[PKMN OPEN] Pokémon Spear [M] [IC]

Tim T
The Lake of Outrage was a sparse place. It took Tim most of the day just to find enough roots to hold him over. There was grass and moss for his mons, but Tim couldn't eat such things, and it seemed the roughness of the area discouraged a lot of the more palatable things from growing. Or perhaps the storm had just knocked all the fruit and nuts down. It had rumbled through the night, as if the sky itself were snoring in slumber, and still through the day it growled and murmured, flashing with arcs of power. Though the rain had at least let up a little bit, the lightning was still quite active.

The constant thundering at least kept Tim's attention in the present. Tim and Henj had waded out into the water as Rij stood by at the shore. Tim was dressed this time—to keep his Rij's and Henj's balls on hand—and was fighting off a bit of a cold that had tried to set in on him in the night. The water of the lake was a few shades warmer than the rain itself for some reason, though that might have been because of Pelj.

The little Rolycoly sputtered as Tim lifted her out of the drink again. She had her eye pinched shut and her wheel spun uselessly in the air.

"You see, it's not so bad," Tim said, almost reassuringly.

Pelj blew some steam out her back—apparently that was where she breathed?—and looked over at Tim determinedly, signaling she was ready. Tim dunked her under the water again for the umpteenth time. Henj watched with interest nearby, the big Stonjourner standing in the water just in case something tried to pull Tim down again, as had happened outside Hulbury. Rij was Rhyhorning around, uninvested in the scene but on hand to respond if something came out of the treeline to pick a fight.

The water bubbled a little as Pelj heated up in her focus, and Tim brought her back up again. Tim didn't think there was any way a Rolycoly would be able to swim, and she was certainly too small to perform Rij's trick of jumping up for air. All the same, it would be pertinent for her to be able to hold her breath if needed, and to keep from panicking if she ever fell into water, so that she could wheel her way out without drowning. Pelj sputtered a little less feverishly and then was ready to be dunked again. Tim obliged.

As a Rock that might someday also be a Fire, Pelj had a strong natural aversion to being submerged. It wasn't that such mons were afraid of water, necessarily—as many of them did still have to drink it sometimes—, but they were roundly uncomfortable with large quantities. Rocks usually sank quickly due to the density of their bodies, and would be likely to drown. Fires were unmanned by being devoid of their pyrogenetic abilities, and as a lot of them had internal burner organs they went through oxygen faster than the norm: they would be quick to drown if sent too deep. Or something like that. Tim hadn't paid too much attention to that kind of thing back in class. Actually, maybe he was mixing that up with the physiologies of those fantastical elemental creatures in that book series he used to read back in grade school. Tim brought Pelj back up.

Whatever the case, Pelj had balked immensely when Tim brought them all to the water. Rij and Henj seemed to be over it—except that Henj still seemed a little tense—so Pelj put on her brave face and pretended not to be bothered. Even so, Tim could feel her trembling when they'd first started. She was already improving though. Tim dunked her again and this time she even kept her eye open. Tim wished he could understand what his mons were saying. He wished he could know why Pelj agreed to Tim's brutal regimen. Tim had pointedly made sure Pelj always had a clear shot to the edge of the clearing or the mouth of the cave whenever it was time to sleep. She could have and by all rights should have snuck away in the night by now. She still had never even been properly caught. Tim brought her back up.

Her red eye squinted off into space in determined focus. Why? There was no reason she should want Tim's approval, or care about his input at all. Was she drawn to Rij or Henj instead? Tim briefly entertained the notion that perhaps she had taken interest in Henj as a mate, but dismissed the thought quickly. Even for wild animals there had to be easier ways to get laid, right? Ways that didn't involve some bogeyman waterboarding her as if performing some militant baptism? Tim dunked Pelj again.

