On a Wing and a Prayer
The trio left the pokemon center, leaving behind Kristie, Alan, and Torchic. Corphish nested on Jeff's backpack, while Treecko walked along side them. While they were walking on the long, populous street, Jeff felt as if every person that they passed knew about what happened and was mocking him. He avoided all glances and eyes. They walked by skyscraper after skyscraper, high rise apartment after high rise apartment. To their left, the roads sloped down, creating a hill that led to the commercial docks of Petalburg. The city was scattered with large office buildings and businesses, reminiscent to a Saffron City by the sea. They continued to solemnly walk along the seemingly endless street. They passed a gym, to their right, whose sign said "Under Construction!" There were large yellow cranes lifting big planks of wood into the half made gym.
Jeff turned and walked towards the active construction site. He approached a Machoke wearing a yellow hard hat. The worker pokemon, who carried a large, metal girder over his shoulder, had a purple-gray skin tone and housed massive muscles. He looked very similar to a human except he had three crests on his head.
"Excuse me," Jeff piped up to get the superpower pokemon's attention. "What's going on here?" he asked, pointing to the gym.
"<If you're a trainer you're out of luck, kid. This gym is undergoing renovations. The next closest gym is the one in Rustboro; through Petalburg Forest. If you like swimming then you could try the gym in Dewford, which is right across the sea and down the road. I recommend swimming; it will give you more exercise!>" the Machoke told him.
"Thanks, I'll try Rustboro and then Dewford. Hang in there… I know I need to," Jeff answered with sadness.
Machoke sweat dropped and continued moving the girder.
Past the gym they could see the gates of the town, leading towards the beach and Petalburg Forest. The trio made it past the gates and out of the city; they were now faced by a large beach and calm blue shores in front of them. They looked on and saw people relaxing; there were people sunbathing, humans swam along side water pokemon, a game of beach volley ball was going on with humans and pokemon. Jeff looked at them enviously.
"
They're all so happy and without worry… " Jeff thought before turning his head.
To their right was a dirt path leading to a dense forest. They followed the pathways until they reached the massive woodland.
"This must be Petalburg Forest," Jeff said glumly, peering into the darkness. "Let's go."
The trio entered the forest. Murky roots and vines littered the base of the trees. The thick, tree canopies made it impossible for light to enter. It was as if the sun dared not enter the woods. Mist fogged them from any long range sight. The situation suited Jeff's mood.
They walked through the wooded area. Around them they could hear the trills of birds and the hisses of bug pokemon. Above flew a beautiful, elegant airborne bug. The patterns on its wings were dazzling. Treecko remained calm, but kept up his guard. Who knows what pokemon were hostile and what pokemon weren't? Corphish rode on Jeff's back, merrily enjoying the view; it was very rare that he got to be this high up.
"<Giddy up, Jeff!>" Corphish cried, poking Jeff's head with his claw.
"Y'know, Corphish…its not exactly EASY carrying you and this hiking pack, among other things. How much do you weigh?!" Jeff groaned.
"<I'll have you know that I'm a very nice size for a Corphish of my stature!>" Corphish shot in reply.
Jeff raised an arm in an 'L' shape, indicating them to stop.
"Ok, its lunch time," he said in a disheartened, monotone voice.
Corphish jumped off of his backpack and landed on the ground. Jeff zipped open the backpack and took out three sandwiches. Corphish shoveled the entire sandwich in his mouth and his face lit up.
"<Yes! I get caught by a trainer who gives us REAL food as opposed to that lame, store bought riceballs!>"
Treecko wandered off from them while he ate. He didn't linger far, but just enough so that he was away from the crowd. He looked up and noticed a red and white pattern moving from tree to tree in the air. Whatever it was seemed curious about the food. Meanwhile, Corphish was hopping around as if in an action movie. He opened his claws and shot bubblebeams at the treetops. He fired with both his claws and shot in all directions.
"<Take this! And this!>" Corphish yelled as he aimed at the high tree branches above.
The bubbles exploded on contact with the limbs of the tree. He did a barrel roll in the grass and fired at the top of the tree that Treecko was looking at.
"<Could I be anymore awesome?>" he said cockily. Just then, a red and white pattern emerged from the darkness and the floating chips of bark, which were ripped from the trees during the bubble attacks. Surrounding the outlined figure was a series of dark, hazy blue feathers. It appeared injured from the attack. It fell from its perch but righted itself in the air. It circled the trio in a hunter-like fashion. Jeff recognized the pokemon as a Taillow, like the one that he battled against before Petalburg…when times were simpler. Jeff was impressed by the forked tail of the pokemon; it was much longer than the one he had seen before. The angered Taillow squawked for the aid of his comrades. Three Taillows appeared from the misty forest and descended upon the three intruders.
