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After several hours of walking in the mines, Simon was exhausted. Not only was this cave system larger than the Eastern one; the rising temperatures and humidity was really beginning to bother him now, and Simon was seriously beginning to consider an outfit change - not to mention the added weight of the growing Pokemon that were holed up in his coat. He'd returned his Blackspear suit to the HQ after the security assignment was complete, but other than that, he'd tried to unburden himself as much as possible to make up for the Pokemon. Most of them were snuggled in his coat pockets, peeking out periodically to look at the shiny gemstones lining the walls, and Larvesta was flying around as usual, only ever stopping to land on Simon's shoulder and squeak excitedly about his newest shiny find. Princess was quite energetic as well; the Joltik was resting atop his hat and happily enjoying the sights of the familiar cave environment, no doubt due to its similarity to her home in the Eastern mines.
As the tunnel he was walking through broke out into a cavern, Simon spotted a flatter, less rocky-looking area off the side of the path with a few boulders and shallow pools of water beside it; perfect for a resting spot. The young trainer sighed in relief as he made his way over to it and plopped himself onto the ground, taking off his backpack and whistling for his Pokemon to get off. On command, the swarm of bugs emerged from the various parts of his coat and gathered around him, some eager to explore the new environment, while others seemed less at ease in the darkness. As soon as he fell out of Simon's pocket Anorith had bolted for the first pool of water in his line of sight, crawling across the ground excitedly with his wing-like fins. Simon didn't have the heart to tell him the body of water was no more than a puddle - but the shrimp Pokemon didn't seem to care much. Even Spewpa and Burmy had decided to join in, gently helping guide the confused rock-type to an actual pool of water. He was glad the team had been getting along with the newcomer despite the… communication barriers. They just had to brush up on their ancestral bug-speak.
And they weren't the only Pokemon he'd seen change in recently either. As Spewpa and Burmy helped to push Anorith into a proper pool of water, Simon noticed Snom had actually chosen to leave her hiding spot for once. The little ice bug was far from mingling with her teammates, but her eye was fixed on the baby Pokemon flying above them. Every time Larvesta would execute a risky turn or bump into a rock, Snom's expression would shift and she would let out an angry hiss, as if scolding him worryingly.
Simon smiled but kept his mouth shut, any teasing would probably ruin the moment. He reached into his bag and searched for the remaining cinnamon buns - the bag had been feeling a lot lighter lately, so there probably weren't much left. As he did so, his hand brushed against something… it was the gray Pokeball from Blackspear. He realized he'd never actually released the Pokemon since that day at the construction site - unlike the rest of his team Scolipede didn't exactly fit in his coat pockets.
But Simon wasn't going to let that stop him - he couldn't have the most powerful Pokemon on his team go alone without meeting the rest of them, after all. They weren't the strongest they could be yet... but with the help of his newfound power, they would get there eventually. He grabbed the Pokeball along with a cinnamon bun, and released Scolipede before him. The Pokemon landed on the floor with a crash, startling the others as they all backed away in surprise- all except Larvesta of course, who upon noticing the massive bug immediately landed on its head. The Scolipede simply stood there, staring blankly at Simon with empty brown eyes, not moving an inch.
Simon nodded. "Hey. How you feeling, big man?" he asked tentatively, but to no response. Maybe this thing was all business, or maybe it didn't understand humans very well, like Anorith.
He noticed the rest of the team had tensed up around Scolipede, and were staring at it with an expression that looked more like concern than fear. He'd expected some intimidation, but this felt… different. Simon furrowed his brow and picked Princess up from his hat, setting her on the ground.
"C'mon, lass, he won't bite." he coaxed, like a parent trying to convince their child to play with the new kid. "Scolipede, no biting." He wasn't exactly sure if Scolipedes were carnivores or not, but he knew the poison-type was obedient if anything.
The little Joltik looked back at Simon before reluctantly approaching the towering Scolipede, squeaking out a timid greeting. Yet again, silence. He remained unflinching, staring straight ahead into nothingness. Simon had never seen that expression on a Pokemon before; even a Parasect was more emotive than this. He also noticed Burmy was particularly wary of him, and was eyeing him with even more suspicion than the rest… was there some interaction between the two species he didn't know about?
"Ah well, I'm sure you just need time to warm up to everyone." Simon shrugged. "Caterpie, you hungry?" he asked as he rummaged in his bag for a cinnamon bun. The little green bug nodded eagerly. Yet again, Simon's hand grabbed not a bun, but instead pulled out another familiar item… a deflated Qwilfish toy.
Simon tensed up. He had completely forgotten about this thing. He'd retrieved it after the encounter with Raphael, hoping to give it to him later, but now… looking at the thing filled him with anger and disgust, a reminder of how little Raph cared, how much of a failure he saw him as. A spit in his face.
Simon tossed the toy on the ground, watching it land in a pathetic lump before him. He looked at Scolipede with cold eyes.
"Scolipede, Steamroller."
The giant bug immediately roared in response, its cry echoing through the caves as Larvesta squeaked and hopped off its head. Simon watched as the Pokemon raised its entire body in the air, its horns and hooves glowing green before bringing them down onto the toy mercilessly, spinning and slashing on top of the toy. Pieces of it flew in all directions as the toy was shredded and ripped apart by the attack. Then, after a few more seconds, it stopped. Scolipede unfurled its body and returned to its idle position, leaving behind a tattered mess of qwilfish-shaped plastic.
The enormous Pokemon let out a single, steam-filled snort and continued to stare blankly ahead. Simon said nothing, looking at the toy with disdain before turning to his Pokemon again - only to find them terrified, cowering behind his backpack on the floor.
Simon peered into the bag and realized why he hadn't been able to find any cinnamon buns- he'd run out.
Gastrodon waited at the top of the tunnel, waiting for the trainer to show themselves. The human's footsteps were trackable through the shifting of the earth below him, so Gastrodon knew where they were at all times. In the past, letting stubborn trainers catch sight of him encouraged them to leave the place alone. He hoped this trainer would be the same. It was a shame when one did not get the hint they are unwelcome.
He was joined in the tunnel by Scout. The Toxicroak hopped next to him, crouching in a ready position. Gastrodon nearly sent him away, but settled for getting him to relax. Apparently the tunnels had been full of odd humans today, and that had the Toxicroak on edge still. His unease was setting off the Croagunks, who in turn set off the Barboach. It was probably better to keep him here until the situation could be dealt with. The nervous clacking of his barbs together did make it a little bit harder to keep track of the human's footsteps, though.
The shifting of loose soil on the hill indicated the human was about at the top. Gastrodon began pulling water from it's water sack, getting a torrent ready. The water mixed with the mud inside him to form a liquid slurry ready for his attack. Sounds could now be heard from deeper within the tunnel as the sound of a human exerting themselves echoed.
A small human turned the bend in the tunnel, breathing loudly but steadily. The dark-haired human looked up and made eye contact with Gastrodon, uttering a human word Gastrodon had never heard before.
Then Gastrodon shot the Muddy Water at the roof above the tunnel.
Achille emerged at the bottom of the impromptu waterslide, coated in a thin layer of slick mud. He knew about the Muddy Water from the group at the rest site, but the muddy sludge that pushed him down was both more viscous and slicker than he expected. He spent a bit on the ground, getting oxygen back into his body. A nervous Terrot nudged him in the side, and Achille just gave him a wheeze back.
He sat up once he could breathe again, taking note of his surroundings. Terrot stood beside him, looking much more relieved now that Achille was up and moving again. Alizé hung from the ceiling, wanting nothing to do with the mud at the ground level. The sludge itself was now draining deeper into the cave, Aliénor watching the slurry as it moved across the stone.
Achille stood up and removed his mud-soaked jacket, tossing it to the side. He was glad he had the foresight to put anything valuable in a watertight bag before it all got ruined. The mud didn't really smell or appear to stain either, so everything should be fine after a wash. His backpack landed atop his muddy jacket with a squelch, leaving Achille with significantly less stuff to try and drag up.
Aliènor joined him as he checked the hill again. Even without the Gastrodon ready to send him back to the bottom this hill was a bitch to climb. A thin layer of mud now covered the steep incline, which was only going to make things worse. He placed his foot on the hill cautiously, feeling it begin to slide down almost immediately.
This was going to require some actual thinking. There was no way he was going to just barge up there. The basis of a plan began to form in his mind. If only Terrot knew Vine Whip…
"Aliénor, please Rock Tomb the slide up. V formation. Extra force if you can." The Tyrunt bolted to attention, and searched around for a suitable rock. A small boulder seemed to fit the bill, and the tiny tyrannosaurus chomped into the dense rock and began to pull it back towards the tunnel entrance. Terrot, being a team player, decided to assist by pushing the boulder from the other end.
Once the rock was in place, Aliénor bit down with even more force, creating small stress fractures in the surface of the stone. Stone-like talons dug into the muddy stone below as the little dragon-type began to swing the stone. She gave it a full roundabout, then released it like an expert hammer-thrower. The structurally compromised boulder split in the air, and the chunks impacted the tunnel's surface with an earthshaking thud. Dust fell from the ceiling, but the tunnel remained thankfully intact. The chunks of boulder were now lodged into the ramp, forming a loose "V" shape.
"Nom de dieu, good job Aliénor." Achille praised the Tyrunt, getting a happy chirp as the dinosaur Pokémon trotted up to him for a reward. Slightly rolling his eyes, he rummaged around in his bag for a small hunk of cheese before tossing it towards the rock-type. Aliénor snatched the flying dairy midair, and Achille investigated her handiwork. The rocks seemed solidly wedged into the ground, but for the sake of not getting crushed to death it was probably better to test.
Right on cue, a tide of water came crashing down the impromptu slide again. The actual intensity of the water came as a bit of a shock now that he was an observer and not in the thick of it. As expected, the rocks split the flash flood, creating a relatively calm zone in the center after the fast moving water was pushed to the side. The trainer was ready to call it a job well done… until a cracking sound started . The cracks grew in intensity until, finally, one of the center chunks broke apart even further.
Both the trainer and the Tyrunt sighed as the smaller chunks of rock were dislodged and floated away. A few moments later two more broke apart. The floodgates were now broken, and the water flowed just as freely as they did not 5 minutes earlier. A sad bleat came from Terrot as the rocks washed down the deeper tunnel with the rest of the sludgy water.
At least the ones on the side held. Look at the bright side. He took a deep breath and held it until he felt the rising frustration begin to fade. If he lost his head over this, he might actually lose his head.
The flood ended, leaving only a few chunks of rock on the side of the former V. He walked to the foot of the ramp again, each footstep eliciting a squelch on the remuddied floor. He observed the position of the rocks, frowning slightly as it appeared one side had more to work with.
"Terrot, Leech Seed on the rocks. Both sides, and hit the left a little more, please." He checked his bag once more, grabbing a pair of gloves and a long-sleeved shirt. The Skiddo looked confused at the request, but Achille just confirmed it was what he wanted. The Kalosian threw on the shirt, followed by the gloves, before tucking the sleeves into the gloves to completely hide his skin. He checked on the tunnel to find a series of stringy roots emerging from a cracked seed and wrapping around the rock chunks. The roots followed the floor of the tunnel downwards, creating a series of thin ropes.
They weren't vines, but they would do. They were strong enough to resist being pulled off by anything less than a Rapid Spin, anyways. Several should hold him. "And don't worry, my faithful steed." Achille reassured the Skiddo, holding up his arms in front of him. "No skin is uncovered. The Leech Seed roots won't sap my energy."
Terrot still looked concerned, especially since even Achille knew technically his face would be uncovered. The goat made no protest though, and Achille made the final preparations for his climb. One last safeguard needed to be in place though. "Alizé. Favor from you, please?" The bat dropped from the ceiling and took off in flight, curious as to what he needed. "Whoah, one second please," he stopped her from taking her normal place on his shoulder, "I need you flying for this."
He plucked one of the pokéballs from his holster, holding it up for the confused bat. Alizé took the object carefully, unsure that she wanted this much responsibility. "Hey, all you need to do is toss it ahead of me when I say so." He reassured the flying dragon-type, who chirped and took off towards the cavern roof again.
Backup plan in place, Achille picked up the end of the Leech Seed roots and wrapped them around his arm. A quick test to prove it would hold his weight later, and he was ready to begin his climb again. He gave one more look towards the Tyrunt and Skiddo behind him. "Be careful, both of you. I don't want anyone washed into the deeper caverns. Let Alizé do what she needs to do, and don't run into the flood to catch me."
With an uncertain nod from the Pokémon blessing the adventure, he began his climb up.the slope again. The roots did prove stable enough for him to make some progress, but his grip felt loose with the gloves. His instincts were to take them off and grab the Leech Seed directly, but his brain caught him before he went too far with that idea. Besides, he'd probably slip all the way back down to the bottom if he tried to swap his gloves at all. It was hard enough finding a solid grip on the mud-slicked stone.
The climb was draining his energy far sooner than expected, even without the Leech Seed sapping it away. His foot slipped often, causing him to stumble and need to pull himself back into an upright position. The muscles in his arms began to complain of overwork after the first few slip-ups. This settled it. He was going to the gym after this.
He was now halfway towards the embedded stones, where he would hopefully be able to stop for a moment before formulating a plan for overcoming the curve in the path. The rocks would be just behind the curve, which would shield him from Gastrodon's sight. Getting a way around the curve with the mud would prove difficult, though. If need be, he could probably haul Aliénor up here with the Leech Seed and have her attempt a Rock Tomb with the pieces of the wall. Terrot would be lighter, and could maybe Leech Seed something at the top of the slope though.
Then his foot slipped again.
Completely lost in thought, he didn't even notice a particularly thick area of mud. His knee collided with the floor, eliciting a swear from the shooting pain. The trainer tried to move back up to his feet, but his leg felt wobbly below the knee after the impact.
To make matters worse, he could hear the sound of water splashing above. The flood was coming.
"Merde, merde, merde, merde. Alizé, now!"
A wall of muddy water crashed around the bend as he finished his shout. Achille peaked back to see the little Noibat rush towards him, pokéball gripped in her claws. He wasn't able to see if she dropped it before the water hit. He gripped the vines with all the strength his hands could muster, but still he could feel his feet sliding. Would the vines even hold with this much pressure pushing him back?
All he could do was hold his breath and hope that the pokéball hit the ground. Visions of it being washed away, deep inside the caves, flooded his mind.
Then came a pressure from the back, alongside a slight taste of salt. Achille let go of the roots and turned to catch his backup
He hit something and grabbed on for dear life. The water rushed around him, but he could not open his eyes to tell if he was flying forward or falling backwards with the salt and mud. A burning sensation slowly began to spread through his chest as his lungs begged for oxygen.
And then he could feel air again. He took several deep breaths before even thinking to wipe his eyes. Proudhon continued to swim up the flooded ramp, Achille hanging onto his trident-shaped crest. Gastrodon stopped the stream upon seeing the cerulean serpent scale the slope with ease. The mollusc moved back into the cavern and out of sight of Achille, leaving Proudhon to slither against the ground instead of the faster swim against the flood.
The action only bought the snail a few moments before the Gyarados reached the top. Proudhon leapt into the cavern above like a tensed coil. The sea-serpent landed in the main chamber with an echoing crash, followed by a roar of challenge. Achille, for his part, was thrown off his mount by the impact. The trainer attempted to catch himself, but ended up stumbling backwards and sliding down the Pokémon.
Tumbling down the water-type was probably the better option though, as Proudhon's challenge was met by an even larger Toxicroak tackling the serpent.
Achille hit the ground from a few feet up, the impact pulled Proudhon out from under him. It wasn't enough to do anything but sting a little, and he managed to pull himself to his feet. His knee still stung a bit from the slip-up earlier, but that was only keeping him from running right now. He could at least stand, assess the situation, And, for the first time perhaps ever, see what the treasure the Gastrodon had guarded so zealously was.
"What the fuck is this place?" He couldn't stop himself from asking that aloud. He didn't quite know what to expect, but this was just a muddy watering hole with some human buildings around. The sheer amount of mud built up around the buildings suggested they hadn't been used in years, but why would Gastrodon fight so hard to protect a bunch of empty buildings?
Proudhon gave another roar as the large Toxicroak's barbs delivered a deep slash across the Gyarados' side. A purplish sludge leaked out of the barb and the wound, which made the Gyarados flinch again. In retaliation, Proudhon blasted the poison-type with a faceful of Brine. The salty water forced the toad to back away, and the serpent to regain its composition and coil in anticipation.
The other, smaller Toxicroak remained back, watching Achille closely. It made no moves to charge the trainer, or to assist in the fight against Proudhon. It just remained between Achille and a large pile of mud. Mud that was slightly moving. Mud that almost looked like…
… a nest of Croagunk.
Oh, fuuuuck.
The rest of Achille's team chose that moment to arrive, somehow managing to climb the slick ramp themselves. Terrot carried Proudhon's Pokéball, which Achille called for. Before the Skiddo could close the gap between him and the trainer, though, the second Toxicroak sprung into action and moved towards Achille.
"Merde, that wasn't supposed to be aggressive!" Achille backed away slowly, trying to place more distance between him and the nest. The smaller Toxicroak continued to advance towards the Kalosian, slightly faster than Achille's retreat backwards. The Pokémon's advance was blocked by a boulder slamming between the two, launched from the direction of Aliénor. Alizé hovered next to Achille now, looking angry herself.
This was going to devolve into a massive brawl unless he could stop it. Proudhon and the larger Toxicroak looked ready to go for another round of fighting at a moment's notice, and Terrot was still unable to move closer to Achille and deliver the Gyarados' Pokéball without angering the other Toxicroak. "Look, that's not an empty Pokéball," Achille argued, "it's for the Gyarados right there. Let me recall him, please."
Toxicroak didn't seem convinced though, and just raised a barb at Achille. This negotiation was going downhill, fast. Achille needed someone to reason with. Gastrodon was the one who tried to keep him out, maybe he could be reasoned with? He looked around for the pink mollusc, but Gastrodon was nowhere to be found.
Gastrodon hurried to the ruins as fast as his old body would move. As he feared, a human eventually broke into the pool. He'd managed to avoid any incidents with the Mother by keeping them at the tunnel, but their agreement ended there. She would likely kill the human.
Horrible visions swam in Gastrodon's head. That strategy may work against other predators in the tunnels, but humans wouldn't be deterred by death. The human was young, he'd be declared missing, someone would think to look here for him. Then he couldn't keep them all from here.
If the humans considered this place a real threat, they would clear it out to keep their young safe. Then what? All of his work, his sacrifice for nothing?
No, the human would have to leave and agree to keep quiet about this place.
Gastrodon finally reached the main building, entering through the now-empty doorframe. Inside was mostly clean, the Toxicroaks agreed to try and keep the young from it at Gastrodon's insistence. Shelves were lined with various boxes full of human supplies: preserved food, medicine, etc. What he was after was in an old filing cabinet though.
He grabbed the handle with his mouth and pulled it open, causing the collection of pearls inside to scatter about the drawer. This drawer hadn't been opened in who knows how long. Gastrodon wanted to pull the entire thing free and drag it to the trainer, but that would take too long for his ailing muscles. Instead he grabbed the longest string of them he could see with his mouth and hurried back.
Inventory:
Spoiler:
1000₽
Pokédex
ATC
Old Rod
Nevermelt Ice
Gold Nugget
Mainquest Start! Nine Players: Valerie Amity, Clovis, Xan, & Rosa Valdés
Press START!
Blue! Yellow, Red, Green, Turquoise! Though not without speckles of colour, the mine leading up to Turffield had been mostly a masterclass in brown - the cool blues and purples of the rock that the challengers stood amongst now seemed a better backdrop for the scintillating light of the crystals that jutted out from the cave walls. Like a kaleidoscope of multicoloured stars against the night sky. Except the night sky also sometimes had Diglett poking out of it. And the 'man in the moon' was actually just a passing Geodude.
At the mouth of the mine's entrance, Clovis stood there. Contemplating. Why is it… that I don't like the feeling something is going to happen in this mine? Sighing, he felt that he needed proper company. "Synapse, come on out," he called, the Elefish appearing in his open hand as he held it out for Synapse. "Rrrz-zz!" A small, happy chirp(ish) sound could be heard, as he hopped in place. "Mind keeping me company?" A tiny nod was Synapse's response. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe in my hand. Let's go."
Feeling a modicum of comfort now, Clovis was just at minimum capacity to continue on. Inside, the second Galar mine was quite different from the first one. The cave interior was now more hued in blue, some sparse electrical lights helped light the way. However, the most notable aspects of the mine were the seemingly shimmering pools of water, and the crystals embedded in the walls, reflecting the lights given off by the electrical lights. The path that continued on seemed endless. Various Pokemon could be seen, going about their own business.
Mostly around the pools of water, but with close enough inspection, Pokemon could be seen traversing the cavern floor. "Well… quite a vibrant environment for Pokemon. I know I said I didn't like the dark, but… this is nice," Clovis muttered to himself. He continued on, traversing the clearly man-made path. Tynamo, with shining black orbs, was hypnotized by the cavern light show.
Rosa sat, covering the small form of her Pokemon as she watched on in silence. She had hoped to run into a few of her classmates before coming into the mines. But after following Dahlia into the caves and making her way down into this little oasis, she couldn't help but feel it had been worth it to skip over that grace period. She was down here, biding her time before continuing on towards Motostoke and just enjoying the atmosphere that the pools created when she happened upon one of those who she might have been waiting for. The girl took out her notebook, running her fingers down the pages as she searched for what she'd taken down for the man just a short distance in front of her.
"Just gotta remember… keep a smile on…"
Meanwhile, Valerie was going through the same mine, with Flame right beside her. "Map says all we gotta do is pass by here to reach back Motostoke!" Valerie announced happily. "Maaaaaaan, it's been a long time since we've gone through there! Hella stoked on going back! Maybe there's more friends there to be found!" As for Flame, it was also a chance to battle against even stronger Pokemon. When he evolved, he often sought out on his next challenge - what kind of power he would need to help him advance to a new level of strength.
Though, his own train of thought was interrupted by the sudden sounds of… rock crumbling? He stopped, and arched himself upwards, as a reaction to the sound. Valerie turned to him. "What's up, bro?" she had asked. Flame turned to his left, following another strange tapping and crumble. It was then he and Valerie eventually spotted it. A… yellow noodle? At least to Valerie, she suddenly pictured a noodle, trying to find its lost legendary spaghetti family. She peeped in closer. Whatever it was, it was wiggling out of a rock formation from behind. "Ohhhh… ah…." Valerie stood in awe, hyped, but wondering what to say next. "...Noodle time?"
Then, it popped out. A noodle shaped head. "Ahhh, I get it," Valerie nodded. She nodded to herself, and snapped her fingers. "You are a 'Mr. Noodle!' a whooooole new species of pasta! Ack, does that mean I should never eat pasta again? FFS…" But luckily, Valerie's Pokedex started to vibrate. Opening and reading the information, fortunately Valerie found a new revelation. "Gotcha, Dexter. Not a noodle, you're a Pokemon! A… Shuck...le? Shuckle! There we go! Well, nice to meet ya, buddy!"
The Shuckle gave a weak cry. Now, Valerie had obviously not encountered a Shuckle before, but, something was.. A bit off. The Shuckle seemed oddly spooked. Realizing this, Valerie looked worried. "Lil'buddy? What's up?" She tried to comfort it. She leaned in closer to it, but the Shuckle on reaction crept away. "Hey, no worries, I won't hurt ya," Valerie reassured with a smile. It took the Shuckle a few seconds, until realizing - Valerie was not like them. She reached to hold the Shuckle in her arms. "Oof! Kinda heavy…" she shrieked. She sat the Shuckle down in front of her.
"Gosh, you're kinda as shy as Shelly… is there something scary in here?" Valerie had wondered. Then, more sounds echoed in the cave. It was a flock of Zubat, all flying from a passage from the cave. It seemed as though… they were fleeing away from something… or someone. "Freaky…" Valerie turned to Flame. "We should see what's going on. How about it?" With a nod from Flame, Valerie turned to the Shuckle. "Stay here, kay, lil'friend? Val will be riiiight back!"
Onward, Clovis and Synapse continued. Various sounds, echoing occasionally. But, Clovis paid no mind. Nothing was going to tear him from this feeling of peace.
Eventually, deep enough in the mine, Clovis began to hear splashing sounds. Sounds that wild Pokemon don't just make on their own. Well. This peace was short lived. Again, he thought to himself as he stepped closer, the source of which was unavoidable, given the path he took from the beginning. Further investigation revealed the source of the noise: a Psyduck waded happily in one of the glittering pools, quacking occasionally to a familiar Abra who chattered happily from the rock on which they sat, legs splashing in the water beneath. The Psychic-type spotted Clovis as he approached and looked up to wave a greeting.
He looked at the Psyduck with a questioning glance, but returned the wave to Abra. Not many leave a good impression enough for Clovis, but this Abra was an exception. Still, that meant that their trainer was close by. Sure enough, keyboard clattering could soon be heard through the sloshing noise of the water. Sitting cross-legged a fair distance from the pools was none other than Bucket-head. It seemed like they had looked up at him, but it was difficult to tell.
Rosa cursed herself, having once again run into the problem of taking too long to sort out the proper way to go about a conversation with someone for the first time. This was the second time that she'd found someone she actually wanted to talk to and had the moment intruded upon by someone else. This time… this time she'd send it.
"Hey!" Rosa called out, waving and smiling cordially towards both Clovis and Xan. Due to not actually being a Ranger, she didn't know much about psychic powers, or how the styler she was carrying actually worked to transmit her 'emotions' towards a Pokemon. But, if there was a chance that the two concepts were connected in some way, she figured Xan would be the person to ask for some pointers. Though… then on the other hand, there was Clovis. "What're you two doin' out here?"
Oh good, more. He sighed, kneeling down to allow Synapse a chance for a swim. Happily, Synapse accepted the offer, as it darted throughout the pool. Standing back up, Clovis dusted himself off and turned to look at Rosa. His face clearly showed that the cogs were turning, trying to remember who she was. I suppose I don't have any problems with her… yet. He shrugged visibly and muttered, "Well, I was on my way through this mine. However, when I heard the splashing of water, I thought my Tynamo would want a swim." As he said that, Synapse poked it's tiny head out from the water, made a happy chirp, and then proceeded to zip across the water.
Rosa smiled at the tiny eel and giggled lightly. "It's adorable," she said sweetly as her gaze turned slightly towards Xan, wondering what it was they were up to behind that mask.
"Just a rest stop," Bucket-head - Xan - answered Rosa's question. One hand held their laptop and the other returned a polite wave, though the clacking of the keyboard didn't pause. "Don't slow yourselves down on my account."
"I'm just here to allow my Tynamo a moment of reprieve. Believe me, we'll be gone quite shortly," Clovis scoffed. Synapse, hearing this, had a slightly sad look in it's eye.
The Abra by the pool had taken to using both hands to wave at all the newcomers. The Psyduck, unnerved by the introduction of an Electric-type to the nearby waters, made a panicked shuffle back to the side of the Psychic-type.
Rosa looked between the two she'd put herself between. There was undeniably tension there between them from the way that they spoke, but she couldn't help but wonder where it came from. Sure, she hadn't been the most welcoming towards the majority of the graduates she'd run into recently given her own circumstances, but if there was something there that she she could use against one - or even both - of them, then it may be worth taking a page from Val's book and put herself right in the middle of it.
"There's no rush, is there? It's not often you run across a place like this… among… fr…" the girl looked up from Xan, seeing another familiar figure making their way down to their little rendezvous. 'Oh no… I wasn't prepared for this,' the girl thought to herself, just waiting for the outburst of energy that she knew was coming.
"Aaaaaaaah! No way!" The burst of energy came along. Valerie had come, unknowing that the encounter was inevitable. Her arms waving up and about, greeting the group. "Clo-bro! Rosie! And whoa-hoho, is that you, Xannie? Niiiice! Hella stoked to see you all here!"
Oh god, no. Clovis grimaced in place, already overwhelmed by Val's positive vibes. "Eheh… charming timing, that is," he managed to reply. Having already knelt down to watch Synapse, familiar illnesses kept him from standing, returning the Tynamo and leaving. That, and Synapse's sad eyes prevented Clovis from being a complete dick.
Xan recoiled, murmuring, "Arceus, that is terrifying..."
Seeing the pleasant girl, Synapse couldn't help but chirp back at her, saying hello in his own way. Synapse, please stop. But still, part of Clovis couldn't deny his new, tiny friend.
"Coolio! Is that a new buddy? Man it looks so siiiiiick!" Valerie smiled at the Pokemon. She then directed to Flame. "Oh hey! You guys remember Flame-bro? He's a Quilava now! Triple digits pog, am I right?! Like any new challenge, we're gonna face 'em', and the opposing side will be all like, monkaS?!?! Is that Flame? You deadass rn?! Haaah, being a trainer is so sweet."
Valerie goes on tangents a lot, doesn't she. "Hope you guys are doing well too! Watched each of your Gym Battles, and they were all crazy good!"
Rosa smiled lightly, already feeling the pain in her head from having to handle the unexpected addition's overwhelming aura. "Definitely," she said, turning her attention to the other two she'd initially approached. "They all did great - it's super cool seeing just how far we've all come since graduation. I never thought I'd have made it this far if I'm being honest," the girl laughed, trying to keep her mind clear as much as possible from other thoughts and say only the first things that came up.
She knew Xan was psychic, but didn't know exactly what kind of powers they actually practiced with. At the very least, she knew that if she could read people's minds, she wouldn't let them know. She knew going into this conversation that she had to be wary of thinking too much, but having not only Clovis, but putting Val on top of him definitely made it harder to stick to her guns. At least for the moment, Xan seemed distracted; they looked to be folding inward on themselves with each spoken-aloud Struggle emote that burst forth from Valerie.
"Er, Clovis, while you're here," the psychic said with some difficulty. "You remember we crossed paths on the bridge and talked about notes? I understand it hasn't been too long, but if you already have some you may as well share them now. I have the doc up." They spared a glance to the Abra not too far away, who tumbled happily from their rock to greet yet more new arrivals.
"Well. A deal is a deal. However… here, you can just copy mine. Basic information, behavioral patterns, and sketches." Clovis sighed, just ready to get a move on.
"Oh. Physical, and you've been thorough," Xan exhaled - whether in pleasant surprise or frustration was anyone's guess. They rummaged around an inside pocket to grab their phone and pointed it at the notebook. "I'll take pictures for now and copy the meat of it later - once things quieten down a bit," the psychic murmured half to themselves, nodding their head toward the growing crowd.
Rosa opened her throat a bit, wishing to sigh but smiling just as widely as before while she screamed inside of her head as loud as she could. It was irritating getting ignored, but maybe it was for the best? She turned slowly towards Valerie, hoping to have some kind of conversation at this time and not just be the third wheel to this four person reunion.
Valerie glimpsed at both Xan and Clovis, and turned back to Rosa. She had a normal, seemingly spacey look on her, as she was seemingly in thought. "Heeeey, you know what?" she then realized, now with a wide grin towards Rosa. "This is what anime would call a 'beautiful bromance'!"
"There it is! Don't let it get away! …"
Suddenly, the sounds of voices could then be heard from nearby. Curious one that she was, this alerted Valerie and Flame. "Hmm?" She left on her own to sneak by the nearby wall, peering to the next wide space of the cavern. The sight she witnessed was far from glamorous. A Noibat could be seen, fluttering about, yet cornered. The ones who had cornered it, were a couple of strange looking individuals.
One of them got out an equally strange dark-looking ball of sorts. He threw it at the timid Noibat, and before Valerie's eyes, the ball sucked up the Noibat, like a Pokeball, capturing it immediately. The stranger then scooped up the sphere off the ground. "We got almost all the rare and strong Pokemon around here in one fell swoop," he reported to another. With a nod, another one fiddled with his phone, seemingly to communicate with someone else. "Oh, yes, and about those Wishing stars..."
Now, these people were strange, yet to Valerie, seemed oddly familiar…They all had some fancy looking black business suits on. "Either your girl is missing out on some kind of 'wear a tux like a hot stud' day, or... " she said softly, while scratching her head. She then turned to the group. "Gang? Ever see those chaps that get up before? They look kinda familiar… oh, where was it again…"
"Gang?" Xan echoed, their tone carrying hints of mirth and disgust in equal measure. They took a deep breath and turned from their phone to look over their shoulder. "Not familiar to me. Is it important? My concentration is lapsing."
Clovis, observing Valerie's own observation, seemed nearly regretful for asking, "What are you looking at, Valerie?" Not realizing he had just called her by name for the first time, he was just feeling tired for being here.
"See those guys over there?" Valerie asked, pointing towards them. "I dunno why, but there's something off about them? I mean they look cute in those wardrobes and all but..."
He scooped up Synapse from the water, before walking over to Valerie's side. Seeing the two individuals with the strange Pokeball, Clovis muttered, "Those are clearly not standard Pokéballs. Something isn't right about them." Looking down in his hands, he saw a confused Tynamo. "Return for now. I don't like this," as he pulled out the ball and returned the still confused Pokemon.
Rosa watched from between the both of their shoulders, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on without seeming too interested. "Those balls…" she whispered to herself, a chill running down her spine as she remembered the package that Tavi had opened. Were these people part of the mafia too? If that were the case, maybe it would be best to just back out now and forget she ever came across this. Her time in servitude to these groups was hopefully nearing its end now, so it was best to not get any more involved than she had to. The girl took a few steps back, turning towards Xan as she made up her mind to leave.
"I'm done with this now, Clovis, thanks," the psychic called, holding out the notebook - even going so far as to float it over to its owner. Apparently they were ignoring Rosa still - or perhaps they just hadn't noticed her turning toward them.
"Good. Great." Taking the notebook and sliding it into his bag, he decided he would deal with the problem directly.
"Er... Clo?"
"Excuse me," Clovis called out, as he strode over to the pair. "Those don't look like standard issue Pokéballs. Not to mention, just how off-model they look. Where did you get them?" He inquired as he raised a hand to his glasses, adjusting them with a questioning glare.
"Wh-what?!" one of them shrieked. Clovis came a little bit too suddenly, catching them a bit off guard. The black-attired duo exchanged glances, then gave Clovis a hard look. "Who are you supposed to be?"
"Heeeeeey, hold up, Clo! Val's remembrance gland is tinkering: I've seen that kinda outfit before!" Valerie said, following after him. "Hmmm… but where… gah, c'mon, Val's brain, work overtime!"
The other one's eyes widened. "Wait, that girl..." he whispered to his partner. "Remember that list of names? You know, of that group of kids… That girl was one of them."
"That's right!" the other remembered. "You! Girl with the pink visor - you interfered with the Rayquaza mission!"
Pausing, Clovis blinked, his head slowly turning to Valerie. "Excuse me?"
"Rayquaza--HEEEEYY! Wait, I remember now!" Valerie realized. "Aeli and I saw some people with those outfits — with that same symbol — back in the wild area! But those guys were trying to catch Ray-Ray!"
"Umm. Wait. There's no way you all had met Rayquaza. Is this some sort of code, or something?" Back and forth, Clovis' eyes darted between her and the two suits.
"It's totes true, Clo-bro!" Valerie responded. She then turned back to the suits. "Oh! Are those two alright, btw? IIRC, they took quite a tumble!"
"Why you-- are you mocking us?!" the stranger snapped. "I'm warning you kids, clear out of here, or else there's gonna be trouble!"
Rosa winced, turning back towards the suited people as she heard both Clovis and Val make themselves known to them. 'Why couldn't they just have kept quiet? We could have just snuck away… not had to deal with the mafia… not had to-' she clenched her teeth, wondering what the right thing to do here was - painfully aware now that they'd confronted the suits that what she did now would change how everyone else viewed her for a good while whether for better or for worse. The girl fumbled around in her pocket for a pokeball, waiting to see how this escalated and if it did whether she had any chance of making a difference.
"Can you quieten down a bit, please?" Xan's voice drifted in from a good distance away. They were hurriedly typing, still sat on that same rock. "Your voices carry in here. I don't mean to intrude, public place and all, but I was here first for all that's worth - it's very distracting and I'm almost done."
"... I give up. I don't even want to know. Clearly, you two are suspicious enough as is, and I personally want some answers. Archimedes, I choose you!" Tossed forward, the Tranquill flew forward, and spread his wings as he cawed proudly. "I have little patience for games. Tell us what you are, and what you're up to." He scoffed, and dramatically brushed a bang out of his face. Archimedes, making a similar motion. Almost as if they practiced it in secret.
