The Auspicious Cantercorn
Second Chapter
"Wait up!" Phineas called to Ashley.
"You again?" she asked, turning around.
"Why are you so reluctant to have Froakie as your starter Pokemon?"
"Look at it! It's disgusting. Slimy and revolting and everything."
"You've got to look at other aspects of it," Phineas said. "There must be something good about it. Seeing as it's a Water type and all."
Phineas didn't know what being a Water-type gave Froakie an advantage in. He was surprised he knew enough to call the creature a Pokemon and knew that the mechanical spheres used to hold it were called Pokeballs.
"Well, one can surf on it, once it evolves into Rivetoad. And it is strong against Rock-type Pokemon, which is a type I can't stand."
"See? There's positives right there."
"You know what? I'll do it. I'll go get Froakie. Thanks!" She winked at him, before running back in the direction of the lab.
Isabella had just come up. She caught the wink and didn't like it. She didn't carre when Vanessa paid Ferb attention, but this girl was winking at Phineas with a hint that she might like him, should they get to know each other better. Isabella had to make it her duty to ensure that they didn't get to know each other better.
As Isabella was musing over this, a boy wearing yellow pants and a blue camiseta approached.
"How about you dweebs have a Pokemon battle with me?"
"Sheldon, you can only fight Pokemon trainers who just got their Pokedexes," said a girl with red hair in crazy swirls.
"I didn't know these pipsqueaks just got their licenses. They don't even look old enough."
"We may not be of the age usually administered the Pokedexes and licenses," Phineas said. "But Professor Yew thought we might start on our journey anyway. And we're ready to begin, aren't we, Ferb?"
He turned to his brother to find the latter punching buttons on his Pokedex. He hit one which caused an automated voice to say, "Pokemon battles are how people train their Pokemon to make them stronger. It is a part of Pokemon training that is essential to the growth and experience of both the Pokemon and trainer."
"Dweeb doesn't even know what a Pokemon battle is," Sheldon said, laughing.
"Don't call Ferb a dweeb!" Isabella shouted.
"What are you, his girlfriend?"
"Well, I'm not his Ferroseed."
Isabella clamped her hand over her mouth. She didn't know where that phrase came from.
Ferb was calm as this exchange went on, though inside he was thinking, She will be one day.
"Let's stop dilly-dallying and have a Pokemon battle already!" Sheldon said, seeming to be more eager to battle than to continue taunting ten-year-olds.
"I'm willing to try Pokemon battling," Phineas said.
"All right, triangle head. Against you I'll use my trusty Mamoswine."
Sheldon sent out a Pokemon that resembled a mammoth with its face painted. It stomped its hoof in anticipation of battle.
"Sheldon! You can't use that Pokemon against a beginning Trainer," the girl said.
"If he's not too Torchic, he can handle it."
Phineas had never heard of a Torchic before, but he could get the gist of that statement.
"A challenge for my first battle would be splendid."
"Dweeb," Sheldon muttered.
"Go, Froakie!" Phineas said, tossing his Pokeball in the air.
Out came the blue frog creature. It looked a bit spooky. But spooky was just what Phineas needed on his side to face a buffalo creature with face paint.
"Mamoswine, Earthquake!"
The ground shook around the area where Froakie was. The Water Pokemon leaped on a rock and then from there jumped onto Mamoswine's tusk.
"Earhquake, huh? What's that?"
"Moves are how POkemon battle. Each move has its own name," said Ferb's Pokedex. Ferb punched another button.
"Moves also have types, such as Gust, which is Flying-type, and Struggle Bug, which is Bug-type."
Another button.
"Earthquake. A Ground-type move with a base power of 120. It is extremely powerful in Double and Triple Battles."
"Froakie is a Water-type," Phineas said. "It's not likely to have Gust or Struggle Bug or Earthquake in its repertoire."
"Excellent deduction, Dr. Smeargle," Sheldon said. "Now Mamoswine, Bulldoze!"
"Hey, Sheldon…can't you see the boy is trying to figure out the fundamentals of Pokemon battling? Can't you give him a break?"
"No, keep it up," Phineas said. "No matter what the challenge is, Froakie and I will pull through it. Isn't that right, Froakie?"
The Water Pokemon gave a slight nod, before it was smashed intot he rock by the mammoth Pokemon. Mamoswine kept thrashing with its tusks against Froakie's body.
