A/N: Hey guys; here's the next chapter! I would just like to mention that there were several OC submissions (I got some in reviews as well as PMs), so some characters didn't make it. I just thought I'd mention that they were all well-done, just some more so than others.
Without further ado, here's the next chapter of Pokemon: Alternate Destinies!
What's that Smell?
Kalo studied the map carefully, examining the route to their next destination. It had been several hours since they had left the city. The sun was setting gently against the horizon, its dwindling rays of warmth casting their fainting hues along the environment. "You know, I don't think I knew as much about the Sinnoh map as I thought I did. I thought the routes in Sinnoh started from the 200's, but if we're on Route 302 right now, then–" he was interrupted when Lexi snatched the map from him.
She narrowed her eyes. "Kalo, it might help you find out where we are if you keep the map right-side-up," she said, handing it back to Kalo.
"Oh," Kalo muttered sheepishly. "Yeah, I knew I was right about the routes," Kalo mused with a grin.
Shaking her head at her traveling partner's antics, Lexi continued their steady walk for a few more minutes. Suddenly, Riolu covered his nose with a paw. "Ri! Rio, riolu!" the Pokemon ranted.
Kalo and Lexi stopped for a moment, glancing at Riolu in slight confusion. "He smells something," Kalo observed.
"Good thinking, Captain Obvious," Lexi smirked.
"If I'm Captain Obvious, then you're Lieutenant Sarcasm," Kalo replied swiftly.
Lexi, clearly not amused by the astounding comeback, resumed walking.
"It sounded better in my head," Kalo murmured. Frowning slightly, he followed Lexi, glancing towards Riolu in sympathy. Sorry buddy, you'll have to deal with the smell for a little bit longer. Kalo was curious as to what Riolu currently smelled, though. He figured that, with Riolu having sharper senses than a couple of teenagers, it would take a bit longer for them to reach the smell.
Lexi pinched her nose suddenly, her face scrunching up in disgust. "Ugh! That is so rank! What in Sinnoh is that smell?"
A rancid scent permeated the air, assaulting Kalo's nostrils. He too pinched his nose, trying to not breathe the smell in whatsoever. "Man, that is terrible! "
"Yeah, it's almost like–" Lexi stopped, and her eyes got noticeably wider. "What. . .what happened here?" she murmured, and the tone of her voice certainly didn't calm Kalo down by even the smallest margin.
Kalo followed her foreboding gaze, which lead to a sight that caused bile to rise in his throat. Two bodies – or what was left of them, anyway – where mangled nearly beyond recognition. Blood soaked their forms and formed a significantly-sized pool around their bodies. They were both slumped against a tree. Kalo winced and looked away; he hadn't seen dead bodies before. Well, he had at funerals, but they had always appeared so peaceful and, for the most part, unharmed. These bodies were covered in a lot of blood and had been viciously attacked.
Lexi, still pinching her nose, crouched in front of the bodies, staying clear of the blood on the ground. She studied their injuries with a critical view. "They have several burns and received some really nasty wounds." Disgust plain on her features, she hesitantly raided their pockets.
Appalled, Kalo gasped. "What are you doing?" he demanded, horror evident in his tone.
"I don't like searching through gruesome carcasses anymore than you, but they don't have any more need of these," she replied irritably, slapping some wallets against the ground. Backing away from the bodies, she searched the wallets and pulled out any money lying within. Adding the money to her and Kalo's shared funds, she then pulled out some identification for the two dead bodies. "That's odd. They were members of the Oreburgh Gym," Lexi examined, her eyes growing wide.
Kalo's eyes widened as well, and he began to grow a little frantic. Riolu grew noticeably more rigid, but neither Kalo nor Lexi realized it. Briskly walking back to the rocky path, Kalo said, "I don't want to stick around to see whatever did this to two gym members," he said nervously.
Wordlessly agreeing, Lexi began to follow, but two high-pitched shrieks drew her attention. "Fearow!"
