SPARK'S VIDEO
Chapter 2: BRAVE LIKE VALOR
By Windryder1
BRAVE LIKE VALOR
"Zipper!" Sticks snapped beneath the rapid impact pulse of Spark's black and orange shoes against the slim dirt trail. Though he ran at the fasted pace he dared, it was just enough to keep the small blur of Zipper's yellow body in sight. If he had Markus' talent, or Candela's strength, this would be easy. His breathing became a fast mantra to each step. Keep up. Keep up. Keep up...
'Don't just keep up, you idiot, catch him!' He could hear Candela now, vigorously giving him constant grief for being so slow. The memory of her voice played in his head. 'He's your Pokemon! Be stronger than that!'
Blanche's calm tone soon followed. 'Think, ahead, Spark. Plan your approach.'
Had he lived with them long enough for the ghosts of their voices to take root in his mind? He'd only coexisted with one other person besides his family, and the same happened then, too. Of course, that other person was his mentor, Professor M., so that made sense. These girls had been his gym mates for only a month.
What was he supposed to do here? He couldn't lose sight of Zipper if the little guy suddenly decided to veer off in a different direction. Both imagined voices were right, though: this was his Pokemon. He knew him. He was strong enough to catch him, and then find out why his buddy decided to blast off into the open range like his tail was on fire.
The crystal glint of the late afternoon sun speckled across a body of water through the trees. To his left lay Yumi lake, and to his right was more forest and field. The meadows...Nah, he won't go near them. He's not strong against grass types. He studied the terrain ahead. Logically speaking, Zipper should go left.
Spark prepared himself to pull off some forest, assassin-of-the-green parkour skills, and waited for the right moment.
He pivoted hard to the left and at the exact moment his Pikachu...went right? "How in the—Ah crap! I got it wrong! How?!" His intuition was usually scarey-accurate. Then again, he hadn't felt that familiar 'twang' vibration that lit up the sense to 'GO!'
He shot off the opposite direction as fast as he could, now ignoring any brush. Instead, he plowed through whatever he could without losing time. His careless trample spooked a small cluster of Oddish in a flurry of startled screams as they uprooted and scattered. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" He hopped around them. It wasn't yet night, and he'd awakened them. "Sorry!" He called back.
All of the Oddish scampered off, except for one that watched the Human flee, and tilted its head in curiosity. "Oddish?" Why would a Human apologize for disturbing them? Their kind didn't generally care. How weird. Intrigued, it followed, wandering along the path of crunched leaves left behind in Spark's wake.
Zipper had some serious explaining to do.
He easily cut the distance in half by flanking him. Both burst through a ring of bushes into a small meadow and in one last push of speed, he pounced with outstretched hands. "Aha! Gotchya!"
Except Zipper stopped.
"Wah!" Spark hit the grass and rolled. "Ow," he sat up, rubbing at a bump on his head. "Zipper," he glared at the Pikachu, irritated, but glad the little guy had finally taken a break. He stood and brushed himself off, fluffing out his jacket. "Why'd you run off like that?"
"Pika! Pika-pi!" Zipper's black-tipped ears twitched as he animatedly threw punches at the air.
Spark groaned. "I know you want to fight, but couldn't you have picked someone to battle at Harmony? Why'd you have to run out into the middle of 'Buttcrust Nowhere?'"
The Pikachu strengthened his stance, staring into the tall grasses, daring whatever was in them to show itself.
It hit Spark like a brick to the temple. "You want to fight wild Pokemon?"
"Pi." He replied in a simple response like 'yeah.'
"You realize you'll find a grass type here, right?"
Zipper nodded once, though never took his eyes off the field. That's what he counted on.
"If you're trying to prove something... Little dude, you suck against grass types."
Zipper shot him a 'seriously, bro?' eye narrow.
He held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I remember what happened. Don't tell me you don't." He barely got another word out when Zipper dashed over, jumped up, and pulled the phone from his pocket. He turned on the camera and held it out. "Pika! Pika!"
He took it, confused, then a slow grin creased his face. "Ah hahaha, nice! I don't give you enough credit, buddy."
Zipper's broad smile and victorious 'Pika!' exuded relief. Finally, his Trainer got the hint.
The rustling of grasses cut him off. Out waddled a small flower Pokemon; a Bellsprout.
"Just one? That'll be too easy."
As if to defy him, five more Bellsprouts jaunted into the clearing, their yellow bell flowers bobbling like dashboard toys. They halted their progress, mumbled to each other, then set into their own wobbly attack poses. If these intruders were going to crunch down their grass in their meadow, they would pay. "Bellsprout!"
"I stand corrected." He eyes flicked from the new opponents to his Pokemon, and back.
The phone was tuned in on the scene in seconds with the record light on. "All right. If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get. We're going to show people that Team Instinct can be just as brave as Valor. You're a lot stronger now, Zipper, so these guys should be easy. Go! Use Discharge, shock wave!"
Zipper's cheeks sparked, building up electricity. He bounced forward, then quickly spun and sent that charge out in a low ring that exploded outward. "Ka-chu!" It hit both his enemies and his Trainer, however unlike the enemies, the shock didn't touch Spark. The thick rubber soles of his shoes kept him grounded. It spread around his feet like a harmless water ripple.
"Nice! One on one! Thunderbolt!"
