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Sierra walked down the street, chomping hard on the ham, mayo and cheese sandwich she had acquired with the leftover pocket money she had managed to save.
It didn't matter where she was going, her fifth foster mother and father were drinking (at two in the afternoon, no less) and arguing about stupid Tauros-shit she didn't really care about. She was moody because of this, and ignored anyone who tried to talk to her.
She was turning a corner when she heard a sudden loud bang, making her jump. It was in the alleyway next to her. Curious, she decided to tread carefully into the alley.
What she saw broke her heart.
It was the tiniest and skinniest Houndour she had ever seen. It was whining desperately as it sniffed empty containers and wrappers, it licked any amount of crumbs it could find. Sierra knew that wouldn't be enough to fill his empty belly.
Looking down at her half eaten sandwich, she knew what she had to do.
"Hey," She said gently. "here, boy." She gently knelt and placed the sandwich on the ground, stepping away so he could have his space to eat.
The Houndour looked warily at Sierra, but recognizing food and not being picky, it ran over and gobbled every bite it could gratefully.
Sierra watched with pity. She knew what it was like to go hungry. Some nights with her other foster families, she was lucky to have meals at all, other times they would forget to feed her entirely.
But this little guy had no one to feed and shelter him.
"Hope things get better for you, little guy." Sierra sighed before turning to walk away.
That's when she felt tiny teeth grab the end of her pants and little whimpers. She looked down to see the Houndour now pulling at her pant leg.
Her heart shattered entirely. "I'm sorry, that was all my food. You ate it." She said. But then the Houndour leapt up on her leg and pawed, whining to be picked up and hugged.
Seeing those sad eyes, Sierra couldn't resist. She picked the little Houndour up and couldn't help but feel worse when she felt how light he was. How long had he been out here?
"You're unwanted and unloved too, huh?" She asked quietly, petting his head. "That's okay, I am as well."
The Houndour yipped and licked her cheeks, making her laugh. "But who wouldn't love you? You're so precious!" She grinned.
Looking down, she made eye contact with the Houndour. Sierra knew she needed to be the one who would take care of him.
She ran back home, never letting the Houndour down, even just for a second. She managed to get past her already buzzed foster parents and grabbed all the fattening foods she could out of the kitchen, feeding everything she could to Houndour slowly so he wouldn't get sick.
Weeks went by and he slowly started gaining weight. Sierra would split her meals with him, and when she finally had some money, she took him to the Pokemon center, where she was relieved when he got an all clear on diseases and tests. He was hers to keep.
Or so she thought.
Her foster mother had discovered him sleeping in her bed while she was at school. She had gotten an earful, keeping the Houndour in her lap as she glared at the floor.
"We took one stray in, we don't need another. If you can't accept that, then get out!" Her foster father yelled.
"Fine!" Sierra snarled. "This place and you guys are full of shit!"
When she packed her suitcase and kept Houndour in one arm, her CPS case manager, Harriet, sighed. "Sierra, you can't keep the Houndour. There are foster homes who won't accept Pokemon."
"Then find one that will or kick me out onto the streets!" Sierra snapped. "I'm not giving up my only true friend!"
He was a stray and so was she. They needed to stay together, because they were the only ones who truly cared about each other.