And what of Henj the Stonjourner? It had been … some months anyway since Henj had approached out of nowhere and forced himself under Tim's care. Henj's gift with charades could be no natural ability: he had been around humans before. He knew enough about humans to be able to understand when Tim asked him if he bled: which should have made no sense if Henj didn't understand that other creatures had blood. He knew enough about humans to flex his arms to communicate the notion of strength to Tim: a gesture that should have had no meaning to a creature without muscles. Very rarely, Henj even suggested a direction to go in while foraging, even though he shouldn't have the slightest idea what to look for given he didn't seem to eat. Henj certainly acted as if he were quite old. He didn't chatter and prattle like Pelj did, but some nights he would speak quietly in his low stony voice to Rij as the Rhyhorn drifted in and out of wakefulness. What did Henj talk about? Why was Henj here? Even with a ball, Tim had no way of keeping a half-ton living statue around if he didn't want to stay. Tim let Pelj back up.

Then there was Rij. The Rhyhorn that had belonged to Tim's friend and who had effectively become an entirely different mon after her death. Even when Tim's friend had been alive, Rij hadn't talked much. He would cough or bark but he hadn't often spoken the way other mons did. Now that Tim's friend was gone, Rij never spoke, and it was rare to get so much as a growl out of him. Henj's talks with Rij were always one-way, and Pelj quickly stopped trying to talk to him at all, chattering instead to herself or occasionally Henj. Tim's friend had never spoken much of her family, outside of Rij, and indeed her service had only been attended by Tim himself and a handful of the quirky rangers she had kept company with.

Tim had met some of them before the accident, when he'd first come to Galar. He used to be more outgoing. "You two know Versusan right?" Tim had asked, approaching two men where they were loitering with their mons near the road through the woods.

"Aye 'at we do, bruv," the slimmer of the two had said in a gravelly voice through filed teeth. His ratty green hair had grown out over his face so completely Tim had thought the man had perhaps just been outright blind. Between the hair and the teeth, Tim had been hard-pressed to say whether the man or his Carnivine had the more shark-toothed grin.

The other ranger was inhumanly large. His arms and legs had looked like tree trunks made of meat, and his bald head had almost merged necklessly into his muffin-shaped belly. "Who wants to know?" he had said in a surprisingly suave voice through what continued to this day to be the longest, most bushy purple beard Tim had ever seen on a real human being. It was almost as if the man had himself spat up his Grimer companion.

Tim had paused a little, a bit nonplussed at seeing the men up close. "I'm her friend," Tim had said after regaining his composure. "I'm thinking of getting her something for her birthday coming up, I thought you two might know what she likes. I've seen her talking to you before."

Sawtooth had frowned a little. He had seemed to have some sort of tic where he had to keep his mouth open and chewing at the air when at rest. "Her friend?" he had asked, doubtful. "We donnae 'ave friends." He had shared a look with his Carnivine, both he and the mon seeming offended. "You tryin t'start sumthin, bruv?"

Tim had been taken aback at that response. Beardbelly had stepped in to take the reins of the conversation with his incongruously velvet voice. "Wait, are you that Timereaux she talks about?"

Sawtooth's demeanor had changed quickly. "Oh, aye, aye, 'at's right! Her little boytoy, innit?" His laugh had been a sound like a lawnmower hitting gravel. Tim had supposed he had something wrong with his throat.

"Maybe I should just ask some other rangers," Tim had said, unamused. That had only made Sawtooth laugh more though.

Beardbelly had said, "That won't do you any good. I'm sure you've noticed this but we and her are a touch"—he looked at his Grimer—"estranged from the rangers proper."

Tim had been confused to hear this. She had always seemed amazing to him. He had known of no one else—still knew of no one else—that could navigate rough terrain as well as she could. Although … he had never seen her use her styler before. "Aren't … Aren't you still rangers though?"

"Yes, officially. But the other rangers find us to be unsavory." Beardbelly had shaken his head dolefully.

"Think we oughtta style more, bruv," Sawtooth had said, chomping at the air. "Use the styler, 'at is. Think it's important ta keep a relationship widda ferals, aye. But 'at ain't no fun. Chilicon 'ere can do whatever needs done!" He had clapped his Carnivine on the head proudly.

"But what if you needed a mon to put out a fire or something?" Tim had asked.

"'At's the fun part, bruv! Makin you and yer partner fit through any situation. 'At's rangerin! Chilicon and me crossed a canyon once, didn't need ta style a single bird!"

