway and the Purrloin was officially his.
“Treat her well” Selina instructed with a playful smile “if Diamond were to ever learn that one of her kittens wasn’t being treated right she’d be incredibly upset”
"And even your father knows better than to upset Diamond"
Damian nodded confidently as he mentally categorized which books he needed to read to ensure he’d be the best trainer for his Purrloin ever. He knew for a fact that one of the libraries in the Manor, specifically the one he mentally called ‘Drake’s Library’ as he was the only member of their 'family' to use it most regularly, was full of books on how to best raise various Pokémon. Maybe he’d even ask Drake for some recommendations as to what he should read.
"Speaking of your father” Selina continued stretching lazily “where might I find Daddy Bat”
“Father is either in his study or the Cave” Damian responded immediately as he let his new Pokémon out of their ball.
Selina said her thanks before sauntering off. She had a Bat to tease, and scold. While she was beyond honored that she’d been able to give one of her kittens their first Pokémon she hated that such a thing had been necessary in the first place. After raising 3-6 kids, depending on whom you counted amongst their ranks as Bruce’s kids, within the Elite of Gotham Bruce should definitely know and understand at least some of the ‘rules’ of the elite of their city. Hell she wasn’t even technically a real ‘elite’ and she knew more about how the ‘upper crust’ of their sleazy city functioned then he did.
Damian should’ve been given a Pokémon on his 9th birthday as was expected amongst the silver spoons of Gotham. Prior to today the only ‘elite’ child she’d ever known to not have a Pokémon by their 9th birthday was Tim. He was, coincidentally, the only Gotham ‘elite’ she’d ever heard of actually ‘catching’ their first Pokémon even remotely on their own. Even Bruce had been ‘gifted’ his first Pokémon on his 9th birthday. Ace, Bruce’s Houndoom, had been the last thing his parents had gifted him before their passing. Though they had unfortunately passed away before they could ‘gift’ the Pokémon to him themselves they did hatch the Pokémon themselves before their passing.
Still, Bruce was rather lucky that Tim had had the foresight to ‘fix’ this ‘mistake’ before the press ended up finding out about it. If the freshly turned 9 year old Damian had attended a Gala or something without a Pokémon by his side the press would’ve eaten them alive.
~*~
Damian sat on his bed with his Purrloin as he scrolled through the ‘batkids’ group chat. Normally he disliked that he was a member of the chat as it was often filled with nothing but nonsense thanks to Brown and Richard and their obsession with ‘memes’ and ‘tiktoks’ or ‘vines’ or whatever but today was different. Everyone was offering him their congratulations on getting his first Pokémon. Some of them were even jokingly jealous that his first Pokémon had come from Selina of all people.
According to Todd it was a tradition or sorts as Selina Kyle, who was apparently the woman Father was presently seeing romantically, had given each of them a feline-esc or feline-adjacent Pokémon to welcome them into her personal family. Richard had been given a Litleo that he’d raised into a charming Pyroar that often accompanied him when he was out as a civilian along with his starter Zitka, a Phanpy his parents had gifted him before their passing. Barbara received an Espurr that has since evolved into Oracle’s partner Meowstic. Todd had been gifted a Litten that had grown into Red Hood's iconic, and powerful, Incinroar. Cain and Brown both received Eevees, that they’d since evolved into Umbreon and Espeon respectively and used as their gala Pokémon. Duke had received the Shinx Signal was known for before raising said Shinx into a Luxio and was presently working on raising him into a Luxray. And Drake well. . .actually he didn’t know what Drake had been given. Honestly, excluding Treasure, he didn’t know much about the Pokémon Drake owned. Clearly he had connections and knew how to acquire Pokémon without issue but he’d never seen him use any of them himself.
Thinking about it he didn’t even really know what Pokémon Drake used as Robin. He knew he used two Pokémon regularly while working as Robin and he knew neither was Treasure as, according to Drake himself, a shiny Delibird was too far easily identifiable a Pokémon to use in the field. Especially when the fact that Timothy Drake owned a shiny Delibird was known by most, if not everyone, within Gotham.
The fact that Treasure had once delivered a Present to Mister Freeze himself, in the middle of him attacking a Gala a few years ago certainly helped that fact. According to Alfred they still regularly received gift baskets from the now, mostly, retired Victor as a thank you for the cure to Nora’s illness that’d been found in said Present.
But that being said he didn’t actually know which Pokémon Drake owned or used, while Robin or as a civilian, other than Treasure. He’d never bothered to ask and he’d never cared enough to notice. A fact the had decided to try and remedy in the future.
After all, maybe Drake wasn’t as bad as he’d been led to believe. He did help him acquire his first Pokémon after all. It was thanks to Drake that he now had his Purrloin and for that, at least privately, Drake would be upgraded to first name status.