"That's only our business, kid!" The two men readied their pokeballs. They glared angrily at the trainers in their way. Clovis and Rosa had their pokeballs ready, while Valerie and Xan were, in their own pace, watching things unfold. The battle was surely on its way… but it was over before it even started.
"...That's enough."
Whomever the sudden voice belonged to, had the two men taken aback, and on edge. Then… footsteps. The sounds of footsteps were heard, coming from the opposite end of the cavern. The two men then stood at opposite ends of each other, awaiting.
Reyna (Female, Torrent) - Peck, Bubble Beam, Pound, Growl
Spoiler: Inventory
Pokédex
ATC
Galar Mine 2
"Do you really think that you're that important to this performance? That the show simply cannot go on without your presence?!"
A tall, slender woman glared daggers at a man who was bowing before her. While he was dressed head to toe in a sleek, black suit, the woman was dressed in a red, silk cheongsam, decorated with designs that resemble white clouds and a green dragonair. Her skin was a creamy white offset by her llong, flowing black hair that reached down to her lower back. A Johtonian fan was clutched tightly in her left hand, folded and being slapped repeatedly into the palm of her right. Her obsidian eyes are cold, looking at the trembling man as if she would kill him in a moment's notice.
"A-Agent 7, please… Have mercy! I… I didn't mean to bring him with me, I swear!" the man pleaded.
The woman wasn't having any of it. Her fan suddenly extended forward and slapped loudly against the man's face. "I told the lot of you I expect nothing but perfection in this operation! I will not have my stage tarnished by such a foul looking creature! Release that eyesore again and you will be smashed lower than the dirt beneath my heels… Do I make myself clear?!" the woman known as Agent 7 snapped.
"Y-Yes sir! I mean, yes m-ma'am!" the black-suited man responded in a trembling voice before scrambling to his feet and running off further into the cavern.
"What a disgrace… He isn't fit to breathe the same air as a Grimer…" Agent 7 sighed. She took a look about the cavern. A look of displeasure graced her facial features all the while. "What detestable scenery. This sort of backdrop may fit the likes of Agent 12, but one of our charms and beauty should be far away, isn't that right, love?" By her side, a proud Alolan Ninetales nuzzled against the woman's palm. She gently reached out, stroking the elegant, ice-type Pokémon's lofty hair. "You're such a good girl… Yes, you are~"
Tim had been observing the woman's tirade in silence and now that she seemed to have outright forgotten he was there he reluctantly cleared his throat. He was no stranger to being insulted for his appearance, but this woman, this Agent 7, was of a whole other caliber when it came to finding Tim unpleasant. He really didn't want to provoke her further, but she hadn't outright dismissed him, and he wasn't sure how she'd take it if he moved without permission. "I do apologize," Tim ventured in his deep voice through his black mustache, "and I will be gone at once. Only: I don't suppose you know which way 'out' is?" Tim had followed Agent 7's lackey with the same question, but that man had roundly ignored him. Tim had hoped following the man would lead out of the mines, but it seemed the man had only brought him in deeper.
---------
Haleigh and Aeliana found themselves walking ever deeper in the mine, with Aeliana especially keen to leave the unpleasantness of their encounter with Rory behind. In contrast with the bright glittering lights of the room with the evolution stones, the gems in this section of the mine gave off a dimmer light and casted shadows all over the cavern walls. The two allowed themselves to get back into a more pleasant conversation with Haleigh taking the lead in talking about her rescue mission with Valerie on Route 5.
"Me and Val sure did make a good team on that one, she got the Squirtle, I got the Piplup. Johnny...didn't quite get a date with me like he wanted, I got myself someone already." The purple haired girl wore a sheepish grin, feeling that bit of giddiness that came with thinking about her boyfriend.
Aeliana blinked slowly in response. First Pia and Ruben, now Haleigh has someone too? Was everyone in their graduating class hooking up with someone? The blue-haired girl found herself quite curious regardless. A smirk grew on her lips as she shifted her grasp on the egg nestled in her arms. Mahina, who was now traveling on foot beside Aeliana, looked up towards the two humans as they spoke.
"Ooooh, do you now?" she questioned. "Well, spill the tea, as you Galarians say. Who is it? Anyone I know?"
"Yeah, you'd know him. You remember Achille, right? I didn't know him too well while we were at the academy and all, but I've been running into him a lot during the journey, one thing led to another and...here we are." Haleigh giggled a bit, her cheeks blushing. "He's a real charming guy, I gotta say. Very sweet too."
Aeliana ran through images in her mind, trying to put a name to each face she could recall of her graduating class. Eventually, she was able to recall the boy in question. If she was remembering correctly, Achille was the… petite package of a boy from Kalos. The two had never interacted much either, so Aeliana wasn't really able to put much else together about him. That said, since he was clearly making Haleigh happy then it really wasn't her place to make any further judgements about it.
"Well, that's pretty cool then. I'm glad you two are happy together," Aeliana replied sincerely.
Now that the topic of romance had been brought up, Haleigh decided that it might be worth asking to see if Aeliana had anyone. "What about you, got your eyes on anyone? I reckon there's gotta be tons of dudes that'd be interested in you, Ms. Pretty Dancer from Alola!"
Aeliana could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, thoughts of a particular entertainer quickly rushing to her head. "I um… there is someone, but… I um… I don't think they really... "
A barrage of thoughts and responses all managed to crash into the Alolan's brain at one point, leaving the blue-haired trainer tongue tied on just how to respond. She suddenly wanted for something, anything to jump out and change the subject so she could put this conversation behind her. The only issue with that wish was the lack of anything to really do that. After all, what would come barreling around the corner in a mine?
"Slow- DOWN!"
The sound of running footsteps followed by a familiar voice echoed from the nearby tunnel. A flaming blur whizzed past the two girls, continuing straight ahead before spinning around in midair as if recognizing one of them. As the creature paused to a hovering standstill, Aeliana recognized it as a Larvesta… the very same one that had-
"GOTCHA!" Simon yelled out as he leaped from around the corner and brought his net down on the bug- and onto Aeliana's head as well.
Aeliana blinked slowly, her mind clicking and buzzing as she tried to process just what had happened. Her lavender eyes slowly glanced downward, taking in the familiar sight of Simon. Despite the fact that she had just been smacked over the head with a bug net, a small smile graced the Alolan's lips as she gently took hold of the net before raising it back up and over her head.
"You know, most friends would call each other or wave…" Aeliana began with a small sigh. "But I guess the one thing I can say is that I'll never have to worry about your greetings getting old, Simon."
"Ah, shit- sorry!" the boy quickly lifted his net back up as he hastily shoved Larvesta back into his pocket, the little bug giving a disappointed squeak as he did so. He hadn't expected to meet anyone in the mines, but he was grateful he hadn't run into Ruben or Raphael instead.
For the other girl, Simon's greeting was right up her alley in terms of being something loud and expressive. With a big grin on her face, Haleigh exclaimed, "Woah, nice catch there mate! Fancy meetin' you out here in the mines, how's it goin'?"
"I was just having lunch when someone," he glared at Larvesta, "decided to shoot off randomly into the tunnels to chase after some random cave noise. Sorry about him again, Aeliana." he grimaced.
Haleigh asked, "Noise? What noise?"
As she said that, however, her ears were drawn to some sort of ambient whirring sound that she hadn't noticed until Simon had mentioned it. "Actually, now I hear it. Some sort of machinery or something."
Given that they were all in a mine, it didn't strike Haleigh as all that unusual a sound to hear. However, her mind was hardly one to leave things be and quickly grew curious as to what was going on. "I guess someone's mining down here, what do you all reckon it is?"
Aeliana offered a small shrug. "It is a mine. Maybe it's just some folks doing some digging or something?"
"Yeah," Simon nodded, "and not a reason to go charging randomly at people." he scolded his Pokemon again. "I heard the entire area is owned by Blackspear, and their security is no joke. They don't, ah… go easy on intruders." he said to the two girls, remembering his firsthand experience at the construction site
Just as he spoke, Larvesta let out another angry squeak and wriggled out of his grasp, jumping out of his pocket and landing on Haleigh. She yelped in surprise as the bug landed on her head, watching in bewilderment as the bug then jumped off of her and towards the source of the noise.
"Fuck's sake, Larvesta, no- anyway, good chat, gotta run-" Simon quickly pushed past them as he ran after the bug.
"Hey, Simon! Wait up!" Aeliana called out as the bug catcher took off behind his Larvesta. While she didn't like the idea of running off further into the mine with no real knowledge of how the tunnels were all laid out, the blue-haired trainer knew that she couldn't just leave the boy on his own. Besides that, Larvesta could be hurt if there was a lot of digging going on. She gently tucked her egg away into the bag, which rustled ever so slightly as she placed it snugly within, before turning and motioning for Haleigh and Mahina to follow. "Come on, let's go help him."
"Right on!" Haleigh started dashing towards the bug catcher, running ahead of Aeliana as she started to get closer to the sight of Simon chasing down his Pokemon.
Simon continued to chase after his Pokemon, the tunnels getting dimmer and dimmer and the only bright light source being the flames Larvesta was spewing. As he got close, he reached out to grab the bug- before violently slamming into yet another individual he hadn't seen.
For as much as the newcomer gave from the impact, he might well have been a statue. One that gave off a rather hard-to-ignore stench of pond scum and dirt. The man was dressed in rags under a dark poncho, and bizarrely had on sunglasses in a mine. Between the glasses and his black mustache his face was nearly unreadable. He regarded Simon in silent confusion for a moment before speaking in a deep voice. "I beg your pardon, I didn't see you."
Simon nearly fell on his back as he bounced off the stranger, watching as Larvesta's light faded into the darkness ahead. "Shit, almost!" he mouthed hastily as he made his way around the man and began to follow the Pokemon again.
The man closed a huge hand like a Scizor claw on Simon's arm, quite jarringly arresting his movement. "There's nothing for us back there," the man said. "Best not get into trouble."
Haleigh was the first one to catch up to Simon, seeing him being stopped by a large man that towered over her. Something about him seemed familiar to her, though she couldn't really discern why. It seemed that he was telling Simon to turn back, which only added to the girl's curiosity on what was going on with the mine. "Oi, what's the holdup here? We're trainers, we deal with trouble all the time. 'Sides, we gotta catch up to his Larvesta." She pointed to Simon.
"Why wasn't it balled?" the man asked a little critically, releasing Simon but turning himself to block Haleigh off as well as he could.
Simon pulled his arm back in annoyance and glared at the stranger; he wasn't in a mood to defend his own training methods right now. Something about his smell seemed familiar to Spewpa, who poked her head out of Simon's coat momentarily. "Why does it matter? Come on, let's go!"
"There are some dangerous folks poking around back there. Perhaps you should just let him handle it," the man told the two.
"Dangerous folks?" another voice questioned.
At that point, Aeliana managed to catch up to the shorter girl with Mahina right behind them. The blue-haired girl had been hearing bits and pieces of the conversation as she chased after Simon (and now Haleigh), growing more curious as to the source of the new commotion. She offered a small smile to the duo as she approached them, but it dropped as soon as rather… a less than pleasant smell wafted under her nose. The Alolan was about to question what in the world was creating such a unique stench, but the sight of the towering man before them seemed to be all the information she needed. Despite the odor, Aeliana did her best to put on a friendly face as she approached the group.
Aeliana turned her focus to the stinky, mustached man. Like Haleigh, she found something at the very least vaguely familiar about this guy, but she couldn't quite place it. "What do you mean by dangerous folks, exactly?"
The man regarded Aeliana quietly a moment, as if scanning her from behind his opaque shades. "I mean the kind that run around in formal wear doing shady things in the dark. I think I saw a handgun or two as well. It's nothing we should be involved in. I'm sure that he"—apparently referencing Simon—"can get his worm out without causing too much of a fuss. We don't all need to go running in over that."
Simon's eyes grew wide as he heard the man's description and realized who he was referring to. A memory of that fateful night in the Wild Area flashed through his mind; where he'd fought a similar threat with Ruben and Raphael, the same night they'd almost been killed by those people. The same people who were ready to kill an innocent Snorunt with its mother purely for fun, and clearly had no issues dealing with intruders the exact same way.
"Black suits?! Shit, shit-" the boy cursed as he pushed past the man took off again, realizing just how much trouble this meant.
Haleigh thought about the man's words as Simon ran off. Shady, shifty people in suits with potentially guns...there was no way she was about to just leave him without backup. Her previous encounter with an armed man, after all, had been a team effort. She exclaimed, "Are you mad?! I ain't gonna leave the lad to fend for himself with shady people like that, he's my friend!"
The big man recoiled visibly from Haleigh's words. His brows furrowed and he looked at the ground. Despite his height he seemed much smaller than anyone else at that moment. "I'm… You're right, you can't leave your friend." he said, stepping aside to open the way. "But if things get dangerous then be sure to stay behind cover."
Aeliana stared at the man with a look of disbelief. The black suit guys were here? She hadn't seen or dealt with them since the Wild Area. Before she could raise an objection, the purple-haired girl she had been traveling the mines with had already charged off behind Simon, leaving Aeliana with just the smelly stranger. Her eyes gazed down to the Clefairy by her side. The man who had mercilessly slaughtered her friends and family was also a member of this group…
"If those dark-suit people are here, I can't let Haleigh and Simon go off on their own. I've seen what these guys are capable of. I'll have to go with them," Aeliana told the man bluntly as she scooped Mahina up into her arms. "Those two can be a bit… energetic to say the least. I'd probably lose sleep at night if I just let them wander off to where those men are alone."
The man looked at Aeliana somberly and turned back into the mine, after Simon and Haleigh. "Then I will come too. I can at least do to stop some bullets if it comes to it." He didn't really say it like a joke either, but he took off with his big boots echoing in the darkness.
---------
For the pair of trainers that took off ahead of Aeliana and the mustachioed man, the tension in the air was palpable with the threat of the black suited guys looming over their heads. Despite the tense atmosphere, Haleigh couldn't help but feel a bit exhilarated with that element of danger hanging over their heads. That sweet feeling of adrenaline always seemed to kick herself into high gear and really invigorate her, feeling like she could take on the whole world.
Panting in between breaths, Haleigh turned to Simon and said, "So, you seen these black suited guys before, yeah? They sound like they're up to no good down here, but if they give us trouble, me and you could take 'em easy!"
"If they are who I think they are," Simon began between breaths, "we'll be dealing with far worse than regular security guards. I ran into these people back in the wild area with… some others, and we barely made it out alive. Ranger police said they already knew about them and there was an investigation…" he looked at the cave ahead, which was still pitch black save for a glimmer of light in the distance. He wanted to agree with Haleigh that they could take them down, but after remembering what had happened last time, he hesitated to say anything-
'No.' the voice in his mind said, as he remembered the strongest weapon in his arsenal. He wasn't the same weak trainer that he was back then. "Whatever the hell they throw at us though, I'm ready to take them down." Simon said confidently, looking at Haleigh.
"That's the spirit!" Haleigh gave Simon a quick thumbs up, before adding, "We gotta be on the top of our game if they're as dangerous as you say. I've seen you take on Nessa like a real champ, so I'm excited to see some of that out in the field!"
Simon tensed up a little, the memory of that day hitting him again despite his attempt to forget everything about it. Taking it on like a champ? Tristan's words rang in his head. Haleigh knew his victory had been a fluke, an act of generosity from Nessa. In contrast, her own comeback had been legendary… and she knew that too. Was the girl just taking the piss at this point? Calling him 'champ' after that?
A look of mixed anger and disdain appeared on his face as he tried to focus on the current situation instead, refusing to look at Haleigh. "Yeah, you'll see just how strong I can be." he replied coldly.
The girl gave Simon a puzzled look. Where did that come from? Clearly, something about what she said had bothered him, but she couldn't really figure out why. If anything, Haleigh was expecting Simon to share in her enthusiasm. They had both earned that badge with brilliant performances, so it couldn't have been that.
Furrowing her brow, she asked, "You alright mate?"
Before he could respond, a loud crash followed by angry shouting resonated from the cavern ahead, echoing through the tunnel as it reached their ears.
---------
"Pick up the pace, plebeians! I want to be finished in this accursed mine by the morning!" Agent 7 spat at her cohorts. An annoyed look graced the woman's features as she ran a hand through her long, ebony hair. The moisture in this cave was not doing it any favors, and the sooner that she could leave this filthy mine, the happier she would be.
"I need a drink…" she mused to herself as she made her way to a chair that was waiting for her.
The chair itself was unlike most would sit in. For starters, it was very low to the ground. On top of that, it was a human and not actual wood. A large, muscular man was kneeling on the floor of the mine, propping himself up on his hands and knees without so much as even looking in the woman's direction. Agent 7 quietly and elegantly settled down onto the man's back, earning a small grunt as he braced himself for the added weight being added to his own. No sooner had the black-haired woman settled down than she was quickly joined by a young woman, dressed in a similar black suit to others. She was carrying a tray gracefully in her hands, sitting with a long bottle containing a dark red liquid. By its side was a spotless, masterfully crafted crystal wine glass. The woman quickly poured some of the liquid into the glass, before Agent 7 took it and partook in a small sip of the beverage.
"Is it to your liking, Lady 7?" the young woman asked. "Kalosian Mix No. 4, right?"
"Please… the extras don't have speaking lines," Agent 7 stated with a tone that was filled with annoyance. She followed up by sending an icy glare to her makeshift waitress. "If you can't remember that much, then we'll find another role for you to play."
The young woman only offered a nod in response to her superior, which Agent 7 took to mean that she had a firm understanding of her place. With that settled, the actress shifted her focus towards the large machine that had been assembled in the mines as well. She recognized the craftsmanship to be that of Agent 8. It had a strange allure to it that was both dull and somehow twisted at the same time. It reminded Agent 7 of some of the movies she used to act in in the past, as if it belonged in some sort of corny science fiction film.
Before she had time to process it further however, her alone time was swiftly brought to an end. One of the men in the blacksuits came running up to her, a panicked expression on his face. Perhaps they had found so many of those… wishing rock things, that they didn't know how to carry them all?
"L-Lady 7, there's been an incident!" the man began.
"Of course there has," Agent 7 replied in disgust. "Thankfully, I'm good at improvisionasion. What's the problem?"
Her question was answered by another shout coming from not far away. One of her underlings was swatting wildly at what looked to be a white and brown bug covered in flame. The Pokémon was attempting to get past the guard to get to a pile of the wishing rocks, hopping from one pile to another erratically. A Machoke was attempting to toss rocks at the annoying, fuzzy creature, but the Larvesta had managed to dodge with ease, seemingly scattering about even faster with flames shooting out from underneath it.
Agent 7 rubbed her forehead in aggravation. "I'm surrounded by morons…" The woman glanced down at her Alolan Ninetales and gave her a gentle scratch behind the ear. "Yukiko, exterminate this pest."
The Alolan Ninetales offers her trainer a single nod. She suddenly bounded forward, slamming down in front of the scattering Larvesta. A sharp, frosty breath formed around the muzzle of the Pokémon, before suddenly snapping open and shooting forth a frigid Ice Beam in the direction of the bug.
"Snom, mirror coat!"
As the elegant Pokemon fired its attack, a pair of intruders burst into the large cavern, running towards the bug - a purple-haired girl and a boy in a white coat. As the latter called for her to halt her attack, a Snom leaped out of his front pocket and threw itself between the blast and Larvesta, its icy body glowing a bright pink. The Ninetales' beam reflected off of the Mirror Coat just in time, blocking the hit and reflecting it back into the nearby rocks.
Agent 7 raised an eyebrow, glancing over in the direction of both Haleigh and Simon. A look of absolute disgust came to the woman's facial features. Clearly, she was not impressed by either of the two young trainers.
"More abominations on my stage?" Agent 7 groaned. "I'm firing the guards… They know I don't perform in front of a live audience…"
Haleigh - learning her lesson from her fight with Rory - brought a hand to her jacket pocket and took out two of the Pokeballs contained within before she did anything else. Upon unlatching the balls, Corey and Reyna popped out of them and looked around, seeing that once again Haleigh had gotten herself into the thrust of another conflict.
"Here now, we don't want any trouble," came the deep voice of the Mustache Man as he arrived with Aeliana. "We'll just grab the worm and leave you to it, madame."
"Yeah, that's my Pokemon you were about to attack, lady!" Simon growled as he ran to put himself between Larvesta and the Ninetales, picking up Snom as she continued to hiss at the much larger ice-type. Luckily Larvesta seemed to have gotten the message, and he ducked into Simon's pocket in fear.
"Okay now, let's all just… calm down," Aeliana spoke. She raised her hands up slightly, as if trying to signify to the woman and the people in the black suits that she and her friends weren't here to cause any trouble. "Simon here was just worried about his Larvesta. We'll just take it and head out of here and you guys can do… whatever it is you're doing. No harm, no fuss, none of that."
Agent 7 looked about the cavern. Her eyes widened at the sight of Mustache, before hardening into a scowl that spoke volumes of repulsion. She briskly began to walk forward, stopping shortly in front of the man in question. Her nose crinkled slightly at the questionable odor that was coming off him. It was clearly taking every fiber of her being to not let her stomach churn.
"Listen here, you detestable excuse of a human being. I thought I told you to get out of my sight," Agent 7 spat. Her voice grew in anger with every word she spoke. "Now you come wandering back like some handicapped Slowpoke, and you bring more vermin to my perfect stage?! I thought you were just repulsive, but clearly you've not a brain inside that filthy head of yours either!"
Mustache wilted a little under the woman's words, and looked ashamedly at the floor. "Forgive me, madame. I will not return again," he said quietly.
Suddenly, one of the guards which had been dealing with the intruder earlier spoke up, realizing something. "M-miss seven! We're missing one of the wishing stones!" he exclaimed. "That kid's Pokemon must've stolen one!"
Aeliana winced at the cry from the hired hand. Agent 7 locked eyes with the blue-haired trainer at this moment as well. Both of the women slowly glanced over in the direction of Simon's Larvesta, where sure enough they noticed a rather fancy looking rock curled tightly in its grasp. The bug seemed to notice the attention being drawn to him. His feelers wrapped around the rock tighter, as if it was the most precious treasure he had ever held in his life.
Agent 7 peeled her eyes away from Larvesta, before looking towards Mustache yet again. "I'm growing tired of this. Get those vile vermin and that Pokémon away from my Wishing Stars, or so help me there's not going to be a piece of you left that anyone can identify as human, do you understand?!"
"Oi, who're you callin' vermin, lady?!" Haleigh exclaimed, taking a step towards the other woman. "I ain't about to let some hoity-toity prick tell me-"
"Get behind us!" the smelly man bellowed suddenly, whipping his hand forward in a blur as he moved towards Simon and Haleigh. A ball flew into the air and there was a tall Stonjourner dropping into position between Haleigh and the nearest black-suited grunts. The big Rock took in the situation with mild interest before its Trainer barked it an order. "Cover your eyes!" The Stonjourner slapped one big square hand over its face, grumbling affirmation, as Mustache came beside Simon. "Give them back their stone and fall back, we don't belong here," he said severely.
"Wait!" Simon exclaimed, standing beside Haleigh looking at Agent 7 defiantly, "I know who these people are- they're the same criminals I ran into in the wild area! If they think they can intimidate all of us this time, well they'll have to try again!" He gestured with his head at the massive Stonjourner.
"Simon, I really think that maybe we should take this guy's advice…?" Aeliana suggested. A nervous smile graced her lips as she took a step closer towards the shorter of the two. "You got some gumption, buddy. But… we're super out-numbered here…"
"I don't have the time or will to deal with this refuse…" Agent 7 sighed. "If they aren't going to take the blue-haired one's advice then I've little choice." She glanced over her shoulder, the multitude of those in black suits suddenly all brandishing poké balls. "Show them the way out, but… try not to make too much of a mess on my set."
"Simon," Mustache said low to the spunky Bug Trainer, "it is not for us to play hero. Be ready to turn tail if things get too hot here. You two as well," he added to the girls.
Haleigh scoffed at his exclamation. "What d'ya mean it ain't the time to play hero, they're gettin' their Pokemon ready and everythin'! I ain't gonna let someone get the jump on me again!"
Agent 7 merely rolled her eyes in response. "Someone of my calibur is not about to get her hands dirty with this garbage." She turned to her black-clad associates, and gave them a single nod. "Get these vermin off my stage, now!"
Joint post of Orx of Twinlead, Stinging Bea, Fen-fen and Foxrally
Galar Mine 2 was significantly less developed and occupied than its predecessor. It had been a new operation founded by the conglomerate that was Macro Cosmos, but the company had become embroiled in its whole 'end of the world' controversy before anything concrete could be laid down. The 'mine' was reclaimed by the state soon after and now ownership of the land was up for debate bar some land purchased recently by the railways companies of Galar.
It gave the place a haunting sort of feeling. Covered in eerie blue light and the reflections of crystals across water. It was a natural paradise untainted by the hands of man, yet the remains of human interference were clearly present. Half-dug, unnatural caverns, potholes of mined ore, here and there, the foot traffic from Hulbury to Motostoke. It existed in a strange twilight state, held in the clutches of nature and man in an uneasy balance.
It somehow made Raphael feel right at home and oddly uneasy at exactly the same time.
Perhaps he was being a little too philosophical about the whole thing, but the young trainer had been thinking about the mine's odd sort of in between since he had stepped inside. With no luck in reconvening with the people he was looking for, Simon perhaps most prominently given the events of the city prior, he had decided to press on and find his friends on the road. He hadn't had the courage to just text them… and it wasn't really his style anyway. Even if he wanted to try and be a bit more proactive with them, well, it still made him feel uneasy and it was still a whole lot of effort to go that far. He was hoping it'd be like before and he'd just stumble onto someone he knew who'd sweep him into some crazy circumstance or adventure. Who would have thought he'd be hoping for that now?
He took a quick look at his phone to check the time, it was a little past seven-thirty in the PM. He'd have to stop walking soon if he didn't want to push himself too far. This place was dark and damp as Galar Mine 1, but much longer to boot. If he wanted to rest, he'd have to set up some kind of campsite inside of the cave itself. On his shoulder, Lumi the litwick shuddered as a cold breeze shook passed. He had let the small pokémon glob onto his shoulder as normal, a literal light to guide his way, but even the litwick was starting to get tired of all this idling.
It was the responsible thing to do, to find a place to rest even if he wanted to keep going. That in mind, Raph began to search for an open, clean-ish clearing where he could collect himself for the day that would follow.
Further ahead in the mine, Arrietty stood before a body of water. She'd similarly disliked the feel of this damp, dark cave so far, but this place, a small underground lake, had something magical. She found herself in a large, open room in the cave, flanked by the water on one side. A narrow path led on by the water's edge, deeper into the cave, but there were other roads to take out of this hallway as well.
She approached to where her toes almost touched the water's edge. From this perspective, the perfectly still lake reflected her surroundings like a mirror, as if she were walking on its surface. The walls were covered with small, faintly shimmering crystals. For just a second, Arrietty imagined she was floating among stars. A slight smile played on her lips, amused by the silliness of her own thoughts, and she turned around to her companion.
Before she knew it, the Milcery by her side floated out over the water herself, equally mesmerized by the view. She twirled and glided in the air, as though she were dancing, and watched her trainer expectantly. Relieved to finally see her relax a little, Arrietty took the cue, and quietly sung her favourite song. Her voice reverberated pleasantly in the silent hall of the mine, and she sat down in the sand to watch the performance.
A short distance away, Raphael still meandered his way through the cavernous stone of the cave. Lumi's waxy body was wilting a little and leaning against his trainers neck tiredly as they still sought a place to rest for the evening. It felt pretty aimless, the navigation app on his phone only sometimes worked well enough to plot a course South and the only way to stay safe was to stick to the path most taken.
Yet as he walked, he swore he heard something echoing through the caverns that surrounded him. It was faint and distant, he could barely pick up on it at all. It was the sound of a song, bouncing gently against the walls of the mines to reach him. He stopped in place and listened, unable to shake the feeling that the sound was oddly familiar. Lumi slowly perked up too, righting himself a little on Raphael's shoulder and blinking the sleep from his eyes.
"You hear it too, Lumi?" Raphael asked, to which the little Litwick nodded. Raph turned his head towards the source of the sound and his eyes widened a little. He did recognize this voice, even if he had never seen her singing. Without a mote of hesitation he deviates from the main path, stepping past hanging pillars of stone to follow the song echoing its way to its ears.
Until eventually he spies her. Standing at the edge of the clearing, just out of sight, Raphael spots Arri singing pleasantly to a Milcery hovering over a large body of water. He catches himself a little, waiting a moment, unsure of how to speak up, considering whether or not he should interrupt at all. His eyes settle into a calm, apathetic expression by default. It should have been easy for him to place himself before her and yet…
It really was a lovely song.
A moment or more passes as he listens, before Raphael shakes his head, mild irritation at his lack of action breaking through. He quietly steps out into the clearing, a few feet from her now, but still out of sight and speaks quietly, with familiarity, to try and avoid startling her. "...Arri?"
Immediately, the singing ceased, and Arrietty looked over her shoulder with fright. She'd been listening for anyone to come near enough to hear, but perhaps she let her guard down too far. If nothing else, it was up again now, and she kept perfectly still to listen for where the voice had come from. The Milcery, too, hurried back to her trainer's side, wary of whatever intruder was hiding in the shadows.
When he stepped into view, Arrietty had to do a double-take. "Wh— Raphael!?" Why of all people... wait, did he hear her singing? Arrietty wished the ground would swallow her, but when it didn't, she struggled not to avert her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"I'd imagine the same thing as you." He responds, he had expected her fright, but his cool demeanor was unchanged. Even in the face of this girl, this girl who tended to change his reactions, he was relatively collected now. Perhaps that state, this time, was born purely of a desire to help her feel at ease. "Just looking for a place to rest on the trek forward." He let a small, soft smile form and his gaze relaxed. "To be honest, I'm glad I found you… I've been looking for you." The statement was outlandishly bold considering the circumstances, so he quickly clarified. "Since, back then, I mean… I ran after you but, well, you know how things were." A fragment of awkwardness weaseled its way back into his disposition.
"E-Either way… It's good to see you, really." He rubbed the back of his neck a little awkwardly, causing the litwick on his shoulder to wobble slightly.
Lumi's attention was directed to Milcery however. The small ghost type had never seen a creature, he felt, that so closely resembled himself and yet, was so fundamentally different.
"That was you, I take it?" Raph addressed the elephant in the room, the case of Arrietty's song. "I didn't know you had such a great voice, probably not the intention, but it was your singing that led me here."
That confirmed her suspicions. She resisted cursing herself out loud, but she turned away, back towards the waterfront, and struggled to come up with a response.
"I um… I guess. I-I mean, thank you. No but, I mean, I didn't intend for anyone to overhear or anything, I didn't think I was being loud enough for it to be heard outside this room, so—"
She had to just stop herself from speaking altogether to keep this flood of abject nonsense from escaping her mouth. And she even managed to make him worry since their last unfortunate encounter? Just how much of a child did he think she was by now, she wondered?
A quiet sigh escaped her lips, resigning to her having already ruined this interaction, but her Pokémon partner had been mostly oblivious to the awkwardness in the air. The Milcery curiously eyed the unfamiliar Pokémon and trainer, and seemed equally intrigued by Lumi. For a few seconds, she stared at each of them curiously, before seemingly catching herself. She quickly floated down onto Arrietty's shoulder, imitating Lumi's position on Raph's, and continuing to shyly peek out at the others from behind her trainer's head.
Raph's eyes softened a little in response to the gaze of the Milcery and Arrietty's reaction. She seemed more than a little embarrassed, he supposed that only made sense. He didn't tend to get embarrassed very often, it was an almost alien feeling for him, yet with her it cropped up more than he would like.
Lumi seemed even more intrigued as the small fairy type watched him in turn, mimicking his position on their own trainers head. His flame flickered a little as he leaned forward for a closer look, curious to get a better look at his yellower counterpart. "...wicku..?" He mumbled to himself, not very coherently on account of his being already exhausted from the travel thus far.
At the same time, Raphael moved to stand in stride with Arrietty and looked at her curiously, not inquisitively or questioningly mind you, but a comfortable sort of intrigue accompanied by a soft expression. "You don't need to worry so much, you know? At least not around me maybe." He followed his words with a similar gaze over the still water. "...I've been meaning to tell you something, actually."
Wait, what was he supposed to say next?
The thought of his recent conversation with his mother and the incident with Simon as fresh in his mind. The blue, heart shaped pin shimmered from the crystals light on his chest. What was it he wanted to say to this girl? Across their various meetings he had always felt comfortable around her and fighting by her side, he had developed a respect for her too. So what was it he wanted to say? What thought was his mind putting forward that his lips were struggling to follow now? He looked at her with that same curious expression for a moment and started to feel embarrassed too. She met his eyes, her face still somewhat flushed, but his words and expression piqued her curiosity enough to hold his gaze this time.
If it was okay to let people get a little closer, then was it alright to- Was this the right time to- Would this put her at ease? Would it put him at ease?
He had been looking for Arrietty for some time, since Turfield, despite his trepidation about other people. In reality, she had been one of the people to make him reconsider quite a lot of things about his current situation.
So what… was he supposed to say next?
"I think I'm-"
Suddenly the surface of the pristine water was disturbed, bubbles rapidly began to rise from the surface and what looked like two shapes rapidly started to rise up towards the pair of trainers.
"Carmen!" Responding quickly to what could be a threat, Raphael unclipped and released a pokémon from the capsule on his belt. His trusty Magikarp surged forth and plunged into the water, ready for a conflict… but what she saw was something else altogether.
Catherine emerged spluttering and coughing from beneath the surface, gasping for air. They had just barely been able to make it through the tunnel and to the safety of breathable air. Indra popped up next to her a moment later, nonplussed and Pia shortly after.
"Indra, we're going to have to have a discussion about human lung capaci - oh come on." Catherine trailed off, squinting through the droplets on her glasses as she realised they were even less alone in the new cavern than she had expected. That realisation only got worse when she realised who the other people present were.
Pia coughed up some water, only barely been able to not drown in what had seemed to be an endless tunnel of water. It took a while for her to catch her breath but once she did and looked up, she found a surprisingly pleasant sight in front of her.
"Arrietty?" She called out, trying to hide the smile that she felt creeping on her face. Glancing a little more to the side she saw Raphael. "Raph too?" The surprise was evident from her voice while she tried to pull herself out from the water. It was very cold after all…
Raph's resulting expression was a slightly raised eyebrow and a mix of annoyance and relief. He was both annoyed that whatever thought he was stringing together was interrupted, yet relieved that he didn't have to find the words to finish it. "Bit of a weird place to take a dip, don't you think?" He mumbled, barely audible enough for the rest to hear, but quickly he nods to his Magikarp, who is looking up at him expectantly. Carmen, in response, swam out closer to the half familiar pair and positioned herself underneath Pia, who didn't have the support of another water type, swimming a little quicker to drag her to the shore.
"Pia?!" Arrietty was similarly taken aback, having instinctually stepped away from the water's edge even. Immediately, her embarrassment was gone, replaced by worry for her friend as she moved up to help her out of the water. The Milcery on her shoulder held onto her tightly, cautiously peeking out at the new arrivals as well. "Are you okay? Why were you in the water?"
"Well, that's a long story haha." Pia showed her a sheepish grin. "The short version is: Milla angered an Onix, we had to run and found ourselves at a dead end. A small lake with a tunnel was the only way out of there." She brushed her wet locks out of her face.
"Pretty much sums it up." With a degree of reluctance, Catherine climbed out of the lake into the company of the other trainers, Indra hopping up next to her and greeting them cheerily.
"...right." Raph couldn't really think of anything to say to the yarn that had just been spun. If half the things that had happened to him on his adventure thus far, he mightn't have even believed them. Yet here they were, so he couldn't call them wrong. "Well good thing you're here and safe now… this place seems a lot more dangerous than the first mine." His eyes flashed to Catherine as he said those words.
He hadn't encountered her since Galar Mine 1… and their interaction had been curt to put it very lightly. He had cut her down for the sake of Simon, ironically considering current circumstances. Thoughts of that interaction had swarmed his mind occasionally since that day, but he had seen not hide nor hair of her since. "It's a good thing you had a water type handy, last I checked Pia doesn't have any on her team." His eyes flashed to Indra, the Poliwag on the floor. He had met this pokémon once before, under those same strenuous circumstances.
He quickly however, turned to look at the two soaking wet girls standing at the edge of the water. His face settling into one of confusion once more. "I didn't know you two were friends..?"