"The other rangers find us to be reckless thrill-seekers and don't associate with us," Beardbelly had said. "They shouldn't have any right to complain though, when Gunkther and I have been doing this longer than half of them have been walking." His Grimer had just shrugged philosophically: it was what it was.

"Aye," Sawtooth had said again, "so we ain't the sort ta be makin fun of." But then he had smiled, showing off that even his molars had been filed. "But if you's a friend a Versusan's we might be able to 'elp ya, bruv."

Tim had never gotten either of their names. The last he had seen them was at his friend's service where they and a handful of other equally-outlandish characters were all who attended besides Tim and Rij. They had been sad to see their small number of freaks lose a member. If they could see Tim now, would they consider that number replenished?

Thunder roared, pulling Tim back into the present. He made to dunk Pelj back into the lake but she lifted out of his hands, lit by a bluish light. Tim, astonished, watched her haplessly float to the shoreline and land in bemusement behind an Espeon that had come out from behind one of the large stones at the shore. Rij was facing the newcomer but hadn't made any noise, and Tim had evidently been so deep in his thoughts he hadn't noticed.

"Esp, penon," Espeon said gently to Pelj before turning a hateful look out at Tim. Tim wasn't sure what Espeon had said, but whatever it had been made Henj grunt, deeply offended. Pelj blinked in confusion and tried to respond, but Espeon quieted her gently. "Nop, penon, esp." Pelj seemed angry at the tone.

Did Espeon think Tim was torturing Pelj? Was Espeon trying to butt in and play hero in a situation it didn't understand? That irked Tim but he wasn't going to be the one to escalate the situation. "You mistake me," Tim said to it, but it wasn't interested in hearing his excuse.

Espeon shot him an invasive thought of disapproval in that telepathic way Psychics sometimes did. "Nop espee," it said with finality, posturing. It slapped Pelj chidingly with its tail when she tried to move out of behind it. Tim started to move towards the shore, and Henj was still making an intense face, as if Espeon had said something so offensive it couldn't be answered. Had it just bunched Tim and Henj together as torturers?

"Nohr," came a deep, strong voice.

Tim and Henj and Pelj all stared in shock, the only sound in the air being the rain. Espeon regarded Rij with the stink eye. "Espee nopenon e—"

"Nohr," Rij said again as a clap of thunder punctuated his shout. He looked absolutely incensed. Tim couldn't imagine what Espeon had said.

Espeon frowned, looking down its nose at the Rhyhorn. Pelj was lifted again, protesting, and placed in a treetop to keep her from running off. "Nop, penon," Espeon told her before stepping forward. Tim and Henj moved to approach but then the water ebbed unnaturally, pushing Tim back. Henj stood up to it easily but still stopped to let Tim brace against his leg. Tim looked up at Henj and Henj closed his eyes, mouth turned down at the sides: Henj wasn't going to go into shore for some reason. Henj looked back at Rij and Espeon so Tim had to be content with watching, as he couldn't walk against the water like this and Henj wasn't going to help.

"Espee nopenon een," Espeon said pointedly, strutting. "Sespon espee." It smirked.

Rij didn't say anything in response but snorted dangerously, head down. Tim opened his mouth to give a command but Rij looked him in the eye and Tim felt his voice die in his throat. Rij, content that he'd silenced his Trainer, shivered all over with Rock Polish.

"Espee, espee, espee," Espeon taunted. Tim saw its eyes flash bluish but couldn't say anything to warn Rij. Sure enough, Rij was outlined in light as the Psychic caught him, lifted him, and smacked him down with a thud. Rij got back to his feet again, shivering another Rock Polish. Neither Espeon's words nor its attack was getting Rij to shoot off early.

Espeon didn't attack immediately again, so Rij got in his third and final Rock Polish. Unfortunately, shimmers of light formed at Espeon's forehead, flashing off Rij as Espeon used Psych Up. Both mons glistened in the rain with the whitish glimmers of Rock Polish. They stood watching one another, unmoving. Tim could hear Pelj's distant chattering and then the rain picked up, falling harder. Lightning flashed and the mons blurred at one another as the thunder rolled.