Kalo and Lexi turned around sharply, Riolu growing tense. Two Fearow hovered in the skies, their keen eye trained on feasting on the dead carcasses—and whatever got in their way. Lexi immediately reached for a pokeball clipped to her belt, and the pokeball enlarged with the pressing of a button. "Go, Marill!" Lexi shouted, tossing the ball into the air. A bright white flash of light marked the presence of the Pokemon. It was small and bipedal, with a circular shape and white underside. It has large, round ears with red insides and a zigzag tail and a blue ball at the end of it. "Marill, hurry and use Water Gun!" Lexi commanded, pointing towards the large Fearow.
"Marill!" Opening her small mouth into the shape of an 'o', a jet of water shot out of her mouth.
Kalo understood that, being a close-combat fighter, Riolu was no match for two, fully grown flying-type Pokemon.
"We'll use the opening Marill created to escape!" Lexi shouted to Kalo, pulling out her compass for a brief check at the cardinal directions. "We're going east! Let's go!" She scooped up Marill in both of her arms and started a quick jog east.
"Riolu, we need to go!" Kalo informed his partner. One glance at his partner told him that Riolu really didn't want to flee a battle so soon after he had lost one. "Riolu, let's go! Now!" Kalo demanded. He didn't particularly enjoy bossing around a Pokemon (especially his own), but the Fearow would be upon them soon enough.
Riolu, snapped out of his reverie, tentatively turned and sprinted away with Kalo, Marill, and Lexi. They continued running for what seemed like hours, though surely must have only been ten minutes; Lexi had had to return Marill to her Pokeball soon in their run.
Finally stopping, Kalo immediately bent over, resting his hands on his knees. He panted heavily, coalescing droplets of sweat beading his face. Lexi wasn't in much better condition, although it was clear that she was in better condition than Kalo. Riolu were a naturally fit Pokemon, but Kalo's Riolu was probably not as fit as the average Riolu yet. It was nearly a minute before someone broke the silence. "You think we lost them?" Kalo asked, finally getting up and wiping sweat from his brow.
Glancing west, Lexi strained her ears to distinguish any sounds in the all-but silent area. There were a few rustling noises; however, she didn't hear the flapping of large wings. "Unless the Fearow are following us on foot, I don't think they're coming. . ." Lexi murmured, still in shock over what she had seen not much more than ten minutes ago. "I wonder what did that to those poor people," she whispered.
Kalo shifted nervously; she was obviously stressed out, but he wasn't sure what to do to help alleviate that stress. "Are you . . . uh, going to be alright?" Kalo asked hesitantly.
Lexi glanced at Kalo and Riolu, her face confused. It took her a few moments to comprehend Kalo's question. Then, without warning, her cheeks bloated before she hurled all over the ground. It was soon followed by a second puking, which probably contained the rest of what she had consumed today.
"Lu!" Riolu exclaimed.
"Whoa, Lexi! Hey!" Kalo's eyes widened, and he began to grow frantic. He wanted to believe that she had just thrown up in response to the hideous sight, but what if there was something wrong with her? Kalo noticed that her face was noticeably pale and sweaty, and her arms were shaking just trying to hold her up.
Finally, some color returned to her face, although the shaking didn't lessen. "I'm fine–I think. The d-dead bodies p-probably just freaked me out a bit," Lexi replied, stammering slightly. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I'm feeling really weak right now though," she added. Her voice was faint and weak, but it was quickly growing stronger.
"Oh–uh, Riolu and I can carry you to a clearing. It's getting dark anyway; it would probably be for the best to rest tonight," Kalo offered. Kalo himself may not be strong, but Riolu certainly was for his size. Together, the two of them should be able to carry Lexi and her pack, along with Kalo's, to the next clearing. He glanced at Riolu, making sure that it was alright with his partner. The small Pokemon nodded his consent.
Lexi nodded, and Kalo took her pack and put it on over his own. The straps dug into his armpits, but overall, it wasn't too bad. Then, Kalo bent over and placed his hands under Lexi's shoulders. Riolu went for the feet.