"What?" Catherine said, looking back and forth between Raph and Pia for a moment. "...no."
"We merely encountered each other." Pia scoffed and shrugged. Moments later a Pokéball burst open and Milla appeared before them. The Pikachu waved at the two trainers she had already met before.
"...I see." Raph looked less than amused. These two were definitely an odd mix, but it was strange to see them be so immediately dismissive of his words when they had just survived a near death experience together. He supposed he'd never really understand some people.
Next to Pia, Arrietty awkwardly looked between her, Raphael, and the unfamiliar girl she'd arrived with. Or wait, she wasn't entirely unfamiliar, she realised… but the dynamic between them was strange without doubt, and Arrietty thought better of commenting on it.
"Ah but I hope we weren't interrupting something with this strange endeavour." Pia started apologizing with a grin. "Do you mind if I or…" Pia glanced at Catherine for only a moment.. "If we tagged along for a bit?"
"I don't see why that would be a problem, I only just got here myself, so you're not interrupting anything on my end." Raph gave no rise to the grin on Pia's face, he hadn't seen her since he had last met Arrietty as well. The Turffield contest. Memories of the event were bubbling up in his mind, he thought better than to mention it. "But it was Arrietty's spot to begin with, so I'm not in a position to give you a yes or no."
"H-huh? Oh," Arrietty looked flustered, not having expected conversation to move towards her. "No, I mean, that's fine…"
His gaze shifted around the room a little awkwardly. He wasn't entirely sure what to say next and that aura of uncertainty was fit to be cut with a knife. Arrietty seemed uneasy, Catherine was… Catherine. Even if he didn't care much for their last encounter he was fairly certain she hadn't forgotten it. Pia seemed content, but Raph wasn't certain she'd pick up on the tension as quickly as he did. He did have a bit of a knack for reading the room, somehow.
"Do you know the way out then?" Catherine asked, looking to Raph and Arrietty, "Neither of us know where we are now."
Arrietty hesitated to answer, but since Raph had called this her spot, she supposed she was the best person for the job, after all. Except, she doubted her answer was what Catherine wanted to hear. "Er, we're in Galar Mine 2 still. I was just going to keep following the path by the water, should be the right direction…"
"No kidding," Catherine replied. Was this girl stupid? Or did she think she was? Of course they were still in the mine.
"That being said…" Raphael spoke again, lamenting the fact that he had to be the one to drive a conversation, how messed up was that given his previous perceptions? "...maybe it would be safer to-"
His eyes widened and his words were cut across by a sudden sensation he felt. He froze in place momentarily and felt a horrible shiver run down his spine, his eyes widening into two pools of blue. It felt wrong, like someone, like something, was crying out in agony. Like torture, but he couldn't hear the screams, he could feel them. It was like what had happened back on Route 3 but amplified… and it was coming from somewhere nearby.
He stood there stunned for a moment, unsure of what to say, uncertain of how to proceed. Nobody else was reacting to the sensation in the same way that he was. Did they not notice…? That was impossible, the sensation was so powerful. They couldn't feel it at all. This was only him. "Something-" As he spoke he found himself choking momentarily on his breath, he had to steady himself to continue. "Something's wrong."
"No kidding." Catherine glanced sidewards at Pia who noticed the girl's glance and smiled annoyingly back. Though, Raph's reaction struck Pia as odd.
"What do you mean something is wrong?" Pia asked, being much more serious now.
A second sensation came now, a loud rumbling sound, the light vibration of the ground beneath their feet, ripples upon the water the girls had just come from. There was no doubt this time that they all felt its effects. It echoed from further in, down a nearby passageway. They were far off the beaten trail, a fair toss away from where the average traveller would wander. Yet there was something down that forgotten tunnel, just barely in view of where they were standing. Something dark.
The rippling water, the sound, the trembling earth below, the source of it all came from there.
"What the hell is that…?" Pia felt her feet tremble below her. Milla ran back to her and jumped back on her shoulder, startled from the sudden trembling as well. The usual joyful Milla also looked more seriously now.
"..." Raph stared silently at the dark, empty path now opened before him. That feeling, that sickening feeling. It had hit him like a wave, coming from the same place. Whatever was down there was bad, it was wrong on a fundamental level.
So what was he going to do?
Steeling himself and gripping the folds of his jacket tightly, he starts to step in the direction of the open tunnel. "...I'm going to check it out, it could be dangerous."
"Well don't go alone, idiot," Catherine said, "Do you want to die young?"
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with her." Pia sighed. "Together you stand stronger than alone. Right, Arrietty?" Pia turned her face towards the usually timid girl with a smile in an attempt to get her back into the conversation.
Arrietty's gaze was similarly fixed on the cavern the sound had come from. The tension in her body seemed to crawl over her back before settling in her stomach. She hadn't sensed what Raph had, but whatever was in there was bad news. Trying to swallow her nerves away, she responded to Pia's comment with a demure smile and nod, and waited for the others to take the lead to enter.
Our heroes' journey takes them once again to the bustling city of Motostoke, the hustlebustle of this industrial town a welcome relief from the darkness and cramped atmosphere of Galar Mine 2 - not to mention the precarious encounters some of them may have gone through…
Now with a badge or two under their belts, will they be able to face down the unwavering power and burning rage of Kabu? Whether they have faced him before or it is their first time, Kabu is often considered a major roadblock for the Galar gym challenge, and a rite of passage for any trainer entering it. Will our trainers make it through the flames unscathed?
WILD POKÉMON AVAILABLE THIS STAGE
Pokémon Available to those with an Old Rod:
Pokémon Available via Gym Mission:
Pokémon Available to those on Mission 2 with an Old Rod:
Pokémon Available to those on Mission 5:
Great Ball or Better Required:
.
MISSIONS:
[OPEN][GYM] ★ 1:
Kabu is once again ready to battle! Pit your best Pokemon against his ace, Centiskorch, and survive through his blazing displays of power to earn yourself the fire badge!
Note: If you have already faced down Kabu in the previous Motostoke stage and completed his mission, you are not required to re-attempt the mission.
GYM BATTLE - VS. KABU
Spoiler:
The man of fire, Hoenn born, hailing from Lavaridge Town Kabu uses the strength of flame to burn down his opponents with his partner Cenitskorch. Overcome his Gym Mission and challenge him to battle if you feel up to the task!
Gym Mission:
Kabu wishes to test your ability to capture new pokémon while under pressure. The following wild pokémon have been released into a special fire type environment within the gym itself, capture one to prove your worth. Be ready however, gym trainers working under Kabu will be working against you as you attempt your captures. Can you manage to catch one of the wild mon while battling against your opponent? You can even keep the pokémon you capture if you like!
Battle!
Upon completing the Gym Mission, Kabu will challenge you to a 1v1 battle! In this fight, select whatever pokémon you like to face off against Kabu's Centiskorch! You might think this gives you the advantage, but don't underestimate the burning man of Hoenn. He assures you he's ready for anything you throw his way... and he's got the firepower to back up those claims. Kabu battles with a clam measure of defense and offense, with the skill and precision of a veteran battler. When he needs to go on the defensive he's agile, smart and attentive. When the time comes to bring the heat he's merciless, quick and decisive. A mix of a no holds barred battle style and a measured defensive rhythm, Kabu is no pushover.
Pokémon: CENTISKORCH:
Moves:
- Sunny Day
- Bug Bite
- Fire Lash
- Scald
- Thunder Fang
- Solarbeam
Ability:
- White Smoke
[OPEN][CATCH CHANCE!] Mission 1:
The smuggler incident of route 5 has affected more locations downstream, and now several non-native fish Pokemon have wandered into the polluted waters of the Motostoke river. The Motostoke city council has deployed its best fishermen to handle the situation and clear out the river, both for the sake of the people and the health of the Pokemon themselves. They would probably be grateful for some free assistance and who knows- you might get something out of it! If you don't have an old rod, you could perhaps buy one from a fisherman, if your trainer can afford it. Reward: 1 x Good rod
Mission 2:
Though the disappearances in Motostoke have slowed down since our trainers' last visit, it seems the police are still struggling to find a culprit, and many are complaining that the brass are twiddling their thumbs while more people continue to get taken away. Perhaps a clue can be found in Motostoke's less tourist-friendly districts... Reward: 1 x Spell Tag
Mission 3:
Play Ball! Legends state that a legendary team of the greatest players in the universe all merge together to play out the most epic baseball game the world, the universe, and all the multiverse has seen. Are you game? Join for a single quick baseball game as part of the Poison Dustox! Reward: TM Toxic
Mission 4:
The Fire Festival! Fire represents our passions, compulsion, zeal, creativity, and motivation. It had great power for forging will and determination. Motostoke is planning a celebration of flames, to honor the hot-blooded, passionate trainers who walk through the region. As such, a small battling event will be taking place! Will you take part? Reward: Medal of Flames + TM Sunny Day
[CATCH CHANCE!] Mission 5:
Monkey see, monkey do… and these monkeys have seen a hell of a lot of crime recently. That's right, a group of Aipom have gone ahead and learned "Thief" to put it lightly. With flexible tails and sticky fingers they're grabbing anything they can before fleeing deeper into the concrete jungle and people are pretty rightfully peeved. Find these simmering simians and put their ringleader Ambipom in its place! Reward: TM Thief
Mission 6:
The Battle Cafe is in need again, everyone is in a frenzy for the upcoming Gym Battle and everyone is desperate for some comfort food while they watch it on the tele! The café's response to this? Add a Galar classic to the take out menu, curry! Will you lend them a hand? Cleaning, cooking, or battling some customers? Order up! Reward: Curry Making Kit + TM Incinerate
Mission 7:
As you walk down the roads of Motostoke, a Herdier of all things runs up to approach you. Not a common pokémon for these parts, it seems to be in a bit of a panic. Desperately it tried to lead you away… to where it's owner, a little girl, has tumbled down into one of the ravines below. Reward: Shell Bell + 400 Poké
Mission 8:
Exploring the streets of the now familiar city, a bellow echoes across the city and Murkrow begin to fly in an erratic panic in response. Who else could it be but the commanding presence of the Record Shop owner? A band of pokémon with the move "Round" have decided to put on a special performance on his street, singing some god awful and out of tune songs together. It's really hurting his business but they're too powerful together for him to take on alone… Reward: Flapple zPod + TM Grass Whistle
[MULTI] Mission 9:
The Pokémon Adoption Centre has more Pokémon to adopt. So, if you are a big hearted trainer, you're more than welcome to adopt any stray and abandoned Pokémon they have. Thank you for giving these guys a new home. Reward: One of the following pokémon. Mention which one you want in your mission claim.
Houndour
Espurr
Cubone
Galarian Farfetch'd
Cleffa
Mission 10:
The PokeSamurais of Hope is in production! It's an upcoming anime about The PokeSamurai, a group of Pokémon defenders who use powers from Ancient Pokémon to do battle against their eternal foes: The PokeMakai; sinister Ghost Pokémon, whose goal is to plunge the world into darkness. The first episode of the series will begin as a pilot to the entire show, and they're looking for solid people who can play roles! Are you talented enough to try out?
Reward: 500 Poke + Baton Pass TM
Mainquest Start! Nine Players: Valerie Amity, Clovis, Xan, & Rosa Valdés
Press START!
In front of more members of the same group was a woman, dressed in similar attire, with a cigarette in her hand. Valerie could almost sense it immediately. There was something… different about this woman. Her stature seemed cold, and uninviting. She stared, with icy eyes towards the group, smoking another joint.
"M-Ma'am," one of the men greeted her. "We were just about to finish our assignment when these kids—"
"...Save your breath," she said, still with her cigarette in hand. "I can hear you from back there. Now, let's have a look..." She then approached the children, still with a calm demeanor. "...Valerie, I take it?"
"W-Weh?" Valerie shrieked in bewilderment. "You know my name?" The woman didn't answer. Instead, she continuously was occupied with the cigarette she was puffing into. Then... a tense silence.
"Well?" demanded Valerie.
"...Magic."
"Liar! Even I'm not dumb enough to believe THAT."
"...You're so mistrusting," the woman responded, shaking her head. "...We know you all. Clovis, Rosa, and Xan. All part of the Wedgehurst academy, and participants of the Gym League. How charming."
Xan scoffed, "Am I supposed to believe today is some sort of public holiday dedicated to nosiness?" They closed the lid of their laptop, finished at last, and began packing up their things. "Why did nobody tell me?"
The Pokémon at their side seemed more concerned than the human was - the Abra was watching the situation intently, arms at their sides, and the Psyduck sat shivering and intimidated upon his rock.
Rosa placed her hand against her chest, feeling her heartbeat starting to pick up as the Cutiefly which had been nuzzled against her began to shiver. There was definitely something about this woman… something unsettling, frightening even… maybe even moreso than Priscilla had been, despite not having a literal gun to her head at the moment.
Archimedes also seemed a bit perturbed by the woman. It eyed her cautiously, but still stood at attention. But, with less confidence than before. All of this playing out, Clovis could feel himself shrink before the exuding aura of this new face. The nausea, now becoming more intense. "H-How do you know about us so specifically?" How he tried to question, only to falter in place.
The woman stared coldly at Clovis. "...You kids have been problematic for us," she explained. "So, it was only natural that we did some research. Who would've thought that the same children popped up on television for all of Galar to see? But enough about that." She took the cigarette in her fingers and crushed it with her whole hand. "I don't like doing this to children… but, you left us no choice."
No fear, no hesitation in her quiet speech escaped her lips with her command to her supposed underlings. "Swarm them."
"W-Wha?! Hey, hold in a sec—" Valerie pleaded.
But quickly as the order passed, the suits gathered in front of Valerie, Clovis, Rosa and Xan. A few more of them came from the over tunnels, making them completely outnumbered and surrounded. The commander woman did so as well. Their intent was a hostile one. "If you want to place blame," the woman directed to Clovis, Rosa and Xan. "Blame that streamer girl over there for interfering with us. And the rest of your classmates… I imagine they will all meet the same fate soon enough."
Rosa shrunk, having no idea what it was she'd done to irritate the mafia so much… It wasn't until the boss of the suits said to blame Valerie that she finally found herself at a point of understanding. They weren't here for her, they just wanted Valerie. And now she found herself coming to terms with the irony of the situation, having put herself into the very same position that she often put others in order to protect herself. She didn't believe Valerie didn't do it on purpose, and there was of course, the argument of whether or not she even could do something like that on purpose. But that didn't change the fact of the matter… whatever Valerie and her other classmates had apparently done to irritate the mafia, it didn't look like they were going to be getting off easy with some small deliveries.
"Same fate...?" Xan echoed confusedly, continuing to shove things into their backpack as the Abra and Psyduck scrambled over to the psychic's side. "What are you talking about? Have you listened to yourself? Why are you-?" They made a shooing motion to the suits who seemed to be approaching them specifically. "Stop coming over here, I've got no idea what's going on other than I'm not involved. If this is some kind of social experiment or stage play or whatever, Valerie, you should know I don't consent to any of this rubbish."
"No, Xannie..." Valerie tried clearing up, shaking her head. "It's not like that—"
"I… I… w-what the hell is h-happening? A-All this for o-one streamer? I am… I am a genius! I have much more important t-things to l-live for t-than this! C-criminal org-ganization o-or n-not, y-you'll have t-to deal with m-me!" Clovis, shaking in place, stood forward, beads of sweat beginning to roll down his forehead. Archimedes, seeing this newfound… bravery(?), the Wild Pigeon sprang to Clovis' side, cawed proudly once more, and flapped furiously.
"Clo-bro, calm down!" Valerie warned. "We can make through this together and—"
"...A genius?" The suited woman had almost scoffed to the shaky Clovis. "I see..."
Again, he could feel himself becoming dwarfed by her very presence. Now that her attention was directed at him, the bile rose higher within him. He stood there, as did his Tranquill. But, in an instant, a thought flashed through his mind. Valerie's face. Her warm, welcoming smile. Her boundless enthusiasm, and outward friendliness. He didn't really like the idea of interacting with her… but he also didn't like the idea of Valerie being hurt. The other trainers are okay, I guess… but I refuse to die in a cave with these suits! With a gulp, Clovis raised his head back to meet the gaze of the woman, while stepping in front of Valerie.
"O-One of the top s-students, and grandson of one of the greatest minds in Galar! I will b-be a scientist, and carry on his legacy!" Again, he gulped, trying to keep his gut in check. Archimedes remained at Clovis' side, refusing to back down.
"I see. Well then…" the woman made a signal with one of her hands, apparently calling for her men to back down. Then with the same hand, she snapped her fingers. With that signal, another suited man approached her with a suitcase of sorts, and opened it up. Inside, there was one single Dark Ball, the same type as all those members had used.
"Ma'am… if I may?" the subordinate spoke. "Why bother?"
She took the ball from the case. "...Call this a whim," she had finally answered, facing back to Clovis.
Valerie blinked. "What are you—"
"Let's test that confidence of yours out, shall we?" She casually threw her ball to the floor, sending out a fairly large red, furry looking Pokémon. An Arcanine. The Arcanine did not roar or cry upon release, as it remained as it was, with a blank look on its face. "Clovis. If you can beat my chosen Pokémon, I'll let you all go. Let's see if your genius is the real deal."
Seeing this Arcanine was… quite confusing to Clovis. An Arcanine that wasn't it's normal coloring, or it's "shiny" variation. This just raised more questions to Clovis about who these people were. What they're doing, how they're doing it, and why? Regardless, Clovis was met with an odd Pokemon, but just as equally as intimidating as the woman. That, and he's pretty much now being called out.
Oh. Good. This can only end well… I'll have to fight incredibly defensively. Chances are absolutely slim, but the chance still exists. "A-Archimedes, I need your assistance. L-Let's go!" With a hefty flap, Archimedes flew forward and faced the Arcanine.
Meanwhile, the woman lit up another cigarette. "Go on then," she taunted. "First strike is yours."
Gritting his teeth, Clovis stood straight and glared in response to her facetious attitude. "Archimedes, use Swagger!" Just as he did against the suits, Archimedes flared out his wings and cawed proudly, his call echoing throughout the cavern. Eyes, sharply trained at Arcanine, it glared as it continued to caw and flap.
But as it continued, the Arcanine remained as it was. Coupled with the woman's nonchalant attitude, it was clear, this had no effect. The woman then held out her hand, showing out three of her fingers. "That's one," she said, curling down one of her fingers, now holding two of them. "I'll give you two more freebies. I'm waiting."
Wha… What? What is this? Arcanine has no ability to negate confusion… something is incredibly wrong here. Is it a Ditto? Is this a fake-out? "Archimedes, fly into the air, and then use Air Cutter!" But, he saw his Tranquill hesitate. It stood there, motionless. "Archimedes! Wake up! We have to win this!" "Crr...Crrrrrr," it cooed sheepishly, turning to Clovis. "Believe in me, just as I believe in you now. Fly!" He nodded, and took flight, flying above the Arcanine. "Crrr-AW!" Whipping up a gust as it flapped with more power, blades of air sailed downwards towards the opponent.
The gusts came in contact against the Arcanine, even going as far as knocking it away a few feet. But, after the assault, the Arcanine remained on its feet, still wearing the same expression. Despite the powerful attack, it looked like it didn't even feel any pain, no matter how strong it was. Or… did it not know how to feel pain? "...One more chance," the woman spoke. "Well?"
Rosa grimaced, feeling the weight of their impending defeat quickly making itself at home upon her shoulders as the 'battle' carried on. 'If only he hadn't been so full of himself, then maybe…' she shook her head. This was different from the Darkrai that she'd been tormented by. It didn't seem that this Pokemon was simply so much stronger than Clovis that his attacks weren't affecting it, but something else entirely was going on… did it have something to do with those dark balls? What was so special about them anyways? She'd delivered one to Tavi - had she also been delivering one to Priscilla as well? If these people weren't referencing her involvement in particular, were they even part of the Southern Galar mafias, or some other group entirely? But then… why were the balls the same?
The girl felt a chill run down her spine as she tapped the center button of her pokeball, ready to release Wyatt and cause a cave-in with the Pokemon's screams so they could escape. She'd been warned a number of times previously about not doing that very thing, but at this moment, it seemed like their best bet. As it was, this battle was going nowhere, and there wasn't much else she herself could do… except for that as she tried to dig up the courage to actually release the Pokemon, she hesitated. Was this… fear? Or was it something else… something… nagging at the back of her mind. A whisper trying to remind her of a better option. She dropped the ball back into her pocket, feeling the styler just beside where the ball landed. She'd had no real success with it in the past, but maybe… maybe this feeling she was having would prove to make a difference? In any case, she'd have to wait for the right time to bust it out, otherwise it would be a simple matter to knock it away.
"As thrilling as this is, I have places to be," came Xan's dry voice from the back. They moved immediately to leave down one of the side tunnels, Abra and Psyduck sticking closely to their sides. "Excuse me."
Two of the suits moved to block the path out, arms folded in front of them as though they were bouncers. Side by side, a well-dressed wall.
"You aren't going anywhere, kid," said one of them.
"Yeah, sure-" Xan leant back to yell behind them, "Leaving now! Suggest you do the same." They glanced down to their left and the Abra met their gaze with a nod. In an instant the Psychic Pokémon snaked a hand around to the Psyduck, and the three vanished only to appear further down the side tunnel. The two suits flinched and turned about, caught between blocking the way out and trying to retrieve the escaped Wedgehurst graduate.
"Don't let him get away!" the woman shouted, ordering the men to hunt them down. But, she still remained focused on Clovis.
Everything happening around Clovis began to swirl, his vision getting blurry as the danger settled into his psyche. "AIR CUTTER!" Again, Archimedes desperately rained down a swift barrage of blades made of air. Beads of sweat rolled down Clovis' head, his eyes bulging in terror as he could see that this was a fruitless affair, and that he was going to die. Falling to the ground on his knees, he only watched as the attack began to reach the bizarre Arcanine. Tears, rolling down his face as he felt himself shrink, and his being grow cold.
The blades made their way towards the target, and the endless barrages even made contact with the ground, resulting in a collision that made the tunnel wrapped in dust that settled from the bursts of wind. The scene was now quiet. The dust made things hard to see from each side. Whether or not the attack hit it's mark or not… was a question that was answered far too quickly.
"Flamethrower." The woman's command was quick and sudden. Then, there it was. The Arcanine raced from the dust, making itself visible. It then released a stream of fire from its mouth, directing its focus to its target: the enemy Tranquill.
Archimedes, struck by the powerful flames, fell out of the sky, a foot away from Clovis. "A...Arch," was all he managed to stutter, feeling himself choked up as he tried to reach the Tranquill. Archimedes, however, laid still, still singed and badly hurt as smoke came off of his beaten body. Struggling, Clovis pulled out the empty Pokeball, and recalled Archimedes back.
"Hmph," the woman approached closer, pulling the cigarette from her lips. "It would appear that being a genius isn't everything. Is it, Mr. Clovis?"
"Cut it out already! Leave em' alone!" Valerie demanded.
She shook her head. "I gave him a chance," she explained promptly. "And he failed. This is the boy you had faith in. And he's a failure."
Clovis remained silent, as he sat there on his knees.
"Who do you think you are?!" Valerie roared. The woman didn't answer. Instead, she continuously was occupied with the cigarette she was puffing into. Then... another tense silence.
"Well?" demanded Valerie.
"...I'm a woman."
"Duuuh! Even I knew THAT! You--"
"No, I'm not a 'you'," The woman promptly addressed. "But. If you're looking for what to call me, you may call me... Agent Nine."
"Allllllright Ninety chick," Valerie began. "I dunno who or where you guys came from, BUT, nobody hurts my friends like that!"
"Fascinating," Nine called out, but with little interest. "You must really care for your friends and classmates, do you?"
"Damn right I do!"
"And so what?"
"Aaaand that's because they're so amazing," she explained, having Nine raise an eyebrow. "They're really strong and waaaay smarter than me. So, don't underestimate my class, or you'll get hurt, sister."
"'Belief in your friends, huh….?" Nine stood there with her smoke in hand. The smoke wafted through the cavern, weaving the way through the tense silence. "We don't have such a thing here." Nine then gave a glimpse towards her underlings. And then her own Pokémon. "Especially not with..."
Valerie gave a puzzled look. "With what?"
"That's quite enough talk." Nine remained cool, calm, and calculating. She was regretful deep down, but, her job stationed her to not hesitate. With her next command, this was something she had to do from the beginning. "Eliminate them."
But, Flame quickly acted. A black smoke cloud… His smokescreen. The smoke covered the area, causing Nine and her men to cover their faces. During the confusion, Flame quickly turned to Valerie. "But, Flame! We--" Valerie tried to interject, but the stare from Flame was piercing. Enough for Valerie to understand. "Kay. We'll do things your way, Flame-bro." With that, Valerie turned to Clovis, who was on the ground, kneeling and distraught.
"C'mon, Clo-bro!" Valerie helped Clovis to his feet. Alongside Rosa, they all quickly ran off to the other direction, under the cover of the smoke.
Shakily, Clovis rose, tears slowly rolling as he tried to contain his shattered ego. His hands, shaking, as much as his knees shuddered. His skin was pale, and his hands were cold and clammy to the touch. He nodded nervously, and joined their escape.
Down each of the tunnels they go, the gang desperately tries to flee. "Ugh! Dang it!" Valerie cursed, with a look for pain and frustration on her face. "If I ever see that Nine-ty...Nine woman --- what's her face! I'm gonna--" Though, before she finished her outburst, Flame stopped her with a snapping bark to pull herself together. "Yeah, yeah, I know Flame, I know! But still--"
Though, right at the next corner leading to the following tunnel they sprinted through… there was a dead end. Before the group could even think about heading back, sounds of another set of footprints clattered their way closer and closer to the group. The suits had caught up with the three trainers, with Nine approaching close from behind. The grunts all cleared the way for her arrival.
"That's enough now," Nine addressed courtly. "The game is all over."
Knowing there was no time for a rebuttal, Valerie sprang into desperate action with Flame. "Get em' with a Flame Wheel!" she quickly ordered. Though even when Flame had prepared his quick and powerful rolling fire attack, it was promptly and easily blocked by Nine's Arcanine. The Arcanine, using its head, pushed Flame aside afterwards, knocking him to the ground. "Whaaaaa-- that did nothing?!"
"It's Arcanine's special ability: Flash Fire. No Fire-attacks can harm it," Agent Nine explained. "Any other cute attempts?" Valerie squatted down her fallen pokemon, meeting Nine's cold gaze with a scowl and a growl. "What an unfortunate finish. You all had such promise, only to be scattered and flushed away, like blossoms in a storm." she looked pitifully towards Valerie. "That's what happens when you act only upon your own self interest."
"Wha?" Valerie questioned. "What are you--"
"Valerie, you still don't understand?" Agent Nine shook her head in disappointment. "It's because of your whimiscal nature of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, that your friends are going to meet an unfortunate end today. Just look at that boy over there. Broken and splattered like a fallen Muk. Pitiful."
Valerie could only grit her teeth. Flame lying in bruises upon her arms, Clovis not looking his best, the nervousness upon Rosa, and… who knows if Xan is safe. As the situation grew worse… it all seemed so… hopeless. There was nothing left. With no more replies, it was time for Nine to deliver the final order. "I feel sorry for you all, truly. But… I have my job to consider, so... boys? Erase away."
This was it.
The final curtain.
BOOM. The fateful blast can be heard, even from the Cave's outer entrances. The wild pokemon in the area held for safety as they felt tremors large enough to send rocks spiraling down to the cavern's floor. Even the shuckle Valerie had met earlier, held on to a rock that stood firmly in place on the ground. It then weakly peered upon the inner depths of the tunnels. The girl he met… it wondered, what had happened to that human with the strange pink wear? It gave off a worried look for her.
Deep more in the cavern, the smell of smoke wafted in the area. It was almost suffocating, while cyanide that air-tight closed space. But as one could follow the smell to its source, they would be met with an impressive sight. A Charizard, standing tall against two of its defeated foes in black suits.
"What…?" Agent Nine looked back to see the results of a flashing fire-attack, wiping out a couple of her grunt's pokemon, incapacitating them at the same time. The sudden pokemon responsible for it, was a powerful Charizard, who roared proudly, echoing its cry throughout the cavern.
Valerie had her eyes covered, shielding her eyes from the impending doom that had awaited her. That sudden flash of light thought it was the start of it all, but to her surprise, it was not the former students who had received that blow.
"Man, guess I got lost on the way to town… but hey, guess that was a good thing this time!" a sharp, confident voice had hallowered nearby. To the group, this voice was familiar, but… no, it couldn't be… when the sudden realization of the owner of the voice came to them, the man himself showed up, doing his signature pose. "Alright, lads. It's… CHAMPION TIME!"
"Whoa…. No way!" Valerie stood up, with Flame in her arms. The sudden shock became glorious starry-eyed excitement for her. There he was, her idol, standing proudly with his pose, aweing the party with his enormous presence. "It's…omg… OMG! It's CHAMPION LEON!!"
Leon stood from his pose, tall, grinning towards the group. He looked left and right, surveying the area: those kids in the back looked familiar; as a matter of fact, they were few of the children from the ceremony! And of course… there were the bad guys dressed in black. "Not very cool to put down a bunch of hard-working trainers, eh?" He addressed them. "But, lady and gents… if it's a battle you're looking for then… well. Why don't we have a good ol' champion time right now?" His Charizard gave another menacing roar, giving off an intimidating aura.
Nine, with smoke in hand, gave an already defeated sigh.
"Yeah… I'd rather not," she simply replied. She recalled her Arcanine back into its pokeball. "Messing with an 'almost' unbeatable champion is something that's going to end up badly, no matter the outcome." She turned towards each of her grunts. Some of them managed to get back up after Charizard's sudden attack. "Come." She turned her back to the students, and started to walk past Leon. Within Leon's ear shot, she stopped for a brief moment, with a simple message before departing again: "This is far from over." With that, she walked off, with the grunts running hastily behind her, on her commands.
"Geez, did she have to add that 'almost unbeatable champion' part?" With the mysterious group now out of their hair, Leon turned towards the students. "I remember you all from the ceremony! Mighty glad you all aren't hurt," he addressed with a warm smile. "But, perhaps also lucky I showed up when I did?"
"Maaaaan, you're telling me," Valerie said, with a relieved sigh. Flame was feeling better enough to walk on his own again, so he released himself from Valerie's grasp. "Gosh, Lee-Lee! Thank, thank, thank you! You're like, totally the best! I mean, you've always been the best, but like!! You're like! Now with a X100 power boost, the best!"
"Let's not get carried away…" Leon replied with a blush, rubbing the back of his head. His Charizard made a softer cry, grabbing Leon's attention. It had noticed something on the ground. "Hmm... what do we have here?" He stood down, having a closer look at a surprising sight - it was a couple of blue-reddish looking rocks that were on the ground, right where those grunts used to be. Perhaps a few of them dropped them when Leon's Charizard had attacked? Nonetheless, Leon picked one up. "Well spotted, Charizard! It's a wishing star!"
"Wishing stars?" Valerie had to ask. "Do we… make a wish on it?
"Well, it's said that your dreams do come true if you find one, but… here!" Having said that, Leon lightly hurled the wishing star he was holding, right for Valerie to catch. He then turned to Clovis and Rosa. "You both get one too. There's enough for all!"
'A wishing star?' Rosa looked the stone over, wondering if it was anything like the evolutionary stone or the other smaller rock she'd found with the angry Snorunt in the Wild Area. It certainly didn't seem like it was going to be making any of her dreams come true at the very least - seeing as how Jirachi didn't even listen to her plea. She shook her head, dropping the stone back into her pocket.
"Well, it's been fun." She smiled, looking first at Clovis, and then over at Valerie. "We'll have to get the girls together sometime and get some cake somewhere. Maybe we could invite… Melody, too." Her mind started to wander as her hand made for her necklace. Especially after having such a close call with death… for some reason, she just really wanted to see the girl. And then her mind continued to wander, until she remembered the reason she'd approached the group in the first place. 'Xan!' Her head twisted quickly, trying to recall where the helmed person had gone. Now that they were separated from the other two distractions, this could prove to be the perfect opportunity to talk to them one-on-one.
Valerie waved silently farewell to the girl, turning back to Clovis. Poor Clovis… watching all that was really tough. And it really stung that she couldn't really do anything about it either. The look upon the fallen man… was saddening. But looking upon him, Valerie, with a rare, serious look, then turned to Leon. "Yo, champ? Question?"
"Yeah?"
"Well..." Valerie straight as straight out as she could. Flame stuck close to her, both with the same determined eyes. "I really, really REALLY wanna get strong! So… how?"
"Hahaha!" Leon replied with a hearty chuckle. He placed his hand firmly upon Valerie's shoulder. "There's no true path on becoming stronger, except with experience, diligence, and most importantly, confidence!"
"C-D-E, huh?" Valerie inquired, giving a light smile. "Guess getting stronger ain't easy…. But, we'll do it! We'll get our revenge on that Ninety-chick!" Flame and Valerie met their eyes, giving each other a nod before turning back to Leon.
Valerie's eyes met with Leon's, and Flame's with his Charizard's. "...Then! And thennnnnnn! We're gonna battle you!"
"Lookin' forward to it," Leon replied sincerely. "We'll have a right Champion Time, indeed!"
The sound of a dismayed "What the fuck…?" echoed lightly off the cavern walls to signal the unlikely return of a familiar face. Or rather, a familiar helmet. "... How did that lead back here?" Xan wondered aloud. An Abra's hand poked out from around the corner and waved.
"Whoa! Xanny?!" Valerie shrieked.
The psychic recoiled but remained strong, raising a hand and pointing their thumb in a nondescript direction. "Leon found you two, what happened to…?"
"Uhhh, they shoved off when he arrived. But what happened to you—"
"Oh-" Xan waved a hand. "Not the weird strangers, the- there was another of us here, right?"
"Oh, Rosie? She just took off. But really, where've you been—"
"Right, makes sense. Bye." And with that, Xan wasted no time in briskly walking out of sight.
"Heyyyyyy!" Valerie tried calling after them, but to no success. She turned to Leon, who shrugged afterward. "Weird kid."
Game Lvl Cleared... all party members receive EXP!
Valerie lvl up! Rosa lvl up! Xan lvl up! Clovis received 666 exp.
Woah There Is A Phone In This Post Like This Post If You Like Phones Or Have A Phone Or Know About Phones
Featuring Xan, Kass, Jerry and special guest Rosa
It was a good time to settle down for the day by the time Xan made it out of Galar Mine 2, the realisation accompanied by the vibration of their phone in the inside pocket of their hoodie. Their phone reception was back, meaning they could now call the police about the people they ran into back with their classmates - they found themselves, however, a little apathetic to do so right now. Motostoke was on the horizon and it would probably be better to do something there. It had been a while since the incident and, though frustrating in many other ways, the rest of the journey through the mine had been absent of further altercations with the, er... criminals? Ruffians? Lunatics, Xan decided they would call them.
The psychic and their two companions had settled down and made camp behind some rocks some ways out from the exit of the cave that housed the mine. Kass and Jerry were involved in something of a conversation beside the fire. Kass was as jubilant as ever, and Jerry seemed relaxed and contented. As relaxed and contented as Jerry could be, anyway. After being kept mostly separate from the Odd Incense, the Psyduck seemed to have recovered from the tunnel-visioning quite quickly. However, a true balance between his states of half-blind precision and chaotic scatterbrain was yet to be reached. Hopefully with a less tumultuous environment - less irritating navigation and paranoia of being set upon by lunatics - it would be easier to get some proper experimentation done. Things other than experimentation were occupying the human member of the group, however, and though some would call their activity 'rest', for them it was anything but. Xan sat in the mouth of the tent, trying to parse the mountain of new messages that had made its way onto their smartphone over the reception-drought. It was actually a total of thirteen messages, which may have been a fairly conservative number for other, more sociable young adults but was nonetheless a considerable figure for Xan.
One from Mum, five in a row from Charlie (probably a multi-message that would effectively be one), two from Mum and one from Dad, one from Reese, one more each from Charlie and Dad and then one final one from Mum again. Right. The utter avalanche from Mum would have to be dealt with and would undoubtedly take the most effort. Dad's would probably be lumped in with whatever business Mum had so that should be sorted. Whatever Charlie was messaging about would probably be low-effort and mildly entertaining - hopefully at least. Reese was usually busy, but whether that meant that a reply was more necessary or less so was a mystery to Xan. Very well then - the wildcard first.