Rij shot forward with a Horn Attack but Espeon jumped, turning in the air to sweep a multicolored Psybeam. But Rij had kept running, putting himself away from the sweep even as he tumbled on himself, rolling into a full turn to fling a Smack Down as Espeon fell through the air. Espeon glowed with its own Psychic, using it to perform a quick midair jump to dodge the attack before landing and firing another Psybeam. Rij took this one head-on as he met Espeon's chest with his Drill Run, tossing it aside. Espeon rolled to its feet and chased Rij away with another Psybeam as the Rhyhorn galloped along the beach to line up another pass.

"Put me in, Henj," Tim said quietly as he patted the Stonjourner's leg, watching the fight.

"Nortons, jouron," Henj said quellingly, refusing. He wasn't even giving Rij his Power Spot.

Espeon shoved Rij sideways mid-charge with a sidelong Psychic. Rij rolled to keep his momentum, eyes flashing red as he breathed the black light of Scary Face across Espeon, snuffing out some of its Rock Polish lights. Espeon made an annoyed sound and just used Psych Up again, but Rij took that opening to send a golden Smack Down between Espeon's eyes. Espeon reeled as Rij lined up a Drill Run. Espeon tried to jump out of the way but the weight effect from Smack Down robbed the jump's height and it had to self-Psychic again to just barely dodge away. The rain continued to fall. Thunder rumbled like a crowd murmuring, boomed like a crowd roaring.

"Put me in there, Henj!" Tim growled again.

Again, Henj refused. As if he thought this was some sort of matter of honor. Pelj was bouncing up and down feverishly in her tree, helpless to interject.

Rij kept close quarters, pressing the advantage with Horn Attack jabs. But Espeon dodged every one uncannily perfectly, trails of orange light following it as it did so: Detect. Rij's own Move let up and Espeon took the opportunity to spin about with a one-two mule kick that flashed with light on each impact. Rij stumbled back from the unanticipated Double Kick—a normal wild Espeon wouldn't know such Moves, certainly—and sent another Scary Face out. Espeon accepted the debuff as bright particles twinkled out from its body, coalescing at its front in a star-shaped pad of light. Espeon crashed its Last Resort into Rij head-on with a clamorous sound like a marching band being hit by a train. The boom of noise faded into another roll of thunder as Rij was sent bodily tumbling backwards across the shoreline.

"We don't do things alone on this team, Henj," Tim said now, at his limit. "We run together, we train together, we sleep together, and so help me we will fight together no matter your silly ideas of honor. Now send me in there, dammit!" Henj had the grace to look a little uncertain but still didn't obey. "Now, Henj!"

Henj heaved and sent his big leg soaring through the water, Tim carried on its front. With a great spinning kick, Henj sent Tim flying through the rain. Espeon was too busy gloating about its latest hit to notice in time. Lightning flashed as Tim landed on the Psychic mon, clinging to it as they rolled towards the treeline.

Tim put in a bit more of a roll to make sure he came up on top, straddling the Espeon, who was looking up at him in open shock. Tim brought a fist back to knock that stupid look off its face, holding it down with his other hand. His fist seized in the air, held stock still by Espeon's Psychic. Unfazed, Tim sent his head down instead, headbutting Espeon's snout.

Espeon snarled and clawed Tim's face with surprisingly-sharp claws. It was enough to make Tim rear back so that Espeon worked its body out of under him and sent a Double Kick into his ribs. For an Espeon, it had a lot of oomph on the physical side. The kicks threw Tim off onto his back.

Tim got back up, catching his breath. He noticed Rij had gotten to his own feet behind Espeon. Espeon seemed livid at Tim's intrusion, grabbing his arms with its Psychic and lifting him into the air, ready to bash him into the ground for his insolence. Rij sent Espeon up with a Horn Attack from behind. Tim felt the hold let go of his arms as Espeon was sent towards him. He locked his arms around Espeon's midsection and turned in the air as they fell to land on top of the mon. An especially loud blast of thunder punctuated the impact.