"<Corphish, you idiot!>" scolded Treecko. Treecko threw the remainder of his sandwich with striking dexterity at the lead Taillow and hit him in his face. The Taillow managed to stay afloat, but was obviously enraged. Treecko assumed a battle stance and awaited the oncoming enemies.
"<Hey! I didn't know that this birdbrain would sit around WAITING for me to attack him! Nice throw by the way, Babe Ruth, that Taillow is still picking ham out of his beak!>"
"Corphish, return!" Jeff frantically called, shooting the pokeball.
"<What are you doing!? We need Corphish's help to fight…as big of an idiot as he is! Although, I think I can take all four of them, solo!>" insisted Treecko confidently.
"No! We're running!" Jeff ordered adamantly. He scooped up Treecko and began running before Treecko could make a move. They took off into the forest, pursued by the small flock of angry Taillow.
"<Jeff what are you doing? We've never run from a fight and there are only four of them! You could catch one!>" Treecko protested, as they continued to be chased by Taillows.
Jeff ignored him and held him tightly, running with all of his strength.
"<What the hell are you doing? Let me down, now!>"
"No way!"
"<I swear to Arceus, Jeff, if you don't stop running…>" Treecko threatened, wedging out of Jeff's grip.
"What are going to do? Shout at me?"
Treecko had had enough; he pounded Jeff across the face with his tail, causing them both to fall into the mud.
"What the hell was that?!" shot Jeff, with a large, red, tail imprint across his mug.
"<THAT'S what I'm going to do! Now you better get up and help me battle, or else I'll do it solo!>"
"No, I'm not letting myself force you or Corphish battle for my personal gain again! I don't want to put you guys in danger," Jeff angrily yelled.
"<Don't give me that crap! We chose to come with you and battle along side you! If we don't fight we're going to be bird food, so STOP feeling sorry for yourself and DO something! We care about you enough that we'll battle to save you, so give us a chance, or you might as well paint targets on our heads,>" Treecko yelled, angrily.
Jeff sat there in shock for a moment. He looked up at the descending Taillow.
"Treecko, it's not that simple!" he yelled in retort.
Treecko huffed, annoyed and insulted by the 'retreat order'.
"<I'll do this myself…>" he growled, walking past the dumbstruck Jeff.
Treecko stood in front of the diving Taillow, making himself the target for attack. Unflinchingly, he spat many light green, high powered seeds at the flock, it hit the lead Taillow that Corphish hit, and scattered the rest of the Taillow. The injured Taillow let out a cry and began to fly in a downward spiral. He landed in front of them, skidding in the dirt until he reached a halt.
"<There, my work's done, so do your job!>"
Jeff raised a pokeball-wielding hand and reared it back. He noticed his arm began to shake again. Treecko looked up and noticed this as well.
"<Jeff, throw the ball!>"
"I… can't. I can't take another pokemon away from its home!"
"<Jeff, if you don't catch that Taillow right now… he's going to wake up, call for help, and then we'll be up to out necks in Taillows! So throw that damned ball!>"
Jeff still stalled. He looked up at his hand, and then down at the Taillow who tried to support itself on one wing. He took pity on the sad sight and slightly lowered the ball. Taillow opened his mouth in the preparation of a shrill peep. Treecko noticed this, sighed, and took matters into his own hands. He whacked the ball from Jeff's hands and then batted the ball again, before it could hit the ground. The ball rolled quickly and hit the Taillow before he could let out a chirp. Taillow was engulfed in a red light and sucked into the ball. The ball wriggled and rolled about the forest floor, refusing to lock. It was obvious that the Taillow really wanted out. After much struggle, Taillow gave in and the ball locked shut.
Treecko picked up the ball and threw it to Jeff. "<Now was that so hard?>" Treecko spat in a dislike of the human's attitude.
Jeff pined and sat on the earth, cross-legged. He looked somberly at Taillow's pokeball before releasing it. The blue feathered bird appeared on the grass in front of them.
"Hello, Taillow, sorry about that," Jeff greeted the irritated bird pokemon.
"<I have a name you know, stupid human!>" Taillow shot back, not expecting Jeff to understand him.
"You have a name?" Jeff asked the irked bird, confused by the response.
The Taillow's eyes widened and he became flushed. "<You…understood me, human?>" he asked awkwardly.
"Yeah, I did."
"<Every human I've seen was unable to understand their pokemon, though,>" he explained.