From Reese:
Saw your Gym battle! Very proud. Keep at it!
Will do! The psychic typed back, hitting send. Xan didn't really feel any of the exuberance implied by their use of punctuation, but exclamation marks beget exclamation marks. Reese would probably get the picture, anyway. Whether the shortness of the message was by design or by circumstance the psychic wasn't sure, but either way they were thankful for it as they tackled the next hurdle. Hurdles were supposed to be jumped over, not tackled, they mused - though really, it was quite possible that the metaphor was made all the more appropriate by that fact. Charlie next, before the looming terror of inevitable parental concern on the horizon.
From Charlie:
Hey... hey Lex... ask Kass why HE NEVER TOLD ME HE WAS POGGERS
I HAVE TO KNOW
But yeah I saw your gym battle, cheering you on :)
Give Kass my love and all that
ALSO i havent met the psyduck but he is my star and i love him and i want him to be my friend
From Charlie:
Hey I know you are in the mine and Mum also knows you are in the mine but Mum wants me to send you a message alongside her also sending a message and also Dad sending a message to tell you to give her a message or call once you get outside of the mine even though you definitely already know to do that so here is my obligatory message telling you to do that nice cool there it is
Right. Well, that accounts for two of the messages in the parental goliath. Thanks for the heads up.
"Kass," Xan called out, gaining the attention of both their Pokémon companions. "Charlie sends love, wants to know why you never said you were poggers."
Kass giggled, their hands forming a heart shape. The giggles stopped as the Abra transitioned into a dynamic pose with their head down and one arm out. They mimed pushing up a pair of glasses on their face.
Apparently Kass never told you because they are a mysterious anime protagonist. They give love back.
"Oh, and Jerry, I think one of my siblings is your biggest fan."
Jerry didn't seem to know what to do with this information. After a moment pondering, he raised both his arms in triumph. Champion. Kass cheered him on.
Jerry appreciates the sentiment, I think. I paraphrased a bit but they are in victory pose.
And send. No funny business needed. Arceus bless Charlie.
Xan's relationship with their parents was not a poor one by almost any metric, but nonetheless it would be difficult to describe their feelings as they poised to dive into the cavalcade of text messaging as anything other than dread. Okay, bite the bullet and skim: 'Hi, it's Mum' - as if Xan wasn't already aware... they saw the battle, yeah, expected... so much pride, love, yada yada yada... oh! Xan's birthday had come and gone during MineTime™, which was apparently a big deal. Oh dear how sad. Their mother's care for the event vastly outweighed their own - it hadn't been a close competition in over a decade - and were it not for that fact, the psychic would find completely missing the occasion nothing but amusing and relieving. But here they were! Still, everyone's talking about the league challenge - Xan wasn't sure how much they liked that, but they weren't surprised... talked to Reese, yes, that was pretty evident... making friends? Oh for goodness' sake, even skimming this was getting on their nerves-
"I found you!" Rosa called out, hugging one of the cave's walls as she made her way out of the mines and over towards Xan. "Y'know, you're not exactly easy to track down." The girl almost immediately dug her hand into her pocket, feeling around for the two objects she'd wanted to ask them about. On the one hand, she had been wondering if maybe there was some kind of psychic thing going on with the styler and that's how Pokemon were made to feel her emotions, and on the other hand… Darkrai. But how much of that she really wanted to divulge to a stranger was, well… she still wasn't sure herself. At the very least, it's something that she could bring up to them if their aid didn't bear any fruit in regards to her first question.
The psychic had flinched at Rosa's arrival. Rosa was the name, right? Another gym challenger. A distraction from the horrors of a mother's care - whether or not it was a welcome one remained to be seen. Xan locked their phone quickly and shoved it back into the depths of their inside pocket. As they zipped their hoodie back up they caught movement at their side; Kass was waving and hopping over. Ever the social shield. Perhaps if Xan didn't bother replying, their classmate would get caught up with the Abra instead.
"I'm actually kind of sorry to bother you again," the girl started again, finding a clear spot on the ground nearby without taking her hands out of her pockets, "but before that swanky group decided to barge in, there were actually a couple of things I wanted to ask you about… Psychic things, I guess."
"... Right," was Xan's response after a moment's pause. Straight to business then? It almost shook the psychic off-balance, though in retrospect it was refreshing to find that usually obligatory pleasantries had been skipped. "Psychic things? Certainly my specialty. Go on."
"Well, possibly psychic… I don't really know, to be honest. Sometimes it feels like it just works, and other times even if I'm trying my hardest to feel anything I just… eh." The girl spoke quickly, fidgeting with the device in her pocket as she thought about what exactly she wanted to ask Xan. There was a lot of things she could say to expedite the process, but there again… they were more or less a stranger to her, and letting them know how exactly she knew how these things were supposed to work could be letting on more than she really wanted to.
"This device," she said softly, finally pulling the device out of her pocket with a slight sigh. "It's called a capture styler - something that the Rangers use. It's supposed to somehow convey your emotions to a Pokemon so that you can get them to help you or to do something, but… it just… never really seems to work. I wondered if maybe there was something you could tell me that might help, or some secret to shooting emotional waves at Pokemon with some Psychic ability or… I don't know. It's just so frustrating."
"Huh, the capture styler, yeah - not something inherently associated with psychics, I believe…" Xan pondered, putting a hand to the bottom of their helmet in thought. Kass mimicked them, likely trying to figure out a solution themselves. Jerry also seemed lost in thought, but that was par for the course. "Transmitting emotion would fall under psychotelepathy," the psychic continued, louder than a murmur but hardly projecting. "But the extent implied is something a little out of my level of proficiency. Kass' too, I think - something like that is more the domain of the Ralts line by default, and I'm not fortunate enough to have one as a research partner. Best I could do is equivalent to yelling your feelings aloud, which I'm assuming doesn't quite have the same effect as the styler does. There could be some associated or supplementary techniques, not sure. A demonstration could help; never actually seen a styler in, er, the flesh, so to speak."
A train of thoughts not her own prodded against Rosa's mind: firstly, selection. A target of sorts. Second, an Abra hopping up and down excitedly. To her right, in the very physical world, Kass the Abra hopped up and down excitedly, waving their arms.
Rosa looked over at the Abra, and then back at Xan before resting on the styler in her own hand. It wasn't really intrusive to have these foreign thoughts in her head, though it wasn't entirely comfortable either. Part of her wanted to push back at them, given that Xan hadn't even asked to use their powers on her. Though… if there was anything she could glean from this interaction, it might be worth it so long as they didn't delve too deep into her mind.
"Sure, I think I can do that." The girl sat up and turned slowly towards the Abra, getting the device ready for use. "Teleport… teleport could be useful. Focus, focus… let it feel how strongly you need its power to teleport you - five feet away. Yeah, let's not get crazy with it." Rosa stared down the Pokemon, trying her best to feel as sincere in her emotions as possible.
It felt silly, especially since she wasn't sure that she could even connect with the Pokemon in the first place, but here she was. "And now add a little flair to it…" the girl launched the styler and then immediately kicked her leg out, mimicking the device's motions with a fairly simple dance all things considered. All the while, her mind remained focused on that singular need of the Abra. 'Teleport. Teleport. Teleport.'
"Spin. Spin. Spin." The girl muttered, watching the device as it weaved around the Pokemon in question, hoping that she wasn't about to make a complete fool out of herself. Finally, she fell to the ground, having made no real headway as she ran out of breath. She glanced up at the Abra which was still bouncing in place and then shook her head. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong."
"Well," Xan murmured. "There's definitely nothing psychic about it. Though that could theoretically be the problem I doubt it." They reached a hand inside the tent to grab their backpack and began pulling their laptop out.
Kass the Abra's posture relaxed and they gave Rosa a shrug. They began to turn around, but something caught their eye and they bounced up a single time even higher. Another couple of compound thoughts leapt their way across the girl's consciousness: firstly befuddlement, roundness, water, yellow. The second, an expansive void, with a pinprick of light at its centre. Kass hopped their way over to Xan, and the psychic's attention became torn.
The girl placed her hand against her head. Though the thought of that void was fleeting, she couldn't help but be reminded of the darkness which had consumed her each time she'd found herself at the mercy of Darkrai. "Colors… shapes… that darkness…" the girl shook her head, looking back over at the Abra which had stopped paying her any mind. "What does it mean? Why is…" she started before biting her lip, stopping herself in the middle of speaking her mind. "I'm sorry, I still couldn't do it. I'm afraid I might have wasted your time with this question at least."
The helmet tilted, on edge, "Uh- are you good? I- what?"
Kass, glancing back to their partner, turned on a heel and trotted back, heading to Rosa's side. Jerry waddled over too, perhaps in some attempt to contribute somehow.
"Oh," Xan's shoulders slumped and they nodded briefly. "You've been talking- you mean the stuff with Jerry, right?"
"J-Jerry?" Rosa asked, pushing the thought of Darkrai to the back of her mind for now. It was the next thing she wanted to talk to them about, but if someone or something else was inside her head right now, it wouldn't do any good to have them possibly see the things that it had made her relive. "Oh, the Psyduck. Yes, that makes a little more sense then… Yellow, round… confused." She shook her head, almost laughing as she thought about it. She'd been so desperate for any kind of breakthrough that she'd overthought something so simple. "I was just a little caught off guard by a thought of a dark void… with only the smallest of dots of light at the end of what seemed to be an endless expanse. It seemed oddly familiar to me is all."
Kass at the girl's side had been halfway through raising a hand for a thumbs-up to Xan before both hands went to their face, stifling the onslaught of chittering giggles that made their way out of the Abra's mouth. Jerry let out two quack-laughs but didn't seem to know what was funny. Xan, devoid of laughter, pulled their laptop to the place of its namesake and let out, "Yes, no- I was talking to Kass, er- Rosa. I'm talking to you now, I was talking to Kass. And from the sounds of it Kass was talking to you - so the- Kass, am I on the right track?"
The Abra, still giggling, nodded.
"Right, so Kass' suggestion surrounds… I suppose 'focus' would be the best word for it? Or I guess precision, concentration. Psychics have methods of focusing, and I can't be certain they would apply what with emotion generally being a dangerous reactive element in psychic practice - rather than here where it's the entire point of the thing - but I think most of it isn't specifically psychic and this styler business still seems to be a mental pursuit of sorts."
Kass turned to look up at Rosa and let loose the unfiltered power of the double-thumbs-up.
The clarification on Xan's end didn't help to relieve her own growing headache any. The girl smiled at the Abra that had come over to check on her and returned its gesture, giving a solitary thumb-up towards it. "Focus… maybe. I repeat the same idea over and over in my head while I dance, but sometimes it does get away from me. Maybe I'll give meditation a try sometime." She nodded, feeling around in her other pocket for the second item she'd wanted to get their input on. That was enough for her to go on for her, and she didn't know how long it would take for her welcome to wear out with them either.
"There's also this… orb. Apparently called a Life Orb, but I don't really know how exactly it works - though that's not really what I wanted to ask about… It seems that I somehow got this away from a very powerful Pokemon. A Pokemon that while not Psychic, somehow forced its voice into my head to the point that I actually…" she remembered back to that night, the first time she'd ever understood what a Pokemon was trying to say. "I understood it. I understood my Pokemon at the same time, too. I don't know if - am I like - I dunno - I just," she paused, shaking her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I guess it could have just been a hallucination or some weird kind of in-between of being awake and dreaming given what the Pokemon is known for, but I can't help but wonder if maybe there's something else there? Since I talked to Simon Pearburgh and saw how he was able to talk with and understand his own Pokemon so easily, I guess maybe I was excited at the prospect of being able to understand my own. And whether that's something that just comes "naturally" so to speak, or some fancy kind of psychic ability… I thought you might have a little more insight into it."
Kass, who had seemed placated at the thumbs up even if it was merely singular, now re-entered deep thought mode. Xan, still sitting at the mouth of their tent cradling their laptop, let out a large breath.
"If I can unpack all of that, maybe," the psychic hummed, hammering on the enter key. "One thing at a time, I- did you say Simon Pearburgh can talk to and understand Pokémon? That's a funny notion - understanding, at least, talking is mundane as anything - I wonder how well it holds up to scrutiny. You say you saw it?"
"I'm sorry," she muttered, letting her gaze drop. Outside of her own Simon, she hadn't really told anyone else about all the things that had been weighing on her mind. "At least, as far as I can presume, he did, yeah… it sounds kind of crazy, I guess. But he did talk to my Ezra - my Munchlax - and helped me to work through some issues we had together by talking to her. I don't know if it's like a full on conversation that he can have with them, but at the very least he understands them and makes them understand him enough that wild Pokemon would flock to him."
"Huh, that's… well yes, it does sound crazy-"
Thoughts slammed against Xan's mind from Rosa's side. Assertion, confidence, reality. Xan snorted and resumed typing.
"Kass is convinced it's true - I'll make a note and I'll see if anything comes of that, er, right… so, to clarify, that's not anything I'm aware of being within the capability of human beings. Certainly beyond me. Communicating with Kass isn't even perfect, and they're telepathic. But as for that, and I think you mentioned something else about a non-Psychic Pokémon speaking in your head? Powers that psychic beings also possess aren't necessarily exclusive to psychic beings. Although, 'psychic beings' isn't really a good word for it - psychic power isn't the only way to influence another creature's mind, is what I'm saying. The Styler's proof enough of that. But then… ok, do me a favour and go through the issues again, and highlight what you want solved if you'd be so kind."
The image of Darkrai sitting at the edge of the girl's bed, screeching at her for its orb as she lay paralyzed in fear surfaced in Rosa's mind as she listened to Xan's words. A few seconds passed as she let their meaning settle in her mind and push back that terrifying image with their weight, trying her best to block out the nightmare and focus on the now. "I see." She muttered, pulling her lip in as she bit down on it. "Yeah, I guess it makes sense that if the styler isn't psychic then other things like that can - yeah."
Rosa sighed as she rubbed the back of her head, not really sure what it was she wanted now. "I… want to have the strength to not be afraid anymore. Of anything… or anyone." She paused, her eyes searching the ground for the words she needed to get out. She laughed hesitantly, rocking back a little bit as she let her gaze rise back to Xan's helmet and where she figured their eyes were. "But that's asking a little too much of someone else, huh? I guess right now… after hearing what you've had to say so far, what I want to solve most is probably the styler situation. But that's really just something I'll have to learn to do on my own time with the suggestions you've both given me, right? I guess the problem I'm having with the styler is the same I'm having right now… a lack of focus."
"Well," Xan brought something up on the screen before looking up from it. "I wouldn't say you're a paragon of concentration but believe me when I say I've experienced far worse. Fear isn't something to be rid of, but quelling its negative effects and lack of focus both are matters of mental discipline. If you've got your phone I can send you over a PDF of some of that stuff and you can take a look at it in your own time if it interests you." They placed the laptop at their side and poised a hand to begin listing. "Otherwise, there are a few other good places that could help with the styler issue. I don't know if you've actually received training from a Ranger for that sort of thing - I'm guessing you wouldn't come to me if you had, but correct me if I'm wrong - that would probably be the first port of call. If you know any Raltses, Kirlias or Gardevoirs who'd be willing to help their input would be invaluable, but the issue there is communication. Otherwise if psychic technique fails there are other mental disciplines you could theoretically turn to, but I wouldn't expect much on that end."
Rosa slowly shook her head. "Sorry, I've never actually had a phone so I wouldn't be able to…" the girl clasped her hands together as she considered her other options. "My dad showed me a little bit when I was really little, but outside of that, I don't think I really have the time to go meet the Rangers right now with everything else going on." She thought back to how she'd actually come into possession of the device in the first place and shook her head once more. 'Yeah, definitely not that one.'
She continued to search the ground, trying to think of any way she could maybe meet a Ralts without having to pick one up herself - seeing as how she was already carrying six and already felt guilty about having that many to begin with. "Sorry to ask you another question, but do you happen to know if any of our classmates found a Ralts recently? I can't recall anyone having one at the opening ceremony, but there's been a lot of time between now and then and it seems like something you might be interested in, so I-" she trailed off, starting to think of what she could possibly have on her person to give to Xan as a sort of payment for their help.
"As long as they're relevant questions I don't mind," Xan said as they leant back, a hand trailing over to their laptop to scroll up whatever document was open. "Mostly. Here: Haleigh Windsor - Gym Battle vs. Nessa. Ralts, evolved into Kirlia mid-battle. Oh! Interesting other little note I have here: Extrasensory displayed by a Roselia. Cool beans. But yes, if you don't have a phone or some alternative digital storage medium, just remember to look up- actually that's fucked, I'll just write it down…"
Rosa smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'm beginning to realize just how necessary it can be to have a phone on a journey like this… but it is what it is." The girl sighed, pulling her bag off of her shoulder. 'Haleigh, huh? Of course, it just had to show up in the one match I missed because of my meeting with Tavi.' She shook her head, beating herself up over not realizing what all Haleigh had in her pockets - though if she planned to meet up with Melody again in Motostoke, she was sure that a meeting with Haleigh wouldn't be too far off. Meanwhile, Xan had been searching through their device and she'd managed to make up her mind on just what to give them for reimbursement. Given that she did only have one Pokemon that knew a single Psychic type attack, she figured they'd get more use out of the item than she would anyways. "Here, to make up for the time I've taken."
The moment the odd incense was drawn, three heads snapped instantly to it. Two of the three then snapped to the third; Jerry, Psyduck Extraordinaire, leapt off a cloud of psychokinetic force at Rosa's side and flew like a beaked missile at the container, his little arms poised to grasp with intense precision. The incense was plucked from the girl's grasp and Jerry rolled to a stop on her other side, his prize secured. Kass laughed, shook their head and plodded over to make sure the Water-type was okay and, given time, gently pry the incense from his grabbers.
"Already got one of those, I'm afraid," said Xan dryly. "And you can see what it's wrought. Granted, that's likely Jerry's issue rather than anything inherent in it. Might not hurt to have an extra in case someone else needs it. Regardless, you can take it back if you like or leave it with me if you still want, I'd just like to ask a favour or two instead if that isn't too much to ask," the psychic paused to let any potential guilt set in before continuing. "Science needs allies. I'm not sure if you have a notebook or anything, but I'm just one person and if you could keep tabs on a few things for me, it'd be a big help."
The girl retracted her hand, having nearly lost it to the leaping Pokemon who'd been so enticed by her gift. "If it doesn't seem like it'll cause too much trouble for you, I'd feel better if you kept it." She glanced back down at her bag, noting that she did in fact still keep a diary of sorts… it couldn't hurt to add a few more notes to it somewhere in between, could it? "Yeah, I think I can manage that with all that you've done for me in our brief meetup."
"Great. If you spontaneously- ok, actually, I'll write this down while I'm already writing things down." The psychic brought a pen and paper from their bag and held the paper flat with their mind as they scribbled. "For the record, non-Psychic-type Pokémon who develop psychic abilities are a focal point of interest for my research right now, so if there's anything you remember from the Roselia's development before then, it'd be useful to know."
"Well, I'm not really sure. I've had him since he was just an egg, and he was just kind of… born with it, I guess? There was never a time when he didn't have that ability."
"Oh," Xan's shoulders went back in surprise. "You went through the improvisational stage with them? That's… interesting, right- try to remember anything about that if you can and note it down for me. I guess if you weren't looking for it anyway it'd be especially hard to notice much but, eh. If anything pops into your head that'd be great - for instance, what was their first use of the ability like? Has it changed at all? I should ask, what kind of time frame is involved here?"
The girl started to rub the back of her neck, not really sure how to answer the question seeing as how someone else had the egg presumably for a good while before she did. "I, uh… I had the egg for about a week, I think, before it hatched. There was a breeder that had it before me, but I managed to get her out of being arrested for a falsely accused crime and that was a whole big thing - but in the end she gave me the egg to look after. We kind of just sat in the rooms before the opening ceremony, watching some shows, cooked some food with Jasper, went to sign up for a job with Blackspear…" so many months had already passed that she wasn't sure what else there really was to recall from that time before Zorro hatched. There might have been some smaller details she was leaving out or forgetting that didn't seem that important at the time, but for right now --
"I think the first time I really saw him use the move was just outside of Motostoke, actually. It wasn't too long after he was born that we ran into some weird haunted or illusory mansion thing with some of our other female classmates - led into danger by Val, I guess, but none of us really had anything else to do so we just went with it. There was some stuff there that mentioned Mew, but we never actually saw the Pokemon. And then at the end of it all we got into this big battle with a Ghost-type and Zorro just started somehow throwing stuff across the room with this power. And as far as whether it's changed or not… I guess it's developed a little more? Now he shoots psychic lasers out of his eyes instead of just tossing stuff around."
"Zorro shoots las-?" Xan let out a giggle as they crossed something out on their paper. "So that's got to be, what, mere months? Not even a year of life, not even Psychic-type and yet Zorro is experimenting to tremendous success. I have to- right, I don't want to be keeping you too long but I am enticed by the prospect of seeing this. Some time in the future if not now. I only hope the envy won't kill me. Oh, and here."
The piece of paper Xan had been writing on floated out in Rosa's direction.
"Zorro laser eyes." The girl whispered, looking at the to-do list upon which her comment had been scratched out. "I don't think it's anything to be overly envious of. I mean, you do have actual psychic Pokemon with you while I just have… a move." The girl laughed uneasily, not sure what was so special about a singular move compared to an entire actual Pokemon. "He has made a lot of progress since he hatched about six months ago, but I do think we've been through enough today that a practical exhibition can probably wait a little bit. I've actually been trying to think of a way to use Extrasensory in some of my contest performances, so if you're really that interested then maybe you can check it out once we get back to Motostoke?"
Xan's laugh in return was less uneasy. "You have to understand that it isn't so much the move itself as what the move means. It is rapid progress in a short amount of time. It is rewarded improvisation - talent - emerging from an unlikely candidate. Scientific importance. I wouldn't downplay the significance of 'a move' either; trainers classifying things as 'moves' as though it is anything near a one-to-one metric of a being's actual ability is a useful tool of communication but is ultimately misguided as a school of thought. With that in mind, my envy is not of you as a trainer but of Zorro as a psychic - that after years of research an infant could so easily surpass me on raw talent alone is, well… amusing in a way, I suppose. I'm used enough to the disappointment that I like to make light of it every now and then. I'll-" the psychic grimaced as they realised they would have to show up to a contest in person to get useful observational data, though the expression didn't make it out of their helmet. "I'll have to see about attending a contest."
The girl nodded, happy at least at the prospect of having someone so seemingly forward to potentially offer feedback on her performance. She had only just barely placed in the last contest but failed to get any meaningful feedback from her peers on it. The only thing she had to be mindful of was actually using Zorro again in the coming show. "I'll look forward to seeing you there then… for now, I'll probably get going and see if I can't start working on a new list of observations for you in anticipation of our next meetup."
The girl rose to her feet, brushing some of the dirt off of her dress as she looked over towards the city. 'It's about to get busy again.' She smiled at Xan, and then at their two Pokemon before slinging her bag back over her shoulder and starting her way down the hill. Kass guided Jerry's attention and they both waved their goodbyes.
"Many thanks," Xan waved and turned back to their laptop. They hesitated a moment and called back to Rosa as she left, "Oh and one of the references there may look out of place! The pranksters one. There's a section in there about avoiding mental influence - hypnosis and all that."
Rosa faltered for a second after hearing about the ability to avoid hypnosis, noting immediately just how useful something like that could be even without factoring in her other tools. Just being able to resist Darkrai putting her or her Pokemon to sleep every time it came around would be well worth seeking out the information. "I think that'll be more useful than you might think," she called back, pulling out the note and marking 'first' next to 'A Trainer's Guide to Pokemon Pranksters'.
"How useful-?" Xan muttered to themselves. "How useful do you think I thought it was? I put it in there because it was fucking useful, wha-" They let the thought trail off with a shake of their head as they picked their laptop back up to make some notes on what had just occurred. A proper expanded section for the Roselia - Zorro - with what had been gleaned from conversation alone. A note to attend a contest - the psychic grimaced again. Xan looked up as Jerry and Kass approached, the latter holding out the odd incense for Xan to take even as the Psyduck eyed it and inched closer.
"For me? How kind of you," Xan murmured, taking the incense but hesitating as they moved to put it in their backpack. Jerry's movements followed the container incessantly and it was difficult to ignore. "Jerry, you tried it before and it seems it creates a different problem rather than helping. You still want it? Why?"
The Psyduck stared still at the incense.
"Jerry?"
Jerry's head turned to Xan for but a moment before rotating magnetically to face the odd incense once again. The psychic sighed heavily and shoved the item into storage next to its twin.
"Well I can't much help if you won't even try to communicate, now can I?" They asked, not expecting an answer. "Suppose we'll have to talk later."
Another note for the future. This evening had been a little burdensome, but productive. It was always rewarding when the effort put in yielded results - another win for science! Yet another potential collaborator - Xan only hoped that the others' cooperative disposition would last. As for now, dinner time approached and they'd have to get working on that soon. Before then, though - oh yes, before Rosa had arrived they were on their phone… but really, they had done enough talking for one day, hadn't they?
Hi Mum,
Out of mines now, everyone is doing fine. Reception might not be best here. Call you @ Motostoke
Reyna (Female, Torrent) - Peck, Bubble Beam, Pound, Growl
Spoiler: Inventory
Pokédex
ATC
Galar Mine 2
"Stonjourner will boost your mons with his Power Spot," Mustache said quickly to his fellow Trainers as the four of them faced down the black-suited bad men and their leader, Agent 7. "Be sure to keep behind him so you don't get potshotted."
Simon nodded. "This won't take long." He said, punching his hand into his fist with a confident smirk. As several of the black-suited goons began closing in on them and releasing their own Pokemon, Simon looked at Haleigh; "You got the ones on the left, I'll take the ones on the right. Ready?" he asked.
"Mate, I was born ready!" Haleigh pointed at one of the goons confidently, directing Corey to make a move. "Corey, get up to that Cacnea full speed with a Flame Charge!"
She pointed to the other grunt's Pokemon. "And you Reyna, get a Bubble Beam on that Sandile!"
Her two Pokemon looked up at her, at each other and put on serious expressions as they charged off to follow their trainer's orders.
"I hope you're ready for a world of pain," Simon began, staring down the other grunt, "'cause I'm- wait, what?!"
As he reached behind him to pull the Dark Ball out of his bag, Simon's eyes grew wide as he frantically patted the empty spot where it was supposed to be.
"Lookin' for this?" the suited grunt chuckled as he tossed a dark ball in his hand- printed with an 86 on the front. It was the same man who'd been swatting away at Larvesta earlier. "Figured you'd stolen more than just the wishing stars. Good catch, Purrloin!" the man looked at the smug feline standing beside him. On his shoulder, a snickering Pansear stuck its tongue out.
"You'll pay for that!" Simon growled, stomping the ground. "Snom, Anorith, let's go!" he said, releasing both bugs from his coat sleeves and onto the field. "We need to get Scolipede back!"
---
After the first volley of attacks, Haleigh was already quickly formulating ways to keep things in her favor. Though the type advantage and the sheer speed of Corey was going to be doing the heavy lifting here, she still had to have her senses on high alert if she didn't want things to go tits up.
With a confident smile on her face, she exclaimed to her Pokemon, "Alright guys, let's keep it up! Go back for another Flame Charge, Corey and Reyna, another Bubble Beam on that Sandile!"
The grunt, with a grim, determined expression on her face, put down the tray and bottle of wine she was holding, and commanded back to her Pokemon, "Get that damn bunny under control, Sandile, blast him with a Sand Attack."
By the time the command registered in Haleigh's mind, Corey was already really close to the Cacnea, who lunged to get out of the way of both the Raboot and the cloud of sand his crocodile companion had conjured up. Instead of being face to face with the Cacnea, Corey instead found himself with a bunch of sand blown in his face, coughing and gagging as the flames were put out and he stopped in his tracks.
"Now Sandile, Dig!"
The Sandile quickly shifted gears - more quickly than Haleigh would have expected from such a Pokemon - and burrowed beneath the ground, observing as a trail of elevated dirt followed the Sandile's swift movements.
"Oi, Reyna, get 'im when he comes up!"
She replied with a quick "Pip!" of acknowledgement and scanned the movements of the burrowed Sandile to counter-ambush them.
Reyna finally got her chance to strike when the Sandile reemerged right on top of Corey, blasting the Sandile point blank with a Water Gun, knocking the Sandile off balance and preventing the Dig attack from connecting.
There was no time to relish the impact of the move as suddenly, the Cacnea seemingly reappeared from thin air and lashed out with Needle Arm, smacking Reyna right in the face with his prickly arm.
Haleigh looked over to see that her opponent had a smug smirk on her face, clearly pleased at the trick she had pulled.
"So, that's how you wanna play, eh?" Haleigh straightened up her stance as she added, "Then let's play."
---
Meanwhile, Simon had his own share of trouble to deal with.
"Don't know how some kid like you got his grubby hands on it, but this dark ball's in our property now." the grunt he was facing scoffed. "So I'll be repossessing that on behalf of the boss."
"It's my Pokemon!" Simon pointed at the man, "And I'm getting it back, the easy way or the hard way!"
"I'd like to see you try, then! Purrloin, sucker punch the Anorith!" the grunt commanded.
Before Simon or his bugs could react, the Purrloin vanished before their eyes and charged towards Anorith, landing a punch that hit the poor bug squarely between the eyes.
"Anorith!" Simon exclaimed as he watched his Pokemon tumble then regain its balance. "Hit back with a water gun!" He looked at Snom, "Snom, I trust you can handle the other nuisance." he said with a nod.
Snom nodded and squeaked back, turning to face the opponent's other Pokemon, his Pansear. The little bug stood on her hind legs and made a gesture towards the monkey, spitting a glob of icy spit on the ground beside her.
As Anorith got back up, he looked around in confusion, each of his two globular eyes blinking separately before fixating on the enemy that had hit him- the snickering Purrloin. A gurgling snarl escaped the bug's mouth as he reared back and blasted a jet of water from his mouth.
"Dodge, then sand attack!" the grunt retaliated. The Purrloin nimbly dodged out of the way, before spinning back in the direction of Anorith and tossing a handful of cave dust at him. Anorith let out another gurgling squeak as the sand got into his eyes, swiping forward frantically as if trying to attack the dust itself.
"Snap out of it!" Simon called out. "Keep firing with water gun!"
Alas, the order fell on deaf ears, and as Anorith kept swiping blindly, his opponent was ready for another attack. "Hone claws, then use Thief!" the grunt commanded. The Purrloin crouched down to all fours as it sharpened its claws against the ground, before leaping towards Anorith and delivering a slash to his body, once again sending him tumbling away.
"Dammit!" Simon cursed. Suddenly, an idea popped up in his mind. One that would give Anorith a chance… but he needed to distract his opponent.
-----
The momentary advantage that the female grunt had held against Haleigh turned out to be short-lived. As soon as Corey got his bearings again, his trainer commanded him to land a volley of Embers on the Cacnea, successfully landing about half of them and already wearing it down quite thin. For the Sandile, Haleigh was quickly thinking of something to counter with and end this encounter decisively.
"Reyna! Let's get in another Bubble Beam and see if we can get in close."
The Piplup nodded and fired another beam.
"Corey, throw some Embers and keep that Cacnea at bay!"
As the two opposing attacks scrambled to dodge the incoming attacks, one of the bubbles from the Bubble Beam hit one of the Embers, resulting in a puff of smoke that suddenly gave Haleigh an idea.
"Sandile, Cacnea, we need to start really making a dent here. I'm not going to be beaten by that child." The grunt pointed at Sandile first, commanding him, "Sand Attack, then Dig while he can't see!"
This time, Corey was not going to be caught off guard by that tactic. As soon as the words "Sand Attack" entered his ears, he prepared to spring out of the way and deftly leaped to the right, dodging the oncoming sand cloud and was soon on his feet again.
Haleigh quickly shouted out, "Now Corey, get some more Embers in the air."
She then turned her attention to Reyna, "And Reyna, get a Bubble Beam on those flames!"
Reyna looked at her trainer in confusion. She wanted her to attack...the flames? Nonetheless, she did as instructed to not lose any more precious time and blasted the Embers with her Bubble Beam. When she did so, a large cloud of smoke erupted from the combo and super-heated water splashed everywhere, obscuring everything from view.
--------
As the fight continued, Simon looked frantically between his two battling Pokemon. Anorith still wasn't faring too well, firing water gun after water gun but to little effect on the agile Purrloin. Snom, on the other hand, seemed to be doing far better than her type matchup would have suggested.
Still angered by the ice-type's taunting, the Pansear had thrown itself at her, throwing several fire punches which all seemed to miss the mark; all the while Snom had been pelting the fire-type with icicle spears. Her luck was beginning to run out though, and Simon could see the ice spikes on her back beginning to chip and melt.
"Snom!" he called out, momentarily taking his eyes off of Anorith. "Get some distance between you two! Remember what we did against Centiskorch!"
Snom's eyes lit up as she realized what he meant. As her opponent threw another punch, she stopped moving and braced for impact, allowing the attack to hit her and send her backwards. As she landed, she stared at her opponent dead in the eyes. It was a challenge. Pansear roared again, fire spewing out of its mouth as it pounded the ground angrily. As it reared its head, it let out a burst of flame, headed straight for Snom.
In a flash, the icy scales on her back glowed pink, and the flame was reflected back to her attacker. Pansear raised its arm to block the attack, taking little damage from the fire. The monkey scoffed, as if mocking that this was Snom's strategy.
Yet again, Snom let out an icy hiss, challenging it to attack her. The Pansear cracked its knuckles, rearing back once more before blasting several more flame bursts. Snom's mirror coat shone again- but this time, she tilted her body upwards. As the attacks hit their mark, they bounced off towards the roof of the cavern, blasting the rocks above the Pansear.
As the hit resounded through the cavern, the suited grunt whipped around to look at what had caused the noise. "What was- Pansear, watch out!" he exclaimed, but before the fire-type could react, an avalanche of rocks and debris from the ceiling came crashing down onto it. When the dust had cleared, the monkey was out.
"I'm getting sick of bug-type pests getting on my nerves today- you'll pay for that!" the goon snarled, looking at Snom. "Purrloin-"
"Not so fast!" Simon pointed at him confidently, Pokedex in hand. On the side of it, a lime green disc had been inserted. "Now, Anorith, while they're distracted! Use… X-SCISSOR!"
As if the word itself had activated a deeply-buried, wishoo-powered instinct in its mind, Anorith's eyes and claws shone a bright white as the move registered in its brain. The Pokemon raised his arms and slammed them down on the ground, using the momentum to hurl itself at the Purrloin- it was his turn to sucker punch. Just as the feline turned around, Anorith clashed both his claws at once, sending out a white shockwave of light that rippled through his opponent's body, throwing it back into the black-suited goon.
"No, my poor kitten!" the man wailed, scooping up his Pokemon.
"Take that!" Simon cheered, running up to pick up his Pokemon as he looked at how Haleigh was faring.
----
"How's that for-"
Haleigh's triumphant exclamation was cut off by a loud, pained scream.
"YOU FUCKING PRICK!"
As some of the steam from her explosive attack started to dissipate, Haleigh could see the grunt's face contorted with pain and rage, all shot back at her with more venom than an Arbok's bite. She was clutching the top of her hand tightly, her Pokemon laying knocked out on either side of her.
"That's it, I'm done playing these stupid fucking games with you!"
She reached for an object in a holster on her right side and pointed it directly at Reyna. Haleigh's eyes widened and her heart lurched as it registered what the object was: a shiny, black pistol.
"Not so tough are ya now, girlie?"
Reyna too stood in shock at the object pointed at her; there was no mistaking what the object was. In fact, she was all too familiar with what that thing would do if the human made a slight twitch of a finger. Replacing her shock was a burning sense of rage. No, she was not going to have things come to this, not to some stupid human waving that thing around and ending things like this.
"Pip!" Reyna cried, puffing up her chest and inching forward to get in a strike.
The grunt shouted, aiming the gun to match the Piplup's movements. "Don't you dare move! One more sound or movement out of you, your trainer or that Raboot and I will blast you all!"
The time for thinking was over. It's now or never. While the grunt trained her gaze on Reyna, Haleigh took her chance and dashed towards the grunt. Before she could react, the goon was knocked off balance, falling to the ground under the effect of the increased gravity. However, her finger had been just tightening on the trigger when it happened, firing the gun- but the shot went clear away from either Reyna or Haleigh.