"One, two, three!" Kalo counted off. He and Riolu lifted Lexi up and held her. Riolu couldn't lift Lexi up as high as Kalo, being so short and all. However, he provided a lot of the muscle in their lift. She was also lighter than Kalo had originally thought. "Alright, let's go," Kalo muttered, and the two walked awkwardly at a steady pace east.
It didn't take long for them to find an octagonal patch of grass, about forty feet across and sixty feet wide. Kalo and Riolu helped set up a small camp by laying out Kalo's and Lexi's respective sleeping bags. Lexi made herself useful by bringing out hers and Kalo's food, along with the Pokemon food. Then she unhooked the two Pokeballs from the magnetic clip on her belt and enlarged them. "Marill, Hoothoot, come out!" Lexi commanded, releasing her Pokemon.
It then occurred to Kalo that he hadn't seen Lexi's second Pokemon before. He studied the Hoothoot curiously, fascinated by its features. The Hoothoot resembled a short and round owl. It had very large red eyes which were surrounded by black rings. On the lower portion of the rings were extentions, even resembling eyelashes, although they were two-dimensional. It had a v-shaped crest on top of its eyes that looked like large, pointy eyebrows. However, the oddest feature was probably the lone, four-toed foot that the Hoothoot had.
Lexi noticed Kalo examining her Hoothoot and smiled towards the owl. "Hoothoot are very good Pokemon to travel with. Not only are they nocturnal, but they have excellent eyesight and hearing. They can even be used as clocks. What time are we planning on waking up tomorrow?" Lexi asked.
Kalo pondered the question briefly. Checking his watch, he said, "Well, it's about seven-thirty now, and I was thinking that we could be asleep by nine. Then we could wake up well-rested at around seven tomorrow."
Lexi nodded towards Hoothoot. "You heard him, Hoothoot. We'll be up at seven o'clock, sharp!"
The two-foot tall owl tilted its head to the side. "Hooooot!" he replied.
"How do you know so much about your Hoothoot?" Kalo questioned, glancing at the one-footed owl curiously.
"I'm studying to be a Pokemon Professor, so the least I can do to help is familiarize myself with my own Pokemon," Lexi replied.
"Oh, yeah. Hey, where's the water?" Kalo asked suddenly, glancing at their dinner, prepared on a blanket.
On unspoken command, Lexi's Marill turned towards Kalo and shot out a considerably amount of water. The high-powered stream of water slammed into Kalo's torso, throwing him to the ground.
Kalo growled, "What the heck!" He placed his hands onto the ground, pushing him up cautiously. Meanwhile, Lexi was laughing up a storm. "It's not fu—" Kalo tried to point an accusatory finger towards Lexi, but the action caused his feet to slide out from under him. He fell again on his back. At this, Lexi's laughter grew even louder. Kalo even heard Riolu snickering at the naïve trainer's misfortune.
Kalo, his face set in a snarl, crawled over to the blanket where his foot lay. "I'm sorry, Kalo," Lexi apologized in-between the very brief pauses in her hysterical laughing. "Marill drenches whoever says that word, when it's used in a move. She provides all of the 'you-know-what' that we need."
Grumbling, Kalo reached into his pack and pulled out a bottle of water. "It'd be one thing if it went in a bucket, where we could drink it! But noooo, now I have to squeeze all of the wa—'you-know-what' out of my shirt!" He continued in his grumbling rant for another minute or two, making sure not to use the word "water" in Marill's presence.
Lexi sat next to Kalo, chuckling, while the three total Pokemon in their possession took a place in front of them. "Oh, come on; your clothes will dry off soon. Just hide in the bushes or something and change. I won't peak," she teased, elbowing Kalo's side playfully.
Kalo averted his gaze from her, an immature look of not-very-serious anger on his face. Still, Lexi's comment caused him to blush a little. Trying to play it cool, Kalo replied, "Whatever." He went to his pack and pulled out a set of clothes, before moving out of the clearing, and given the privacy of several trees and bushes.
He came out several minutes later in a plain blue t-shirt and pajamas. Several different Pokemon were knitted onto the red pair of pajamas. Kalo sat in his spot and finished his dinner off hungrily.