"Quick, Ferb…try to find a section in the Pokedex on Water-type moves."
Some powerful Water-type moves are Hydro Pump and Surf," the Pokedex said.
"Froakie, Hydro Pump!"
The frog Pokemon just looked at Phineas. Mamoswine brought a hoof down on Froakie's head.
"Thinking a newly hatched Pokemon from Professor Yew's laboratory can use Hydro Pump…" Sheldon said, shaking his head.
"Can you use the Pokedex to see what moves Froakie does know?"
"Tackle, Tail Whip, and Water Gun are the moves of this particular Froakie," said the Pokedex.
"Water Gun is the only one that sounds promising. Use that, Froakie!"
The frog Pokemon nodded, and a jet of water shot out of its mouth.
It soaked the mammoth Pokemon's eye, causing it to stomp in its fury.
"Keep using Water Gun and don't let up!"
Froakie jumped aside to avoid Mamoswine's hooves and kept shooting out water.
"Mamoswine, finish this! Earth Power!"
This time a tiny crack appeared in the earth and bits of tephra went up the frog Pokemon's legs. Then the mammoth Pokemon charaged at the frog Pokmon and sent it flying.
The water Pokemon fell down on the ground.
"Froakie, are you all right?'
It struggled to get up but didn't seem to have the strength.
"It's okay, Froakie," Phineas said, patting it. "You deserve a rest." He called it back into his Pokeball.
"How dare you be so rough in a battle against Phineas!" Isabella said, arms on her hips.
"Oh, I see. It's not the rectangular boy you like, but the triangle head dweeb."
Isabella's face turned deep scarlet. The redheaded girl glared at Sheldon. "Their affairs are not your concern," she said.
"Whatever. I bet this girl can't battle, so I think I'll move on to the next set of dweebs."
"I can too battle!" Isabella said. "Fennekin, show yourself!"
The Fire fox leaped out of its Pokeball. It shook its ears and its eyes burned with a blazing brightness.
"A Fennekin, eh? Mallory here had a Fennekin. Until it evolved."
"Many Pokemon do evolve, Sheldon. One has to actually work to keep most of their Pokemon from evolving. And it's not like you have any Pokemon that aren't fully evolved…"
Ferb punched a button on his Pokedex. "Evolution is a process Pokemon undergo to change form. Some of them change after having numerous battles, while others alter their form through the use of certain stones, the environment, or through trading."
"Dweebs needing a Pokedex to explain evolution to them…"
"Mamoswine is the fully evolved form of Swinub," the Pokedex was saying. It showed an image of something that looked like an eraser with a snout and fur. "Swinub like cold places to keep their body at a low temperature. They evolve into Piloswine, who also like the cold areas. However, the evolved form of Piloswine seems a little less needful of a frigid atmosphere. It is the only one to have its eyes opened, and some even wonder if the eyes of a Mamoswine are made of the same stuff as the paint on their face…as Swinub and Piloswine do not have visible eyes. Or perhaps the paint is used to ensure the eyes can open."
"That's cool," Isabella said. "What does Fennekin evolve into?"
Ferb pressed another button on the Pokedex. "Fennekin evoles into Foxinge, and then into Pellzorra."
The image of Fennekin had changed into one of a creature that looked like it was wearing a fur coat rather than actual fur, and a long stem from its head. The last image was of a creature that was half white-blue and half-red-orange, but not split in hemispheres…there was a layer of orange with a layer of white-blue beneath it, intertwining all around the creature's body. It also had a huge, billowing tail, with orange at the rim and an oval of white-blue in the center.
"I like that one," Isabella said. "But I hope my Fennekin remains as she is. She and I go well together. Isn't that right, Feennekin?"
The fox Pokemon chased her tail in response, till she got dizzy.
"What a dweeb," Sheldon said. He called Mamoswine back to its Pokeball.
"Hey, you're not leaving without battling me," Isabella said.
"I'll still battle you, pipsqueak. But I've got a different Pokemon to introduce you to. Say hello to Seismitoad."
He spun a Pokeball on his finger for a moment before a blue frog creature that had two black bumps on its head, as well as similar black humps on its back, appeared. Unlike Froakie, it was on two legs, not four.
"Does Froakie evolve into that?" Phineas asked.