The gunshot echoed through the cave as all eyes turned to the scuffle.
"HALEIGH! ARE YOU INSANE?!" Simon yelled out, immediately running towards the young girl standing over the now-prone goon. She clearly didn't know how dangerous these people were, and how ready they were to hurt humans just as much as Pokemon. As Snom and Anorith made their way back to him, he called out to her, "Get back here! You're going to get- GAH!"
Before he could reach and grab her, Simon felt his foot suddenly catch onto something on the ground- a piece of debris from the fallen rock earlier. Unable to catch himself due to the gravity, he twisted around to fall, only to feel a sharp pain shoot up his ankle. The boy fell to the ground in a heap, clutching his leg.
"SIMON!" Haleigh shouted back. She was too focused on her scuffle to look back, lest she give ground back to the grunt. While the size difference wasn't as pronounced as the last time she'd pulled this tactic, the grunt was definitely stronger than she was and clearly had more experience fighting. Nonetheless, this was certainly a scuffle she couldn't afford to be on the losing end of.
"ENOUGH!" Agent 7's imposing voice suddenly echoed throughout the cave.
"I'm growing tired of this charade." she said, snapping her fingers.
As the woman gave the order, another larger group of guards emerged from the darkness- but unlike their colleagues, however, they were not armed with Pokemon. They were armed with guns- pointed straight at the young trainers.
"W-wait…" Aeliana stammered as she raised her arms, remembering an all-too-similar scene in the wild area.
The woman began stepping towards Simon and Haleigh, Ninetales at her side, the sound of her heels echoing through the cavern. "When I ordered you not to step foot in here again, did you think I was joking?" she began, looking in disgust at the mustached man.
She slowly grabbed a gun from the hand of one of her subordinates, handling it expertly in her slender fingers. "That bringing new vermin would absolve you of blame? That you all wouldn't face consequences for sticking your dirty noses where they don't belong?"
She continued to walk slowly towards the two trainers in front of her, until she stopped in front of Simon. Both him and Haleigh were frozen in fear, not daring to move a muscle.
Agent 7 looked at Simon on the ground and raised her gun to his head. "I'll have to make an example out of you."
Simon felt his heartbeat speed up as he gingerly raised his hands, staring down the barrel of the weapon pointed at his face- before someone spoke up.
"I wouldn't think rabble like us are worth the cleaning costs," came the deep voice of the stinky Mustache Man, reminding everyone he and his imposing Stonjourner were indeed still present, despite not participating in the previous scuffles. "We-"
Before the man could say another word, he felt an even larger hand than his clamp around his arm from behind, then another on his shoulder. As he looked back, a gargantuan, muscular grunt was peering down at him, his face stoic as a rock. "No moving." the man uttered.
"Easy now, chair-boy." Agent 7 smiled, gun still held to Simon's head, "We wouldn't want them to die too loudly. It makes the cleanup… all the more messy." she narrowed her eyes at the restrained Mustache with a smirk.
Now fully aware of the precarious situation the four of them had found themselves in, Haleigh's expression was wide with fear and a deep pit forming in her stomach. Idiot, idiot, idiot. She wanted to be all tough and yet again, their lives were hanging in the balance. Looking at Simon, she grimaced as she thought of what may very well lay ahead for him and for all of them.
She managed to stammer out, "N-no. Not Simon. P-please, we'll forget this ever happened, we didn't mean for it to get this serious..."
Agent 7's smile widened as she glanced at the young girl then back at Simon. She placed her hand on the trigger. "How cute… sorry, dear, but-"
Then, for an instant, her smile wavered. Her finger lingered on her weapon, her eyes peering at the young man cowering before her… almost as if she was looking through him, or listening to something. She closed her eyes and nodded.
"On second thought…" she moved the gun away from Simon, "...if you're so worried about this boy… I'll have to make an example out of you instead." she said, pointing the gun at Haleigh.
"NO!" Simon shouted.
"Gravity!" Mustache called at the same time, his bark of a command almost a gunshot in itself. The Stonjourner near him made a deep sound and then guns everywhere were pointing at the floor, some clattering to the ground entirely as the slimmer grunts went to their knees. The big man behind Mustache wavered for only a moment, but in that moment Mustache slipped his shoulder out of under the grunt's hand and spun an elbow into the side of his head. Mustache grabbed the big man's face with a thumb in his eye socket and spun the grunt's jaw with a crack from his fist, sending the big man crumpling to the floor. "Block them!" Mustache cried out, and in a blur Stonjourner was between Haleigh and the guns, making itself as wide as it could, eyes pinched shut. "We're getting out of here!"
"I'll cover you!" Aeliana called out, releasing Tampa and Scuttle, "Both of you, Water Gun over that Stonjourner!"
"GAH- SHOOT THEM, YOU IMBECILES!" Agent 7's shrill voice commanded as she fired several shots at the three other trainers, momentarily losing her balance as one of her heels snapped under the gravity effect. The shots ricocheted off of the Stonjourner's body, a thin barrier was projected in front of it.
Amid the chaos, Simon wasted no time in getting up, groaning in pain as he pushed himself up on his good knee and began limping away. Haleigh too began to move away, content to put as much distance as she could between all of the chaos and herself, taking wary steps under the increased gravity. However, before she could get very far, Corey decided to join in on the Water Guns with Embers, remembering how effective they were against the grunt they battled.
It perhaps was a bit too effective, however, as when the two attacks collided this time, the effect was much more pronounced, resulting in a loud explosion that billowed with steam and smoke. The four retreating trainers were thrown down, especially hard for the increased gravity. The grunts all staggered and roiled, some of them falling noisily to their rumps.
The gunfire lapsed a bit, long enough for the Stonjourner to make some impatient noises. Mustache had already regained his feet, although from the look of his blood-soaked mustache he'd landed on his face. "No more of that," he said critically. "We're giving cover; the rest of you are in full retreat. Get up and watch your step." He approached Simon and nearly ripped his arm off by yanking him off the floor. "Lean on me. Let's go, girls!" he added over his shoulder.
"W-wait!" Simon replied as he leaned into the man, "Aeliana's still on the ground! She's not moving!"
"Aeliana!" Haleigh turned over to see the Alolan woman indeed not moving and knocked out on the floor. Or Arceus forbid…
No, there wasn't time to think about that. "Come over and help me help her up!"
Mustache seemed confused at the request, but he quickly shuffled over with Simon on his side. He let Simon stand and then knelt down to Aeliana, slapping her face lightly. "You help Simon out," he said briskly to Haleigh before grabbing Aeliana around the waist and slinging her over his shoulder with a grunt of effort. His knees were bent, but he managed to stand up with the limp woman even with the increased gravity.
The gunfire had resumed in the meantime but now a new sound tore over it as Stonjourner cried out. The opposing mons had gathered a focused attack into the rock-type, and now it toppled backwards, the bulletproof bastion of safety falling with it. The gravity effect, unfortunately, let up at that moment as well. Guns around the room managed to steady their aim as backs straightened and barrels leveled.
"You won't be getting away!" Agent 7 shrieked at them.
"Drednaw, now!"
Suddenly, a new voice came from the very tunnels the group was heading into. In a blur, the shape of Nessa's Drednaw burst into the cavern, landing onto the ground with an earth-shattering slam. The Pokemon raised its tail and brought it down to the ground, letting out a surging wave of water from the cracks towards the armed grunts, swamping the men and their Pokemon immediately.
And right on its trail was Nessa, who emerged from the tunnel. She looked at the four trainers, her eyes widening as she recognized their faces. "Sonia's kids?! All of you, run! I'll hold these criminals off while the police arrive!"
Though relieved and shocked at the arrival of the water gym leader, there was no time for niceties to be exchanged as Haleigh, Simon, and Mustache booked it from the scene as fast as they all could, with Haleigh offering herself up as support to ease the strain on Simon's leg and Mustache carrying Aeliana. Mustache whipped his ball out and recalled his downed Stonjourner, casting one last look over the scene before bringing up the rear of the retreat.
They did not stop until they could no longer hear the sounds of the conflict rage on. Upon arriving at a part of the mines that appeared to be back on the main path, Haleigh guided Simon so he could lean up on the wall. Once she did so, she plopped herself right next to him to catch her breath and collect her racing thoughts.
Simon grunted as he slowly leaned against the wall and plopped onto the ground, letting out a relieved sigh. "Now you get why I said they were bad news."
Mustache knelt down with an effort and gingerly laid Aeliana against the wall between the other two Trainers. He turned her face in his hand searchingly. "And now you," he said, standing up and facing Simon, "get why I said not to get involved." The big stranger turned away. "You three have given me a lot to think about. If she asks"—meaning Aeliana—"one of you carried her out. Happy trails to you, and good luck on your ways." Without waiting for a response, the man walked briskly away into the darkness. After a few moments for the smell to fade, it was as if he had never been there.
Simon opened his mouth to say something, but shook his head in defeat as he watched the man leave. As he turned to look at Aeliana, her Croconaw and Cramorant huddling around her, his eyes suddenly grew wide and he began frantically tapping his coat and pockets.
"Three, four, seven… okay, thank Arceus." he muttered in relief, feeling all of his bugs in his coat. Before he could relax again, however, another realization hit him. "Wait, no! That bastard still has Scolipede!" he cursed out loud, slamming his fist on the ground.
Haleigh's expression lit up and she rummaged through her coat pocket to find the odd Pokeball that she found on the ground in the chaos. "Y'mean this, mate? I saw you with it earlier, thought it might be what you're looking for." She offered out the ball to Simon.
"YES, it's safe!" Simon exclaimed as he reached forward and snatched it out of her hand, ignoring the pain on his twisted ankle. He held the Pokeball in his hand, quickly examining it for any damage or scratches- the 86 on the front was slightly faded out, but it seemed otherwise unharmed.
Haleigh paused for a moment, expecting to hear a thank you or something to that effect, but Simon seemed very absorbed in having that ball back at all costs. She wanted to speak up and say something, but decided to let it go and turned her attention to see how Aeliana was doing. "Let's wait for her to wake up, get the bloody hell out of here and get you lot to a Center, you more than deserve it!"
Joint post of Orx of Twinleaf, Stinging Bea, Fen-fen and Foxrally
Tim T
Tim ran his hands over Henj's legs in the dimness of the dusk. There were some pockmarks here and there, where bullets had struck against him, but there didn't seem to be anything serious. Tim had managed to get Henj, through pantomime, to confirm that Stonjourners didn't bleed—although if that were entirely the case Tim was curious how Henj would have been able to understand the question to begin with. Stonjourners probably still got infections—almost any living thing did—but these shallow marks didn't seem like they would be any issue.
Tim had let both Henj and Rij out once he'd found a clearing some ways from the mine exit. It had been some time in the afternoon by the time he'd left the mine, and now the sun had set and the sky was dimming. Henj bore Tim's examination with perfect stoicism: if he was sore, he didn't show it.
Rij, meanwhile, watched Tim and Henj with real interest, instead of grazing or milling about as usual. Tim recalled dimly that mons were mostly unconscious while balled, but that they weren't totally blind or deaf. If something of particular import were occurring just outside the ball, a mon may be inclined to rouse itself enough to pay attention. It was likely Rij had been paying attention when Henj was sent in to block gunfire. It was possible that he was perhaps jealous, or ashamed, or confused regarding why Tim hadn't called on his help instead.
Tim wasn't in the mood to reassure Rij though. He was in a rather black mood overall, really. Simon, Haleigh, Aeliana. They had all been Gym Challengers. They had all been great Trainers. They had all been confident and capable.
What the hell had they been thinking?
Did they just suppose they were invincible? Did they just feel that they were guaranteed victory just for being the good guys? If Tim hadn't been there, chances would have been good all three of them would currently be being dragged, cold and glassy-eyed, to an incinerator, their mons either seized or executed. They were not children any more than Tim was a child. There was no excuse for such a total lack of forethought.
It confused Tim. On one hand, he looked up to them as better Trainers than himself. On the other, they had been inarguably deaf to the gravity of the situation up until the guns had been drawn. It angered Tim. On the one hand, they had acted as if beholden to know one: they had made their own decisions despite the danger. But on the other, they seemed ignorant that other people looked up to them, that they were not only setting a bad example by barreling into danger like they had but also whimsically risking death when so many would mourn them.
Did they not realize how much they mattered? Did they not understand the people around them? Had Simon, or Haleigh, or Aeliana been killed, Tim was sure that someone would feel the shockwaves of the loss to their innermost core. Tim was sure there would be a real danger of someone else becoming like Tim was. And he wished that on no one.
"Jouron," Henj said. Tim patted the Stonjourner's leg, supposing the mon was worried about Tim's silence, but he noticed Henj was looking past him. Tim followed his gaze to the edge of the clearing. There was a smallish Rolycoly staring at the trio.
Tim turned towards the little mon and puffed out his chest, fixing it with his frightening eyeless visage. But the Rolycoly shakily held its ground, looking up at him expectantly.
Tim frowned, confused. The last time a mon had acted like this towards him had been when Henj had asked to be caught. Of course, Tim had only been able to deduce as such at the time thanks to Henj's charades. This Rolycoly obviously lacked such ability for pantomime. "Henj," Tim said over his shoulder, "what's this thing want?"
Henj stepped closer, standing to the side between Tim and Rolycoly, to act as a translator. "Colyrol! Rolcorl col-roly!" the little mon jabbered. Getting a better look at it, it seemed to be something of a runt, even among Rolycolys. Henj closed his eyes a moment in thought and then flexed his arms over his head, making an expression of exaggerated effort, hooting.
Tim supposed that was meant to look like a muscleman flexing his biceps, and wondered where Henj would have seen such a thing as—lacking biceps himself—the gesture would have been meaningless by itself to the Stonjourner. "You … want to get stronger?" Tim ventured to Rolycoly. Rolycoly bobbed in affirmation. "Then go find a better Trainer," Tim said coldly.
Tim and Simon and Haleigh and Aeliana had all just very literally put themselves in the line of fire because of an incident exacerbated by one of Simon's younglings. A rowdy, juvenile mon that hadn't heeded its Trainer. It had endangered all of them with its burdensome childishness, and Tim was not about to have such an infant under his care.
Tim was about to leave but Rolycoly jabbered in desperation. "Corl! Lylyly colyrol. Rolrol lylyly!" Tim sighed and looked at Henj. Henj held his blocky hands up to either side of one of his eyes, then gestured at Tim and patted his own leg.
Tim had to take a moment to navigate that one. "You … watched us?" Tim asked. Rolycoly bobbed. "So you want to be with us specifically?" Rolycoly hopped in place. Tim leaned down, growling. "This is no brooding cave, little one. You want to run with us, then you better show me you can keep up."
Rolycoly trembled a little, almost backing away, but stood its ground. Youngling or not, it evidently had a very good reason for choosing Tim in particular. Unfortunately for Rolycoly, Tim was not in an accommodating mood.
"You'll show me your Moves. Henj, get ready." But Henj made a negative sound and pointed to Rij. Tim looked and saw the Rhyhorn giving Rolycoly the stink eye, pawing the ground. "Do … you want to go up, Rij?" Tim asked hesitantly.
Rij snorted and stepped in front of Tim. Maybe he was ashamed after all at having been looked over in favor of Henj. Maybe he was jealous of Tim's relationship with Henj, and didn't want to be also put behind a potential third. Whatever Rij's reasons, he seemed not only ready to clash, but ready to listen. Rolycoly balked a little.
"Tackle it, Rij!"
Rij glimmered for a moment and ran forward, head down. Rolycoly, after a moment to gather itself, glimmered as well before charging forward to meet the Rhyhorn. That was its own Tackle, then. Rolycoly was swiped off to the side, tumbling. It got its wheel back under it, blinking.
"Rock Polish."
Rij shivered, white flashes going off across his body as he limbered up. Rolycoly quickly did the same: it also knew Rock Polish.
"Scary Face!"
Rij snarled, his eyes flashing red as he sighed black light at the smaller mon. Rolycoly chirped in alarm and revved its wheel in place, inky black smoke rising up to form an opaque screen with what Tim could tell was Smokescreen. Rolycoly zipped out the side of the cloud, dodging Rij's light. It glanced over at Tim, cautiously proud of itself.
Tim wasn't in the mood for childish hope. "Horn Attack, toss it high!" Rij shot forward and caught Rolycoly on his gleaming horn before bucking his head and flinging the poor thing into the air. "Henj, Stealth Rock it!" Tim was through entertaining wild animals. Henj, who had been watching passively, snapped to attention and clapped a spray of pointed stones at Rolycoly where it was hanging in the air.
Rolycoly pinched its eye shut and spun in the air like a windmill in a gale, the Stealth Rock stones bouncing uselessly off of it as they dissipated and the stones that missed were blown away, disintegrating. Rolycoly landed roughly after its midair Rapid Spin, chattering quietly to itself. Henj had moved ahead to range against it beside Rij, who gave him a momentary glance but didn't protest. Rolycoly seemed scared, and jabbered a question out.
"You never know when the odds stack against you, little one. Anything goes on the battlefield. You have two more Moves, right? Two more exchanges then. Henj, Stomp it into the air!" Henj moved forward with a sweep of his giant leg, but he hadn't buffed up so Rolycoly managed to zip around him. "Horn Attack high again!" Rolycoly wasn't ready for Rij to blindside it, and was sent airborne again. "Smack Down!"
Rij clapped his jaws and sent a golden stone for the airborne mon, but Rolycoly bobbed its wheel and sent its own Smack Down from its back to intercept. The stones hit each other and burst in a small flash of power as Rolycoly landed again, a little more sure of itself. Before Tim could press the assault though, it called out to Henj.
Henj turned to Tim and made a strange gesture like a hugging motion in reverse. Tim scratched his head. "Your last Move is …? Just show it to us." But Henj barked for Tim's attention and repeated the gesture. Tim shook his head. "Well I suppose you can't show it for some reason. What, would it put you down?" Rolycoly bobbed in affirmation. There were four so-called "suicide" Moves out there, and of them only two made sense to come from a Rolycoly: Self-Destruct and Explosion. Tim would have liked to see it anyway, as he was rather sure he, unlike many, could actually tell which of the two it was. But it would mean an incapacitated Rolycoly. "Fine," Tim said. "You can stay." The Rolycoly started to make a happy noise but Tim cut it off. "I don't have another ball for you, so you will have to walk alongside me until I find one." That way, Tim felt but didn't say, the little mon could just run away if it changed its mind.
Rolycoly began to dance a little, but Tim shook his head. "Don't celebrate yet. You want to get stronger? We'll get stronger alright. Henj, Rij," he said turning to his other mons, "we'll be training into the night tonight. I have some steam to work off."
He turned to the Rolycoly. He hadn't been wanting another mon, but this little one had resisted his attempts to scare it off. Maybe it would come into its own after all. "Are you male?" he asked it. It swiveled its body side-to-side. "Female then. You will be Pelj the Rolycoly. You will be strong. And you will join us in sprinting back-and-forth across the clearing until I decide it's time to sleep."
The Rolycoly, Pelj, revved her wheel a little bit, getting ready. She looked like she was trying to psyche herself up as she moved with Henj and Rij to the far side of the clearing to line up beside Tim. She rocked her body, waiting for the go. Tim said, "Henj, turn on the Gravity." Pelj's eye got a little wide as the extra weight came in, but when she caught Tim looking at her she put her game face back on.
Tim would not have any childish younglings under his call that could run off and make trouble for others, not the way Simon's had. This little Rolycoly would harden up and be as tough as Rij or Henj, tough as real stone. Or, Tim supposed, she might die trying.
Tim wondered ... had his friend regarded him the same way, when they'd first met?
Rosa stretched as she made her way through the city walls. It felt like it had been months since she'd been in a city, having spent the last couple of weeks struggling to navigate the mines of Galar. It wouldn't have been so bad had it not been for those Black Suited mafia people, but if there was anything good to be taken from that whole situation it was that she wasn't called out for her questionable behavior in that bit of the underworld in front of her fellow classmates.
Speaking of the mafia, as happy as she was about the prospect of getting to participate in another Pokemon contest, she couldn't help but feel burdened by the weight of the knowledge that this was it. She'd made the deliveries for Damien, so whatever it was that he had to tell her… this was the time. She'd finally find out who exactly it was that killed her father. But whether or not she was able to actually do anything with that information was wholly dependent on the upcoming Gym Battle.
This was it. This city was where everything came to a cross. Whether her life would continue was entirely dependent on what she'd go through in the coming weeks in this place.
"Fuck," she muttered, placing her hand on her chest as her heart began to race. "Just don't think about it. Everything will be fine. You're strong now. You can handle it." Rosa shut her eyes, shaking her head as she tried to clear away the intrusive thoughts. "Just get to the Inn and you can relax. Worry about everything else later as it comes. You got this. You got this."
As the girl opened her eyes, she spotted a news bin which had been left propped open. She looked around, making sure nobody had just[i/] left it there and started to close it back before a headline caught her eye.
"Police baffled as late-night disappearances continue on steadily." The girl shook her head once more, scoffing as she pulled a paper from the bin and closed it as she'd intended. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. They had to catch one more person… that was it. Just one person." Rosa continued to shake her head as she flipped through the paper, coming across another article which further dampened her spirits. "For fuck's- ugh. Now the Pokemon Contest is cancelled too? Great. So much for getting that bit of help from Xan, I guess."
The girl huffed, sliding the paper into her bag to look at again later as she continued on towards the inn. Her previous uncertainty was now replaced with frustration and a hint of anger, but it didn't change the fact that once again - everything came to a head in Motostoke.
"Welcome to the Budew Drop Inn, how may I- oh!" The clerk at the desk slowly looked up from the keyboard before a look of realization slowly washed over her. "You're that girl from a few months ago! What was your name again? Victor, Vizquel, Vasquez…"
"Valdés," she replied, cutting off any further attempts at misremembering her name. "Rosa Valdés, room for one, please."
"Yes, of course. You saved the Inn a good deal of face with that case you and your friend solved when you were here for the opening ceremony. Let me check what we have available for you real quick and I'll get you situated as swiftly as possible."
"Thank you." She replied curtly, still irritated over what she'd read in the paper just moments before. "By the way," she started, looking over at the display of sightseeing and adventure pamphlets. "Does Motostoke have like, a public library or something? I just need somewhere I can go and use a computer to look some stuff up."
"Yes, yes of course. I'll mark it on a tourist map here for you in just a second. Can I get your ATC, please?"
The girl nodded, passing her card across the counter to the clerk as she glanced over at the various pamphlets with a little more curiosity this time. "Record shop, Battle Cafe, Fire Festival, Gym Challenging and Spectating… there's more to do around here than I thought."
The clerk nodded slightly in response as they waited for the girl's card to scan. "Yep, it's a busy place this time of year. Just a shame that people keep going missing… not exactly good for business, y'know? But, at least the trainers that made it back around are slowly starting to trickle in. The Gym should start picking up, and with it, hopefully everything else will just kind of-" the clerk made a shooing motion as they pushed the card back across the counter. "Anyways, it looks like we're able to get you into room 207 if that's alright with you?"
Rosa nodded, taking her card back before looking discreetly around her. The last time she was here, it seemed like The Family knew everything that went on in this place, but until now she hadn't really thought anything of it. If she'd had any hope of concealing her return to Motostoke, she'd most definitely lost her advantage with not only the conversation she'd just jumped into, but with the reveal of her room number as well.
The girl sighed, knowing that even if she had managed to somehow conceal that information it wouldn't have taken long for them to find her some other way. "Yeah, that's fine."
"Great! I'll start the key, and in the meantime… here you go." The clerk walked away, grabbing a pamphlet which depicted some kind of guided tour around the city and tore away the two side panels before slapping what was left of the brochure onto the counter. "The place you want to go is right around here," they said, circling a few streets with a marker. "Shouldn't be too hard to find. That's a more residential area, so the locals will be more than happy to help you if you do wind up getting lost."
"I really appreciate it," Rosa bowed her head slightly as she slid the page off into her bag next to the borrowed newspaper.
"It's my pleasure," the clerk shook their head before grabbing a tiny manilla envelope which they slid the room key into. "If you have any other questions or concerns, don't be afraid to call us at any time. Just press pound and zero."
"Thank you, I'll be sure to call you if there's anything else I can think of. Have a-"
"Have a great day, Miss Valdés."
The girl smiled and nodded, making her way over to the elevator. Rosa pulled the page and Xan's note out of her bag as she made her way up to the floor her room was on. She looked between the two papers and then back down at her bag before breathing in deeply.
"Where do I even start?" She whispered as she looked over Xan's notes once more.
Better Mind, Better You
Budding Psychic's Guide to Emotional Gardening www.pyschictest.org
FIRST >>>> A Trainer's Guide to Pokemon Pranksters
How To Unlock Your Mind Through Spiritual Exploration www.oneisall.com
Alchemy, Astronomy, and Their Effect on the Psychic Ego
Notes for tracking:
-Evaluate psychic progress: Zorro. NOT LIMITED TO JUST NEW PSYCHIC TYPE MOVES. Not all Extrasensories are the same. Just because you refer to the same named move doesn't mean what the Pokémon does is the exact same thing
-If you miraculously start developing psychic power write down everything possible about that
-Anything about the inner workings of the styler and how it imposes mental influence
-If you pick up any other Pokémon with psychic ability keep tabs on them too
-Compare and contrast against wilds and/or other opponents if possible
[the next part is circled]
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN PSYCHIC EVALUATION
New ability - kinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, perception, teleportation, conjuration creating things, enchantment (there's that mental influence), alteration of existing matter
record it whether it's psychic or not even if it's not psychic I will probably still want to know
New applications of existing ability - kinesis might project directly from the self for example or take effect further away, or the force might exist in a different shape (hard to see with the naked eye don't bother looking for this one actually) long story short look for DETAIL though I respect it is difficult to find ZORRO LASER EY
Note that as with laser eyes, new applications can seem like new abilities or vice versa
"A Trainer's Guide, right… that should be a book, so I'll be able to borrow that and read it when I have time. But as for the links there," she continued to think up her course of action as she exited the elevator and made her way towards the room she was assigned, absentmindedly putting the card up against the lock before pushing the door open. The girl paused on the threshold of the room, taking in the scent of fresh linens and a cinnamon air freshener as she took in a deep breath.
"Ah, it'll be nice to enjoy this for a little bit," she whispered, closing the door behind her as she dropped her bag onto the floor just inside it and made a line straight for the bed before flopping face down into the freshly pressed sheets. "I think," she started, before stretching her mouth open wide with a yawn. "I think everything else can wait for a day. Right now, I just… want to…"
Before she even really had time to consider releasing her Pokemon into the new room, she was off to sleep.
My childhood friend. Absolute idiot. Can't ever get a read on him anymore. Buttface. Always there when I need him. Always there when I least expect him. JERK. Showed me up in battle and evolved his Pokemon before me.
He came to "rescue" me after I coerced Ruben into protecting me in the underground casino. I told him off... and then didn't apologize until much later. He came to wish me a late merry christmas after Ruben gave me his spare room. He reminded me of our promise from before our journey started, and gave me my christmas gift which was a traditional Johtoan kimono and fan - all to prepare me for the upcoming contests. He also told me I should call his mom and dad since they're so worried about us both now that we're gone, but... I'll figure it out later.
Jasper
An ex-classmate. He took my bait and threw me for a loop when we were fighting a group of Munchlax together. Not as bad a guy as I thought. Because of him, I have to re-evaluate my notes on everyone else just in case. I'm interested in trying a different approach with him when next we meet.
Helped out a wrongfully arrested girl. Really smart. Observant. Kind, but doesn't like to show it. Isn't a terrible cook.
Charles the Biker
An eccentric, but strong man. Indulges in bad puns. Love for bikes. We left on good terms.
Nat the Ranger
A doting older brother to several sisters. A strong trainer who follows their duty. Only spent a day with them. Not sure if I want to meet again or not since I stole a broken styler from his scene of investigation. We left on good terms, I think? Unless he notices that something's missing.
Budew Girl
Never got her name. Apparently she's a challenger like the rest of my classmates. Comes from a family of Budew fanatics. They breed Budew in their hometown and journey around with all three forms of it. She seems endearing. It might be interesting to meet her again in the future. As long as she's not being accused of theft, that is.
Achille Béringer
Rich kid. Pays his debts. Is keen on rich kid things. Doesn't seem much different from how he was in school, but still need to reevaluate.
Melody Argent
Cute and kind. She keeps to herself kind of like I do. Loves music. Feels similar to Simon. Still need to reevaluate because of interactions with Jasper. Kind of maybe, possibly, a small amount of a badass. Finger guns - super corny. Don't harp on the idea of being in contests. If that culty stuff doesn't get figured out by the time we come back to Motostoke, I'll have to remember to find her around town. She's much more attuned to pop culture than I am.
AAAAAHHH! We did so much in Turffield, and even more just after! I still can't believe that she wont that contest and made it look so... so easy! She's just, like, wow. I still don't know what to do with all of my thoughts, but after that delivery we did together especially I just. Wowee. Jeez.
The Family // Damien(?)
Not the family himself, I don't think. I still haven't got his name or what role he really plays in all this. He's a shady motherfucker - pardon my Kalos. I still don't know how much of the stuff I've gone through in Motostoke has been orchestrated by him, but for the moment I'm not planning to try anything. I still don't know enough about him to make any real guesses. The longer that I stay around this town, the further behind the veil that I see. I'm scared even to go to sleep at night so long as I'm here. They have eyes... everywhere.
Buggy Simon
Some kind of freak of nature. I guess he understands Pokemon in some way that I can't; like, he understands what they're actually trying to say when they speak? Kind of cool, but also weird. Him and Simon used to hang out every once in a while at school. He knows about my "secret styler".
Valerie
An absolute ray of sunshine and happiness. She's also a streamer, and earns enough money from it to show it off. Not put off by literal ghosts. Has some kind of dream of meeting Mew.
Aeliana Kekoa
Alolan dance girl. She's supposed to teach me sometime. Pretty much just how I remembered her in school. I didn't get to spend much time with her when we all hung out. Didn't seem too bothered by the ghosts.
Pia McGuire
Pia... definitely is afraid of literal ghosts. I had a few choice words for her, but... after we saw Jirachi, it just felt like the time had passed, so I gave up. She's seen me without my mask, so next time we meet up is probably going to be awkward.
Haleigh Windsor
A friend of Melody's. I intentionally ran into her after failing to catch up with Melody, due to the addition of Haleigh. We had a short battle, and then made a promise for drinks with Melody after I urged her to drag the girl along with her to the contest in Turffield. She seems quite naive, so I may be able to get some more use out of her as long as I stay true to her persona. She's battle hungry, the same as Simon, but her Pokemon are still a little lacking - that coming from someone who still has no idea what she's doing here herself. She might end up being a good sparring partner in the future since she knows a little of what I've got and we're on relatively equal footing.
Mother Priscilla
The leader of the Turffield Sisterhood. I thought at first she was just an escort, but once we got to their hideout, I slowly started to realize what she really was. She's an incredibly dangerous woman who has no trouble pulling a gun on important people or those that she may need. There's still too much I don't know about what's going on to get a good grasp on what her and Damien's goals are, but given what I've already seen I really could do without finding out.
Ruben Sancho
Truth be told, I hadn't cared for Ruben when we went to school together. I thought he was your average rich celebrity who was forced into something he didn't really want to be a part of. After getting involved with the family and finding myself in that gambling hall, and then finding Ruben there as well, I felt that my suspicions were true. I had no second thoughts about what I was going to drag him in to. But as time went on, I found myself feeling more and more regretful with each time that he said Pia's name. And then because of me, news about him and Pia got out before either of them were likely ready to go public. And after all that, Simon attacked him out of the blue... but even after all that, he still offered me a free room at the local hotel. I already apologized to him about Simon, and about lying to get him to go with me. But, I should apologize again. He's not as bad of a guy as I thought he was.
Outfits
Spoiler: Here be a number of large images
Inventory
Spoiler:
Turffield Badge
Hulbury Badge
5 pokeballs
3 great balls
Notebook and Pen
Galarian Pokédex V. 8
Rosa's ATC
Old Rod
Simon's Knit Wooloo Sweater
Rotom Brand Electric Bike
Dawn Stone
Wishing Piece
Fancy Metal Flower Crown - Gift for Jasper
Pokemon Styler
Mysterious Package B
Blackspear Industries Job License
Odd Incense
Lagging Tail
Revival Herb
Priscilla's Package and Letter
Kimono and Fan
Turffield Ribbon
TR Curse
Peculiar Pinwheel
Matching Promise Pendant
Life Orb
Knife
Souvenir eeveelution cups
Wishing star
Achille watched in horror as the large Toxicroak rolled back onto her feet after being slammed by Proudhon. The Toxicroak leapt back towards Proudhon, landing a nasty looking Poison Jab with her bone-like barb. Another dose of purplish sludge leaked from the cut, confirming the venom found its way into the Gyarados.
The trainer's hand kept twitching back towards his Pokeball holster, which elicited a wary croak from the smaller Toxicroak. Two particularly brave Croagunk had joined the Toxicroak earlier, just after Aliénor, Alizé, and Terrot appeared. They stood alongside their leader, hand raised in the air ready to Poison Jab.
The Toxicroak seemed to have some experience interacting with trainers, and it made the situation all the more difficult. Achille cleared his throat, he hadn't been able to reason with the Pokemon so far, but it was all he had to try and diffuse the standoff. "Hey, look, I'm just trying to stop the fighting too. Let me grab my-"
A loud croak cut him off as the Toxicroak jabbed his spur forward. The Croagunk beside him seemed startled by the action as well, but quickly regained their composition. The two hopped a half-step forward, reinforcing their leader's threat. The message was clear though. He didn't negotiate.
The molluscoid hurried his way through chaos surrounding the front of the cave as fast as his aged foot would propel him. A crowd of Croagunk blocked his view and progress, anxiously croaking as they watched whatever was happening in the front of the cave. The trainer's gyarados reared up, rising high enough above the crowd that even Gastrodon could see it. Hanging from the sea serpent was the Toxicroak mother, droplets of venom raining from her wrist. Her reactions seemed slower than normal, and a few deep bruises were already starting to show.
Gastrodon let out a high pitched whine, but the cacophony from the front drowned him out. He bumped the Croagunk in front of him, who turned around aggressively before noticing it was only him. The young one moved aside, but there were still so many in front.
Luckily for him, the Whiscash noticed his difficulties and moved to assist. Two of them shot a weak stream of Mud Shot above the crowd, dropping fat clumps of mud on the crowd of amphibians. The Croagunks turned, ready to jab whoever spilt mud over them, but backed off upon seeing Gastrodon. A small tunnel through the crowd opened, clearing a way forward. Gastrodon nodded his appreciation at the catfish pokemon, then hurried through the parted crowd with the pearls.
Achille heard a faint clinking sound over the fight, and turned to see a rather large string of pearls bouncing off the floor. The Gastrodon seemingly in charge of everything had tossed them vaguely in front of him. Pearls? Why would a pokemon have pearls, much less bring them to try and break up the fight? It took a few seconds for him to even process the action, and then it hit him.
"I don't want your money, merde!" The Kalosian found the action somehow insulting. Like he was a common bandit. "I'm trying to leave. He is holding me hostage," Achille pointed at the male Toxicroak, who seemed less on edge with the reappearance of Gastrodon. "If I can return the Gyarados, and leave, I will."
The pink snail looked him over, his eyes tracing his arm down to his hand. He was still hovering over Proudhon's Pokeball, hand still primed from the standoff. The snail looked back across the cavern towards the hostage-taking Toxicroak, letting loose a high pitched while. The massive frog gave a small grunt-like croak, shifting uncomfortably as a follow-up whine came.
Toxicroak's general posture remained uncertain until a huge crash came from the right. A failed Sucker Punch by the female Toxicroak left her open, and Proudhon had followed up by slamming the Poison-type into the ground with his tail. Stunned from the impact, she failed to react in time as Proudhon made a loose coil around her, restricting her movement. The shadowy light of the cave hid the frog from sight, the looming shadow of Proudhon blocking her out.
The Toxicroak dropped his hand, motioning for the Croagunk back-up to stand down as well. Pushing his luck and not willing to let an enraged Proudhon finish the fight, Achille pulled the Pokeball free and recalled the Gyarados. The male Toxicroak flinched from the sudden action, but did not move to attack.
A thin beam of red light shot out from the ball and contacted Proudhon. The Gyarados was reduced to light himself before being pulled back into the Pokeball, leaving a large, battered, and confused foe behind. Proudhon raged inside the pokeball, which wiggled fiercely in Achille's hand. But it did not break open, and the shaking slowly stopped as the Gyarados cooled down.