"Hey, look Riolu! You're starring on Kalo's pajamas!"
"Shut up, Lexi."
Kalo and Lexi fell asleep nearly around when Kalo had planned to. They were both huddled up in their respective sleeping bags, sleeping peacefully. Hoothoot, Riolu, and Marill had stayed up much longer, chatting amongst each other. Riolu and Marill fell asleep at three or four in the morning, while Hoothoot continued his undisturbed watch.
Before long, it was seven o'clock.
Hoothoot hopped over to Lexi and Kalo before letting out a "Hoot!" It followed with several other monotonous hoots. Within moments, Kalo and Lexi were sitting up in their sleeping bags. Riolu and Marill jumped up from their light slumber, feeling quite energized despite their few hours of sleep.
Kalo yawned, stretching out his arms. For some reason, he didn't feel as well-rested as he'd thought he would be from a good ten hours of sleep. "I think I saw a lake when I was changing last night; I'll go find it and wash off," Kalo announced, bringing a set of clothes with him.
"Riolu!" Riolu jumped up and followed his trainer eagerly. The two of them vanished in the thick foliage surrounding the moderately sized clearing they had camped in.
Lexi, returned Hoothoot to his Pokeball and left Marill out to help wash some of the clothes. Some rustling in the bushes caught Lexi's attention. Lexi turned, glancing in the direction the noise had come from. "Kalo? Riolu? Are you two back yet?" When no one replied, she added, "Come on, this isn't funny. Just because Marill sprayed you doesn't mean you have to get me back or anything." No one answered. Lexi began to reach for Hoothoot's Pokeball, when a soft cry rang through the air, causing Lexi to jump. She smiled uneasily. That's kinda ironic. I was looking for noise, yet when I hear it, I still jump. Still, that sounded like a Pokemon. . .
"Shinx!" a small Pokemon poked its body out of the underbrush.
Lexi nearly squealed at how adorable the little Shinx was. It looked a lot like a common kitten, but it's fur is mostly an odd blue, other than the patch of black under its neck and covering its lower body. Its tail was long and black, with a four-pointed star at the end. Its front paws each had golden rings around them. Its ears are large and round, with stars in the center that resemble the star at the end of its tail. Its eyes were an electric yellow.
Lexi studied the Shinx, immediately flipping open her Pokedex and letting it scan the Pokemon. "All of your paws are blue," she murmured to herself. "I think that means that you're a girl. I'm not really sure though." A few seconds later, her Pokedex ran off its synopsis of the Shinx, indeed revealing that female Shinx have blue paws.
Closing her Pokedex, Lexi's eyes sparkled. "You are just too cute!" She slowly walked towards the Shinx, keeping her hands in plain sight so as to not arouse the Shinx. Marill wasn't far behind, ready to act if the Shinx proved too hostile.
"Wow, so you are a girl," a voice rang out, and Lexi couldn't really explain what happened next. All she knew was that the Shinx's fur began to dazzle as if luminescent, and then she was blinded. It was a bright white light that completely rendered her vision obsolete for the moment. Lexi instinctively rubbed the heels of her hands against her eyes. It was a nearly a minute or so before she could make out shapes, although it took another for them to stop multiplying.
Lexi turned around and glared at Kalo, who had been watching her temporary blindness with mild amusement. "Look at what you've done: you scared away the Shinx!" Lexi snapped.
Kalo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe it got a closer look at you and decided that it was too cute for you," Kalo smirked.
"Oh, shut up! And what do you mean that I am a girl? Of course I'm a girl!" Lexi growled in response.
Kalo raised his hands up in mock defense. "Whatever you say; I was just a little skeptical is all."
Lexi crossed her arms in defiance, wearing the same look of immature, not-very-serious anger on her face that Kalo had worn yesterday. She knew that he was probably having his fun time getting back at her for yesterday, but that was a perfectly good Shinx, for crying out loud! "Do I have to remind you that what you chased away was a perfectly good Pokemon? How are you going to be the Sinnoh Champion if you chase away all the Pokemon before you can catch them?" Lexi asked, placing her hands on her hips.