"I guess I'm luc… different," Jeff corrected himself in reply.
"<Well you shouldn't expect that every single pokemon's name is their species name. It's just…how you humans would say… 'Straight up ig'nant',>" replied the Taillow, making quotation signs with his wings. "<How would you like it if I called you 'human' everytime I address you? It's kind of insulting!>"
"I'm sorry. What is your name?" Jeff answered warmly.
"<My friends called me Daedalus…but I guess I'm stuck with you now.>"
Jeff crouched to his level and extended a hand, "I'm Jeff, nice to meet you, Daedalus."
Daedalus rolled his eyes and reluctantly shook the hand with his wing in retort. Jeff shot a glare at Treecko. "Well, Daedalus, I plan to make this journey as painless as possible for you."
"<
Bloody fantastic!>" thought the defeated Taillow. "<
I've been captured by a human; I really let my boys down. Now who will lead them and guide them when things get rough? I can't believe this!>" He held his face with his wing in pure frustration. "<
The only bright side is that I can tell the human exactly how I feel and he won't pretend to listen and then make me do a loop-dee-loop.>"
After awhile of being perched on Jeff's shoulder as they walked, Daedalus asked, "<Aren't you going to put me back in my pokeball or something?>"
"Not unless you want to…>" Jeff replied.
"<You put the orange bugger, who hit me, back in his pokeball,>"
"Yeah, I didn't really think you two would 'hit it off' so well…" Jeff attempted the joke; but the delivery was poor due to his saddened voice. "I hate to ask but can you show us the way out?"
Daedalus reluctantly nodded and pointed his wing from his collarbone perch. Jeff and Treecko followed the unhappy guide's directions.
Daedalus began to think, "<
isn't this poetic? I'm being forced to show the human the way out of my home so that he can take me with him! This human called 'Jeff' seems rather depressed, too.>"
They walked for ten minutes before the light of day could be seen in the distance. Something moving in the dark popped out in front of them. Jeff and Taillow jumped back at the action of the figure. They carefully inspected the human. A boy about Jeff's age and height stood before them. Covering his blond, curly hair was a large, sun hat. Beneath his hat was a boyish face that had a large grin spread across it. He had a green bandana tied around his neck. There was a single pokeball attached to his belt, which divided a white t-shirt and green soccer shorts. He blocked their path with a large, staff-like stick.
"Can I help you?" Jeff asked the stranger in irritation.
"No… but I can help you… battle me," the guy said with an all-knowing voice, guised with a crooked smile.
"I'd rather not; I just want to get by," replied Jeff, trying to move by the stick. The teen raised the stick, stopping him.
"You will get by me once you fight me in a pokemon battle," he explained, the smile still glued in the same spot.
"Look! I'm not in the mood to battle, so just let me by!"
"That's exactly the problem," the mysterious guy grinned. He took the pokeball from his belt and threw it on the ground in front of him. What appeared in the darkness was an intense flare of light. Jeff and Daedalus squinted since their eyes weren't used to the luminosity, but Treecko gazed straight into the beam, unbothered by it. The light dissipated and a ball, the size of a beach ball, appeared on the ground; it span around in circles. The ball was a tan color and it had brick-like scales on its stiff back. The sphere stopped rolling and the pokemon came from out of its folded position. The pokemon had a white underbelly, a strong tail and legs, which had sharp claws for digging, and a cute shrew-like face with beady black eyes.
"If you can beat Deyja, my Sandshrew, with any of your three pokemon, then you can go on your way."
"I'm thrilled that you want to battle me, but I'm sorry; I'm not fighting you!"
"I'm afraid that's not up to you." With a smile, he pointed his finger, "Deyja, use scratch on Daedalus!"
Jeff's eyes widened at the command. "
How does he know his name?" thought Jeff to himself.
"<Jeff?!>" chirped a worried Daedalus, who was perched on Jeff's shoulder. He quickly darted his head at him.
The Sandshrew lunged at Jeff, who leaned back in an attempt to dodge. Deyja jumped on Jeff's chest, which acted as a platform as he leaned back. He scrambled up the green shirt and jumped, head butting Daedalus from the perch. Daedalus fell to the ground, followed by Deyja, who jumped on his wings, pinning him down. Deyja began to scratch at Daedalus; dark blue feathers, with tints of crimson, shot up after each swipe.