The trainer snapped the pokeball back into his holster, pulling off two more right after. Alizé and Aliénor were also recalled, for safety reasons. Achille had an urge to call out Joiuse as his own backup, just in case things went badly again, but Terrot would have to be it. Lest Joiuse misinterpret something and start her own fight.
High pitched whines and croaking drew his attention, now that his team was safe. The injured Toxicroak argued with the Gastrodon, her angry croaks punctuated by futile attempts to pull herself to a standing position. Gastrodon fluctuated between annoyed squeals as the Toxicroak looked in Achille's direction and softer, more concerned squeaks as the Poison-type fell to the ground from her injuries again. Terrot's hooves clacked beside him as the goat moved uncomfortably, his own eyes not venturing from the male, healthy Toxicroak.
Gastrodon gave some order to a Croagunk bystander, ignoring a new complaint from Toxicroak. The smaller frog hesitated for a moment, surprised to receive an actual command, before running off into the ruins. Another command came from the mollusc, this time directed towards the male Toxicroak. Achille put his hands up, away from the Pokeballs in case he upset the wild Pokemon again. To his relief the massive frog just moved towards his injured comrade, giving him a slight side eye as he passed.
Terrot huffed and tapped his hoof as the frog passed, but didn't move from Achille's side. The trainer grabbed his horn to reel him in, but the snide remark was taken in stride. The mobile frog squatted next to the injured one, softly croaking as Gastrodon left to speak with Achille.
The snail grabbed the pearls again on his way, despite a small objection from Achille. The aged Gastrodon dropped the pearls at the trainer's feet.
"I already said I didn't need these," Achille said with a sigh. He leaned down and grabbed the string, carefully pulling all the pearls into his hand and bringing them up for inspection. Pulling the pearls into the light, the pale white orbs seemed to glow. "Dieu, I'm no expert, but these seem pretty close to perfect." No matter what way he turned them, he couldn't see an imperfection in their shine.
But why are such high quality pearls in a muddy cave?
Achille closed his fist around the pearls, holding them back out to Gastrodon. The pokemon shook his head and pushed the fist back towards Achille. Between the unusually agreeable "wild" pokemon and the human like structures, Achille had a growing hunch this Gastrodon had spent quite some time with humans.
Off to the side, the Croagunk sent on an errand had returned, arms full of multicolored fruit. A few fat yellow berries resembling a misshapen snowman, the trainer recognized them as sitrus berries, were handed to the wounded Toxicroak. The fighter popped three of them into her maw at once, chewing slowly.
Toxicroak finally pulled herself off the ground, the worst of her pain dulled from the fruit. She turned towards Achille and Terrot, giving a low and grumpy croak, before slunking off to the mud pile making up the center of the pond.
Achille hadn't even noticed the berry-carrying Croagunk had hopped over to him until a soft croak from below alerted him. The purple Pokemon had a heart-shaped pink berry in its palm, offering it up to the trainer. Pecha berry; Proudhon did get poisoned from those poison jabs.
"Thank you." Achille didn't even fight this gift, just accepted it and moved it to his bag. It would be useful as soon as he could get Proudhon somewhere that wasn't here. Croagunk didn't acknowledge the thanks, just slinking back to the crowd of its nestmates.
The crowd of pokemon began to dissipate, the excitement of the fight over. It finally seemed quiet enough to talk to Gastrodon without worrying about a fight breaking out.
"So," he broke the silence with a cough. "You seem to understand what I say pretty well. I take it you've spent some time with people before." A pause from the Pokemon, followed by a short nod. "So… what is this place then?"
The question sounded stupid the second it left his mouth. That was a complex question for a large language barrier. Gastrodon thought on the question regardless, making a soft humming as his "ears" flicked back and forth. "Sorry, a bit of a dumb question-" the trainer began, before the snail began to move. Gastrodon looked back after a second, then motioned for the Kalosian to follow him.
Achille and Terrot followed around the mud-slicked pool. Up close, Achille could make out small etchings around the surface. Where they weren't covered up by the mud, that is. He moved slowly, fearful that the thick muck would cover up some small, but sudden change in elevation and cause him to fall. Who even knows where the nearest shower to wash the grime off was.
Gastrodon stopped in front of a pillar, one that was much cleaner than the rest of the cavern. Achille could see a small placard as he rounded the pool corner. It looked to have aged significantly in the filth, but otherwise looked shockingly new for the state of disrepair around him.
Pearl Pond Shellos Reserve
Achille looked at the buildings around him again. None of them seemed finished from this close up. The main building lacked a roof in some areas. Piles of formerly white brick sat in piles of mud hidden out of sight. A wall sat partially collapsed from an incomplete mortar job. Yet, it all looked too new to have fully been reclaimed by nature; an out of place ghost.
"I don't suppose you grew up here, did you?" Gastrodon simply shook his head in response, looking back over the pond with a wistful look. The pokemon took a few moments remembering whatever, watching the Croagunk either continue to watch the outsider or returning to play with their nestmates, then motioned for Achille to follow once more.
This time he was led into the largest building, through the empty door frame and similarly empty front lobby. An empty reception desk and several benches littered the area, with empty display cabinets and mounts for televisions. Gastrodon guided the pair behind the counter, to the one area with an actual door, it seemed. Achille opened the door for them all, finding that the door swung open with no resistance. The lock had long been clogged by something.
The door led to a small office, only a single desk and a lot of filing cabinets. The desk seemed to be a cheap mass produced one; the steel legs rusting from exposure while the upper wooden surface warped from moisture. Gastrodon pulled at the upper drawer, the only one that seemed to properly fit the railing, unsealing it after application of some force. Achille stepped up to the desk, surprised to see the contents of the drawer shockingly dry. Several papers littered the drawer, and at the top lie a small journal in a bag.
Achille carefully grabbed the bag, noticing it was practically airtight around the journal. He opened it, releasing the red faux-leather tome from it's vacuum sealed prison. The thing was sealed with a small clasp, but no key. Gastrodon hasn't objected, but Achille lifted the book to be sure this is what he was meant to find.
With an affirmative nod, he popped the clasp and opened the front page.
"Approval and funding for the project have been secured. I've finally managed to convince the city of the correlation between the increased mining operations and the decline of the local Shellos population. Tomorrow I will begin exploring the caves outside of Motostoke with Nemuro in earnest to find a suitable spot for the sanctuary.
"The years I've spent in the Sinnoh cave systems should transfer over. Shellos are still Shellos, even if they are in Galar. My biggest concerns are finding a good water source in the caverns. Gastrodons may be able to withstand industrial pollutants in the water with their added Ground typing, but Shellos themselves are a little too fragile to nest in mining wastewater."
The search continued for several pages. Achille flipped through pages of scientific data that he found difficult to follow, but disqualified a few sites due to "unacceptable thresholds" of some chemical or another.
"I think I've found a suitable place. At the top of a steep climb there is a spot where the Motostoke aquifer is close to the surface. Close enough to dig a groundwater-fed pond anyways. Bringing Nemuro along was the right choice, I'd have overlooked it if not for his ground-type senses.
"I'll propose the spot sometime this week. For now it's time to make some rough drafts for how the facility should even look. I'm getting excited over the prospects finally. The past few weeks have been a huge hit on morale with just how polluted the mines have made the cave's free-flowing water sources. Another thing to bring up with the city, I guess. There's no way all the regulations are being followed with these readings."
Achille flipped through a few pages of initial construction. The author spoke entirely in numbers and technical details on some days, while flipping back to self-debate on what he needed with the facilities. Notes were scribbled out and replaced with notes in new ink. Even the pages themselves seemed more worn than the rest of the journal, as the author flipped back for reference.
The last of the worn pages was much shorter than the rest.
"We brought in the digging crew. Found some pearls in the layers right above the aquifer. I'm hoping that doesn't complicate things. We have the permit already, so we should be good.
"With my recommendations for an official audit of the cave's water quality being blown off, though, I do have some doubts in the back of my mind.
"The pond will be ready by the end of the week. I'll move in some Shellos as soon as it's ready. The sooner we begin using the site, the better."
There was no mention of a shutdown in the following days, and the Pokemon were moved into the pool without incident. Achille flipped through the largest patch of business as normal yet, skimming various minor complications with the construction, but none stalled progress.
"The Shellos seem sick. I'm checking the water again."
"It's the water. Somehow contaminants are showing up despite months of nothing. This is groundwater, who would be dumping into this? There's no new mining sites near us."
Short updates continued for a few days as the person searched. Achille was nearing the end of the written pages. The sea of blank pages was fast approaching with little answers.
"The power plant. I finally saw their emissions report. They release pollutants at nearly twice the rate of anyone in the city, but only a publicly acceptable amount is properly disposed of. For appearance's sake, no doubt. The reports seem to be fast-tracked to high-ranking members of the oversight, bypassing any review by lower levels.
"I could scarcely believe it until I saw who the company was registered under. A subsidiary of the Chairman's company. I need a good explanation of how I have this information, before I bring this up to anyone sympathetic on the board."
There was no date to the final page.
"I did something very stupid, and they'll know it was me as soon as the paper comes tomorrow. I'm leaving Nemuro here while I lay low for a while." And then nothing. The pages stopped there, and Achille could only assume the book was placed into the bag after this entry. Flipping through the book and inverting it failed to produce any hidden documents with a follow up.
He reached for the drawer, sorting through the loose papers. Inside were several receipts and documents addressed towards an ecologist by the name of Oliver Howell in addition to charts and pages of chemical formulas and numbers. Out of curiosity he reached towards the top of the drawer, finding a piece of paper taped to the top, out of sight.
It looked like some pages of a report, a company name and an auditor written across the top of every page. Some of the chemicals from Oliver's paperwork matched, but the values given in the report were significantly higher.
"This is all there is, isn't it," Achille finally said after another quick look through of the desk. "Nemuro?"
Gastrodon nodded sadly. The Pokemon reached for one of the filing cabinets and pulled it open, revealing it was empty. Save for rust and mud.
"I… don't suppose he ever came back, did he?" Achille barely knew how to broach this subject. How do you comfort a Pokemon about something like this. Much less about something that happened years ago with no resolution. "Did they ever come back here?"
Nemuro sat in silence for a moment before giving a quiet rumble and a slight nod of his head. Of course they did. That's why this is a dangerous tunnel. Knowing why he was nearly washed away helped… but this couldn't continue forever. Much less once the Gastrodon was gone, and no one would stop the Toxicroaks.
The pearls too. Oliver didn't mention who all he told about them, but the digging crew found them. Even if he could deter the thrill seekers there were likely people who remembered the pearls here. They'd be back sooner or later.
"Hey, is there a tunnel out of here? Other than the main one?" Achille had a sudden idea. "We could maybe hide this place by faking a cave in. No one would bother you guys anymore, and if we do it the slow way, no one should get hurt from an actual collapse."
The trainer's plan took several hours to implement. The tyrunt ended up being the primary workhorse, able to both dig up and break boulders. The Croagunk took a bit of time to come around to it, but they eventually gathered in groups to move the rocks towards the hill, and then roll them down. The initial rocks thrown by the Tyrunt shockingly held, forming a base to build a wall of stone off of.
And it was all sealed with mud from Nemuro and the Whiscash. When the first layer of mud-glue disappeared, a new one was set. Not even light passed the wall after three layers.
Then the trainer was ready to leave. Nemuro just had to show him the back tunnel and he left without a fuss. The trainer's figure disappeared into the darkness of the deep tunnels, where humans rarely wandered.
Something bugged Nemuro though. Picked away at his mind as he made his routes around the pool again. The mother Toxicroak emerged from her mud bath with the human gone, watching Nemuro as he wandered about. She wasn't happy, she wouldn't be happy for a while. No harm came to her family, but it could have. That was enough for her to be mad at him for the discernable future.
Nemuro scoffed in his mind at her human paranoia. The pressure of protecting this place weighed heavily, and finding a non-violent solution that didn't put the cavern at risk was looking impossible. The trainer had solved it in a day, using a solution he'd rejected before for being impossible with the pool's current residents.
He stopped his rounds and looked over at the current residents again, the Croagunk and Barboach that called this pool home. They'd changed so much over the years. Even when Oliver left, the first residents of the pool were different. The Whiscash had only found their way here a few years ago, during a bad flood. The Croagunk were even newer, an already existing group forced out of their tunnel and seeking refuge.
Did he even fit here anymore? Now that the place didn't need his constant vigilance? The Croagunk were far too rambunctious for him, and the Whiscash admittedly gave him a headache with their constant splashing around the Croagunk.
When did he even start thinking of himself as Nemuro again, anyways? He wasn't Nemuro until he met Oliver, and he went back to not having a name after he vanished. The trainer says it once and he's suddenly Nemuro again.
The gastrodon still debated these questions as he entered the office again. He couldn't help but notice the string of pearls atop the desk, though.
Achille was fucking lost again. He got lost with some of the enthusiast caverns, how the hell did he expect to navigate some uncharted cavern. He was about ready to throw his map in the trash and have Aliénor chew her way through the wall when a high pitched whine sounded from the way he came.
Nemuro had followed him, it seemed. Pearls in his mouth. The snail wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Hey, Nemuro," he greeted as he folded the map up again. "I give up. I'll accept the pearls if you show me the way out of here."
He reached out his hand to accept the pearls, feeling something surprisingly large drop into his hands as well. He half expected to find some monstrous pearl, but instead found a pokeball. One that looked several years old and not exactly maintained at that. The trainer turned it over in his hands slowly, observing the damage before finally checking the capture indicator.
It showed a successful capture.
"Are… you wanting to come along?" Achille asked, slowly. Slightly confused by the whole event.
A nod.
"You know the person who I think did this is in jail right now, right? He got caught for something else."
A nod.
"You're sure the pond is safe? You spent that long protecting it… you really want to give it up?"
The gastrodon just gave another nod and pushed the human's hands towards his pocket. Nemuro hasn't felt so sure of this in a long time. He wouldn't be the best at fighting, but this was the first time he felt properly excited in so long.
New Pokemon
Nemuro
Male // Sticky Hold
Harden // Recover // Mud-Slap // Water Pulse // Ancient Power // Muddy Water
Inventory:
Spoiler:
1000₽
Pokédex
ATC
Old Rod
Nevermelt Ice
Gold Nugget
String of Pearls (NEW)
Raphael Allard > Motostoke Gym
> More Than Just a Broken Heart
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Heart pounding, head throbbing, gut flipping, nerve-wracking. A host of unpleasant emotions and experiences churning violently in Raphael's stomach as he did everything he could to contain himself. It had been months since he'd stood here, in Kabu's gym, standing in the tunnel entrance to the field beyond. He had already completed the gym mission last time, as a result he had been allowed to step through without issue to challenge Kabu once again, face to face, one and one. No fanfare or formality, his challenge welcomed without issue.
This had been his lowest point. On this journey, since the very beginning, his hesitation had hindered him at every turn. The loss, the disappointment, the pain. The realization he had let Vito down, let his friends down, his mother, the Professor… himself. The failure he needed to grow, to change. The part of his quest that could have broken him entirely.
But it hadn't.
He had charged into burning buildings, stood up to crazed criminals, formed bonds and shaped a journey for himself already, even though he only stood at the third gym. Everything he had done so far, everything he had fought so hard for, it was culminating here and now. The end of his first chapter was a stone's throw away. He could feel it, ringing in his ears, echoing in his damaged heart.
It was time.
He looked at the pokéballs on his belt.
Roe.
Selene.
Lumi.
Carmen.
And Vito.
He took the last one in hand, the first he had received, and released the pokémon inside. Vito burst out in a shower of white light, already facing towards the pitch with a confident expression. The Sealeo slowly flopped to turn and face his trainer. There was a burning fever in Vito's soul… an unstoppable energy that pushed everything forward. Ever since Raph was forced to chase Vito down the road back at Wedgehurst, Vito had been guiding him. That they had come this far was owed to this silly little ball of energy.
Raphael smiled and Vito returned the gesture. Then together, they turned and moved towards the pitch and the battle that waited within.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!"
The crowd erupted into cheers as Raphael stepped into view, the monitors around the arena moved to focus on his face.Raph's hair was slicked back, tied neatly into a ponytail as opposed to the mess he had worn the first time he stepped onto this field. His ear was pierced with a simple silver loop and affixed to the front of his gym uniform, catching the light of the midday sun, was a blue pin shaped like a heart. A keepsake he received from a friend.
Kabu stood across the grass with his arms crossed, his stern eyes taking stock of Raphael as he approached. Their gazes landed upon one another and locked, neither flinching in the face of the energy their opponent exuded. Centiskorch was with the Leader, the pokémon that had so brutally defeated Vito before, but now the Sealeo looked at the larger pokémon fearlessly. He was certain it wouldn't happen again.
Both trainers met in the center of the field and gripped firmly upon each other's fore-arms, a sign of respect and sportsmanship before the crowd.
"You came back." Kabu's stern voice rang in his ears, the same voice that had haunted him since their last confrontation. "I wasn't satisfied." Raphael responded, his words delivered with confidence. "I didn't get to show you the kind of trainer I really am."
They broke contact, their eyes still locked, Kabu's gaze forged in the fire that built his entire reputation. "I see." He paused. "Then show me, young Raphael."
"Show me the fire you lacked that day."
The two trainers part ways, their footsteps indenting the turf beneath their feet, before returning to their appropriate positions, ready for the battle to start.
In the stands a certain fan dressed in blue holds a pair of home-made flags. She clenches them tightly in her fists until her knuckles go white, her heart fit to burst from her chest. She had become invested in the story of a young man trying to redeem himself. A loss in this place had sparked his entire journey, a battle undertaken together with his faithful companion.
Alone in a far off region, with no friends of her own, she had found solace in him. He became a hero to her, a position she now realized she had placed him in selfishly.
Yet… when she met him, he had lived up to her every expectation and more. Now, more than anything, she wanted her hero to win. So much so that she was too overwhelmed with tension to cheer his name as more than a whisper.
"Please win… Hearto-san…"
On the streets of Jubilife city, a man has just arrived home, only here for a few days after his intense travels. He wears a casual black hoodie with the hood pulled high, not wanting to be recognized by the people he protects. A large display screen in the city square is showing an image of today's gym battles in the Galar region. His gaze flickers past but lingers as he sees the person on screen.
That boy… there was a lot more he had wanted to tell him. Maybe one day he'd get the chance, but for now a TR and some words of encouragement were all he could offer him.
As a will-o-wisp appears from his shadow, lighting the cigarette in his hand, he lingers to watch the show, just a little longer.
In the town of Wedgehurst a middle-aged woman sits with a porcelain cup of tea in her hand. It was shaking slightly as she settled into her settee, her eyes glued to the screen. In front of her was a sight she never dared to think she'd see. Her son… her son was pursuing his dream. He stood triumphantly before the challenge before him, looking more grown than he ever had. She took a gentle sip, waiting for it to begin, the fight that would define him… and that dream he'd always had… for the times yet to come.
She had always told him to hold back, always so afraid that he might be hurt. Always afraid she might lose him. Now she knew it wasn't about what she wanted, it was about him. This moment was his. No heart condition. No missing father. No regrets and loneliness.
"Raphael, don't give up. Don't you ever give up again."
Just outside the stadium doors, a young white-coated bug catcher runs into the lobby and catches a glimpse of the TVs on the wall. His brow furrows and his fists clench tightly as he sees the challenger on the screen - beaten again to the chase. He has no interest in watching this match. Yet as he looks away in anger, a cry from the Spewpa on his shoulder brings his eyes back to the screen- and his eyes grow wider.
The camera zooms in on Raphael, standing defiantly before Kabu, Vito at his side, an unmistakable fire in both their eyes. And on Raphael's uniform...
"Is that… a blue pin?"
The claxons sounded in the arena, hurting Raphael's ears, but not startling him from his stance, the screen shifted and the crowd went wild. Both pokémon on the pitch tensed as the moment finally arrived… and they charged towards each other as the music roared from the loud speakers and familiar text crossed the screen.
"Vito, Rollout now!"
As Raphael called the command, Vito obeyed, curling up quickly and bursting off with a rapid shot of speed. The grass below seemed to ripple with force as the ball pokémon zig-zagged across it, then zipped forward in a beeline to its enemy.
"What makes you think that will work this time?! Centiskorch Fire Lash!" Burning flames whipped out in a solid line from Centiskorch's maw, cracking against the field below harshly, before swinging to intercept Vito's path.
"Two point turn, now!" Without responding to the Gym Leader's jab, Raph issued a second command. Vito quickly shifted, reversing his speed as quickly as possible and grinding to a halt inches in front of the area where the Fire Lash struck. He hastily reversed direction, turning at an angle, then spinning to move forward again, bursting forward at a right angle from his initial direction and moving to circle Centiskorch rapidly.
"Hmph! Seems you've accrued a little more control than our first match, but it will take more than that to stand a chance!" Kabu raised a hand upwards and swung it down as if slicing the air before Vito himself. "Centiskorch, keep the pressure on!"
Lash after lash burst in front of Vito, striking the ground time and time again, causing Vito to swerve haphazardly to avoid them. Still, Raphael wasn't the only one who learned a greater degree of control. Vito used his momentum to his advantage, bouncing over low coming strikes to maintain momentum and slowly shrinking the circle he was making around Centiskorch on the field.
Raphael had his first battle with Kabu burned into his memory. He had thought long and hard about how to approach the fiery powerhouse that was the third leader's ace. Centiskorch had a blinding amount of offensive power even before the sun was up, last time he had been decimated before he could even land a hit. He had underestimated the bug/fire type from the get go, but no longer. By approaching slowly, having Vito dodge and subtly close the distance, he could tire his opponent out until…
"Tch, Centiskorch, Sunny Day!"
That was his opportunity.
"Vito now, turn again!"
As Centiskorch took a moment, shooting a massive orb of fire into the air to serve as a temporary sun, Vito swiftly shifted direction using the same technique as before, resuming his initial path and charging straight towards the distracted Centiskorch.
"Don't overestimate your speed Young Raphael! Scald Centiskorch!" Without missing a beat, Centiskorch arched his head downwards, swinging swiftly and decisively from his upwards facing position and shot a burst of superheated water at the ground in front of it. The burst struck Vito hard and carried enough power to push Centiskorch back just a few inches from his initial position.
The slight extension of distance, the momentary knockback inflicted on Vito, the damage had been resisted but from this pokémon it still hurt like it hadn't been. Vito's momentum had disappeared and he slid to a stop, before the waiting curvature of his imposing adversary.
How had Kabu done that? He had calculated such a minute difference in strategy that toppled Raphael's entire opening hand. How was that even possible? A tiny change and his strategy was tossed aside? He felt a small burst of panic race through him, the possibility that he might lose again hung over him like the blade of a guillotine.
"Thunder Fang, Centiskorch!" Kabu called for an early coup de grâce. The same move that had surprised and defeated Raphael and Vito during their first encounter. A miscalculation left them open to this already?! The shimmering electric fangs dug into Vito and shook him around like a rag doll, before roughly tossing him back to the ground. The lump in Raph's throat grew bigger.
Already he could hear a siren like noise playing in his mind on repeat, as Vito's HP decreased into the metaphorical red. He couldn't take another hit like that, but that's exactly what Kabu planned to deliver.
"Seems you still have much to learn. Centiskorch, use the sun to empower your Solarbeam!" The sunlight energy created by this same pokémon rushed to grant it further strength, suffusing the bug type's slender body with blistering light, Solarbeam would take almost instantaneous effect under these conditions.
Almost.
"Vito! Powder Slide!"
At the last second, Vito's body shimmered, Powder Snow activated, striking the long line of water left by scald and freezing it solid. Vito thrust his body backward, sliding along the ice rapidly and gracefully. The initial frozen puddle immediately shattered after, as solar beam crashed harshly into the ground and splintered the place where Vito had sat mere moments ago.
Kabu's eyes widened and he looked up from the field to Raphael. The young trainer was already staring back at him. In this exact space, mere weeks ago, under these same conditions, Raphael's eyes had been distraught and full of despair. Not now. Now Kabu saw something that hadn't been there before. In this moment of great turmoil, rather than buckle under the weight of defeat…
Something was burning inside of Raphael.
Kabu's sharp expression shifted into a wide smile, an excited expression crawled into his old features.
"Centiskorch, keep up the pressure! Alternate Solarbeam and Scald!"
Beams began to fly back and forth, Centiskorch coiling and shifting around it's solitary position, like a turret locked in place as Vito instinctively curled into a ball. This time the ice at his feet rushed to cover him, activating Ice Ball instead of the previously employed Rollout.
"Vito, wait for a scald between the beams of light, then meet it with Water Gun!"
Vito bounced and dodged beam after beam, curling and drifting around the arena. The slick puddles of scalding water that quickly began to cover the field melted the ice that surrounded him and caused some messy turns, allowing Solarbeam to clip him here and there, chipping away more and more of his dwindling HP…
But as Raph had anticipated, Centiskorch was finally starting to slow down.
A single messy Scald, poorly aimed was all it took. Vito burst out of his ice capsule and fired a jet of cool water mid jump. The bursts of water collided and a loud crack rang out across the arena. The two vastly different temperatures caused the water to burst outwards. Time seemed to slow as the shimmering liquid clung to the air.
"Powder Snow!"
Vito shifted gears, decreasing the temperature of his moves energy even further, before unleashing a torrent of ice outwards into the surging liquid. In an instant it froze, creating crooked spires of twisting ice reaching upwards, covered in a layer of mist and steam. Kabu's eyes widened with realization at the situation. Raphael's adaptability had saved a certain loss, he had switched to a different stratagem entirely. To overwhelm Kabu with sheer force.
"Centiskorch! Flame Lash, destroy the ice now!"
"He can't break it all fast enough! Vito, Ice Ball up one of the spires quickly!"
Centiskorch rapidly whipped it's move around like a flail, shattering and melting as many frozen shards and pillars as he could while the moment remained, but Vito was too fast. Rushing up a spire of ice mere seconds before Centiskorch destroyed it, the Sealeo ramped high into the air until for a brief moment he seemed to blot out Centiskorch's false sun.
"Now, barrel down on Centiskorch! Use all the momentum you have!" Raphael cried at the top of his lungs so his partner would hear him and Vito responded. Like a frozen comet, he plummeted, spinning rapidly in the air, generating more and more centrifugal force and combining his already immense momentum with the force of gravity.
"Centiskorch, use Solarbeam! Shoot him out of the sky!"
"Vito use Aqua RIng!"
Water from the soaked ground surged upwards, surrounding Vito with a spinning and glowing outer layer of water, healing his wounds and protecting him as he continued barrelling downwards. Centiskorch gathered light quickly, blasting a concentrated radiant beam towards his encroaching foe, but the light refracted in the water, dissipating and breaking before it made a solid impact. Aqua Ring was almost immediately dispersed, but the Solarbeam flickered uselessly into darkness as Vito was unimpeded.
"Scald! Fire Lash!"
Centiskorch fired blasts of boiling water violently and frantically towards Vito, melting the outer layer of his Ice Ball quickly and leaving the structure of his frozen shell damaged and weak. Before whipping around with a burning lash of flame once more. Raphael however, made no effort to command Vito to dodge or counter, instead he simply waited.
The Fire Lash shattered Vito's outer layer of ice and struck the Sealeo hard, singeing away at his already weakened state… but the HP restored by Aqua Ring gave him just enough strength to hold on through the attack as the distance was now all but closed.
"Vito now! Rollout!"
Kabu's eyes widened in realization once more. The aqua ring, the ice ball, Kabu's own attacks. That had been Young Raphael's plan from the moment the ice spires formed. It wasn't a sheer force offense, it was a single, precise, powerful blade, cast down from the heavens… disguised behind wall upon wall of shields.
In the crowd, Raphael's number one fan stood from her seat quickly, waving her flags frantically while watching with an awestruck expression. She screamed his name, over and over until her throat hurt… and the crowd followed with her, riling into an overwhelming cheer of support for the boy with the blue heart.
In Jubilife city, that man finished his cigarette, flicking the butt into a nearby bin, he smirked just a little. The spectacle before him filled him with pride and a strange sense of nostalgia. A fleeting memory of so many days gone by. Already knowing the outcome, he turns as a bigger crowd gathers to watch, content to return to his business at last.
In the tiny Wedgehurst home, the proud mother watches with widened eyes. She places her tea on the table and balls her hands into fists, her eyes sparkling with tears. For the first time in her life she gives herself to her son's dream. Quietly, she speaks her cheers, hoping they reach him across the Southern half of the country. "Win… Raphael… Win!"
"VITO!" Raphael screams his partner's name as he clatters downwards, the remaining distance shrinking meters in milliseconds.
Kabu grits his teeth and cries out over the crowd to the now panicked Centiskorch awaiting order. "Thunder Fang, Centiskorch! Now!"
The bug type's mandibles screech to life with electricity, he turns to open his maw and catch the incoming missile in a last ditch attempt at a counter, but it's too late. With an almighty crash, Vito collides with the top of Centiskorch's head. The arena below the two pokémon creeks and breaks, a crater instantly forms from the sheer pressure of the attack, Vito and Centiskorch at the center.
With the super-effective move carrying so much force, Centiskorch groans in pain and fury as he tries to hold his posture, keeping himself straight as Vito continues to spin rapidly against the top of his head like an angle grinder. An agonizing moment of one on one struggle, before there can be no more doubt who the victor is.
With a final crash, Centiskorch buckles, its head ploughed harshly into the ground by the force of the move, the rest of its dangling body flailing above it. One blow, one single attack was all it took to decide the fight once and for all.
A cloud of smoke bursts outwards from the impact, rushing over the field and clouding both trainers from view as well. The crowd goes deathly silent, both challenger and leader stare out at the slowly dissipating smoke, waiting for the outcome to be clear… until finally, the two pokémon come into view. The camera's quickly focus in, zooming in on the outcome of the conflict.
Centiskorch lies in the midst of the crater, its head smashed harshly into the ground, unmoving and unconscious.
Sitting beside him, delirious, dizzy, severely injured and exhausted, is Vito. Who with the last of his remaining strength… gives a small, goofy smile to the cameras.
The silence lingers a moment longer, before the crowd erupts into untold cheers of support and joy. The announcer's voice blares over the intercom.
"I-Incredible…! Centiskorch… Centiskorch is unable to battle! The winner is challenger 810, repeat Challenger 810, Raphael Allard is victorious!"
Everything seemed so surreal to him at that moment. Raphael's arms felt numb, his throat hurt and his vision was blurry. His heart was fit to burst, rushing too fast for his liking, a mile a minute… and yet…
He felt so alive.
A hesitant step forward, then another, then two more, faster now, faster and faster still. Raphael rushed towards the newly formed crater, tripping and near sliding down into the indent until he was throwing his arms around Vito. The Sealeo let out a quiet and contented coo… and Raph hugged him harder, tears openly flowing down his face as he was nigh overwhelmed with emotion.
The two stayed close as the audience cheered their names, basking in the moment they had fought with everything they had to achieve.
Flashbacks rushed through his mind, so many moments of doubt and fear. Years and years of mistakes and grief. Everything he had ever wanted had always been a pipe dream. A future he could never truly achieve and yet? He was here now, in that moment he always dreamed of. His first great hurdle was overcome, his first failure faced and defeated.
In such a short time, he had already grown more as a person than he had done over the course of his entire life.
A flash of red catches the edge of his eye, as returning Centiskorch and walking down into the crater was Kabu. His own face was flush with emotion, exhaustion from the intense battle, paired with a wide smile of pride. He reaches down towards Raphael, still on his knees, and as the young trainer takes his hand he pulls him to stand before him face to face.
"I was wrong about you." As Kabu said those words, Raphael felt an immediate weight lifted, one he hadn't even known he was carrying. "You're young and brash, but you burn as bright as any of us. You showed me your fire today, a burning blue flame, Young Raphael."
"I…" He didn't even know what to say.
"As I watched your battles with Milo and Nessa I saw your strengths… and you brought them to bear against me today, as I had hoped you would." He takes Raphael's hand once more and presses a small metal badge into it with that same smile. "It is with great pride that I award you this, the Fire Badge, as proof of your and Vito's victory over the Motostoke Gym today."
Raphael stared down at the shimmering piece of metal in his hand. The way it glinted and caught the light made his eyes widened in disbelief. Three gym badges. He was almost halfway there, halfway to the goal he had dreamed of all his life. All of his life he had been full of doubt and naysay, all the days he'd spent watching recordings and staring on from the distance at the thought of a life he'd never had hung over him still, fading, ephemeral, but still looming. It still didn't feel real. He couldn't deal with half promises or misunderstandings anymore, he needed to know, he needed this man who had nearly ruined everything to tell him.
"Kabu-!" Raph called out, rough and hoarse, looking up at the gym leader as he had already started to step away, climbing out of the crater where Raphael still stood. He still bore that smile as he looked at Raphael expectantly.
"Do you think-" He paused, unsure. "Is it possible that… that one day I could…" He was still afraid of the answer. "Do you think that one day, I could be a great trainer..? One that people look up to?"
It felt like such a stupid, childish and immature question. It was the question he had been asking his whole life.
Kabu simply smiled wider, his eyes creasing into a kind expression, showing his wisdom and age.
"Young Raphael, look around you." He spoke, his soft voice somehow dominating the raging storm of noise that surrounded them.
"You already are."
Raphael finally heard the crowd around him again, the way they cheered, his name, his nickname, even Vito's, over and over again. Kabu turned and walked away again, leaving his challenger dumbstruck and unable to formulate even the simplest of responses.
That dream he had fostered since he was a child. The heartbreak, the struggle, the constant fight against the limitations he had been born with. Had he... done it?
Was he finally… more than just a broken heart?
He placed a hand upon Vito's head, then turned to walk out the opposite side of the crater, the Sealeao bounding happily along beside him. As they reached flat ground once more, he looked around at those standing in their seats to watch him. He felt the gaze of all those who had placed these expectations upon him, expectations he had been able to meet. Somewhere out there, there was a little boy sitting at home, watching him on a screen, wanting to be where he was now.
His awe shifted slowly into a smile, he clenched his fists for a brief moment, stowing away the emotion for just a moment, then with a triumphant smile he lifted his new badge skywards, taking his moment to listen as the crowd erupted into further cheers.
The young man with the dark hair and blue heart stood triumphantly, badge in hand, hundreds of new fans now supporting him.
His name was Raphael Allard… and this is the beginning of his story.
Tim T
Tim let himself down in the comfortable nook between the dumpster and the wall. Here in the alleyway the rising winds were sufficiently blocked, and there was even a little bit of an overhang to mitigate what seemed to be a coming midnight drizzle. Tim had a lot to think about.
Tim's new Rolycoly, Pelj, let herself down against the wall. Pelj had managed to keep up with the day's training, if shakily. She had tumbled gracelessly during cornering practice and bounced painfully off the target stones during tackling drills, but she had kept at it and even managed to keep her little wheel rolling to follow Tim all the way into Motostoke afterwards. She didn't seem to need much food—Tim had seen her revving her wheel against some moss—so the midday break had been short as neither Tim nor Rij had had much of an appetite and Henj still didn't appear to eat at all.
Rij had put his nose to the grindstone today too. Determined not to be outdone by the little newcomer, he had nailed his corners and stuck his tackles, even almost better than Henj had. Afterwards, he had listened for the first time in months as Tim concocted some new tricks and maneuvers with him to be called out on the fly, like the Horn Lob and the Drill Dive. Rij would take his corners by tucking into a lengthwise, arcing roll that Tim had dubbed the Tumble Turn, and even seemed to be able to keep from disorienting himself as long as he didn't do it too frequently.
Tim would have tried to whip up some similar maneuvers for Henj, but had himself grown a bit fatigued by then and settled instead on practicing a long throw with the Stonjourner. When a Pokéball deployed its mon, the ball kicked itself backwards, and this was how people could reclaim the ball after throwing it to deploy a mon. The Trainer school had taught to throw balls the same way everyone everywhere did: forward and high, so that the ball kicked itself back to the thrower. But Tim had another idea for some potential surprise deployment. By flinging it with all his might, Tim threw the ball far past its recommended deployment distance, and then Henj deployed a distance away, facing Tim. With some proper timing and practice to get the speed and angle of it right, Tim had managed to consistently throw the ball in such a way that it kicked itself straight upward after deploying Henj. With even more tiresome practice, Henj managed to get the hang of catching his own ball after being deployed in such a manner. Tim and Henj both were proud of this new skill, despite the fact that it would have little use in most situations. It would be useful for pincering though, and Tim intended to try it out for the Motostoke Gym challenge.