Kalo scratched the side of his head in a contemplating motion. "Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Eh, like it matters! There's more Shinx where that came from anyway!"
Lexi flipped open her Pokedex and studied the screen for a moment. "Yeah, on the Pokedex, it says that Shinx are pretty common around Routes 203, 204, and 205. So if you're lucky and don't bomb anything, you just might catch one." She closed her Pokedex and returned Marill to her respective Pokeball. "I'm going to go wash off in that lake. After I'm done, we can start moving again," Lexi added, and she soon vanished in the woods.
It was a little past seven-thirty when Lexi returned. Kalo had taken the liberty of packing up camp while she was gone so that they could leave as quickly as possible. When everything was said and done, they started on the road again. Things were quiet for the majority of the next several hours. After stopping for lunch, the duo and their Pokemon set off again to cover more distance.
Fortunately, there weren't any aggressive Pokemon or dead bodies to greet them so far. The mountains that had been leagues away from Jubilife City were now beginning to close up on Kalo, Lexi, and Riolu.
"Hey, you! The one with the Riolu!" a feminine voice chimed.
Kalo jumped, startled, and turned around to find the source of the voice; Lexi did likewise. They quickly located her. She stood on the same rocky path they were walking on, about forty yards ahead of them.
"Yeah? What is it?" Kalo replied back, eying her warily.
She closed the distance between herself and Kalo's small group in a light jog. Soon, she was standing about thirty feet away from them now. She had long light blonde hair, and from what Kalo could see, she was an inch or two taller than him. She was very skinny and tanned as well, with brown eyes. Her hair was fashioned in a ponytail and a few braids. She had a light-blue bandana on over her hair. Her attire consisted of orange sneakers, a blue short skirt, a black belt, a sleeveless, blue tank-top, orange arm warmers, and a long red-orange scarf with yellow on the ends.
Next to her stood a small, bipedal Pokemon with blue fur on top and a creamy white underside. Flames flickered from four red spots on its back.
Lexi looked surprised. "Whoa, a Cyndaquil! I wonder where she got that," she murmured.
The blonde (and apparent) Pokemon Trainer pointed towards Kalo. "You're a Pokemon Trainer, aren't you? Well, so am I! And I just received my baby a few days ago! Your Riolu also looks pretty inexperienced. I was wondering if we could have a battle," the girl finished.
Riolu glared at the trainer indignantly when she called him inexperienced. Kalo smirked at the idea of a Pokemon battle. If he accepted, it would mark his first battle against a trainer. After all, he and Riolu really did need some training if they wanted to beat the Gym Leader in Oreburgh City.
Lexi saw and recognized the look on Kalo's face. She moved closer to Kalo and leaned up to his ear, so that no one else, even Riolu, would hear them. "Kalo, no," she urged sternly. "If Riolu gets knocked out, that'll be one less Pokemon that can help fend off wild Pokemon. Also, he just got out of the Pokemon Center!" she whispered.
"Look at him," Kalo murmured back. "Riolu definitely wants another battle. Besides, if we reach the Gym Leader and Riolu's running on low self-esteem, how can we hope to in?" he muttered in reply just as quietly.
"Or you could lose again and even further lower his self-esteem!"
Kalo glanced at her. "Well, that's a gamble that I'm willing to take. For Riolu's sake." Increasing the volume of his voice, Kalo said, "I only have one Pokemon, but I accept your challenge, er, what's your name?"
"It doesn't matter; Cyndaquil's my only Pokemon too. My name's Tiffany," she replied with a triumphant smile. It looked like she really planned on winning. "Yours?"
"Kalo. Anyway, I accept your challenge, Tiffany of . . . oh, where do you live?"
"Just accept the battle!" Lexi growled.
"I want it to sound official!" Kalo whined. "Oh, whatever! Riolu, let's do this!" Kalo shouted to his partner.
Riolu got into a battle stance. "Ri!"