Jeff looked on, dumbstruck and pathetic, at the mouse pokemon who was tearing his new teammate apart. Daedalus lay there, twitching and wincing, helplessly. Jeff could see his contempt, it was like he was thinking, "<
Oh great, I'm just another pawn in this guy's game of chess.>"
"<Jeff, are you going to just watch this?!>"
Jeff ignored Treecko and looked on. He whimpered, "Dae…Daedalus…" The Taillow's wide eyes began to close as he slipped away. Jeff ran over to Daedalus, nudged the Sandshrew off of him, and picked him up. He clutched the bird tightly to his chest; Daedalus' blood soaked his green shirt. Daedalus opened one eye and looked at Jeff.
"<What...>" he began weakly, and then continued, "<kind of trainer are you?>" Jeff only gulped in response
"So, will you fight me with your Corphish or should I sic Deyja on your Treecko before you finally decide to battle?"
Jeff's stomach churned in self loathing, while he looked at the badly wounded Daedalus. How come he kept letting his pokemon down? "I guess I have no choice. Why are you doing this and how do you know I have a Corphish?" Jeff grilled, cradling the wounded Taillow.
The guy remained silent. He just tipped his hat and continued to grin.
Jeff gently placed Daedalus and his backpack on the ground next to him
"Treecko, give Daedalus a potion! Come on out, Corphish; I guess we have to battle."
Corphish emerged from the red beam and stood, facing the Sandshrew.
"<Somebody call PBS because Hammie the Hamster escaped and now he's a hardass!>" Corphish taunted his opponent.
"Corphish… uhh… use… erm… " Jeff acted as if this was his first battle and he had never seen a Corphish in his life; too much was racing in his mind.
"<Jeff, you must be a Russian dictator…because you are STALIN'.>"
Right as Corphish finished the joke he found himself being blindsided by Deyja. Corphish was knocked sideways and stopped at the base of a tree. He groaned and got to his many feet using his claw. Corphish raised his pincers in front of him.
"You've got to take control, man! Your pokemon need you just as much as you need your pokemon!" advised the odd stranger. "Now I'll give you one moment before Deyja uses swift!"
The Sandshrew reared back his head.
"Corphish use… use… " Jeff stammered. He had no confidence in what move he should make. What if he said the wrong move and Corphish was left vulnerable? What if he made a decision that killed Corphish?!
Deyja jerked his head forward, spitting out many shiny, star-like blades. The stars cut into Corphish's sides before disintegrating into sparkling dust. The volley worsened and Corphish struggled to stand.
"Corppy, no!" Jeff called, returning Corphish to the security of his pokeball.
"So now your Treecko…I hope you've learned something from your Corphish's defeat," the sagely guy scolded.
Treecko stepped forward, towards the Sandshrew. He moved the twig from one side of his mouth to the other, hoping that Jeff would come to his senses.
"Deyja, use dig!" The mole pokemon dug fiercely in the earth with his sharp talons. In a matter of seconds he was completely underground. Treecko looked around him; he was on his sharpest guard.
"Now, use sand tomb!"
Treecko could feel the earth become soft beneath his feet. He tried to jump but a pair of claws grabbed his left foot and dragged it down, under the mud. With one foot completely submerged, Treecko could not free his foot. He angrily looked around him in anticipation for the next attack.
"<Jeff, I could really use your help here… or are you a coward?>" Treecko growled.
Jeff stared on as his friend was helpless. "
I can't let him get hurt! But, what can I do? I'm just a failure. This creep is playing for keeps and if I lose my best friend then what do I have? Think, Jeff, think! How can you help?"
Jeff's train of thought was distracted when soil exploded from behind Treecko. In the wave of earth was Sandshrew about to attack with razor sharp claws. Jeff knew that he had to help. He subconsciously pushed his love and confidence issues to the side of his mind and before he realized it, he felt words leave his throat and his tongue sound out words!
"TREECKO, BEHIND YOU!!! USE BULLET SEED!!" Jeff yelled in a furious fervor, spitting wildly as he roared.
Treecko jutted his head behind and saw the beige figure lunging at him. He spat out an intense spray of light green bullets. They hit Deyja, throwing him backwards.
"Keep at it! Don't let up!"
Treecko continued firing, without stopping even to gasp for air. The light green seeds created dirt clouds around the Sandshrew, The smoke created a mask over the battlefield. When the dust cleared, Deyja was crawling back to the outsider, badly injured.
"Congratulations, Jeff; you pulled yourself together and managed to defeat Deyja. My name is Chad, by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Chad," beamed Jeff. He walked over to Treecko, kneeled down and hugged him.
"<I'm happy you're back to your fighting self, too, but what have I told you about hugging in public…or private for that matter?!>" Treecko grumbled uncomfortably.
"Sorry, I'll have to watch that," he smiled in reply.
