Gilly Comm + Sweetleaf (Draft)

Thranduil has a mousy grandbaby now whether he likes it or not!

“True, but this is only him. Most other dark-type Pokémon can see during the day just fine…” Meluion said. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. He’s a Red Rebel, and as their leader, I care not how unusual his sight is. Elven sight is unusual as well, in either Pokémon world. There are only humans in the Pokémon world with people in it.”

“What?” that truly did strike Legolas as strange. “No Elves at all?”

“Nope!” Chu said. “Only humans! We all thought Meluion was a human in my world, until Ninetales said, ‘Mel is not the human from my legend. He is not a human at all.’ None of us knew what Elves were.”

“I grew my hair out to avoid everyone calling my ears part of a costume,” Meluion rolled his eyes. “I cannot wait to have hunting hair again.”

“But if you cut your hair, you won’t be able to have as many flowers in it!” Commander Riley said. “No hair-cutting! More flowers, more fun!”

“Well, Commander Riley, you are not in charge of my hair.”

“Yes, I am!” Commander Riley insisted. “No more hunting, only gardening!”

“Too bad! It’s my hair!”

“And I worked really hard to find all these flowers for you!”

Legolas smiled, daring to speak up, “I quite like your new look, if I may. And Commander Riley is correct, no more hunting for you! Not for a hundred years! That is an order from your prince.”

Meluion sighed, “I hate every single one of you.”

“You do not!” Legolas gasped, hand over his heart like one about to faint.

Chu started tearing up.

“No, Chu!” Meluion tried to cut him off. “You know how I have to talk to Commander Riley. He is incorrigibly ill-behaved!”

“And so were you,” Legolas smooched Meluion.

Chu was still tearful.

“Don’t just say you hate someone!” said the little thunder-mouse. “Words mean things!”

“That’s right, Chu, words mean things,” Shadow said, voice like a crackling fire, a fire Legolas intended to enjoy this night with his reborn gwador and his animal friends. “Our leader needs to stop being so rude!”

“Las,” Meluion said. “May I have Shadow’s Pokéball back please?”

“Most certainly… not!” Legolas held it out of reach, taking advantage of the greater height he wielded over his friend once more. This, as expected, led to quite a chase. Legolas moved much swifter than him even without the Red Rebels’ assistance. Shadow bounded out of Meluion’s arms and scampered to trip him at every turn. Chu, who was still furious at Meluion’s lack of tact, threw rocks at him until he repented.

“No hair-cutting, only flowers!” Commander Riley nodded, wagging his tail like a dog as he plucked more flowers out of their unusual bag, sticking them into Meluion’s hair. “The first thing we’re gardening is your hair!”

Legolas returned to help him up. He couldn’t resist one last jab, “You make quite a domestic husbandrist, my friend.”

Meluion grumbled.

“I shall return Shadow’s Pokéball once you stop having such low spirits,” Legolas said. “You are alive and with me once more! That should be enough, should it not? Mandos does not reembody just anybody.”

Meluion twitched into a smile, yet he frowned once more. “Still… why did I not go to his Halls when I died? Will the Valar judge me corrupted?”

Legolas grew fiery, as he always did for his friends, “You saved my life, and then you saved Chu’s world. If the Valar judge you corrupted, they are not fit to judge you at all! You have better things to fret over: wearing Middle-Earth fashions again.”

Meluion rolled his eyes as Shadow snickered.

“Pokémon fashion is, well,” Meluion gestured to the creatures, “much more colorful, just like the animals the people live alongside.

[{Since my usual fashion game, Style Savvy, would be unsuitable to the task, I just used my 4thewords character to describe Meluion’s outfit. I also have no idea where my 3DS is anyway T_T. RIP… The Let’s Go Eevee outfit selections ain’t cutting it for me. I want my gothic wardrobe back, life!}]

“And more revealing, too!” Shadow snickered.

“Really?” Legolas’s brow rose, impishly curious.

“We’ve got pictures!” said Shadow.

“There was no need to phrase it like that!” Meluion said. “They are a different people, of course they have different standards of dress! I worked hard to assemble something in the Middle-Earth style…”

“And this, Mel-nîn, is why you are not a tailor,” Legolas laughed. Even before his death, Meluion had never been fashionable. He dressed for hunting, not dining. It was something everyone disparaged him for. This array was the finest ensemble he’d ever worn, and likely ever would wear if he had his way.

Legolas was intent on ensuring Meluion did not have his way. He was both a savior of worlds and a savior of friends. He had quite a letter to write to his father! They would go home together, as a family.

The first step was getting him to the Last Homely House East of the Sea.

“What exactly are you doing in Imladris anyway?” Meluion asked.

“My father wants me to study our history for the winter,” Legolas replied.

Melion gave a sympathetic grunt, “Anything exciting?”

“I found a copy of King Gil-Galad’s letter to my grandfather, the one requesting his aid.”

“Which went over super well…”

Shadow and Riley laughed.

“What happened?” Chu asked, with all the innocence of a babe.

Meluion grimaced, “…Legolas’s grandfather died.”

Chu, bless his sweet little mousy heart, cried anew. Meluion held him, rubbing his back and speak soothingly to him. Meluion truly was very sweet.

“I know we really love rescuing as many people, or Pokémon as possible, but we can’t always save everybody, even when we try our best,” Meluion said.

“This is why we’re just being magical gardening animals here, not magical fighting animals, okay?”

“Okay…” Chu sniffled, clinging to him.

“And when I tell you that you need to stay in your Pokéball, you need to stay in there until I know it’s safe. This world is not an idyllic fairyland; the problem is, you are from an idyllic fairyland…”

“There’s nothing inherently wrong with that,” Shadow said. “Not everyone is suited for every adventure.”

“I know that!” Chu said, fist-like limbs pumped, sparks discharging from his cheeks.

“We know you know, but it’s good to have reminders.”

Both Commander Riley and Legolas nodded in agreement, Commander Riley nodding much faster while Legolas nodded more deliberately.

“Warfare is very, very scary,” Meluion said. Then he looked to Legolas. “Maybe, if you want to know more not scary stories about the old king, our current king will be happy tell you about him—if you ask him nicely.”

“Chu is going to ask nicely,” Legolas said firmly, suggesting anything less was ridiculous. He couldn’t imagine Chu being anything but polite. His father was a busy man, but he couldn’t imagine anyone but the cruelest of the cruel refusing Chu such a sincere request.