"Are you ready, Cyndaquil?" Tiffany asked.
In response, the flames on Cyndaquil's back flared to life, as it simultaneously shouted "Quiiiiiiil!"
"Cyndaquil, use Ember!" Tiffany ordered.
Cyndaquil jumped into the air and shot out a multitude of darts out of its mouth, entirely composed of fire.
"Dodge it Riolu!" Kalo commanded.
With surprising speed, Riolu weaved throughout the darts of fire, and although he didn't dodge them all, he came out of the attack relatively unscathed. "Now, Riolu, use Quick Attack on Cyndaquil while he's falling!" Kalo followed up.
Riolu launched into the air and tackled the falling Cyndaquil, sending it to the ground.
"Cyndaquil! Are you alright?" Tiffany questioned, concerned. Cyndaquil stood back up with a small amount of effort. The flames on his back flared alive. "Good! Now, Cyndaquil, use Smokescreen!" Tiffany shouted.
Cyndaquil opened his mouth and expelled a plume of thick black smoke, which quickly covered the area Riolu was located in.
"Now hurry and use Ember again. Before Riolu can get out!" Cyndaquil shot a plethora of fire bullets into the smoke.
When the smoke died down, Riolu was crouched, with small burns covering his lithe body. It didn't keep the bipedal canine down for long, however. Riolu grunted, standing up to its full height. Smiling at his Pokemon's resilience, Kalo gave another order. "Riolu, get close and use Force Palm!"
"When Riolu gets close, hit 'em with a Tackle!" Tiffany instructed.
Riolu ran quickly towards Cyndaquil. Following Tiffany's order, the small echidna-like Pokemon threw his body at Riolu when he came close. However, Riolu dodged the Tackle on instinct by jumping to the right of Cyndaquil, and, as Cyndaquil flew by, striking him in the back with Force Palm.
Cyndaquil was sent flying nearly thirty feet from the momentum of his Tackle and the impact of Riolu's attack. He skidded on the ground for an additional several feet. Cyndaquil's flames flickered weakly as he pushed himself up. Slowly but surely, Cyndaquil was soon standing again. "Quiiiiiiiiiiiil!" he chirped, the flames roaring to life once more.
I was sure that would've done the job, Kalo thought. A sudden blur of blue and slight black caught his attention, and his eyes widened. Is that the—?
"Good job, Cyndaquil! Now, put everything you have into a Quick Attack!" Kalo snapped his attention back to the battle as Tiffany exclaimed an order.
Her fire-type Pokemon darted forward in a sharp blur. Knowing that Riolu wouldn't be able to dodge such a quick move with so little time to spare, Kalo shouted, "Riolu, block it!"
Riolu crossed his thin arms and planted his feet into the ground. Barely more than a second later, Cyndaquil slammed into Riolu with an amount of force far exceeding something his size. Riolu's toned body was thrown back into the trunk of a tree. Riolu slid to the ground and slumped against the tree.
"Great! Cyndaquil, finish it with an Ember!" Tiffany commanded.
Kalo was becoming desperate. "Riolu, move! Come on, you can do it! Just move behind the tree!" Fortunately, Cyndaquil couldn't fire an Ember right off of the bat because he had to wait for the fire in his stomach to stir. Using so much of it and being worn-out certainly didn't help quicken the process. However, Riolu was taking forever to stand back up on his own two legs.
"Cyn–da–quillll!" the small Pokemon enunciated as it spat out a moderate amount of embers.
Even though his eyes were closed, Riolu could feel the darts of heat fly towards him. The disturbance in Aura was all too noticeable, despite how foreign the idea still was to Riolu. Kalo's desperate pleas rang through Riolu's head, but his body was slow on the uptake. Come on, move! Riolu demanded to his body. Move! I need to . . . to win this! MOVE! Riolu's eyes flew open and he gripped a side of the thick tree behind him. Feeling adrenaline course through him, he stood up and threw himself around the tree, taking cover behind it. The embers crashed into the tree, giving that single side a brief fire.
Cyndaquil fell flat on the ground, muttering "Quil. . ."