He’d considered naming the cat Pokémon Alfred, as the older gentleman was someone he truly respected and admired, but he'd decided against it as the Purrloin hadn’t approved of the name. Which, according to one of the books he’d swiped from ‘Drake’s Library’ on his way back to his room was something one should avoid when naming a Pokémon as it could irreparably tarnish the bond between Trainer and Pokémon. So, in the end, he decided to name the young Purrloin Emerald to pay homage to Selina’s Liepard Diamond.
Emerald had approved of her new name. He made a mental note to ask Father or Alfred if they could get him an emerald encrusted collar for her later for Gala purposes.
~Two Weeks Later~
“Dami” the deep timbre of his Father called as his knuckles connected softly with his partially opened door “may I speak with you for a moment”
Damian grumbled his acceptance while Emerald curled up in his lap. He hadn't seen his Father, except once in passing, since being given Emerald as the man had to deal with a Justice League Emergency. What if he was upset with them for ‘defying’ him? Would he make him give Emerald away? Surely not, his Father was a good and honorable man, but he was still worried. His Grandfather's League had not been above taking ones Pokémon, or worse, when one of their own failed to meet his expectations.
Father entered the room slowly before sitting across from him on his bed. He appeared tense, like something had upset him, but it didn’t appear to be aimed at him so Damian allowed himself to relax slightly.
“I’m sorry” his Father started genuinely catching him off guard "I unfortunately forgot that it is tradition within the high society of Gotham to gift one's children their first Pokémon when they turn 9"
"This isn't an excuse but as all of your siblings came into our family already possessing their first Pokémon it has never come up prior to now"
Damian nodded tightly in understanding. Timothy had also assured him that it was likely a genuine mistake on his Father's part and not him rejecting him as a son. But, and he'd never admit this out loud, it was nice to hear his father verify this.
"It's alright Father" he assured him trying to keep his voice steady "I assure you I and Emerald are fine"
His father smiled warmly before pulling a pokéball out of his pocket. He placed the pokéball in Damian's hand gently. Damian arched a brow in confusion, clearly not following along.
"While I am certain you both are, as your father, I would still like to remedy the situation" he stated before motioning for the boy to call forth the Pokémon in the ball. Damian obliged, with Emerald's meowed blessing, and did as requested.
A green and black Deino appeared before them. Damian had read about Deino before and openly believed thought they were brilliant. A Pokémon that he'd always felt a connection to due to the how it reminded him of his Father's legacy as Batman. Though presently, seeing it in the al Ghul's colors of green and black instead of its traditional blue and black, it made him feel connected to his Mother as well as his Father.
"Officially you can't register him as your Pokémon until your 10 as he isn't a Pokémon a 9 year old can legally own" his father explained as he smiled softly while the Pokémon, playfully, headbutted Damian and his Purrloin "but I was thinking he'd be a brilliant Pokémon for when you eventually debut as a Vigilante"
Tears slipped unprompted down Damian's face as he nodded. His Father explained that he'd hatched the Dieno himself in preparation for Damian's eventual 10th birthday, as was the Wayne family tradition when it came to gifting Pokémon to one's children. He then informed him that he'd be allowed to begin training him, with proper supervision, in the cave if he so desired.
"Does this mean I can finally begin training to become Robin father" Damian asked hating how eager he sounded.
"Tim and Alfred shall be training you, and Emerald, on proper Gala etiquette first as we have a Gala coming up" he explained standing up "however, if you ask Tim nicely I'm sure he'd be willing to help you and your Dieno work on building the teamwork you'll need before we can begin training you to be the next Robin as well"
Damian felt himself smile at that. He'd, recently, come to accept that while Timothy might not be the most talented member of their family in any one particular aspect he was arguably the second or third best in almost every skill. For example he wasn't the best hacker amongst them, Gordon was, but he was the second best alongside his Father. And while he wasn't stealthier than Cain he was the closest amongst them to her in that particular skill. One could argue that Timothy was the best when it came to undercover work but that, in Damian's opinion, had more to do with the older boy's need to plan everything out than any actual skill.
Regardless, despite all of his other abilities, the place where Timothy truly shined, was as a Pokémon Trainer. Damn near every Pokémon he'd ever seen the older boy interact with had both respected and trusted him implicitly. This included the Pokémon of several big name Rogues including Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Mister Freeze, the Riddler and even Bane. Furthermore his own Pokémon were so impeccably trained that it was truly awe inspiring. Learning to improve his skills as a Trainer under Timothy's tutelage would be an honor, not that he'd ever admit that out loud.
"By the way" his father continued bringing Damian out of his recently acquired thoughts of respect regarding his older brother "have you considered a name for your Dieno"
Looking the green and black Dragon Pokémon over once he immediately knew what to name him. A name that, subtly, paid homage to Timothy and his assistance in ensuring his acceptance both within their family and Gotham's high society without being too blatantly obvious. A name that paid respect to the role of Robin as Richard, Todd, and Timothy had explained it.
To look out for the 'little' guy.
"I believe I shall name him Goliath"