What if every Robin started with a Fletchling? There’s a huge flock of them living in the manor and Alfred leaves put food for them, and they just became a friendly feature of the manor. Then one day after Dick joins the family, he’s out doing an acrobatic routine outside and a Fletchling flies down and joins him and starts coming to see him. He leaves food by his window and thinks of this one as his friend, then when he becomes Robin he’s out on his first patrol and his Fletchling friend comes to help him! So it’s his first Pokémon companion.
Years later, Jason joins the family. He’s struggling to fit in, to live up to Dick’s legacy and Bruce’s expectations, and he finally blows up one day and storms out, then finds a hiding spot on the grounds to cry. A Fletchling from the grounds finds him and lands nearby, singing to him, and Jason whistles back at him. They become friends and Jason starts confiding in him, and when Jason officially becomes Robin he’s saying that “Robin gives me magic!” While his Fletchling sings encouragingly. After his death, his Fletchling sings one last song at his grave and flies away, and Bruce breaks down thinking it way saying goodbye, but it was really trying to give Bruce hope before flying off to find Jason. When he returns as the Red Hood, the big reveal comes at a climactic moment when Jason’s ready to reveal the truth, and he whistles one of his favourite songs and Jason’s Fletchling shows up to sing along.
Meanwhile, Tim shows up insisting that “Batman needs a Robin!” Bruce resists, but is finally won over when Tim shows up when Batman’s in danger, and suddenly a Fletchling appears to help him, and another figure appears and takes the villains down, and Batman looks up to see Tim wearing his full Robin uniform, a Fletchling perched on his bo staff singing triumphantly.
Finally, Damian appears. Skipping over his whole backstory, as he starts to assimilate into the family he comes across an injured Fletchling. He knows the history of the Robins with Fletchlings, and he’d imagined finding the most powerful and dangerous Fletchling. The League would leave it to die but Damian can’t bring himself to harm or abandon it; the poor thing is terrified, defensive, and skittish, but Damian is determined to help it and finds some kind of shelter for it, bringing it food and using Pokémon veterinary textbooks to help it recover. When it’s finally fully healed and ready to fly away, it chooses to stay with Damian, almost as though saying “You healed me. Now I’m healing you, Robin.” It only likes Damian and gets defensive if Damian’s family tries to approach it.
Then, Damian meets Colin. He’s so nervous about introducing Colin to his Fletchling, but Colin gently sings to it, and to everybody’s amazement the Fletchling sings along and allows Colin to approach, and he’s the only one the Fletchling will sit with aside from Damian. It’s instant proof that Colin’s perfect for Damian and highlights that fact they’re soulmates!
Sorry for the Fletchling novel, I got totally carried away, but I hope you enjoyed my lunatic rambling and overthinking.
-stared wide eyed- Anon, it sounds like you have a fanfic you need to write, because DAMN if I don't wanna read that like RIGHT NOW. But don't forget Stephanie! She needs a Fletchling too!
Tell you what, you write this version of the Fletchling story, and I'll write the one where Fletchling is an inherited Pokemon among the Robins, that way everybody can have both!