"Cyndaquil!" Tiffany ran towards her Pokemon and crouched at his side. Despite how much she hated to admit it, she knew that Cyndaquil was too exhausted to continue. "Cyndaquil and I surrender!"
"Alright!" Kalo shouted triumphantly as he raced towards his Riolu. He crouched next to Riolu and patted the black and blue Pokemon's head. "You were really amazing!" Kalo commended. He then noticed Riolu's irregular breathing. "What's wrong, Riolu?"
"He's really exhausted, obviously," Lexi answered, approaching the duo. "He probably used some adrenaline to move out of the Ember's path. While adrenaline does help you in a pinch, Riolu must have been thoroughly tired even prior to using it. You should probably return him to his Pokeball." She then smiled. "Nevertheless, I'm happy for the both of you."
While Kalo was returning Riolu to his Pokeball, Tiffany approached. "That was a good battle," the blonde giggled. She then extended her hand to Kalo. "But don't think you'll be so lucky next time."
Kalo grinned, "I won't get my hopes up," he replied sarcastically.
"It was good to meet you." Tiffany turned to Lexi and extended her hand again. "It was a pleasure to meet you as well, erm. . ."
"Alexia," Lexi smiled and shook Tiffany's hand. "But just call me Lexi."
"Well, I guess you two are headed to Oreburgh City, right?" Tiffany asked. Kalo and Lexi nodded. "If you're going to challenge the Gym Leader, then be careful. He's really tough. Cyndaquil only won because of Smokescreen." She chuckled, as if thinking back on what happened. "I guess I'll see you two in Eterna City if all goes well!" Tiffany turned and began to jog back west.
"Wait! How much longer until we reach Oreburgh City?" Lexi shouted to the jogging Pokemon Trainer.
Tiffany turned around and glanced at them. "You'll be there by evening if you hurry!" She giggled, and then continued in her jog back.
Kalo was a little puzzled. "What's her definition of 'hurry'? And how's she going to make it to Jubilife City if she gets attacked or something?"
"She probably has some healing potions for her Cyndaquil. And as to your first question, we'd better leave now then!" Lexi laughed, and she began to jog towards Oreburgh.
Kalo muttered something before following.
The city was well-within sight not too much longer. Some of the grand buildings were able to be seen miles away, and even from such a league of distance, Kalo could tell how fortified the city was. You'd think they'd be lax in their security since the city is perched on a mountain. Needless to say, his feet were quickly growing more tired as the path they were following began to slope upwards into an ascent.
"It's getting late, so once we reach the city, we'll stop at a Pokemon Center and get a room for the night. That way, Riolu will be fully healed by tomorrow morning, and after some sightseeing, you can challenge the Gym Leader!"
Kalo furrowed his eyebrows. "Sightseeing? What do we need to do that for?"
"Seriously, Kalo? You're going to travel to a city and not even take a minute to look at some of the things it has to offer?" Lexi asked skeptically.
"Why don't you go sightseeing while I challenge the gym?" Kalo offered.
"Well, I want to see how you do on your first gym challenge. And really, are you that eager to start traveling again? It isn't wrong to take a day of rest," Lexi smirked.
Kalo sweat-dropped, "Eh, good point on the traveling thing," he muttered.
"Shinx!"
Kalo turned his head. "What did you say?"
Lexi shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't say anything."
"That's weird, I could've sworn I heard—"
"Shinx!"
"See, there it is again!" Kalo exclaimed, turning sharply. Lexi likewise glanced around warily, searching for the source of the sound. It was too high-pitched to fully understand, but they both figured it was a Pokemon.
A bush off to the side rustled, and a familiar Pokemon with blue paws jumped out. "It's that Shinx!" Lexi said, shocked. "Or at least, she might be. The Shinx I saw before and the one we're watching now are both female. Maybe she followed us?"
Kalo tapped his open palm with the fist of his other hand in recognition. "Oh, yeah! During my battle with Tiffany, I thought I saw something. It was blue and black so I thought it was a Shinx, but I didn't have much time to think about it."
