The Rivals Nest

Chapter One

Build-It Flaaffy stood proudly gazing at her achievement. It was a massive structure, with parapets and buttresses and everything was in the right place to fit the golden mean.

A Mareep nearby was awestruck. "It could stop Pinsir from ravaging our fields."

"It's not a frigtenmurkrow," Flaafy said, clearly hurt.

"It's quite beautiful," said an Electrode. "Until Wreck-It Pineco comes and, you know, smashes it."

"You will keep Wreck-It Pineco away!" Flaaffy said, thrashing at Electrode with her paws.

"Easy now. I have to be at the Electric Seminar by 4:00. I've got to give a lecture on Persmi Berries."

"What do Persim Berries have to do with Electric Pokemon?"

"Apparently nothing. But my boss, the Dean Arcanine, said he'll fire me if I don't give a lecture on something. So I chose a topic I know quite well."

"Well, until you have to be down there, you can do a building watch."

"But Flaaffy, thery're serving Pinap Berry pops in Grosvenor Square. I can't miss out."

"If my building is destroyed while I'm away, I will come watch Dean Arcanine fire you. And laugh. Then I'll sit on you. Then you'll think twice before you run out for Pinap Berry pops."

"All right, all right, I'll watch it! I just hope Dewgong doesn't come out of the sand again."

"For the last time, Electrode," Flaafy said, "Dewgong cannot come out of sand. You must have dreamt it."

"No, no. When I dream, you're wearing a bikini."

"What?!"

"Yeah. Unless you had been wearing a bikin and riding on the back of the Dewgong, I wasn't dreaming. And you weren't."

"That's it. I'm outta here. And my building better still be standing."

"Wait! You didn't tell me who I should get to watch it when I have to leave!"

But Flaaffy was already gone.

"If it's all the same to you," the Mareep said, "I dream of her in a bikini, too."

"Is it a red one with silver ornaments handing from it?"

"No, it's blue with yellow stars."

"That's why you're not permitted to watch her buildings. You'd be squashed flat by Wreck-It Pineco."

"As long as I don't have to meet his madre, Madame Forretress, I'm okay."

"His sister's all right. She lets people hang her on Christmas trees.'

"And they get bleeding fingers when they accidentally touch her."

"Humans deserve it. Always enslaving us in Pokeballs…"

"You should go join Team Plasma in Unova, with a viewpoint like that."

"Unova doesn't exist."

"It does."

"Doesn't."

"Does. Pinceo's sister is native to Unova."

"No, Ferroseed is native to the Orange Islands."

"The Orange Islands don't exist."

"They do!"

"Don't!"

"Do!"

"Don't!"

"Look, let's just watch the building," Electrode said.

"Fine. But the Orange Islands still don't exist."

"Yes, they do," Electrode said, rolling into Mareep.

"They don't," Mareep said, bumping Electrode with his shoulder.

They got into a scuffle and did notice the blue creature that appeared. He grinned, going all around the building. Must…destroy.

He glowed hot-white, and in a moment, he exploded. Shrapnel and debris and flying buttresses that were no longer flying, rained down on the field. Wreck-It Pineco was a burnt-out slab of his former self, but he had done good work. He rrolled away silently.

Both Electrode and Mareep were breathing heavily now. They had bruises in all kinds of odd places.

"Now do we agree that the Orange Islands…exist?" Electrode asked.

"Only if you believe that Unova exists."

"It doesn't!"

"Does!"

"Let's just return to building watching," Electrode said. "Hey, where'd it goo?"

"Maybe a Beheeyem came and snapped it up, transporting it to its home planet."

"Beheehym don't exist."

"Yes, they do."

"My best bet is that it was a Crystal Onix."

"'Which doesn't exist."

"Look, we can argue about this all day, but I've got a lecture to get to. Tell Flaaffy that that Beheemawhozit or Crumple-Horned Snorcack or whatever took it."

"It's Beheeyem. It don't know what that other thing you said is."

"Yeah, well, maybe she won't know it doesn't exist."

"She will know it does!"

Electrode rolled a good distance away before shouting out, "Doesn't!" Then he was gone before any response could reach his internal aural tract.