Protective Instincts (Male Reader X Incineroar)

Part 1: Seeds of Insecurity

As the nearest town comes into view over the horizon you sigh in relief. Finally you can rest your weary legs after a long day of walking. Incineroar follows beside you, seemingly on edge. He studies an abandoned cabin intently. It's still in surprisingly good condition but the owner has obviously been gone for a while. He eventually goes back to following you.

"You want to go inside the pokéball? You won't have to walk the rest of the way", you offer. Incineroar grunts in response. "I'll take that as a no." After evolving from Torracat recently, Incineroar just hasn't been the same. He constantly seems nervous and won't let you do anything by yourself. You give him a concerned look but don't say anything.

The town is close to the beach and has a nice view over the horizon. People walk up and down the streets lined with buildings. The hotel stands out from the rest, being the biggest and most prominent structure. The sun reflects off of its windows, glaring at you.

You point at it and turn to Incineroar. "That's where we're going", you say. He gives a brief nod and follows after you. Dirt turns to concrete as you step onto the pavement. The hotel isn't much farther.

"Hey, you!", a voice calls from somewhere. You turn to see a stranger leaning against a wall. He wears a hoodie masking his face and jeans. He doesn't exactly look like the most trustworthy type. He slowly steps towards you. "You're not from around here. Got anything worth my time? Maybe some rare Pokémon? That Incineroar there looks quite nice." "Hey, I don't have anything you-" Before you can finish your sentence Incineroar grabs the thug by the throat and lifts him up. The thug struggles against his grasp but can't do anything. "Incineroar stop!", you cry. Incineroar drops the thug and looks at you confused. The thug scrambles away.

"You could've killed him! You know how strong you are!" Incineroar still had that perplexed look on his face. He didn't seem to understand that what he did was wrong. "Incineroar!", he groans annoyed. "I don't know what's been up with you lately. What happens when you seriously hurt someone? You could get taken away, I don't want that to happen to you. I care about you, you know that." You try to calm yourself and move on as you start walking to the hotel again but you can't get what just happened out of your mind. It feels like a bad sign.

Incineroar's P.O.V

I drop the thug and watch him scamper away, "Serves him right for picking on my trainer. I could've done so much worse, believe me but why is he yelling? Shouldn't he be happy that I protected him so well? He could've gotten hurt! I could get taken away? That'll never happen. Nothing will get between me and him. I know he cares about me but this is for his own good. He'll thank me later."