"Dweeb," Sheldon said.
Ferb's Pokedex was ready with an answer.
"Seimsitoad is the fully evolved form of Tympole, a tadpole Pokemon. Vibrations sent through Seismiitoad's body can cause the Earth to shake. It is a dual Water/Ground type, thus making Grass-type moves the most effective."
"What about Fire?" Isabella asked.
"Both Water and Ground types are resistant to Fire," the Pokedex said. "Fire moves would have little effect."
"Then what am I going to do?"
"Seismitoad, Water Pulse!"
A stream of water erupted from the toad's mouth. It shot at the fox, who jumped out of the way. But she seemed to suddenly have an interest in chasing her tail…
"Perhaps knowledge of Fennekin's moves will help?" Ferb asked.
"Yes, they ought to."
"This particular Feenekin knows Flambush, Tail Whip, and Quick Attack."
"Um, Fennekin, use Quick Attack, please?"
The fox Pokemon continued to chase her tail.
"Your Pokemon's confused," Sheldon said. "It might not be good for battling any time soon. But I don't mind pummeling it into sawdust. Seismitoad, Jump Swing!"
Seismitoad hopped over to the Fire Pokemon, each hop causing the earth to shake. Then it punched her with its fists. And she began to look sick…
"Sweet, the little nutrag's Pokemon is Poisoned," Sheldon said.
The redheaded girl slapped him. "A Poisoned Pokemon is no laughing matter, Sheldon. Especially when the Trainer who the Pokemon belongs to is just starting out."
"Yeah, yeah. It's time for Seisimtoad to use Aqua Jet."
"Sheldon, stop being sadistic and call off this battle!"
"It's not like I'm killing it," he said.
Yet Fennekin lay there limp after the water that erupted from Seisimtoad's mouth fell on it like it was Niagara Falls and Fennekin some poor rock that had gotten caught in its incessant downpour…
Sheldon was laughing like a maniac. It took several slaps from Mallory to get him to stop.
"Hey!" he shouted.
"Hey yourself. I've got to go heal that Fennekin."
Mallory marched over to where the fox Pokemon lay. She pulled a bottle out of her purse and sprayed it at Fennekin.
The fox Pokemon gave a feeble cough, before sinking into a worse faint than before.
"I knew I should have fed it a Pecha Berry," Mallory lamented.
"Will she be all right?' Isabella asked.
"Of course," Mallory said, smiling at her. "She just needs to rest in her Pokeball."
Isabella called Fennekin back.
Ferb took her Pokeball-free hand and squeezed it. "I'll beat Sheldon in my battle with him, and everything will be fine."
He stepped forward.
"Does major dweeb want to battle?"
"That's precisely what I do want."
"Well, against you I've got a surprise," Sheldon said. "Come back, Seismitoad."
The biped amphibian disappeared.
"I select Camerupt as my next Pokemon."
Out of Sheldon's Pokeball emerged a purple Pokemon that looks sort of like a bear or a loris, with a fish skin on its head.
"Slowking, you're supposed to stay in your Pokeball!"
"That is his Pokeball," Mallory said.
"The one I'm holding has a star on it. This ball is supposed to have Camerupt inside. Pokemon can't switch Pokeballs. Slowking must have come out of his own ball."
"I took the star off Camerupt's ball and put it on Slowking's," Mallory said. "Camerupt's ball is in my purse."
"Why you sneak…give it back to me!"
"No," she said, a fierceness in her eyes. "I will not allow you to use another Pokemon with a type advantage to a beginning trainer's starter."
"Dweeb needs a lesson in Pokemon battling. Give it here."
"Use Slowking. It seems eager to fight."
"Yeah, but it's not the Pokemon I want to use. So let me have Camerupt."
"Sometimes you've got to use a different Pokemon," Mallory said.
"Come on, I've never gone a day without using Camerupt in battle since I first caught it as a Numel in the Desert Area of the Unova Region. Let me pummel him with it."
"Why must you use Camerut in battle every day?"
"So that it can be the strongest Camerupt the world has ever seen!"
"I'll tell you what. You use Slowking in battle, and you can challenge me with Camerupt."
"I already know all the Pokemon you have," Sheldon said.
"You know what Ferb is using, even though you haven't seen it yet."
"Do I?"