The Shinx walked up to Kalo, and he flinched on instinct; the last thing he wanted was an electric shock or something along the lines. However, the Shinx didn't attack him. Surprisingly, she stood on her hind legs and placed her front paws on Kalo's pants to keep her up on two feet. Then she tapped a pokeball on Kalo's belt before falling down to all-fours.
"Huh? Do you want to battle?" Kalo asked.
"No, I think she wants you to capture her," Lexi corrected. "Maybe she saw you ordering Riolu and, for some reason, got the idea that you'd make an ideal trainer."
Kalo was too entranced by the prospect of another Pokemon to recognize Lexi's insult. "You want me to catch you?" he confirmed.
Shinx tilted her head and smiled.
Taking that as a 'yes', Kalo eagerly unhooked a Pokeball from his belt. "Here goes nothing," he muttered as he tossed the ball. It landed gently on Shinx's head and rose back up several inches. The circular capsule then opened, and Shinx vanished in a bright flash of white light. The capsule then closed and fell on the ground. The white button in the middle of the Pokeball flickered red, and the capsule swerved around every second or so.
After what felt like forever, a ding! rang and the Pokeball ceased to move. Overjoyed, Kalo picked up the Pokeball and studied it with a grin. "That means that I have two Pokemon! Shinx is going to be an awesome addition to the team."
Desperate to finally reach Oreburgh City to help soothe his tired calves, Kalo immediately set off again, with Lexi on his trails. They continued their traveling at a fast-walk, and Oreburgh City got drastically closer over the next half-hour. Soon, they were merely several hundred yards from the city gates.
When they reached the city gates, they were unnerved to see two guards, with Drapions standing at either side.
One of the guards spoke up in a monotone, "What is your purpose in Oreburgh City?"
Kalo eyed the Drapion nervously before gesturing to the Pokeballs clipped to his belt. "We're both Pokemon Trainers, and I'm looking to challenge the Gym Leader of this city." He wasn't sure if he should say anything else, so he remained silent.
"Will you be challenging the Gym Leader directly after entering, and then leaving?" the guard questioned sharply.
Lexi shook her head. "We didn't plan on it. We were going to stay in the Pokemon Center for the night, because his Riolu needs to rest anyway. Then we were going to do some sightseeing tomorrow, and challenge the Gym Leader afterwards," Lexi explained. She too was scared of the hulking Drapion, but she was better than Kalo at hiding her fear.
The guards glanced at one another before nodding and stepping to the side. "Welcome to Oreburgh City. We hope you enjoy your stay; just remember, any funny business and you're out. No questions asked."
Lexi and Kalo hurriedly thanked them and entered the city gates. When they were a good distance away from the guards and into the city, Kalo said, "Why do the guards have such strong Pokemon? And why did they give us a hard time?" he asked Lexi.
Lexi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know. Oreburgh City has always been tighter on security than most cities due to the amount of gems that must lie here, but I don't think it's ever been this bad."
Nodding solemnly, Kalo and Lexi set off towards their predetermined destination for the night: the Pokemon Center.
A/N: I know I said I would update on the weekends, but this plane crashed into my house and destroyed most of my possessions and put my family in the hospital.
That would've been a legitimate (but very mind-wrecking) excuse. The real reason to blame for this late (ish) chapter is laziness and procrastination! :P Anyway, like I said above, a lot of characters didn't make it due to how limited the amount of positions were. Don't think that it's just because your character was poorly-made or anything (though one or two of the characters submitted were, mind you). Anyway, Tiffany Rizzo is Your Broski's character, so congratulations to him for that. Another accepted character will be revealed next chapter (this one was pretty unique). Expect another update sometime before this weekend. I'm on Winter Break, so I have a lot of free time on my hands.
Special thanks to: moscowmoocow, Your Broski, Kitsunelover300, pokedude134, rading akuma d, HyperJuggernaut, A Half-Empty Glass, Ru Tsuna, silvershark94, sin-sin72, and CrystalWolf5430 for taking the time to review and/or send in a character!