Tim rolled off of Espeon and shakily got up. He saw Henj had come back to land, and was already at the treeline, one arm up and one leg out to let Pelj jump down and use him as a ramp out of the tree she was in. Lightning flashed again and Tim looked at Rij. Rij had a strange look on his face as the thunder rolled over them.

"We fight together, Rij," Tim said. "We do things together."

Rij's eyes eased a little and he looked down. Tim had always thought Rij was disinterested, or maybe that he was just stupid, but seeing him now Tim wondered if maybe neither of those things were true. It was less that Rij didn't care and more that he was somewhere else, distracted. Thinking about something else.

"We're alright, Rij. We're alright."

Rij snorted and waddled away to nibble at some bushes. Tim would have given anything to be able to know what Rij was thinking. Tim had precious little to give, but he would have given it anyway. He would give his arms to understand what his mons said. He would give his legs to understand what his mons thought. He would give his life to be able to know they were content under his care.

Pelj and Henj came up now to join Tim in looking down at the Espeon. It was still breathing of course, but to Tim's surprise it was even still conscious. It looked up at Tim with narrowed eyes.

Tim was unable to read the look it was giving him. "Don't mess with us," Tim told it. He could think of nothing more to say to it, and neither Henj nor Pelj seemed to want to add anything.

Tim started walking away from it, to go gather Rij and move somewhere else to train, but Espeon called out to him as it got up. It said something to him a little haltingly, and then added something to Henj and then to Pelj. Pelj seemed to immediately forget the context of the situation and bounced up and down in satisfaction, as if she had been praised. Henj just muttered thoughtfully.

"What did it say?" Tim asked Henj. Henj motioned for Tim to wait and Espeon sent him images of a forked branch that Tim couldn't make sense of.

Espeon walked shakily away to the stone it had earlier emerged from. Tim turned to leave but Henj and Pelj made him stay put. After a while, Espeon came back with two jewels in its mouth and dropped them in the sand. It shot Tim an image of the numeral one. "You want me to take one?" Tim ventured for confirmation. Espeon nodded unsmilingly.

Tim looked at the jewels and found them to be a Sun Stone and a Dawn Stone. Yet two more Evolution Stones that shouldn't be in this area: apparently the Lake of Outrage really did generate them. But what about this Espeon? Had it been guarding it? Like the Glaceon from before? What, did these Eeveelutions consider themselves gurus or something? Tim wondered how many more of them were around.

Tim finally picked the Dawn Stone. Not because he meant to get any use out of it, but for the same reason he'd taken the Ice Stone from before: perhaps someone else could use it. Tim was sure he wouldn't be cheapening the efforts of these Eeveelutions by passing on their prizes. After all, Tim was going to be applying his own test of sorts before giving out such things.

"Thank you," Tim said to Espeon. It seemed like the thing to say. "And uh, sorry for headbutting you."

Espeon just shook its head and took the unclaimed Sun Stone, turning away to disappear into the treeline. Pokémon were strange creatures. Much like humans, they could be guided by any number of unseen ambition and goal. Their motivations and aspirations in life were varied and many. How hard it was to discover such things from other humans when one could speak with them in a shared language. How much harder it was to understand such things from animals that didn't even use the same body language.

Tim looked between Henj and Pelj as he pocketed the Dawn Stone. "Maybe we should look for more of these," he said to them. "Might be a little more interesting than our usual training." Pelj hopped excitedly at the notion. Henj frowned thoughtfully and shrugged. "What do you think, Rij?" Tim asked, turning to face the Rhyhorn where he had started grazing again.

Rij swallowed a mouthful of grass and snorted, although with a bit of a gleam in his eye.

Tim T
"Jouron …?" Henj finally ventured, muttering as Stonjourners mutter.

Tim and his mons had been staring at the Jolteon for almost a minute, the Jolteon staring back, both parties surprised at one another. Tim had been leading his mons towards the beach again for more training—and perhaps to find another Eeveelution guru—but hadn't expected to run into an Eeveelution around the bend of this strange, obelisk-like stone. For its part, Jolteon had apparently also been on the move, carrying a Thunder Stone in its mouth, bound for the treeline. Thunder rumbled above, the rain itself having stopped a little while ago.