"You know it must be one of the three starters, and you've already seen two of them…which leaves only one possibility."
"Yeah, but you started with Fennekin. I don't know too many who have the Grass starter, and I've certainly never battled against one before."
"Well, it just so happens that I caught a new Pokemon recently. One you've never even seen before."
"Really? Which one?"
"Not telling. You'll have to wait until our battle." She winked at him.
"All right, I'll use this obnoxious Pokemon," Sheldon said, indicating Slowking.
"If we're all set to go, here comes Chespin," Ferb said, tossing the Pokeball into the air.
Out emerged the beaver-owl creature, its twig nose vibrating as it sized its opponent.
Ferb pulled out his Pokedex.
"This Pokemon knows the moves Seed Bomb, Covet, and Tackle."
"Slowking, use Psyshock!"
"Seed Bomb it, Chespin!"
What looked like a stream of walnuts came out of Chespin's mouth, pummeling the water Pokemon in the stomach. The latter shut its eyes and a purple glow appeared around Chespin. The latter rose into the air and was brought down to the ground.
"Try Covet, Chespin!" Ferb called after the Grass Pokemon had shaken its head and gotten up again.
The beaver-owl creature sidled up to Slowking. It looked with loving eyes at the navy-blue scarf it was wearing.
Slowking offered its scarf.
"Choice Scarf," Ferb's Pokedex said. "When a Pokemon wears this around its neck, its speed increases, but it can only use one move."
"Speed, huh? So how fast a Pokemon can move is part of Pokemon battling…" phineas of bees, the way the seeds swirled a
"Took a while for you to figure that out, dweeb. And of course, Slowking needs that scarf to do anything in battle."
"You can use a move other than Psyshock now," Ferb said.
"Yes, but I don't want to. Slowking, Psyshock!"
Chespin dodged it.
"Use Seed Bomb, Chespin!"
The beaver-owl sent out another full blast of seeds…it almost seemed like a giant hive of bees, the way the seeds swirled around.
Slowking sent out another wave, but it missed Chespin. Then the beaver-owl pummeled its opponent with another batch of seeds coming as one full force against it.
And Slowking fell prone on the ground.
"But, but, but-" Sheldon said, as Mallory took his Pokeball and called Slowking back, before leading him away.
"Sounds a bit like Candace, doesn't he?" Phineas said. "Well, let's go to Professor Yew's laboratory and see if Ashley got the other Froakie."
Ferb got Chespin back into its Pokeball. He held the navy-blue scarf in his hand. "Sheldon left this," he said.
"We might encounter him again on our journey," Phineas said. Isabella scowled, but Phineas didn't notice. "If we do, we can return it to him. And if not, well—Mallory seems friendly enough. She can deliver it to him."
"Provided we see her again."
"You're not thinking of home, are you?"
"I'm not sure it's possible to think of home here," Ferb said. Leaving the others to puzzle over that cryptic statement, Ferb began to amble back to Professor Yew's laboratory, Phineas and Isabella following closely in his wake.
When they entered the laboratory, they saw Professor Yew was hooking up IV's to a Pokemon that had shapes in crazy angles like a conicular nose and a trapezoid here and a rhombus there. It looked like it had been manufactured by scientists, rather than a living creature.
"Did Ashley come to get her Froakie?" Phineas asked, startling the professor.
"She came and was really eager," Professor Yew said.
"That's great—"
"Then she ran out, screaming and raging."
"Oh…I thought I convinced her."
"Phineas, Ashley is reluctant to begin her journey…it wouldn't matter if I had an extra Feenekin, rather than an extra Froakie. She'd still fret and hold it off." Professor Yew placed three backpacks before them. "Here's your bag of Potions and Cheri Berries and other supplies you might need."
"But we didn't convince Ashley to take Froakie."
"You tried, Phineas, and that's all that can be hoped for."
Professor Yew stared out the window, and Phineas thought he was dismissing them in his own quiet way. So he lifted a backpack, while Isabella and Ferb each took another.
Once outside the lab, Phineas said, "Guess a new journey begins now."
"I have this weirdest feeling," Isabella said. "Why don't I feel any desire to go home?"
"It's the atmosphere of this place," Ferb said. "It feels like home."
And with that, they began walking down the road. The corn fields waved in the breeze. They didn't know what was in store for them, but they were eager to find out.