"<And while you're at it…want to get my leg out of the ground?>"
Jeff nodded and began digging at the dirt around Treecko's leg. After a large pull Jeff got Treecko out. Treecko dusted his leg off and folded his arms. They turned around to talk to Chad, but he had completely disappeared from sight.
"What a weird guy…"
Daedalus hopped over to the two; he had completely recovered with the potion. He hopped onto Jeff's shoulder and Jeff grabbed the bag before they headed towards the exit. When they left the woods the light burned their eyes.
"I think we should stop a few minutes so that we can adjust to the light. I think I'll heal Corphish while I'm at it."
"<Doesn't he have a name?>" Daedalus chirped.
"He wouldn't tell me. Treecko wouldn't tell me his either," answered Jeff suspiciously, as he released Corphish. Jeff applied the potion to Corphish's cuts. "Oh yeah, Corppy, this is Daedalus; he was the Taillow you hit while you were being 'John McClaine'."
Daedalus nodded in acknowledgement.
"Careful, Daedalus, he jokes…"
"Cor, corphish cor, corphish, phish?" he said to Daedalus. This translated to, "<Could you be anymore of a bird!?>"
Treecko sighed, "<That catch phrase will never get old,>" he muttered sarcastically.
"<What'd you say?>" Corphish became irked at Treecko.
"<I said your jokes are old and repetitive,>" Treecko smirked, confidently.
"<What the hell is your problem?>" Corphish spat, taking offense to the insult of his pride and joy.
"<My problem is that your damn antics almost caused Daedalus and his buddies to kill us!>" Treecko quickly retorted, scowling.
"<Aw, what's wrong? Did you hear a tree fall in the forest?>" mocked Corphish.
"Hey you two!" Jeff tried to interrupt but they ignored him.
"<Didn't you say you were too pathetic during mating season to get a female Corphish?>" Treecko growled, stepping forward. His smug grin stayed on his face while he approached his orange rival.
"<Listen, salad ass! That's a completely different subject!>" Corphish shot back, clicking his claws together, preparing to fight.
"<Settle down you two, NOW!>" Daedalus twittered with annoyance.
Treecko and Corphish shot him a cold glare. They stepped forward and Corphish threw the first punch, hitting Treecko in the jaw. Treecko stumbled back but quickly recovered and tackled Corphish backwards into the dirt. Jeff ran over to the two rolling around on the ground and tried to pry them apart but he ended up a claw and tail in the face and legs. The simultaneous blows sent him flat on his back.
"What the HELL, guys!" Jeff shouted as the two began to fight on top of Jeff's chest. Treecko swung around, slamming his tail hard into Corphish. Corphish flew backwards, hitting Jeff in the face, before sprawling down the hill. Treecko jumped down the hill after him.
Jeff put his shirt to his bleeding lip as he got up and looked at Taillow. "Welcome to the family, Daedalus," Jeff growled, "Now let's go get those idiots back!" Daedalus nodded and flew after Jeff, who began to slowly traverse down the hill.
Corphish and Treecko found themselves tumbling over dirt and on the riverside. One of them would get up to run but the other would drag them back to the ground and they would keep fighting. The cycle continued; they became slowly more bruised and beaten. Over the sand they rolled until they were past a sign that showed a picture of a man and pokemon crossing a line with a red X drawn over them.
They panted heavily, still throwing punches at the other, until they were under a tree with a large branch reaching over them. They stopped, stood up, and panted with a scowl imprinted on both of their faces. They were being watched. Treecko stepped backwards onto a hidden noose in the sand. The rope shot upwards, snagging Treecko's tails and one of his legs. He dangled upside down from the tree, and Corphish walked beneath him and began to laugh hysterically.
"<What's the big idea?!>" Treecko growled.
"<Not so cool now, are ya?>" mocked Corphish.
"Treecko cko cko!" Treecko grunted and swore at Corphish, swinging around to try to get free.
"<Maybe I'll use you as a piñata!>" Corphish continued laughing.
Treecko struggled and then glared at Corphish. He opened his mouth and fired a bullet seed down, causing Corphish to jump backwards. When Corphish dodged, he activated a trap oh his own; a net came shooting up from the hidden sand, ensnaring Corphish. Treecko grinned at Corphish, who got his comeuppance.
"<So now I'm trapped too, congratulations,>" Corphish scowled. "<I might have gotten you down too, if you begged.>"
"<Oh yeah?>"
"<Yeah, 'Tree Hugger'!>"
"<Why don't I swing over there and pound you into Corphish soup?>" Treecko shouted back from the suspended rope.
"<Well, Tarzan, in that cozy rope I'd like to see you tr…>" Corphish was cut off and knocked out by a speedy blunt blow to the head.
