((*does CPR on the thread*))
Whilst other pokemon embarked and continued upon their adventures, a rather unfortunate team of budding explorers were being held back due to an uncooperative teammate.
"...B-but, I'd rather babysit Puffy than go on a scary mission to find like, a really scary pokemon!"
Meet Clare, the Alakazam with the memory span of a Magikarp and the temperament of a traumatized Pachirisu. She isn't as stupid as she may appear, though she might as well be with her cowardice and refusal to practice rational thought. Understandably, seeing these traits on a pokemon which is supposed to be genetically predisposed to having a brain like a supercomputer cause those around her a great deal of psychological harm. However, the team's second-in-command - an impish Hitmontop by the name of 'Spinner' - found this incredibly amusing. As he enjoyed watching Clare squirm, he decided to rile her up to the point where she would break down completely.
"I heard Ninetales breathe fire and love to eat psychic pokemon's brains for dinner!"
Spinner licked his lips, then rubbed his stomach.
"Yummy!"
To this, Clare reacted most erratically. Her psychic power manifested, causing objects to fly across the room as she teleported from corner to corner in tears, screaming for the team leader, Baby-Doll.
Baby-Doll floated gracefully into the room, a chilling low moan emanated from deep within the center of her majestic form. Her arms outstretched, the mouth upon her round abdomen opened to its full capacity, sucking in a great amount of air before expelling it in a gigantic yawn of such volume which caused the entire room to shake violently.
"Yes, Clare? I heard."
Clare looked up at the Dusknoir, still shivering slightly.
"Umm... yeah, well, Spinner said that Ninetales will eat my brain! I love my brain!"
Baby-Doll rolled her single eye, then proceeded to float towards the Hitmontop, then unhinged her 'jaw', emitting a banshee's shriek. Spinner winced. his entire frail form trembling before the enraged ghost-type.
"Spinner," She boomed, "How many times have I told you not to scare Clare?!"
Though the pair had known each other since they were Tyrogue and Duskull, Spinner never truly got used to her. Baby-Doll crossed her lengthy trunk-like arms above her grimacing lips, awaiting a response.
"...Uhhh."
Understandably, Spinner was lost for words. Baby-Doll uncrossed her arms, allowing herself to sigh.
"Just... promise me you'll never do that again, dear. - Or you're getting a time-out in the spirit world." To this, the Hitmontop shakily gave a squeak of affirmation - he couldn't nod, for he was currently standing on his head. Dusknoir, seemingly satisfied with his response, turned away with the slightest of smiles upon her oddly-placed yet rather expressive face.
"Now let's all get going on that mission, sweeties. Clare, please be a sweetie and teleport us to the woods where you found that poor dead Ninetales." No matter how she sugarcoated this, she still couldn't somehow trick her little psychic underling into following a single instruction without looking as if she were on the edge of tears. Nevertheless, she did as she was told and warped the trio to a nice, quiet spot beside a lake. It didn't remain quiet for all that long, though as a shrill, somewhat muffled female scream filled the air. For once, it wasn't Clare's.
Clare turned to see a Torterra, drowning in the lake. With a swift Psychic, she pulled the continent pokemon from the water and set her upon dry land.
Torterra keeled over and gagged, before coughing up a very annoyed Remoraid. Baby-Doll floated over to the grass-type and struck her upon her islandlike back lest anything else end up flying from her throat. Grateful for what the team had done, Torterra gave a weak smile and thanked them.
"Oh, thank you so much... I thought I was a goner!"
Clare, having witnessed the larger pokemon's swift recovery hid behind Spinner, who gave her a dirty look. Baby-Doll remained floating over who had for a brief period been the damsel in distress, a look of concern in her single eye.
"Thank goodness you're okay, sweetie - But what in the world were you doing in the water?"
Torterra's eyes were now glued to the ground. Giving a sigh, she weakly produced her response.
"Well, you see... I was having a little nap here and all of a sudden my tree got hit by someone's Flamethrower." She turned around to show the team the charred, soggy mess where her bonsai back-tree had once stood. "...and it really hurt. I was so scared... I threw myself into the water to try and put out the flames, but..." Her voice trailed off along with her mood. Tears welled in her tawny eyes as she succumbed to the pain which lingered upon both the grass and ground sections within her shell. Clare shivered, gnawing on one of her spoons. She didn't like the thought of being hit by a stray flamethrower. Nor did anyone else for that matter, though Spinner reacted in a way most unusual for an Impish creature such as he.
"Well who did this to you? We'll teach 'em a lesson - won't we, Clare?" Shooting the Alakazam an accusing look, he turned once again to face the large tortoise-like pokemon, who didn't appear to be in the best condition to speak. Noticing this, Baby-Doll unhinged her jaws and placed a hand beneath her black spectral tongue from which she pulled her team's treasure bag. After much rummaging about, she at last produced a small yellow seed. She gently wedged this seed into the soil upon Torterra's shell, then floated back to meet her teammates.
All of a sudden, the usually sweet, motherly Dusknoir appeared to experience a change of heart. Her hands began to glow with an eerie blue glow whilst the temperature of the air around her dropped a great deal. She spun around, leant forward and with one hand in a fist she lunged at Torterra, dealing a knockout blow with Ice Punch. This was when the reviver seed which had been planted upon her back took effect, its energy seeping into the soil and throughout the rest of her body. Now that the job was done, Baby-Doll confronted Clare on the subject as to what they had originally come to the forest for.
"Now Clare... You and Spinner search this area for any Vulpix or Ninetales. I'll keep watch over Torterra."
Clare nodded, though she did seem quite uneasy. The thought of risking injury to find a creature that may no longer exist didn't appeal to her at all. After her reluctant agreement to follow her leader's command, she immediately wrapped her scrawny arms around Spinner's torso.
"Protect me, Spinner." She winced, her weak grip hardly felt by the now blushing fighting-type.
"Err, yeah... Hey, do you mind if we stay like this for a few minutes?" Fortunately for him, she respected the privacy of others' thoughts, only reading minds when it is absolutely necessary. As he wished, the pair remained in that very position, neither of them aware of the events which had occurred beforehand, or the heartache of a Ninetales and Vulpix - mother and son - who had become so tragically torn from each other only minutes prior to their arrival.