Tim had stopped at the Gym to review a printout of the challenge's rules. He had spent the better part of two hours making sure he understood exactly what he could get away with, when he saw Raphael come in. Tim had watched Raphael's fight against Kabu and had even almost stood up and cheered at the monitor. Tim remembered Raphael's horrible first encounter with Kabu and had gone out of his way to catch the young man's Gym battles after that. He had enjoyed seeing Raphael perform better and better every time. It was exactly the kind of improvement he expected of the other challengers, and he considered Raphael an exemplar.
As uplifting as it had been to witness Raphael's triumph though, it sat oddly in Tim's head. Surely anyone who could perform so well would naturally be more confident in the field, less likely to back away from danger, more liable to get into hazardous situations. Tim had thought highly of the battles he'd seen from Simon and Haleigh and Aeliana too, but down in the mines they had almost been shot to death. Tim was conflicted about how he should receive Raphael's success, or the success of any of the other going forward. On one hand, he was happy for their improvement and thought the world of them. But on the other, he was concerned it might go to their heads and induce them to throw caution to the wind.
Afterwards, Tim had moved further into town to pull dinner out of a dumpster. He had just finished gnawing down a chunk of petrified pizza and found this cozy spot as the wind outside the alley started to pick up, preparing to blow in some rain. This would be a much warmer and drier spot than Tim would have had outside town. But, Tim thought, it would be nothing compared to the lodgings most of the others were probably enjoying tonight. Tim was worried: would that make them soft? Sure they bedded in the field too between towns, but were they taking the possibility of a bed afterwards for granted? Tim wasn't sure what to think. He wasn't jealous. He wouldn't be jealous. That would be petty. But he was still concerned.
Through Tim's walks in Motostoke, the new Rolycoly Pelj had followed doggedly and kept upright. During the entirety of Rij's and Henj's personal training earlier, Tim had had Pelj rolling at speed around the clearing, and had been quick to admonish her when she slowed. She seemed exhausted now, her wheel trembling a little as she rested on her side. Tim supposed he was being, perhaps, a bit too harsh with the little Rolycoly. But that was the point. On some level he wanted to scare her away. It had been one thing for Henj to ask to join: Henj was probably older than Tim was so the Stonjourner hadn't made the decision lightly. But Pelj was almost certainly a youngling. She didn't have the judgement to know what she wanted and Tim was sure that she would eventually realize she wanted to go home to the mines. She was sticking around so far anyway, but Tim didn't want the slightest shade of doubt in any of his mons going forward. Tim wouldn't reward or praise his mons the way Raphael had so emotionally done so for his Sealeo. Tim's mons had to be ready for anything. They couldn't afford to get too comfortable.
"Oy, the hell are you doing?" asked a grody-looking man coming around the dumpster. His clothes were in only marginally-better shape than Tim's, except for a mostly-intact heavy coat with a wide hood. His hair was cleaner than his dirty face would have implied and he was well-fleshed: Tim gathered that this fellow wasn't homeless so much as just someone that rolled around in the street a lot. A ruffian, then.
Pelj got back up on her wheel in surprise, eyeing the newcomer, but Tim didn't get up. "Fixing for a nap, me," he said easily. "Yourself?" Tim did occasionally run into other denizens-of-the-alleys but much of the time they had been content with keeping to themselves, especially if Tim had to stand up and straighten up at them. For all his outward appearance though, Tim was psyching himself up to defend himself. Tim couldn't be too careful. Tim didn't get to sleep easy or pat himself on the back. Tim had to be ready for anything. Tim couldn't afford to get too comfortable.
The ruffian didn't seem to be very concerned about Tim's possible physical ability though. "You ain't fixing for a nap, guy, you're giving me your money." He brandished a pocket knife as a ratty-looking Purrloin peeked over the edge of the dumpster, tittering.
Pelj made a worried sound and inched a tiny bit closer to Tim. Tim drew his knees up and rested his arms on them. Ruffians, wild mons, mine-going gunmen, why were so many people so intent on accosting Tim? It couldn't just be him, the other challengers had to deal with this kind of thing just as frequently too, right? "I look like the sort that has any money to steal?" Tim asked. He was keeping his tone neutral, but he was hoping his deep voice with his eyeless face would tell this fellow off. Tim's mustache still had some blood caked in it from where he'd fallen on his nose in the mines: he hadn't been able to wash it all out yet. With any luck it would scare this guy away. "Might wanna try for someone that looks more the part."
The man pointed his knife at Tim, stepping back a little as his Purrloin came out of the dumpster to stand by his side on its hind legs. "Don't get smart with me. Stand up."
Tim sighed and unfolded himself from the ground. He was about a head taller than the would-be mugger, and he made no attempt to make himself appear smaller. "I'm telling you," Tim said evenly, "I don't have any money." Pelj shuddered a little bit, staying next to Tim, but refusing both to hide behind him or to put herself between him and the mugger. Good. Side-by-side, as it should be, and without needing to be told as much. Maybe Pelj would come into her own after all.
"Yeah, empty your pockets then," Mugger said, waving the knife.
Tim turned one ragged pocket out to show it was empty, and then turned the other out to show nothing but Rij's and Henj's balls. The rest of Tim's belongings were in his beaten-up bag on his back, currently invisible under his dark poncho. "Told ya," he said, replacing the balls, "no money."
"Then give me your Pokémon!"
"No, no," Tim said, shaking his head dolefully. He was growing convinced that Mugger wouldn't be talked down. "These are my mons. Not yours."
Mugger took offense at that. "The fuck do you think you are, huh? I said give me your shit!" he swiped forward with the blade, aiming for Tim's face.
Tim jerked back so it only cut along his chin instead of ripping into his cheek. He closed one giant hand around Mugger's wrist and squeezed hard enough that the knife clattered to the ground. Tim wound his other hand up to punch Mugger's lights out but remembered the Purrloin and instead chopped his fist down along his leg. Tim cracked the cat on the back of the head as it was trying to get into his pocket. Purrloin fell to the ground complaining as Mugger pulled his hand away and crouched to get the knife at his feet.
"Smokescreen!" Tim said. Pelj, who had been watching the exchange wide-eyed, blinked in surprise so Tim had to repeat himself, snarling. "I said Smokescreen!"
Pelj revved her wheel and covered the four of them in inky black smoke that made Tim's throat itch and stank like burnt hair. Tim had his fist raised at Mugger as the cloud came on, but he was eyeing Purrloin through his glasses. Once the smoke came on properly, Tim darted not for Mugger like he had been posturing, but at Purrloin. He grasped with his big hands and felt his fingers catch in ratty fur. Tim closed his hands on what felt like Purrloin's chest and squeezed. The sound of a cat being manhandled rose over the men's coughing as Tim felt claws and teeth on his hands and arms and bashed the animal against the ground.
Tim pitched Purrloin against the far wall as the smoke cleared off to reveal Mugger had been in a defensive crouch with his knife up, waiting for the attack that never came. Purrloin bounced off the wall to writhe on the ground, crying. "Pelj, keep that thing off me," Tim coughed to his abashed Rolycoly as he checked how deep the cuts on his arms were. Not too deep, thankfully, but they were hot with pain. Cat scratches always hurt. Simon and Haleigh and Aeliana had seemed so relatively well-kept when he'd seen them. Certainly everyone else got roughed up just as often as Tim did, right?
Mugger pounced, streaming extremely colorful language, and Tim caught the blade in the meat of his forearm. Tim gritted his teeth as Mugger tried to twist the blade. Tim launched his other fist low, up under Mugger's ribs into his liver. Or was the liver on the other side? Tim jabbed another blow into the other side as Mugger recoiled, just to be sure. Mugger unhanded the knife, leaving it standing in Tim's arm. Tim caught him with one pincer-like hand closed into his neck, pinching into the sides, slamming the man against the wall.
Mugger started to yell but gagged on Tim's other hand clamping around the whole of his lower face. Mugger swatted and reached, but Tim's arms were longer and all Mugger could do was pound uselessly against taut, wiry muscle, knocking the knife out to clatter back to the ground again. "I said I was fixing for a nap," Tim growled, "and that means lights out." Tim leaned into the man, pressing on his throat and mouth. Mugger slapped, eyes bulging, and he even tried to kick. But Tim wasn't letting go. Tim had been seething since having guns pointed at him in the mines. Tim had been energized since seeing Raphael's triumph. This mugger had picked the wrong target.
Tim cried out in surprise, his arms coming back and dropping Mugger. Tim tried to stomp at Purrloin but the little cat dodged away from where it had planted the knife shallowly into Tim's calf. Tim cast an accusatory glare at Pelj, who looked quite ashamed: she had been so engrossed watching Tim that Purroin had gotten past her. Whatever, mistakes happened. At least she knew she'd messed up. Tim's mons knew when they messed up without having to be told. That was as it should be: the fewer words wasted on discipline the better.
Tim got ready to grab Mugger again, but the man was already scrabbling down the alley with Purrloin, fleeing. Tim would have let the man go any other time, but Tim was newly angered at Pelj's slip-up, and Mugger would be the one for him to vent on. Tim stomped forward, the knife clattering out of his leg, and grabbed Mugger from behind by the coat. Mugger writhed in real panic, working out of his coat and continuing on his way without so much as looking back. Tim chased him and his cat to the end of the alley but didn't pursue them down the street.
"I never forget a face," Tim roared to their backs, "and if I ever see yours again I'm peeling it off!" That was an empty threat, of course. Tim probably would recognize Mugger's face, but he wasn't interested in peeling it off. Breathing hard, Tim had the awareness to be embarrassed of himself. What had he done? That poor man couldn't have been much older than Tim. Perhaps he and his Purrloin had a good reason to be so desperate as to try to mug such an obviously-penniless target as Tim. Tim didn't know him. Tim didn't know Simon, or Haleigh, or Aeliana. Tim didn't know Xan or Clovis. Tim didn't know Raphael.
But, Tim thought as the wind in the street whipped up and the pain in his arms flared, Tim did know one thing. The man had evidently thought himself invincible. Untouchable. Unassailable. As if having a pocket knife and chutzpah were enough to let him take on the world. Where had Tim seen such blatant disregard before? That mugger was very lucky he had attacked Tim. If Tim had been someone more dangerous, more unhinged, that mugger would be nothing more than a mess for the police to clean up in the morning. Tim tucked Mugger's coat under his arm: payment for the lesson. That man would not be so quick to try such a thing again.
If only Simon and Haleigh and Aeliana had had such fear instilled in them. Tim could not be certain, but their behavior suggested that if they had been in real danger before they had cleanly come out on top. Maybe the incident in the mines would do to cow them, scare them off such reckless behavior. But then, maybe not. Nessa had swooped in and saved them in the end. Perhaps those gunmen had all been rounded up and thrown in jail by now. The threat wasn't there anymore. What if Raphael's victory went to his head and then he went marching, happy-go-lucky, into a cave full of guns or a cliff with no handholds.
It was a shame. A real shame. They all might just rush headlong into danger again, just as thoughtlessly as the first time. Tim wished someone had put some fear in his friend. If she had been more careful …! If she had only had some doubt in her chest, she wouldn't have … Tim remembered what Haleigh had said in the mine when Tim had tried to get her to let Simon go in alone. Haleigh wouldn't abandon her friend. Not the way Tim had abandoned his. But wouldn't Tim be abandoning Simon and Haleigh and Aeliana by turning around and letting them get into trouble again?
It was presumptuous to think any of the other challengers were Tim's friends. Hell, it didn't even seem like any of them knew who he was. Xan and Clovis hadn't recognized him. None of the three in the mines had indicated they knew his name. Raphael probably didn't know he existed. But if nothing else they were all his comrades. He owed them at least enough good grace to not let them run headlong into danger. Thunder rumbled overhead as Tim stood in the dark street, blood running down his arms. He looked over at a nearby window and saw his eyeless face highlighted by the street lamps. He looked terrible. Like the sort of stalking creature that picks off a group of college kids one-by-one in increasingly-gruesome ways.
Simon was far from the only one of the other challengers who were too spirited for their own good and Raphael would of course not be the only one to beat Kabu on this visit. Those Trainers were Tim's idols. He relied on them being there to give him hope for himself. Hope was contagious, but what good was it in the face of mad beasts, or heartless guns, or the harshness of gravity? How awful would it be if one of them were to be killed in the field the way Tim's friend had been? The wind climbed again, and Tim felt his leg bleeding. It was starting to sprinkle as Tim's chin hurt where the knife had caught it. Tim could not offer advice or protection or companionship to the others. But as he looked at his reflection, its ragged attire billowing, he felt he could offer something else.
"Lylyly? Rolcolor …" Pelj ventured nervously, glancing at the sky.
"No, we are not sleeping yet," Tim said, smearing his arms off on the bundle of his new coat.
Pelj started to protest, but seemed to think better of it. In time she too would become as tight-lipped and stoic as Henj and Rij and Tim himself.
"We are not welcome here," Tim said, more for himself than Pelj. "We will sleep in the woods, where we belong." Tim began limping up the street against the rising wind. After a moment, Pelj slowly followed.
Hopeful people slept in the safety of town. Tim wasn't one of them. Not anymore.
"Arceus, why? Why do you hate me?" Rosa muttered as she flipped through yesterday's newspaper. "Every time I get to a new city, there's always something."
The girl tossed the paper aside, sighing as she stared up at the ceiling. Having just re-read the article concerning the continued disappearances, it was understandable that she was a little worn out despite only having just recently woken back up. The morning sun began to peek between the closed curtains, coloring a slice of the ceiling in its rising warmth.
"No use sitting around moaning about it. I promised her we'd take care of it if it didn't stop… and it sure as shit didn't." Rosa continued to stare at the ceiling for a moment before letting her head turn towards the window, following the sliver of light back to its source. "I doubt I'll be so lucky to find her just by sitting around here like last time either. So much to do… such precious little time."
Rosa sniffed, wiping a forming tear from the corner of her eye as she pursed her lips. The girl swung her legs off the edge of the bed, freeing them from the comfort of the blankets before staring at the wall in front of her.
"Just get up. You've promised too much - now it's time to do something about it all."
- - - - -
Rosa sat in front of the computer, mindlessly rolling the Life Orb across the part of the desk which had been partitioned off for her. She looked over at the two empty seats which neighbored her, sighing as her gaze trailed lazily back to the computer screen. The morning sun still shone in through the windows which made up over half of the building, gently reminding her of just how much of the day she still had to go.
"Nothing. Nada. No 'how it's made', no 'secrets behind the life orb', not a damn thing." Rosa tapped her foot restlessly as she continued to scroll through pages upon pages of results which mentioned one word or the other throughout their length, but nothing worth investigating into. "What about…" the girl started, moving her hand over to Xan's note which she'd propped up against the bottom of the screen as a reminder while she did her own searches. "One… is… all… dot com. Let's see where this takes us."
The girl quickly glanced over the sketchy looking website, taking in as much of it as she could as she began to rub at her eyes. Weird images covered the pages, ranging from regular people and Pokemon, to strange configurations of Unown, to cave paintings and a large number of what seemed to be heavily edited pictures taken from who knows where. At the top of every page in bold, red lettering read a single line: One is all, all is as One.
"This doesn't seem like a cult at all," the girl muttered, moving her hand from her eyes as she continued to scroll through the pages. "One in Religion, One in Pokemon, One in We, One in… what the fuck man. Where did Xan send me?" The girl shook her head, hovering over the various links at the bottom of the page. "Maybe… I'll start with this One in One thing." As the girl clicked on the link, a large text box appeared on the screen, making it so that she couldn't click out as text began to scroll across the page.
One is all. All is one. We are linked by our minds to that which was, is, and will be. All came from One, and through science, faith, and the awakening of our psyche all shall be allowed to return to One. Truth, Justice, and Freedom can be found within One, as Hope, Love, and Faith can be found in We. If you but choose to believe we ca-
"Nope." Rosa picked up a pen and quickly pressed the power button to the computer, shutting it down completely before scribbling out the link on the paper Xan had given her. "Sorry, Xan. But I don't think I want to go wherever that rabbit hole leads me."
The girl sighed as she pressed the power button once more and leaned back in her seat. Rosa looked once more at the list given to her by the psychic just a few days prior and scanned along it before glancing back over at the computer screen. She looked over at the walls of bookshelves which surrounded her, not even really sure where she should start looking for the books that were recommended to her, but certain that she should do something while she waited for the ancient machine on front of her to boot back up after its forced reset.
"Guess it won't hurt to ask for help," she muttered, grabbing the Life Orb as she rose from her seat and headed back towards the entrance to the building. The young trainer passed by a number of different sections which sounded like they could have been filled with exciting adventures. If she wasn't in such a determined mood, she might even have given a few hours to one or two of them just to see where the words could take her… but her daydreaming was cut short as she ran into the lanky elderly woman in glasses whose rims seemed entirely too fragile to be holding up such massive lenses. "Excuse me," Rosa started, not sure how loud she should be given there was nobody else really in the building and the fact that the librarian seemed to be hard of hearing given the aids in her ears.
"Oh, yes? Can I help you, child?" The elderly woman shuffled over to look at Rosa before pressing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a bony finger.
"Hi, my friend recommended me a couple of books, but I've never been here before so I wasn't really sure where to start looking. It's been years since I've ever been to a library, so I-"
"Oh, of course, of course. We use the standard decimal system here, so let me just get the titles of those books and I can look them up here for you." The elderly woman leaned over, pulling a massive binder out from a shelf behind the counter before pulling an extra set of glasses from atop her head down over the first.
"Uh, yeah… A Trainer's Guide to Pokemon Pranksters. Better Mind, Better You. Budding Psychic's Guide to Emotional Gardening. How To Unlock Your Mind Through Spiritual Exploration. Alchemy, Astronomy, and Their Effect on the Psychic Ego. And… I think that's it."
The elderly woman laid a finger out for each of the books as Rosa read them off before starting her search through the binder. "Let's see… Pranksters, Spirits, Alchemy… you've got quite an interesting friend there, don't you?"
Rosa shrugged. "I suppose. They're psychic and thought these books might help with some things I've been struggling with."
"I see, I see. A good friend indeed, then. Yes, these all sound like they should be in the same place. I don't know that any of these will be very helpful with that orb you've got there, though. I didn't get a good look at it, but for something like that you might be better off searching in… hmm."
Rosa pulled up her sleeve, looking at the Life Orb before showing it to the librarian. "You know about these?"
The elderly woman glanced over and squinted her eyes. "Not geology, but gemology maybe? Or something more occult… yes, I'll put that section down here for you too. I'm sure you'll be able to find something useful over around the religion section. Seems like you might be starting to get interested in parapsychology to some degree with that and these other recommendations."
"Parapsychology?" the girl questioned, taking the paper from the librarian as she finished writing out the locations for the trainer. "What exactly is… that?"
"Ah, sorry, it's nothing serious. I've read just about every book in these shelves, so I've come across it a few times. Parapsychology seems to interest me more the older I become though." The woman laughed, pulling the second pair of glasses back to their perch atop her head. "It's mostly fake - a pseudoscience that people pursue because it's hard to prove anything with and makes decent money regardless. It goes a lot into more paranormal things like ghosts, near-death experiences, and so on. It's interesting to read about, but if you ask me, that's all it really is. Whatever it is you're looking for, I hope you find it in a more serious avenue."
Rosa nodded, glancing at the librarian's list and then back at Xan's before turning away from her. "Yeah, I guess I do too."
After several minutes of searching, Rosa had managed to round up the list of books that had come at Xan's recommendation and was starting to scan through the 'Religion' section in search of something that might help her with her Life Orb questions.
"Naturally Produced Artifacts and Their Uses in Aiding Combat. That… definitely seems like it might be worth a look." The girl reached out for the book, pulling it down from the shelf before leaping back in shock. "What the fuck?" She hissed, looking through the opening in the shelf at the man who was staring back at her from the other side. "What are you-"
"Miss Valdes," the man passed a piece of paper across the shelf to the young trainer, not taking his eyes off of her as he did so. "The boss will be waiting for you."
'Fuckin' hell.' The girl shook her head in disbelief as she opened the folded up paper. "In a week? Why doesn't he just come and pick me up or wait around for me in my room like last time?"
The man in the suit shook his head. "There's been some… complications. For your safety and ours, the boss has decided that he won't be frequenting the Inn until business is settled."
"For my safety?" Rosa scoffed, thinking about how the other suited people nearly tried to kill her back in the mines and how she'd been making deliveries to the rest of the mafia for the past few months. "Yeah, sure. Whatever." The girl shook her head, shoving the paper into her pocket before looking back up to find that the man had already gone on his way. "So much for Q&A."
'One more week. One more week to figure out what I want to say - what I want to ask. One more week before I know the culprit behind his murder.' The girl sighed as she thought to herself, her eyes fixed on the cover of the book she'd just pulled down. 'Might as well jump in.' The girl dropped the stack of texts onto the ground beside her, pulling up a seat against the bookshelf as she began to flip through the book's pages.
The girl passed by sections about evolutionary stones and presumably how to use them - marking the start of the section for later use. She then brushed past a brief description on berries and other plant life, pieces of Pokemon which have either fallen off their host or been harvested in some other manner, a few other more 'recently' discovered evolutionary items, and finally…
Life Orb
Method of Natural Production: Currently Unknown
Source: Human or Pokemon
Recent technological advances have made it possible to replicate this artifact and its effect on a wider and more ethical scale, but it has its roots in the occult by nature - luckily for us. It seems these orbs are created in a variety of ways within nature, though most commonly are derived from Pokemon at the end of their life or while perceiving the ending of someone or something else which they were close to. It is unknown whether every Pokemon retains this ability or if it is relegated to a certain emotion or even a certain subset of Pokemon. However, this effect can be replicated through a ritual featured in the book 'Curses, Rituals, and Altercations 101 by J.G. Walton'.
Rosa scratched her head, unsure of whether that was useful in answering her question or not. In fact, the only thing it really did was raise more questions for her to consider regarding the orb and the Pokemon she retrieved it from. The girl quickly closed the book before opening it back to the front cover as she scanned its length for a publication date.
"Maybe it's just outdated information…" she muttered, unable to find the information she was looking for on the front panel. The girl shrugged before placing the book back on top of her pile. "Guess it can't hurt to look at a few other entries. Though, I do doubt I'll be able to find the referenced book in a public library. Maybe Damien will be able to give me a hint… as long as it doesn't cost me too much. Now, how do I go about getting a library card?"
My childhood friend. Absolute idiot. Can't ever get a read on him anymore. Buttface. Always there when I need him. Always there when I least expect him. JERK. Showed me up in battle and evolved his Pokemon before me.
He came to "rescue" me after I coerced Ruben into protecting me in the underground casino. I told him off... and then didn't apologize until much later. He came to wish me a late merry christmas after Ruben gave me his spare room. He reminded me of our promise from before our journey started, and gave me my christmas gift which was a traditional Johtoan kimono and fan - all to prepare me for the upcoming contests. He also told me I should call his mom and dad since they're so worried about us both now that we're gone, but... I'll figure it out later.
Jasper
An ex-classmate. He took my bait and threw me for a loop when we were fighting a group of Munchlax together. Not as bad a guy as I thought. Because of him, I have to re-evaluate my notes on everyone else just in case. I'm interested in trying a different approach with him when next we meet.
Helped out a wrongfully arrested girl. Really smart. Observant. Kind, but doesn't like to show it. Isn't a terrible cook.
Charles the Biker
An eccentric, but strong man. Indulges in bad puns. Love for bikes. We left on good terms.
Nat the Ranger
A doting older brother to several sisters. A strong trainer who follows their duty. Only spent a day with them. Not sure if I want to meet again or not since I stole a broken styler from his scene of investigation. We left on good terms, I think? Unless he notices that something's missing.
Budew Girl
Never got her name. Apparently she's a challenger like the rest of my classmates. Comes from a family of Budew fanatics. They breed Budew in their hometown and journey around with all three forms of it. She seems endearing. It might be interesting to meet her again in the future. As long as she's not being accused of theft, that is.
Achille Béringer
Rich kid. Pays his debts. Is keen on rich kid things. Doesn't seem much different from how he was in school, but still need to reevaluate.
Melody Argent
Cute and kind. She keeps to herself kind of like I do. Loves music. Feels similar to Simon. Still need to reevaluate because of interactions with Jasper. Kind of maybe, possibly, a small amount of a badass. Finger guns - super corny. Don't harp on the idea of being in contests. If that culty stuff doesn't get figured out by the time we come back to Motostoke, I'll have to remember to find her around town. She's much more attuned to pop culture than I am.
AAAAAHHH! We did so much in Turffield, and even more just after! I still can't believe that she wont that contest and made it look so... so easy! She's just, like, wow. I still don't know what to do with all of my thoughts, but after that delivery we did together especially I just. Wowee. Jeez.
The Family // Damien(?)
Not the family himself, I don't think. I still haven't got his name or what role he really plays in all this. He's a shady motherfucker - pardon my Kalos. I still don't know how much of the stuff I've gone through in Motostoke has been orchestrated by him, but for the moment I'm not planning to try anything. I still don't know enough about him to make any real guesses. The longer that I stay around this town, the further behind the veil that I see. I'm scared even to go to sleep at night so long as I'm here. They have eyes... everywhere.
Buggy Simon
Some kind of freak of nature. I guess he understands Pokemon in some way that I can't; like, he understands what they're actually trying to say when they speak? Kind of cool, but also weird. Him and Simon used to hang out every once in a while at school. He knows about my "secret styler".
Valerie
An absolute ray of sunshine and happiness. She's also a streamer, and earns enough money from it to show it off. Not put off by literal ghosts. Has some kind of dream of meeting Mew.
Aeliana Kekoa
Alolan dance girl. She's supposed to teach me sometime. Pretty much just how I remembered her in school. I didn't get to spend much time with her when we all hung out. Didn't seem too bothered by the ghosts.
Pia McGuire
Pia... definitely is afraid of literal ghosts. I had a few choice words for her, but... after we saw Jirachi, it just felt like the time had passed, so I gave up. She's seen me without my mask, so next time we meet up is probably going to be awkward.
Haleigh Windsor
A friend of Melody's. I intentionally ran into her after failing to catch up with Melody, due to the addition of Haleigh. We had a short battle, and then made a promise for drinks with Melody after I urged her to drag the girl along with her to the contest in Turffield. She seems quite naive, so I may be able to get some more use out of her as long as I stay true to her persona. She's battle hungry, the same as Simon, but her Pokemon are still a little lacking - that coming from someone who still has no idea what she's doing here herself. She might end up being a good sparring partner in the future since she knows a little of what I've got and we're on relatively equal footing.
Mother Priscilla
The leader of the Turffield Sisterhood. I thought at first she was just an escort, but once we got to their hideout, I slowly started to realize what she really was. She's an incredibly dangerous woman who has no trouble pulling a gun on important people or those that she may need. There's still too much I don't know about what's going on to get a good grasp on what her and Damien's goals are, but given what I've already seen I really could do without finding out.
Ruben Sancho
Truth be told, I hadn't cared for Ruben when we went to school together. I thought he was your average rich celebrity who was forced into something he didn't really want to be a part of. After getting involved with the family and finding myself in that gambling hall, and then finding Ruben there as well, I felt that my suspicions were true. I had no second thoughts about what I was going to drag him in to. But as time went on, I found myself feeling more and more regretful with each time that he said Pia's name. And then because of me, news about him and Pia got out before either of them were likely ready to go public. And after all that, Simon attacked him out of the blue... but even after all that, he still offered me a free room at the local hotel. I already apologized to him about Simon, and about lying to get him to go with me. But, I should apologize again. He's not as bad of a guy as I thought he was.
Outfits
Spoiler: Here be a number of large images
Inventory
Spoiler:
Turffield Badge
Hulbury Badge
5 pokeballs
3 great balls
Notebook and Pen
Galarian Pokédex V. 8
Rosa's ATC
Old Rod
Simon's Knit Wooloo Sweater
Rotom Brand Electric Bike
Dawn Stone
Wishing Piece
Fancy Metal Flower Crown - Gift for Jasper
Pokemon Styler
Mysterious Package B
Blackspear Industries Job License
Odd Incense
Lagging Tail
Revival Herb
Priscilla's Package and Letter
Kimono and Fan
Turffield Ribbon
TR Curse
Peculiar Pinwheel
Matching Promise Pendant
Life Orb
Knife
Souvenir eeveelution cups
Wishing star
Raphael waltzed back into the Motostoke Stadium lobby with a contented expression on his face. He'd managed to keep himself all together, the high strung emotions of his victory finally starting to cool off. He'd finished registering the victory to his trainer card, received his prize money and now had one more shiny pin stored away in his badge case. Things were looking up and he was glad for that, but he had earned a bit of a reprieve. He was looking forward to his lot of peace and quiet now that he-
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The second Raphael opened the automatic doors he was nearly blown off his feet by cheers. A small crowd had gathered in front of the stadium and now had all their eyes on him. He had never seen so many smiling and excited faces. Were these people here for him?
Before he could even react, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into the thick of it, so plentiful were the surrounding people that he couldn't even tell who it was that hooked him. Regardless, line and sinker, he landed in the middle of a veritable sea of carvanha, eager to take a bite out of him. "Um, h-"
"Mr. Allard! Samantha Bark, Motostoke Herald, could I get a statement about your victory just now? How are you feeling? What are your immediate thoughts? What gym do you plan to challenge next?"
A woman with an almost unnaturally white smile stepped forward with a microphone, catching Raphael completely off guard. "Oh, well, I haven't really thought that far-"
"810! The people need to know! Are you planning on focusing on water types going forward? Is the Hulbury gym the real prize for a challenger such as yourself?" A man's voice this time, ringing from a different direction, before he could even open his mouth to respond however…
"Challenger Raphael! I'm with Cutiefly's Monthly and we think your Vito is perfect for our upcoming first Winter issue of the season, would you mind coming for an interview or shoot?!"
Raphael's eyebrow raised and he felt a vein nearly pop in his forehead. He had an awkward smile but it was clear he was a little annoyed. Was this what he had to expect from now on? He'd only beaten three gyms, how the hell did these people get to him so quickly? He had always known this was how it would be in Galar, the gym challenge was so much more commercialized here and other regions were already following suit, but to think he was already being treated as the celebrity of the hour.
"I get you're all excited but…" He slacked a little in his step and his eyes drooped into a tired expression. "Do you think we could hold off on th-"
"Aaaaaahhh! Raph!!!!" As he took that pose a number of girls in the crowd started squealing his name and the crowd became even more ravenous, people start approaching closer, his circle of personal space shrinking as he was quickly getting overwhelmed. Mild irritation growing into intense annoyance as the voices became too numerous to even keep track of. He was about to say something when a rather excited looking fan, a woman who was a solid decade older than him, burst forward and tried to take his arm. He instinctively tried to yank away but this lady had a firmer grip than he thought. He opened his mouth, about to raise his voice properly for once, when a sudden and unexpected intervention cut across him.
"Hands OFF grandma!" A young and feminine hand grabbed the woman's collar and with a surprising amount of strength, yanked her backwards, causing her to stumble rather clumsily back into the sea of people behind her.
Standing in her face, hands on her hips and a frown painted on her features, was Himari Sato. The last person Raphael would have expected to interrupt a chance to fangirl over… him. That was still an excessively weird thing to contemplate, that anyone would want to do that at all.
"W-Who do you think you are! You rude child! Think you can keep him all to yourself!" The older woman, with some rather creepy implications, howled out at Himari in response to her counter-assault. Himari closed her eyes and huffed lightly out her nostrils. She seemed extremely displeased, but oddly calm despite the amount of eyes now on her.
"Who do I think I am? Who do you think YOU are, you hag? You realize who this is, right? This is one of the highest ranked prospective gym challengers currently in the Galar League and you think you can just grab him willy nilly?" Her eyes flashed open and she stared daggers into the woman before her. "You think as his manager I'm going to stand by and do nothing about that?"
"Manager?!" The over-zealous grabber cried.
"Manager?!?!" The reporters and article authors lamented in dismay.
"M-Manager..?" Raphael whispered quickly into her ear, panic washing over his expressions.
Sensing Raphael so near to her, Himari's face flustered into a bright red and she almost 'eep''d rather audibly. Still she quickly retorted in a hushed tone. "Look I'm trying to get you out of here, please don't make a fuss."
Raphael grimaced, tensed and shuddered all at once. Before closing his eyes and giving a deep sigh. Standing up straight his expression shifted back to neutral and he looked over the crowd with a small shrug.
"Yup… Manager."
Himari had to contain her gleeful expression. "That's right you bums! Can it up and ship it out! Hea- Ahem, Mr. Allard is tired from his intense battle! He's taking no meetings at this time so get lost!"
There were more than a few discontented grumbles as the crowd glared at Himari with malice, but eventually, one by one they started to clear out, splitting into smaller groups and then dispersing completely. Once they all disappeared, Himari let out a sigh of relief that she'd been holding in for far too long.
"Hooooo… okay, that was really scary." She bemoaned, slumping over before looking slowly back up at the young man beside her. Raphael had an eyebrow raised and a mixture of genuine concern and trepidation on his face. Himari's face returned to being red and she quickly straightened herself up and brushed down her jacket.
"A-Ah, anyway! Um… Heart-san! It's good to see you! Hahahahaha… ha… Um…"
There was the Himari he recognized. He didn't know what it was, but she constantly melted into a flustered mess around him. He rubbed the back of his neck gently again, trying to wipe away the awkward atmosphere almost. "...right. Nice to see you too. I lost track of you after the business at the waterfall." He paused, before his eyes dawned with some realization. "Oh… thanks though, for your support at the gyms so far. I always hear you cheering."
"Eh? Ah! Um, yes!" She was clearly still embarrassed, but her eyes also sparkled with something akin to vindication. That comment gave her a little more confidence.
"But… we should go!" Maybe a little too much confidence, he suddenly thought. "Look, those people are like madibuzz', hm? You have to lay low for a while to avoid them." She reached forward and before he could protest, pulled his hood forcefully over his head. "Oi! Himari wait-!"
"No no!" She quickly interjected, trying to hide the awkward tone in her voice. "We can't have them seeing you. We need to keep your image free of those animals for as long as we can. Another trainer will challenge Kabu soon and their limited attention span will shift, we gotta hide you until then!" She grabbed his wrist and started to lead him roughly away from the stadium, causing him to stumble behind her, still a little tired and dazed.
"Also keep Vito and Carmen under wraps for a bit too! Let's try and stick to pokémon the fans don't recognize for a while!"
Raph peeked up from under his hood as he started to regain his footing, only to see the back of this insane girl's head as she led him away. He didn't even know where they were going, yet she seemed so bloody confident in dragging him to Arceus knows where.
"You… You realize you're not actually my manager right?!"
She did realize it, yes… but while she had this massive smile on her face and Raphael in her clutches, she would gladly remain blissfully ignorant to his protestations.
The fanfare and cheers for Raphael's battle were still blaring through the stadium speakers as Simon looked away from the TV screens. Contrary to his word, he'd ended up watching the whole thing- from the initial falter to the unbelievable triumph and celebration. Despite his frustration and resentment, he couldn't argue that the battle was exhilarating to watch; all of Raphael and Vito's were. A strong trainer… that's what Raphael was, and it all came to him so naturally. He didn't even have to break a sweat half of the time. 'Strength.' That's what Simon didn't have when he first stepped into this arena… but not anymore.
He shook his head. This wasn't the time to think of the past. What mattered now was the present, and the future ahead. He walked to the front desk, still limping a little from his recovering ankle.
"I'm here to challenge Kabu again." he said as he slammed his trainer card down on the desk. As the attendant turned around, he found that it was the same man who'd introduced him to the gym the first time.
"Well well, if it isn't that quaint bug catcher again! I'm pleased to see your return." The man said with a cheeky grin.
Simon fists curled up on the table as he stared daggers into the man. "Likewise." he hissed.
The man raised an eyebrow, surprised at the hostility. "Since you've already completed our challenge, you can go to Kabu directly. I'll scan you in." He took the card. "You know, the challenger before you just-"
"I KNOW." Simon snapped again, seething.
The attendant clammed up and began typing a little faster. A few moments later he looked back up, "And, ah, what Pokemon will you be-"
"This."
Simon slammed down the black and gray pokeball into the desk- Scolipede's.