Henj's whispered askance was enough to break the tension. "Block it!" Tim said.

Henj, with the effects of Block to aid him, skittered about to stand behind Jolteon, the Electric mon blinking and dropping the stone, baring its teeth. Jolteon crackled and fired a yellow Thunderbolt for Tim, but the bolt folded on itself with a sound like a tuning fork. The Move connected on Rij's horn and dissipated uselessly, canceled by his Lightning Rod. The Rhyhorn fixed Jolteon with the stink eye.

Jolteon's ears flattened against its head. It took a step back and remembered Henj standing behind it. Jolteon muttered to itself, surrounded. Dark clouds growled overhead, growling for violence.

"Pelj," Tim said to his little Rolycoly, "I believe this is a good situation for you and I to get some practice in. Rij, stand by. Henj, don't let it get away."

Jolteon's eyes hardened in fury and it hissed something that sounded roundly vehement. Rij just snorted in response, unimpressed. Pelj hopped up and down, excited for a chance to run the field without one of her larger teammates pulling the weight. Jolteon snatched up its Thunder Stone and lunged at Pelj with a greenish swipe from its paw. Pelj stood up to it easily, but then Jolteon kicked off of her, streaking through the air like a lightning bolt in its own right. Henj reached to block it, but despite his Move's influence failed to intercept. He confusedly watched Jolteon hit the ground behind him, and then the mon was running away towards the beach.

Tim was already running, Pelj wheeling alongside. "It's got U-Turn, we can't block it in. Run it down!"

A crash of thunder signaled the start of the race as Tim and his mons ran after the Jolteon. Henj's wide strides thumped the earth like a heartbeat, Rij's scratching gallop a drumroll. Tim managed to glance at Pelj as she wheeled alongside him. She had an intense look in her eye. As if she were disappointed and angered to be robbed of her chance to perform. Or maybe she was embarrassed to have been used as a springboard for the Jolteon to slip them.

Even for a Rolycoly, Pelj was something of a runt. No amount of training would fix that either: terraform creatures didn't just get bigger in response to exercise. Her growth, if it happened at all, would either take long, slow years or Evolution. Chances were good she'd be a runt for all her life. It was a practical matter on Tim's part that she not be asked to do the kinds of things Tim asked Henj to do. She had the spirit, sure, but she was just too small. Tim imagined, perhaps, that her coming under his care was her way to compensate. It was hard to be a runt in the wild. It was easy for mons—and even humans, honestly—to equate size with power. Pelj wanted to be strong, but she might never be big.

Jolteon slowed a little bit as it bounced its gait, kicking at the air and briefly leaving pinkish afterimages behind itself. It started to pull away, boosted by its Agility. Tim ordered a Rock Polish and all three of his mons shivered and shone, keeping pace with Jolteon. Tim had to push himself harder to keep up though. It was beginning to be at such a speed that he wouldn't be able to comfortably keep up for very long.

Pelj was pulling ahead of Henj and Rij, her little stony wheel a more efficient mode of movement than their legs. Jolteon abruptly kicked sideways, throwing up mud as it drifted into a tight turn, making back for the treeline. Pelj leaned hard into her turn, driving a skid mark through the ground as she glided about in a drift of her own, gaining. Rij kicked himself into a tumble, rolling along to aim himself after Jolteon, losing some more momentum than Pelj had. Tim and Henj both just had to slow down a bit to take the turn, falling behind.

"We're bound for the trees, Henj," Tim wheezed out. "I'll carry you." He whipped out his ball and recalled the Stonjourner: Henj was just too big to keep up in the woods, Rock Polish or no.

There was a weakness brought on by size. Pelj wouldn't have to worry about that. In her smallness she had different strengths. Did she just not recognize that? Evidently not. But if she didn't recognize that, it fell to her Trainer to make it apparent. It fell to Tim. Pelj had to shine in this encounter. This was her chance.

Jolteon kicked again, putting on another Agility. Pelj shook out another Rock Polish without being told, hot on Jolteon's heels. But Tim stopped Rij before he did the same. "Wait, Rij, you have to carry me. I can't keep up."