Treecko looked around and struggled, confused since he didn't deliver the blow. He looked at the branch above and saw a purple fist come towards him. The blow smashed him down the face. The beaten up wood gecko, too, hung there unconscious.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff ran down to the beach where they fell. Daedalus perched on his shoulder as they stepped in the sand. In the sand they could see small blood spatters and sand sifted in a struggle. Jeff noticed the sign and asked, "Do you think they went in there?"
The Taillow nodded and they slowly traipsed through the sand. Jeff lifted up his foot and began to place it back in the settled sand.
"TAILL!" Daedalus trilled, outstretching his wing, warning him not to place his foot down.
Jeff froze and retracted his foot, carefully placing it in his old footprint. Jeff kneeled down and touched the snare trap in the ground.
"<Look over there,>" Taillow pointed, "<drag marks!>"
"<There's something that lives here who is very protective of its territory. I don't think he wants uninvited visitors,>" warned Daedalus, "<You follow your footsteps back to the other side of the sign. I'll scout around from the air; I think he has them…>"
Jeff nodded and did as told, while Daedalus took flight.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Treecko briefly opened his eyes. He found himself lying next to an unconscious Corphish; both were being dragged in a net over the ground and through the forest. The pain in his head worsened as they went along. He looked up and saw a large, purple blur clutching the net. He weakly tried to resist but then a small rock, lying on the path, collided with his head. A searing pain in Treecko's head caused him to fall back into unconsciousness.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Awhile later, Treecko felt an annoying prodding at his head. He opened his eyes and saw a dim orange outline hovering over him. He got up and looked around; beside him was Corphish and on all sides were wooden bamboo bars, creating a dome cage in the middle of the forest. On the other side of the bars was a small wooden shack made of bamboo in the shape of a box.
"<What the…>" Treecko groaned, rubbing his swollen, bleeding head.
"<They don't have room service, I've checked,>" grumbled Corphish, who stood beside Treecko, shaking on the bars.
Treecko jumped upwards, slamming his tail on the roof, trying to break it. Corphish flew up with Treecko, as he jumped. The bar remained sturdy. Treecko landed gracefully and Corphish fell onto his head, his horns digging into the dirt.
"<I've also tried that, Twig Boy,>" Corphish growled "<We're not moving an inch. Oh, and F-Y-I; my claw and your hand are tied together, so don't go prancing around like you're starring in 'Rent',>"
Treecko looked down and saw rope tying his right hand tied to Corphish's left claw.
"<Terrific…>" mumbled Treecko grumpily.
"<A little help?>" Corphish asked, struggling to get his horns from the ground.
Treecko coolly unleashed his frustration and swung Corphish out of the ground with his arm and tail. Corphish hit the side of the cage and slumped to the ground.
"<I said 'give me help', not 'give me hell'!>" Corphish angrily held his head, threatening Treecko with his claws.
Treecko ignored him. "<These bars really won't budge,>" exclaimed Treecko, ponderously.
"<I KNOW! Why don't you hit me against the bars HARDER?!>" Corphish sarcastically suggested.
Treecko ignored him and angrily placed his hands to his thighs, "<This is just like a pokeball.>" he shuddered.
"<Except there's no refund if we break it…and you're here,>" Corphish joked but then went back to anger. Corphish poked Treecko's chest with his claw, "<This is all your fault!>"
"<Back off, pal! You're as much to blame as I am!>" Treecko grunted, wiping blood from his mouth.
"<Could this be anymore your fault?>" Corphish shot back.
Treecko snarled and held his arm up against the cage wall, causing Corphish to dangle off of the ground. Treecko reared his fist back, ready to punch him. Corphish clamped his claw around Treecko's neck in retaliation.
A deep voice came from beside them, on the other side of the cage.
"<What's wrong? You two thieves not getting along? Well you'd better suck it up and get used to being cell mates!>" chuckled a massive purple pokemon. He had large ears, and massive claws, tail, and stature. There were large purple spines running down his back and his nose was home to a horn bigger than Corphish's head.
"<That's a Nidoking!>" whispered Corphish to Treecko.
"<You've got it all wrong, we're not thieves.>" Treecko attempted to explain to the angered land owner.
"<And if we were, we'd probably rather be doing the 'two claw discount' at the Pottery Barn,>" Corphish joked.
Treecko glared at Corphish, "<You don't get to talk anymore!>"
Nidoking frowned and crossed his arms. "<My ass! You expect me to believe a story from a pokemon known as 'the ruffian pokemon'?>"
"<Really, we're telling the truth…>" Treecko insisted.