------------
The deafening roar of the crowd echoed through the stadium as Simon stood in the tunnel leading to the pitch, clad in his white gym outfit, coat tied around his waist. Uncharacteristically, the rest of his team was nowhere to be seen; all stowed away in their pokeballs instead. He'd expected some resistance from Snom for not being the one to rematch Centiskorch, but he didn't have the time for petty rivalries- this was his one chance to show to the world who he was now; that he wasn't the weak underdog that first entered this arena- and there was only one way to do that.
As he took a step forward, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Simon looked back and saw that it was Aurora, his Blackspear colleague. The young woman was dressed in her regular clothes, which meant she'd likely entered legally as a visitor, unlike her brother in Hulbury. And for once, she didn't seem annoyed at Simon.
"Come to wish me good luck?" Simon smirked as he turned around, pokeball in hand.
The girl glanced at the device and smiled back, shaking her head. "Sure, If you'd like to call it that. I'm not sure you'll need it, though." she said, adjusting her glasses. "I just wanted you to know... if today is about sending a message… I'll make sure everyone hears it."
Simon raised his eyebrows. It was a surprising display of empathy from someone he'd pinned as the cold, calculating type. Nonetheless, he grinned and pointed at himself. "You'll be damn sure they will." he exclaimed, before nodding and running off onto the pitch.
The crowd's cheering got even louder as he broke out of the tunnel, and after a few moments, he had reached the gym leader in the center of the field. Once again Simon was face to face with the man of fire.
"Welcome back." the stoic Hoennian man said, arms crossed over his red uniform. "I've been looking forward to your return."
"And so have I." Simon punched the pokeball into his fist. "And I'm more prepared than ever to take you on!"
The gym leader nodded and unfolded his arms, putting his arm out for a handshake. "Then let us see how much stronger you are now."
Simon looked at the hand for a moment, before grabbing it firmly. "I'll show you just how strong I can be."
Both trainers made their way to opposite sides of the arena. As Centiskorch was released it slithered onto the field and coiled its body, spewing out a fire lash in a battle cry which left the audience roaring in applause.
Simon glanced at his Pokeball and smirked. It was time. "Go, Scolipede!"
Scolipede's enormous form emerged out of the Pokeball and onto the field, landing on the turf with an crash. Almost immediately, Simon could hear the crowd's cheers go from excited screaming to confused whispers. Centiskorch's eyes grew wider and its flames wavered for a moment. Even the unshakeable Kabu looked shocked as the large purple bug unfurled itself to its full size.
"Incredible! A never-before seen Pokemon from challenger 412! And a mighty one to boot- Scolipede and Centiskorch are known natural enemies in the wild!" the announcer's voice boomed through the speakers.
Quickly, the crowd's murmurs turned to cheers again as the prospect of an intense battle became clear to them. Simon folded his arms and waited for the referee's call to begin.
"COMMENCE!"
Simon wasted no time in kicking off. "Scolipede, steamroller!" On command, Scolipede's body coiled up into a tight purple spiral before charging at his opponent.
Centiskorch flinched, surprised at the speed of the attack. "Steel yourself!" Kabu's voice called behind it. "Hold position and intercept!"
Yet before Centiskorch could even react and put its defenses up, the whirring mass of Scolipede had plowed through the pokemon, knocking it aside into the dust. The crowd erupted into shock and several more cheered as Simon's Pokemon spun back around, ready for another strike.
"Didn't expect that?" Simon taunted, pointing at the gym leader. Kabu's stern expression told him all he needed to know: now he was taking Simon seriously. "Scolipede, again! Steamroller!"
As his opponent began to charge up once more, Kabu called out another order, "Hold position again, and prepare to intercept with a thunder fang!" Centiskorch nodded and opened its maw, pincers crackling with electricity as it braced for impact. It would be ready for it this time.
Scolipede charged forward, empowered by its speed boost ability, sending dust and turf flying in its path as it left a spike-shaped trail in its wake. As it got closer and closer, Centiskotch's maw crackled with more energy, until…
"Now, switch to high horsepower!" Simon's order cut through the air. Scolipede's body sprung back in an instant, the momentum of the action throwing the poison-type in the air like a running leap- right above Centiskorch. "Now!"
In a sudden shift of momentum, Scolipede plummeted straight downwards, hooves glowing with energy, and crashed down onto its opponent. The massive fire-type let out a pained screech as it was trampled on, desperately snapping at the air with its electric jaw in an attempt to still hit Scolipede.
"Fall back, Centiskorch! Fire lash!" Kabu quickly ordered, realizing his Pokemon would not hold for long in these conditions. Centiskorch responded in kind, whipping up a trail of flame in mouth and bringing it down onto Scolipede's neck.
"Keep up the attack!" Simon ordered, ignoring the damage.
It took a few more lashes, but eventually, Centiskorch managed to slither out. Scolipede maintained its position, back scorched with attacks, but remained unflinching. Wasting no time, Kabu pointed upwards, "Centiskorch, empower your fire attacks with Sunny Day, then fire lash again!" Centiskorch raised its head to the sky as it let out a large glowing orb above the battlefield, then roared as the flames on its face grew in size, the heat giving it a second wind.
"Charge in with cross poison!" Simon called out, ignoring the risk of attack. If any Pokemon was going to make it through, it was Scolipede. The massive bug's horns glowed purple as it ran forward headfirst, determined to strike.
Kabu's eyes grew wide. Was this boy sending his Pokemon charging into battle knowing full-well the threat of devastating attacks? He closed his eyes and shook his head. It was his funeral. "Fire lash, now!"
Centiskorch roared as it brought down its empowered whip of fire onto Scolipede's back, causing a fiery explosion as the two collided.
But it was to no effect. Through the mass of fire, Scolipede continued to run forward, and before Centiskorch could lift its whip again, the charred horns of its opponent dug into its body and lifted it up, tossing it aside once more like a long, fiery ragdoll.
"What?!" Kabu cried out, the unshakeable man of fire now clearly distraught. What kind of endurance did this Scolipede have?! It wasn't natural for a beast of this power to obey a novice trainer…
"Let's finish this! Scolipede, high horsepower again!" Simon called out, quickly shifting gears while his opponent was down. Scolipede reared up and ran at Centiskorch once more, landing on top of it with a slam that caused the fire-stype to screech again. "I'll show you what strength is!" Simon called as he looked at Kabu. "Scolipede, Earthquake!"
Scolipede roared as it reared up again, charging up its attack just like it had in the mines. Centiskorch writhed and wriggled underneath its weight, unable to escape. Before Kabu could call an order, Scolipede brought its legs down onto its opponent, causing an earth-shattering crash that resonated through the stadium. All the gym leader could do was watch as white beams of explosive energy burst forth from the fissures, obliterating what little remained of Centiskorch's defense.
When the dust cleared, Scolipede was still standing… and its opponent was on the floor, defeated.
"INCREDIBLE! CHALLENGER 412 HAS DEFEATED GYM LEADER KABU!"
The crowd cheered and went wild as the victory fanfare played through the stadium. Simon threw his fist in the air, letting out a battle cry not unlike Scolipede's, pokeball in hand. This was his ultimate weapon. This was his strength. Together with this Pokemon… he would become champion.
Moments later, the two trainers met again in the center of the arena, Kabu walking at a much slower pace than normal. Simon grinned as he looked at the man.
"How's that for strength?" he asked, pointing at himself confidently, awaiting the gym leader's words of praise.
The man stayed silent for a few seconds, arms crossed. "Your… Pokemon is admirable."
Simon's smile wavered. Something about the man's tone did not say 'admiration'. "What do you mean by that? We beat you as a team-"
"Did you?" the man's stern voice cut through his. "Or did you simply watch as your Pokemon did all the work?"
Simon's grin shifted into a scowl. Even after such a crushing victory, Kabu still wasn't taking him seriously. "That's not true! I called the shots, I..."
Kabu shook his head. "You believe the fire of your strength brings you warmth… But you have no control over it. Without control, it is doomed to consume and burn you."
Simon opened his mouth to say something, then stopped as he came to a realization. "I see what's happening here. The unbreakable, wise man of fire... is being a sore loser. You keep talking about an inner flame, but you can't handle it the minute someone else's is burning brighter than yours!" he spat at the man. "Just give me my badge."
Kabu looked Simon in the eyes as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the metallic pin. As Simon reached out to take it, Kabu held his arm and brought him closer. "The fire inside you is still burning bright as ever, Simon. It is what you fuel it with that matters."
Simon looked into the man's eyes for a moment, before pulling back and taking the badge with him. He didn't need any advice coming from him. As the crowd continued to cheer, he glanced at the microphone on his shirt and tapped it- it was off, as expected; the gym officials had gotten aware of his little stunts with the mic. He could already see one of the referees gesture for him to get off the pitch.
But he wasn't going to go unheard. Taking the microphone off its clip, he raised his hand to the sky, hoping for the sign. After a few seconds… a crackling noise played through the speakers. Simon smiled, mentally thanking Aurora as he brought the microphone to his mouth.
"TO ALL OF YOU!" he called out. "LET THIS VICTORY BE A MESSAGE! I AM NOT THE UNDERDOG OF THIS COMPETITION- AND I WILL BECOME CHAMPION!" Simon looked at Kabu. "NO MATTER WHO STANDS IN MY WAY."
And with that, he dropped the microphone to the ground, and walked off.
Three sharp clanging sounds crashed through the air as sparked traveled after them. Lennox sat peacefully with his single cup of tea, his Togetic floating beside him. Another sharp sound echoed through the clearing. Before the boy were two combatting pokemon, fighting fiercely. One, an elekid, was swinging its arms around in a circle to build up electricity. It's determined smirk showed it's confidence. When the sparks from it's charge reached their peak, the elekid rushed forward, bending it's arm backward for a supercharged thunderpunch. It's opponent, a slightly shorter mimikyu, eerily swept across the battlefield with its ominous yet oddly cute shuffles. It's false body flopped in the wind as it, in turn, rushed forward to meet elekid's strike. From behind itself, it brought out a stick that was passing as a tail, meeting each of elekid's strikes with a parry from it's wood hammer attack. It was like an elegant dance, really. Mimikyu took to hops back, and quickly sank into the ground, moving into a shadow and swiftly moving towards the unsuspecting elekid. Probably it's creepiest move, mimikyu, in shadow form, crept swiftly across the ground, reappearing in an instant in its normal form right behind elekid, ready to strike.
"Okay, take a break, you two!" Lennox called. He had finished his tea and was already going through his bag. The elekid protested, clearly wanting to finish the fight. It's shouts and arm waves were a bit annoying to say the least. But Len understood well enough. He turned to his pokemon. "Well Stitch got paralyzed by your scuffle just now." He flourished his arm to show his Mimikyu struggling to walk over, sparks coming off of its body. " and I know you're all about winning with strength, Feedback. How would you feel if you won because Stitch just couldn't use it's strength?" Elekid peered over to Mimimyu and turned to scowl. Len sighed. "At least you understand." Len was used to this. Elekid had lost to Mimikyu and developed a rivalry. And mimikyu just wanted someone who wanted to spend time with him. So it works out for the two of them. And they practice battling
On their own, so it's a win on all viewpoints. Still, he wished the two would be a little more elegant with their attacks.
Len finally found what he was looking for, pulling out a red jar from his bag. " Come here, Stitch!" His mimikyu scurried along to meet it's trainer, almost skipping with delight. "I have the cheri berry marmalade for you. It will fix you right up." Mimikyu grabbed the whole jar, ready to scarf it down. "No-" he began. "That stuff is spicy. You only need a spoonful and you'll be alright. I promise." A slightly saddened mimikyu grabbed the metal spoon from his trainer's hand and complied, eating but one scoop of the treat. "So since you guys are done with training, should we get going?" His three pokemon cheered. They had just arrived in Motostoke a few hours ago. It was certainly big, if not intimidating. And there was alot to explore. Len grabbed the pokeballs for elekid and mimikyu, recalling his partners in a flash of red light. Togetic just floated quietly beside him, her wings only flapping every 20 seconds or so, defying common sense for most flying pokemon. It was unique to her species, and Lennox at least had gotten used to it.
---
Lennox and his Togetic took a stroll around the area. They had originally planned to check out some of the local cafes and restaurants. There were so many to choose from. But they all seemed to serve the same thing. And honestly, nothing that Len couldn't make himself. Even Grace was getting a little annoyed, as she also preferred her trainers cooking. Perhaps it was time to try something else?
The sun was higher up in the sky today. The beams of sunlight actually started to sting a little as Lennox shielded his eyes. The center of the town wasn't really interesting to him at the moment. There were honestly too many people, and nothing that particularly caught his attention if he was being honest. But he did remember something that he could get excited about. On the outskirts of town, he saw a few flyers. Among some posters about missing people and pokemon, he saw some requests to remove some invasive species from the water. He couldnt think of any way to do that without killing them though...It seemed like the job of conservationists. Perhaps they could gather some water in tanks and fish up anything that was harmful to the area? It seemed off to rely
On trainers and ordinary fisherman for that. But he didn't mind. Fishing was actually pretty calming. The flow of the water, the silence it demanded, and even the pokemon he would see while peering below would all calm his heart. "Hey, Grace", He began. "What do you think about looking for a new buddy for our team?" His togetic gleefully agreed, as he assumed she would. Togetic, unlike himself, loved meeting others to talk to. And a new member of the team seemed nice. After all, the gym leader was a fire type user, right?
Several minutes later, Lennox came upon one of the many streams in Motostoke. It wasnt as clear as he had hoped, but at the very least, there weren't many people around. The silence was sort of the the main reason he even offered to help out. The young trainer fiddled with his bag a bit. There was so much stuff to go through since he kept his cooking supplies and ingredients in there. But his folded up old rod was right where he left it. Lennox sighed. "I really am messy." He chuckled to himself as if that note was going to motivate him to clean out his pack. It would just get dirty again anyway, right? The boy smirked again as he assembled the rod. "This is as good a spot as any, right?" He turned to Togekiss for confirmation, but she was too busy floating around to get a peak at the pokemon swimming below. "Hmm..." Lennox pondered. Looks like Grace is doing her own thing. She deserves a chance to relax. Lennox pulled out a quick ball. "So let's go with this ball of energy." He tossed it a few feet into the air. "Feedback, I need you!" Elekid sprang forward in a flash of yellow light. It revved up its arms in anticipation of a battle, but after a few seconds of looking around, was quickly disappointed. "Yeah", Len chuckled. "Sorry, no battle yet." He knew Feedback was basically a battle junkie. He wanted any opportunity to get stronger and that made him just a little too eager to fight. "But how about this.You do this with me, and you can battle whatever we fish up, alright?" He turned to his pokemon, who really didn't seem into it. "Okay...how about if you do this, I can get Stitch to battle you again?" This definitely got Feedback's attention, as it cheered and raised its fist. "Haha. Okay, let's do our best." Lennox attached the lure to the end of the line and made sure the line was secure. With a quick flourish of the rod, the line went rapidly far out, moving ever so slowly back to the trainer while imitating live bait. The calming sensation washed over him, as Lennox could just sit and be. But he couldn't help himself from wondering what he could find.
---
20 minutes had gone by and Len was conflicted between his two current desires. The calming waters and smooth breeze washed over him and he had hoped that it would last forever. However, the calm meant he wasn't catching anything. Was this a failure or a success?
Elekid was clearly on the side of impatience, as he was letting loose spark after spark to dance across the concrete below. "You know," Lennox started. "If you want, we could go somewhere else. A new fishing spot might do us some good." Feedback gave a childish huff. He didnt seem to interested in moving to a new spot just to do nothing again. "Come ooooon." Lennox continued. It will give you a chance to stretch your legs." Feedback, angered now that this was all that it could hope for, marched over to it's trainer and snatched the rod away, shouting and stomping it's feet, inadvertently sending streams of electricity down the rod. A shocked but mildly entertained Lennox didn't have time to respond before ripples appeared bear his line in the water. A small brown and blue pokemon jumped out of the water, flopping helplessly on the concrete. A feebas! Lennox had known about these pokemon in the Hoenn region. They were exceedingly rare there, but not really sought after for their appearance. He had never understood the issue however, as feebas looked cute to him.
"Feedback, are you ready?" Len called out, planning to weaken it. "Feedback took one look at the pokemon and crossed its arms. "N-not strong enough?" A little embarrassed, Lennox turned to his togetic, ready to ask for help. "You sure are picky, dude." He shrugged. "But I get it." Before he could call on his beloved togetic to assist, the flopping feebas turned to the nearby elekid, who wasn't even bothering to look in its direction, and turned to slap it across the face with its tail, arguably for forcing it out of the water. The loud smack caught Len's attention, who couldn't help but put a hand to his mouth in shock and partial mockery. To think that a feebas would challenge an elekid of all things. But Feedback kind of deserved it.
A furious elekid fumed, spinning its arms to charge its electricity. Before Len could call put an attack or attempt to stop it, Feedback retaliated with a charged thunderpunch coupled with a mighty shout. The feebas was sent flying into the air, sparks following behind. It was about what he expected. But now was as good a time as any. Lennox pulled out a pokeball that he had stored in his pocket. Quick access was better than fiddling around in his bag for half an hour. He pressed the center button to expand the ball, casually tossing it at the feebas. "They're about as strong as magikarp so..." He started. But before he could finish, the pokeball clicked closed. He picked up the ball next to the irate electric type and smiled. "Member number 4. I'll call you...Naga." Lennox smiled with glee. He had helped out, at least a little with the overpopulation problem and had a new friend. "Let's let Naga rest." He turned to elekid. "Wanna keep fishing?
Tim T
Tim finished showering and started to get his uniform on as Pelj watched in interest. Tim had briefly been a little shy to disrobe in front of her, but at the end of the day he doubted he needed to preserve human modesty in front of a creature whose body plan was effectively a top-heavy unicycle. It would be like being naked in front of a fish or an arthropod. Pelj didn't seem to think it was weird either, she seemed more interested in seeing how the shower worked. Tim supposed this was her first time seeing plumbing.
Pelj wasn't going to participate at this Gym, of course. While she might realistically be of some help for the capture mission, she could of course never stand up to Kabu yet. Tim had told her instead that she was to observe on this venture. Henj would assist Tim for the mission, and then Rij would do battle with the Leader. This would be the first time Pelj saw a Gym challenge in motion. She needed to see what lay ahead, and what Tim expected of his mons.
Tim had been quite unhappy to hear he had missed some of the challengers yesterday. After seeing Raphael's bout, Tim had had to head out to find supper and a place to sleep, and to his dismay he had managed to walk out and miss Simon's bout. Talk was that it had been a victory, but one of rather unusual sorts. Tim of course had no way to find a recording of the match online since he would never try to drag his miserable self into a civilized library and he could hardly try to talk to anyone directly looking the way he did, so Tim had to just accept that he'd apparently missed a truly stand-out performance.
And from Simon, no less. The same Simon with the belligerent Larvesta and tone-deaf righteousness that had almost gotten himself, Haleigh, Aeliana, and Tim all killed. If Simon truly had beaten Kabu in such a noteworthy fashion, chances were good he'd go out looking for trouble again. Tim made a mental note: Simon especially had to be tracked down after this. Of course, they all did. Raphael and Haleigh and Aeliana and Clovis and Xan and all the rest. When Tim left this Gym, he would have a new plan for himself.
Tim checked himself in the mirror. Cleaned up, with his tangled hair now mostly straight, hanging with wet, Tim looked his age again. He tied his plain handkerchief around the bottom of his face to hide his ridiculous mustache and rolled his sleeves up even further than he had last time to show off the scratches and gashes from the night before. He looked his reflection in its young, dark eyes. He always wore his shades anymore, so few people got to see his eyes these days. His friend had told him he had "pretty" eyes. He'd taken up the shades in embarrassment, to make her take him more seriously. Now he wore them in mourning: if she could not see them, why should anyone else? But they weren't his eyes now. They were Nigel's.
Pelj murmured worriedly a little as she watched her Trainer transform. Tim left his rags and his shades on the bench like a shed skin, a discarded husk of a filthy nobody wild man. He gestured for Pelj to follow after him as he stepped into the gate as Nigel, the Gym Challenger who had defeated Nessa's Water Gym with two Rocks. If Pelj had any meaningful thoughts regarding Tim's change in demeanor, she kept them to herself. Good, that was as it should be. Tim wasn't her friend or her confidant. He was her Trainer.
The announcer sang off the basics for the mission, but Tim had already read the rules religiously. The Gym Missions were unique local trials: they weren't managed by the League proper. Kabu and his men had written the rules of their mission, and in so doing appeared to have left out a crucial detail. Tim was provided some fresh balls to use, as for the mission he was to catch one of the Gym's wild mons while Gym Trainers attempted to harry him. This was not a standard battle situation and was not subject to the usual League conditions for battles. Tim was in his element.
Tim found a Vulpix rather quickly but there was already a Trainer nearby it with a Houndour deployed. Tim wasted no time in lashing out with what he was beginning to feel his specialty of abrupt escalation. He sent Henj's ball sailing overhead with his carefully-practiced long throw technique, and Henj deployed on the far side of Vulpix, pincering, catching his own ball between his blocky hands. "Stonjourner, Stomp it into submission! Rolycoly," he added low to Pelj, "stay here and watch closely."
"Hrah!" called out the Gym Trainer, a woman a little older than Tim. "It won't be that easy! Houndour, Roar that Vulpix out of here!" Houndour breathed in and released a palpably loud bark, a visible bluish distortion in the air rippling out towards Vulpix to—
Tim leapt into the Roar, taking it in Vulpix's place, and was flung away at speed, ejected, tumbling along the ground. The announcer sounded rightly confused as Tim rolled to his knees behind Vulpix, who had already taken some Stomping despite having set Henj aflame with a defensive Will-O-Wisp. The Gym Trainer and her Houndour regarded Tim in open surprise. Tim heard Pelj titter excitedly.
"Hey kid, are you—"
"Keep Stomping, Stonjourner," Tim said as he was already up and sprinting for Houndour. Henj grumbled affirmation and punted the distracted Vulpix. Houndour watched Tim's approach dumbly, mouth agape, and then caught an elbow drop in its back with a loud yelp.
"Hey, you can't do that!" the Gym Trainer protested, but sure enough neither of the two referees intervened. One was looking closely at his copy of the rules, but the older of the two was just shrugging bemusedly.
"On the contrary," Tim said, lifting Houndour over his head as the dog jabbered in panic, "I can and I am." Tim heaved and threw Houndour away from its Trainer, nearer to Henj and Vulpix. "Block this mutt and keep it off me!"
Henj, still aflame, turned and scuttled up on the dog, barring it from Vulpix. Vulpix seemed relieved at first by Henj's disengagement, but only until Vulpix noticed Tim coming down on it. Vulpix tried to run, but Tim caught it by a couple of its tails, yanking it roughly backwards so he could knock it flat and get a hand around its neck. Tim stood up, holding the fox at arm's length.
The crowd was making a racket, and the announcer and the Gym Trainer were shouting about things, but it was just noise. Tim didn't care for their cheers or their boos. Why should he? He was nothing but a spectacle for these people. They were here for entertainment. They weren't here to cheer Tim on. They didn't know who Tim was. He was just another challenger to them, whether or not he manhandled animals on the field.
"Joooooouroooon!" Henj cried, sliding backwards at speed like a tin roof in a hurricane, sent careening away apparently from another of Houndour's Roars. As he reached the end of his ejection, the Stonjourner dissipated, forced back into the ball he was holding, which rolled to a stop on the ground. Tim squeezed Vulpix's neck enough that its struggling slowed down, and then whipped a spare ball from his side and clapped it to the fox's belly as Houndour put out another Roar.
Tim slid roughly along the ground, feeling every little pebble and crack in the meat of his back, and slowed to a stop with Pelj looking down at him with some concern, pushing Henj's ball. Tim got up though, shooing her off, and held up his spare ball: Vulpix was caught. Houndour and the Gym Trainer gave Tim a deeply-insulted look but didn't say anything as he walked bent down to take Henj's ball from Pelj.
Tim had no words of praise for Henj, and Henj didn't ask for any. It was what had to be done, and they had done it. Henj knew without hearing it that he had performed well. But Tim did give Pelj a silent nod of approval for her fetching the ball as he turned for the gate. Pelj's face was a hard one to read for Tim, and he wasn't sure enough of Rolycoly behavior to read her body language. But he felt that she was a little bit impressed. Or perhaps shocked. Whatever the case, she followed Tim closely, looking back at the Houndour curiously.
Tim handed Vulpix's ball and his spare balls away to the referee at the gate.
"You don't wanna keep Vulpix?" the man ventured through his own greyer mustache.
"Why would it want a Trainer that had just held it by the throat?" Tim asked seriously. "No, I don't want it. And let this be a lesson to write your rules better," he added critically. He usually wouldn't have ventured so far as to criticize the Gym, but he couldn't help but think it was something that would really need to be patched.
"Kabu wrote them like that on purpose," the old referee said, to Tim's surprise. "You can ask him about it if you want."
Tim raised his eyebrows at this revelation, but it was probably none of his business. There were any number of reasons Kabu might have written the rules such that Tim's behavior wasn't illegal. Maybe Kabu had some appreciation for side-by-siding with a mon? Or maybe Kabu felt a restriction on it might stifle creativity. Tim didn't know Kabu and couldn't pretend to understand the man's reasoning. Hell for all Tim knew, maybe Kabu just thought it would be funny to have someone come in and wrestle wild animals on live television.
Tim had passed through the transition gate now, and approached Kabu himself. He was much more well-muscled in person than came across on the monitors. Tim figured that Kabu could probably give him a run for his money in a fistfight. And then Tim chided himself, surprised that he—even if jokingly—had just considered having a fistfight with a Gym Leader. "That was certainly an unorthodox showing," Kabu said with arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. Tim couldn't read his voice well enough to tell if Kabu approved or not.
"Never hurts to put on a show," Tim replied in his own deep voice. "Need to show the new one how I do things," he added, nodding to Pelj, who was gawking openly at Kabu. When had Tim gotten so personable? He recalled he had even tried banter with Nessa. Was it his seeming anonymity empowering him? Tim had heard before that anonymity brings out a person's true colors. Was that who Tim really was? A brute that could assault animals in front of hundreds of people and then laugh it off not an hour later? A punk that spoke to Gym Leaders as jocularly as he would speak to peers on the playground?
"Well," Kabu said, "this next part is a proper League battle. So this time your Pokémon will have to do the legwork." He put out his hand.
"I guess your Centiskorch really will have the upper hand if it's a matter of legwork," Tim said wryly as he grasped Kabu's hand to shake it. Tim didn't feel like himself. He had noticed it with Nessa too, but when he was out on the field, almost a completely different person at a glance, he didn't feel like the Tim that had been living in the bush for months trying to cope with the absence of his friend. He felt like the Tim that had attended the Wedgehurst Trainer Academy, that had mingled with his peers, that had enjoyed adjustment to Galar. In here, the announcer, the world, called him Nigel. He was a different person. One that didn't exist anymore.
Kabu gave Tim that bemused expression reserved for bad puns but didn't say anything else. He raised his eyebrows though when Tim didn't let go of his hand. Pelj looked up at Tim questioningly.
Tim was having a crisis. He was nobody. But in here he had a name, he had a face. Tim was himself again, if only for an hour or two. But he couldn't stay somebody when he left here. Somebodies didn't sleep on the cold ground. Somebodies didn't wear rags. Somebodies didn't eat out of the garbage.
But nobodies didn't beat Gym Leaders.
Tim was still grasping Kabu's hand. The camera drones hovered about expectantly. "Are you alright, Nigel?" Kabu ventured.
Tim looked up into the man's eyes. It was like looking into the furnace of a great, striding machine, into the burning heart of a force of nature. Tim wondered what Kabu saw in Tim's "pretty" eyes. "If I win this, Kabu," Tim said low, "I would ask you a question."
Tim shook Kabu's hand again and finally released it. "Now you have me curious," Kabu said, grinning as he stepped away.
Tim moved away to his own side and turned to face the Gym Leader of Motostoke City across the field. He pulled out Rij's ball and looked at it. It was dirty and dull, like everything Tim had. The last time Tim would've been able to see his reflection in it, Tim wouldn't have seen it anyway for the tears in his eyes. If Tim could see his reflection now, it would be Nigel's reflection instead.
Tim looked past it, at Pelj. In her big eye he did see his reflection a little bit. Distant, warped. That was more fitting for who Tim was.
"Watch this," Tim had said to his friend and her Rhyhorn before trying and failing to perform some physical feat he'd seen her perform.
"Watch this," Tim said to Pelj now, sending Rij the Rhyhorn into battle.
Raphael Allard > Motostoke Gym
> Bad Acoustics - Part 1
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"A café..?" Raphael mumbled.
He was sitting in a quaint little coffee house in a less dense area of Motostoke city. Himari sat down across from him, her phone in her hands and her eyes glued to the screen as he types something up in a fury. To his great surprise, she barely seemed to be paying him any attention. "I've come here pretty frequently since moving to Galar. The owner is nice and they've made great sandwiches. The menu is surprisingly varied for what looks like a pastry café y'know?" She spoke so casually to him now, was she forgetting herself, or just finally learning to act normal around him? Raph couldn't help but wonder.
"What are you typing away at so intensely anyway huh?" He mumbled, a lazy yawn breaking past his lips as he leaned back in his chair. Arceus, he was tired, being a celebrity was too much work, why hadn't anybody told him about this? Ruben surely could have opened up about the stress of it a little, but then again, maybe footballers lived for this sort of thing. Himari glanced up briefly at her, well, some might say hostage, in response to his question.
"I'm updating your fan site, here take a look." She held the phone out across the table towards him and he leaned forward again with his brow furrowed. "Fan site…?" What sat before him was a pretty well designed web page. Black and blue colour scheme, forums, news feed. Had Himari made all of this?
A video was playing near the top of the screen which Himari seemed to be writing an accompanying piece of text for. This video was what finally grabbed Raph's attention. His eyes opened a solid few centimeters more and he snatched the Xtranceiver brand smartphone from Himari's hands. "H-Hey! Heart that's m-"
"Did you record this?" Raph asked incredulously, to which Himari's face went red. The video showed Raphael's gym battle from various angles, well timed zoom-ins and scene shifts, capturing all the most intense moments. "Um… ah, yeah, I did." She moved her hand to rub the back of her neck awkwardly, inadvertently mimicking him. "I hope it's alright-"
"It's fantastic!" Raph was… smiling now. Wait, he was smiling? At her? Oh dear, Himari thought she felt something break loose in her brain. "The resolution is crisp, the lighting is great, you recorded this with your phone? The audio and video quality is better than the playback on the TV! How did you get it to look this good? What are the specs on this thing? Now that I think about it I don't recognize the model."
Her embarrassment turned to a wide eyed look of surprise. "Oh, my Father works for Xtranceiver actually… so I get a lot of cool things early." Himari responded casually. "I didn't know you were into technology Hearto-san…"
"Mhm." He nods a little, handing her phone back quickly as he realizes he's being rude. "I, eh, spent a lot of time indoors as a kid so I liked to mess around with computers." She tilted her head gently in response, a gesture that said 'I see' without any words, prompting him to continue talking but he stayed mum about it from there.
Himari realized something important at that moment. She knew Raphael's history in the vague sense, she had watched his gym challenge these past few months and become enamored with him. Yet, how much did she really know about him? He was a person like anyone else and there were layers upon layers to him that she hadn't yet uncovered. It was odd, learning little details about him like that stripped away some of her awe in a good way. He seemed more human, more approachable, the more she learned the less awkward and embarrassed she felt around him. Maybe, they could even start to be-
"Oi, Himari."
Eh? She snapped out of her trance and her blush returned in full force, Raphael was staring at her with a raised eyebrow. "You spaced out while staring at me again, if you want to do this manager thing you're gonna need to stop doing that." He mumbled, a little half-heartedly.
"W-Wait…" She quickly responded. "You mean… you actually, want me to?" Himari was incredulous, despite everything, she hadn't expected this at all. "Well, yeah." He sighed tiredly as he realized he had to explain. "You've got that website, some good PR and editing skills, I'm making a lot of poké from all this so I could cut you in if you promise to do a good job and not be weird about it…" He paused, then rolled his eyes and sat up straight.
"Look I'm realizing this is going to be a lot of work for me… people wanting interview's or pictures or whatever. Managing my, ugh, fans? I guess I have fans now… it's rough, a lot different than girls fawning over me at school so.. I need the help. You already seem to have a good handle on things, so if you're actually willing to do this? Well I'd be willing to let you I guess."
Himari was stunned into silence, she stared at him without any idea of what to say or how to proceed. He might as well have proposed to her because that was the depth of emotion she was feeling right now. "Yes! Yes a thousand times yes Hearto-san! I won't let you down, I'll do whatever you need, whenever you need to make things easier for you… and I mean anything okay?"
"What? No! What are you even implying with that! Stop making it weird!" He recoiled a little as she leaned in so eagerly, nearly falling out of his seat. He immediately started to regret his decision, but then, to his surprise, Himari started to giggle, then to laugh. "I'm sorry! Haha, sorry sorry, I mean it!" She settled into a calm and pleasant grin, one lacking the weirdness he knew her for. "But I accept, no weird stuff, I promise to do my best for the role you've granted me."
He stared at her for a moment, baffled by the maturity of that response. He opened his mouth to speak, to give some sort of affirmation, but something suddenly dragged his attention away.
"Why is that boy behaving that way?" A woman's voice mumbles from a table near the counter. She's staring at a television screen in the corner of the room. The man beside her grimaces and sighs with a shrug. "Sounds like someone has some pretty serious insecurity issues, this is why it's dangerous letting younger folks step onto the big screen. They really need to age gate the gym challenge, I've been saying it the whole time Mauve…"
"H-Hearto… san..?" Himari meekly asked as Raph, with urgency, stood up from the table and moved to where he could see the television. He barely caught sight of the end of a gym battle and saw a familiar silhouette walking off the pitch. With more and more concern mounting on his face, he turned to look at the young woman working behind the café's counter. "I'm sorry, would you mind rewinding this for me quickly? I need to see something." While the worker looked a little confused, she was more thankfully plenty accommodating.
"TO ALL OF YOU! LET THIS VICTORY BE A MESSAGE!"
Simon. Raph's eyes widened. He hadn't seen Simon since that day in Hulbury but he could immediately tell something was wrong. He looked tired… and angry. There was something missing in his stature and energy compared to the way he usually was.
"I AM NOT THE UNDERDOG OF THIS COMPETITION- AND I WILL BECOME CHAMPION!"
"NO MATTER WHO STANDS IN MY WAY."
Raphael's expression grew darker. That wasn't Simon, right? Simon didn't talk like that, with that much spite in his voice. Raph felt his chest clench a little. Had this been his fault? The way he had acted, the way he pushed Simon away. Had Raphael driven Simon to this? Even partially? He had to talk to him still, there was still time to-
That was when he saw it. His eyes widened to full moons and his heart damn near stopped for a half second as a sickening realization dawned on him.
Clutched tightly in Simon's hand, was a Dark Ball.
Immediately Raphael turned towards the door, then moved to the table he had been sharing with Himari to grab his bag. "R-Raph… what's wrong? What's happening?" She was rightfully confused, he owed her an explanation.
"It's my friend, Simon. Simon Pearburgh? He's in the challenge too." She nodded in recognition as he spoke. "He's… he's in serious trouble. I think he's gotten mixed up with some really dangerous people and I need to find him as soon as possible."
"I'm coming with you." Himari stood up as well, taking her bag on her shoulder but Raph placed his hand over that to stop her. "No, you're not. This could get really messy and I'm not letting anyone else get hurt because of a mess I made. I need you to stay here and stay safe."
Yet at that, she just looked more confused. "A mess you made? What do you-"
THOOOOM!
Suddenly a burst of force cut across their conversation. A sound wave of near deafening proportions left their ears ringing and threw them suddenly and violently to their feet. Two nearby windows have shattered but they barely heard the glass break, civilians are also knocked from their tables and people are screaming but Raph can't hear the noise escaping from their open mouths.
Eventually the ringing fades and it all hits again at once, the screams, the panic, the result of an incoming attack out of nowhere. Himari is on the ground beside him, still dazed and confused. What the fuck had just happened? Those were the only thoughts rushing through his mind.
Staggering to his feet, he looks around, shaking his head to adjust his vision… and that's when he sees it.
Roaring and raging in the street, making its way towards the now damaged café, is a pokémon hailing from Hoenn. A large, imposing purple frame with a terrifying face full of vitriol and anger.
An exploud… surrounded by a dark aura of red and black.