Rij glanced at Tim out of the corner of his eye but didn't stop. Tim ran alongside, psyching himself up, and then leapt onto the Rhyhorn's back. Rij shook out his second Rock Polish as soon as Tim made contact, trying to catch up to Jolteon and Pelj.

Tim had never ridden Rij before. It had just never felt like the sort of thing he should do when he could just walk alongside. Tim's friend had ridden Rij a few times though, so Tim knew Rij at least knew how to carry someone. But to Tim's dismay, Tim didn't totally know how to ride properly. Tim was immediately reminded that Rhyhorn riders usually used saddles, as straddling Rij's high spine while the Rhyhorn galloped at speed was like having a spud bar's shaft trying to saw him in half through his crotch. Tim tried not to think about how cripplingly saddle-sore he was going to be.

Jolteon ran into the treeline, Pelj close behind. Rij shook in a third Rock Polish to catch up while Tim lowered himself along Rij's back—the high spine now also grinding a bruise into his chest. Tim slipped his hands into Rij's ear ridges for handholds. Rij didn't seem to mind. Jolteon was visible just ahead, to the left, weaving through the trees as the trunks whizzed past. Thunder complained overhead, the sky unhappy to have its view of the chase blocked by the canopies. Pelj was ahead of Rij, about side by side with Jolteon. Rij wouldn't gain anymore between having to dodge trees and having to carry Tim.

Jolteon sent a yellow Thunderbolt sidelong into the air, aiming to bring branches down into Rij's path. The tuning fork sound kicked in again though as the bolt zigzagged back on itself to fizzle into Rij's horn. Tim felt tingles through his hands as the energy siphoned into Rij's body. Jolteon made a loud, frustrated noise, annoyed.

Jolteon looked over at Pelj and drew close alongside her. It tried to kick out at her with a greenish U-Turn, likely hoping to use it to completely reverse direction, but Pelj pulled away, leaving Jolteon's paw to clip a tree. Jolteon stumbled a little and lost some lead to Pelj. It quickly kicked out its third Agility to catch up. Pelj shook out her third Rock Polish, trying hard to keep the lead in this race to nowhere. Rij, overburdened, was beginning to fall behind.

"Pelj, you have to get in front of it! Rij, Smack Down!"

Rij lobbed a golden stone from his maw, but Jolteon had looked over its shoulder when it had heard Tim speak. Trailing orange light, Jolteon uncannily twisted on itself, dodging the stone with the perfect evasion of Detect without even losing any speed or tripping itself up. Jolteon and Pelj continued to pull away. The trees fell away abruptly, giving way to a field of standing stones that stretched for a while in all directions, a field of grey stones on grey earth under a grey sky.

With Jolteon's Detect down, Tim said, "Scary Face, Rij!" Rij's eyes flashed red and he sighed black light forward to wash over Jolteon's hindquarters. Jolteon didn't have to see it for the effect to take hold. Jolteon slowed a little, allowing Pelj to overtake it and get in front. Jolteon tried one last act of defiance, its whole body rumbling with noise as electricity crackled all over it. It tried to launch a shimmering Thunder at the Rolycoly in front of it, but, again, Rij's Lightning Rod pulled the Move backwards. Jolteon moaned despairingly.

Tim pulled a little on one of Rij's ear ridges and the Rhyhorn began to bear away from Pelj and Jolteon. "Smokescreen!"

Pelj chattered triumphantly as a thick black cloud streamed from her wheel. Jolteon disappeared into the opaque curtain, growling. After a moment, Pelj cut into a hard drift, turning away and stopping her Smokescreen mere feet from crashing headlong into one of the standing stones. The smoke continued crawling in her wake, covering the stone. A loud, wet smack issued from the cloud as the sky roared in approval. Rij slowed to a stop near where Pelj wound down.

Tim slid off Rij's back and crumpled to the ground clumsily as the only thing he could feel below his belt was a pulsing ache between his legs. Rij gave his horn to help Tim up as the smoke cleared to show Jolteon on its side, ears down flat against its head, legs working slowly at the ground. Tim approached and Jolteon shakily got to its feet, one eyelid drooping. It still had the Thunder Stone in its mouth and was ready to bolt again. Pelj and Rij came up on Tim's sides to stare Jolteon down. Tim had his hand in his pocket, on Henj's ball.