"<Cram it, lizard lips! You're pretty shifty yourself, what with that twig in your mouth; you look like a juvenile delinquent!>" Nidoking interrupted.
"<Shifty, huh?>" Treecko grinned to himself, taking it as a compliment. Corphish rolled his eyes.
"<Give us freedom or give us d…>" Corphish began to intone, but Treecko shoved his head into the dirt before he could finish that sentence.
Nidoking walked up to the bamboo cage and leaned up against the bars, peering in like a scientist to lab rats. "<You think you can live in my territory and expect to get away with it?!>"
Treecko remained silent and stared frigidly through the wooden barriers into the brown eyes of the Nidoking. The Nidoking stared tauntingly back at him. Treecko's collected rage surged into the glare that was direct at their captor. Nidoking actually stepped backwards when Treecko concentrated the defiant stare. His yellow, squinting, enraged eyes said with the gaze "<We ain't done, pal.>"
When Nidoking retracted from the stare, he chuckled at himself for having been intimidated. "<
What are you afraid of? After all, look at the size of them…and they are in a cage, what could they possibly do?>" the Nidoking thought.
"<You two thugs stay put until I get back…as if you have much choice!>" Nidoking continued to snigger as he stomped off into the forest.
"<What was that?!>" accused Corphish, spitting out dirt.
"<That was 'saving us before you could put that idea into his head'!" Treecko spat, annoyed.
Treecko rubbed his raw ankle and left tail. He then folded his arms and turned to Corphish, "<What the hell do we do?>"
"<Well I've got to call in sick to work and then we can order a pizza, maybe have ourselves a nice night of talking about our feelings,>" Corphish kidded.
"<I'm being serious! This is exactly why we're in this mess in the first place and why Nidoking won't believe our story! Your jokes have gotten us in all this crap. Now we've been captured and we may never see Jeff or that Taillow again!>" Treecko yelled, walking towards Corphish, menacingly.
"<Hey,>" Corphish chuckled, nervously, "<what happened to your 'as cool as a cucumber' attitude?>"
Before Treecko stepped closer, they stopped seeing that a shadow cascaded on the ground of the cage. They looked up and saw Daedalus roosted on one of the bars of the dome cage overhead. He was perched directly above Corphish.
"<G'day, mates! Here's 'that Taillow' you've been talking about,>" he chirped, grinning.
"<Oh, please don't!>" Corphish begged "<I just got my shell 'Squirtle-waxed' at the salon, yesterday!>"
"<Took you long enough,>" Treecko grinned "<Where's Jeff?>"
"<I told him to stay back at the beach, the ground is laced with traps everywhere!>" Taillow replied, "<Hell, there's probably surface to air missiles around here!>"
"<Well
we sure didn't notice!>" Corphish spat, sarcastically.
"<How do you expect to get us out of here?>" Treecko asked.
"<Can't peck through it…I have no idea,>" Daedalus shrugged, apologetically.
"<Think, you bird brain! You're a leader so lead!>" Corphish coerced Taillow, who perched on the wooden cage.
"<Don't rush me; I'm not good in these situations!>" Taillow shot back.
"<Or what? Will you go all 'Alfred Hitchcock' on our hides?>" Corphish spat in return.
"<Damn it, Corphish, piss off; he's trying to help!>" Treecko glared at him.
Daedalus raised a wing with an idea, "<Howabou…>" he was suddenly cut short. Daedalus gasped as he was grabbed by a giant, purple hand, which appeared out of nowhere. Nidoking walked out from underbrush with a triumphant grin. He squeezed Daedalus, winding him, and then slammed him into the ground, as if scoring a touchdown of a football game. Daedalus lay in the dirt, unconscious.
Nidoking lifted the cage slightly and kicked Daedalus under it. Treecko and Corphish looked on, shocked, at the body of their only hope.
"<I'm sorry, was I interrupting?>" Nidoking asked, spitting out poison pins to the ground, triumphantly.
"<Look!>" Corphish began to explain, "<we weren't here to take over your home or steal anything, we were fighting and we rolled onto your territory!>"
"<That's too bad…trespassing in my territory; punishable by thrashing!>" he chuckled. "<I think you two have had enough time to think about what you've done…the pain begins.>"
Nidoking walked towards the cage, fist raised. Treecko whispered to Corphish, "<Listen, he's beyond reason now. We have to work together to attack him at just the right time…on my signal…open fire at his face.>"
Nidoking began to swing his tail at the cage.