Jolteon swiped forward at Tim's wobbly legs with a greenish U-Turn. Tim went to a knee as Jolteon sprung backwards, but Tim wasn't having it. Tim whipped his hand out and sent Henj's ball soaring beside Jolteon's retreat. The Stonjourner popped out some ways away in Jolteon's path. Jolteon, still shaky from its earlier impact, bounced roughly off Henj and landed on its belly. Jolteon scrambled, turning back towards Tim. Henj put one giant foot down on its back, pinning it to the ground in the mud. The sky rumbled in interest.

Tim walked up to Jolteon's front. If looks could kill, the look Jolteon was giving Tim would have reduced Tim to a red mist. Tim knelt down to pry the stone from Jolteon's mouth but the mon wouldn't let go. Tim put his other hand on its head to push but brought his hand away, hissing in pain. It was like Jolteon was covered in needles. Not tree needles either, but the kinds that pulled and pushed fluids from and into soft bodies everywhere. Sure enough, Tim's hand was bleeding a little. Jolteon sneered, saying something around the stone in its mouth.

"You lot are holding these stones to give to those that show their strength, right?" Tim asked it. Tim of course wouldn't have understood Jolteon even if it didn't have a stone in its mouth, but he was saying this for Pelj's sake. She had to hear it. "So that's why you won't let me have it. I didn't earn it right?"

Jolteon didn't respond but just gave Tim a quizzical look. Tim looked over at Pelj. The little Rolycoly was watching Jolteon intensely with her red eye. Pelj noticed Tim looking at her and returned his look curiously. She balked a little when she looked around and realized that Henj and Rij were looking at her too. "Pelj," Tim said, "take the stone."

Pelj blinked and then wheeled up to Jolteon. Jolteon gazed at Pelj without the fury it had looked at Tim with. Its half-lidded eye was closing further now, the side of its head swelling. Pelj looked into Jolteon's eyes and then took a moment to glance at Henj, Rij, and then Tim. Tim nodded a little and Pelj looked back to Jolteon. She formed a gold stone at her back and chucked the Smack Down into the top of Jolteon's head. Jolteon's head clapped against the ground and it let go of the Thunder Stone. Pelj wheeled forward and then spun on it, kicking it backwards towards Tim and away from Jolteon. Lightning flashed and then the wind kicked in the first drops of a storm.

"Let it go, Henj." The Stonjourner stepped off Jolteon's back. Jolteon got to its feet and looked down at Pelj quietly. Pelj looked back up at it, her eye and back glowing with intensity. Jolteon glanced up into Tim's shades a moment and then walked slowly away back towards the treeline as the rain came on stronger.

Tim bent down and picked up the Thunder Stone, pocketing it with the rest. Pelj was looking at him shyly.

Size wasn't everything when it came to a fight. If that were the case, there would be no place for mons like Milo's. But Milo's mons were strong. This had always been obvious to Tim, but it apparently had not been obvious to Pelj. Through this latest encounter, Tim hoped he had made it clear to her. A Trainer wasn't just a caretaker or an overseer. A Trainer brought out the best in their mons. There could be no room for doubt in Tim's mons. Not only could there be no doubt regarding Tim's orders, but none of his mons could be let to have doubt in themselves either.

Tim nodded at Pelj and smiled. Tim didn't need to praise his mons. It should be obvious to all of them how well they'd done. But, in case it wasn't, Tim said it anyway. "Well done."

Rij and Henj looked at each other with raised brows but otherwise took the praise as evenly as they took anything else Tim ever said. Pelj though steamed, the rain hissing off her red back. "Colyrol?" she hesitantly asked Henj. "Colyrol!" she excitedly said to Rij. She screeched her wheel and then did mad donuts, a spiral of steam rising into the rain.

"Rolycoly colyrol!" she screamed in her little voice. The sky itself roared out, a thunderous voice bigger than the biggest mon, cheering with the runt of a Rolycoly as she danced in the rain.