"<NOW!>" Treecko yelled. They shot bullet seed and bubblebeam through the bars of the cage. The projectiles hit Nidoking in the face, knocking him off balance. His tail's path was changed so that it struck the cage just above their heads. They ducked as the upper half of the cage was shattered into splinters.
"<Argh, my eye!>" Nidoking yelled, holding his bleeding right eye and stumbling backwards, blinded. A slow trickle of scarlet blood leaked from the covered eye.
Treecko boosted Corphish out of the cage before jumping out himself. Treecko then passed Daedalus over the broken bars to Corphish on the other side. Treecko jumped over and landed beside Corphish. Nidoking stumbled towards the three and he fell to the ground in between them, separating Treecko and Corphish from Daedalus. Nidoking tried to stand up, in between them and Daedalus. Treecko and Corphish ran at Nidoking and clothes-lined him, using their rope-tied arms. Nidoking fell back to the dirt, holding his neck while the duo made it to Daedalus. They put his wings around their shoulders, supporting him as they began to run.
"<Wake up, pal, we need your eyes,>" Treecko muttered to Daedalus.
"<Hey, buddy,>" Corphish smiled at Treecko, "<I guess now that we're outta there this makes you a 'FREEcko'…>" Corphish found his own joke very funny as they continued running.
"<I'll put the whole 'salad ass' thing behind us if you never say that again…buddy,>" Treecko grinned.
Daedalus slowly came out of the daze as they ran through the forest.
"<Trap ahead, two meters,>" murmured Taillow, weakly.
They dodged the pitfall and followed Daedalus' navigation.
"<Left, straight, keep going, trap, trap, right, straight,>" Daedalus spat out directions as he struggled to stay conscious.
They exited the forest and saw the sign on the beach. They crossed the invisible line and saw Jeff pacing back and forth. They ran up to him and embraced him, after placing Daedalus in the sand. Jeff quickly dropped to the ground to check Daedalus' wounds. Daedalus spat out a bit of blood and muttered "<How
you doin'?>" in a state of shock.
"What happened!?" Jeff asked, concerned. He examined the three bloodied pokemon. He immediately dropped his backpack and shoveled through the bag for potions.
"<If I have to tell this story one
more time…>" Corphish joked.
Treecko eyed Corphish, warily. He was unamused by the joke but decided to let it pass.
"<Daedalus is in need of professional medical attention, but Corphish and I could use some basic first aid…oh and can you untie us while you're at it? I'm beginning to smell like seafood.>"
Jeff took out a knife and cut the rope binding Treecko and Corphish together. He then looked at the two and asked, "are you guys cool?"
Corphish and Treecko's rivalry lit again. They began to stare into the other's eyes. The stare down lasted for a minute before the two simultaneously grinned and shook hands.
Jeff beamed, happy the two reconciled. "Good, because that was pretty dumb crap you guys pulled back there, you could have gotten the other killed!" Jeff reprimanded them for their behavior.
They looked down, ashamed, and apologized to the other. Jeff dressed their wounds with a potion and small bandages, which were just big enough to staunch the flow of blood. Jeff perked up, "Let's head into town before whatever it was that took you guys comes back! And seriously…what happened?"
They nodded and followed Jeff up the hill and back onto the road, outside Petalburg Forest. Jeff cradled the injured Daedalus in his arms, while the four crossed the bridge over the sparkling water. Corphish filled in Jeff on what had happened. To which Jeff replied, "that must have been quite the fun."
"<Yeah, being trapped, beaten, beaten some more, and perhaps a third time is
just like going to Six Flags over Celadon,>" Corphish weakly smiled.
As they walked over the bridge, the sun began to set behind the four, creating an orange shimmer in the waves. Treecko and Corphish stared at each other as they walked, side by side. They're eyes met and they grinned, achieving a brand new respect for the other. What started as a shaky acquaintanceship would soon become a powerful, bonded comradeship.
********************************
Author's notes:
-This chapter is the first official beta'd chapter. Beta'd by diamondpearl876 (Who did a very good job at that)
-Now at this point I know it seems like I'm just making Ash's Advanced Generation team, but that's simply not the case. I'm simply using those who best help the plot (Most of them happen to be my favorites). So far, I like how it's working out. And don't worry, the next pokemon will not be a Torkoal, a…Donphan, or anything like that. :P
-A few new recurring supporting characters are introduced.
-I've decided against ending on cliffhangers often so that when I DO end with cliffhangers, it will really grab people by the nose and hit them in the arse (or so the saying goes) :P
This was a pretty fun chapter to right because I love working with my characters and giving them dynamics and fun interactions. That's one of the main reasons I write.
Anyways, Read. Review. Enjoy
Cheers, Griff4815