The Bellsprouts cried out, disoriented, but not down. It would take more than that to do enough damage to knock them out. Per his tactic, Zipper ran in quick, sporadic circles, sending discharge after discharge into each Bellsprout individually. As long as they were dazed, they would be easy to pick off one at a time. Repeated charges should do the trick to weaken them.
However, one of the little grass Pokemon picked up on this and stretched out its stick-like feet.
Zipper's speed became his downfall—literally. He face-planted into the dirt, cutting off his attacks. The Bellsprouts all used vine whip to entangle their prey. A drip of poison slid from one of his captors onto his fur. "Chu!"
"Zipper! Blast 'em!"
Zipper let the electricity build, and released it through the vines. "Pika...CHU!"
All six Bellsprouts shot backward, shocked and twitching. They stumbled around, into each other, and fell. The multiple attacks and final shot had done the trick. Defeated sounds murmured from their lips.
Spark hurried over. "One, two, three, you're out!" He hit the ground with his gloved hand each time as though he were the referee in a wrestling match, then gently took his Pikachu's arm and held it up. "I call Zipper the undisputed king of Awesome-sauce!"
Zipper wobbled slightly from the poison attack, and gave a victory salute—the infamous Team Instinct dab.
"I think we got some good footage of bravery. Good job, buddy. That was amazeballs."
"Pika." Zipper's chest puffed out in pride.
"To be honest," Spark crouched down to ruffle his ears. That dread from earlier had completely given way to relief. "When you ran off, I thought you'd become..."
"Pi?" Zipper tilted his head to the side as if to say, 'become what?'
Spark paused, then smiled. It was in the past, and he'd been wrong—recently about a lot of things—but at least he didn't have to worry about his friend abandoning him on whim. "Nothing." He held out his hand. "C'mon. Let's get out of here before something bigger shows up. We'll hit the lake and show 'em some real serious strategy that'll have Blanche green with envy."
He was done with grass Pokemon for now. Zipper took his place on Spark's shoulder facing backwards, balancing easily through years of practice when his Trainer stood. He relaxed, but only for a moment. Apparently, that's all this meadow would allow. A new sense of fear heckled his fur.
Spark noticed this from the corner of his eye. "What's wrong?"
"P-p-p-p... piiiikkkaaaa~"
His danger sense went off. Even though he didn't have eyes in the back of his head, he could easily tell that something massive, formidable, and menacing breathed down his neck. "Something bigger just got here...didn't it."
Zipper nodded slowly with a pathetic, "Pika" response.
His right foot scooted to the side slowly as his gaze drifted to the fainted Bellsprouts. Wait... Bellsprouts... That means possibly Weepinbells, ...and that means...
Adrenaline shot through him. His eyes and head turned first to get a view of the new threat before his body followed. When it did, he was sorry he'd ever turned around.
Looming taller than himself, and harboring a death-glare of impending doom from the blanched angry eyes beneath it's gaping maw, towered the full evolution of the knee-high flower Pokemon at his feet. Its bulbous yellow speckled body easily dwarfed his own width. He'd never seen one that big. They were normally a couple of inches shorter than him.
Unfortunately, his mad dash through the bushes had awakened and angered another snoozing denizen hidden in tall brush. And this one was older and larger, and out for revenge.
He swallowed hard. "We're borked."
The large Victreebell let out a shriek. "Victreeeeeeee!"
Spark cringed in pain and covered his ears. He stumbled back, careful to not step on the Bellsprouts' twitching stick-limbs. The giant Victreebell didn't seem to care. It gurgled up a ball of poison and spat it out at its new prey.
He quickly scooped up the nearest Bellsprout in danger and barely dodged. He set it back in the grass away from harm, where it moaned, returning to consciousness.
Zipper's pink cheeks sparked, and he readied himself to attack, but Spark grabbed hold of his Pokemon before that could happen. "Bad idea!" He turned to run, getting a few steps away from the dizzy Bellsprouts when its thick brown vine whipped around his ankles, pulled them together and yanked him to his face. The phone knocked free from his hand. It was still recording.
Zipper bounced off just in time.
Spark pulled at the vine as it dragged him forward, his heart pounding in fear. He managed to struggle enough to get one foot free. If he could pull the vine loose enough to get his other foot out, he'd be home free. "Zipper!"
"Pika!" Angry, Zipper charged in. No one messes with his Trainer, but him! He gathered power into a massive static charge and let a Thunderbolt fly.
The Victreebell scree'd in pain as rivulets of yellow electricity coursed through it. It was enough to loosen its hold on Spark's left ankle.
Freed, he scrambled to his feet and snatched up his phone. "Zipper!" The little guy wasn't nearby. "Now's not the time to be a hero." Sure, he was strong, but there was no way he could take out an enemy like this on his own. He spun, and without thinking dove for his Pikachu. "Look out!" He shoved his Pokemon aside, but instantly took over as the Victreebell's target. It slammed the open end of its bell down over him, wedged his body between the two teeth jutting up from its top, and tilted its head up. The leaf at the top slammed shut.
Spark's world darkened. He'd been pulled head over feet into the Victreebell, and only the toes of his shoes barely extended past the teeth. It dipped forward, then back quickly ending that tiny bit of freedom. He was stuck.
This is bad. This is very, very bad! He shoved at its walls, pushing to get out before this thing decided he'd make a delicious Sparky treat and turn on the dangerous internal water works. The muffled sounds of high pitched Pokemon calls, and the occasional voltage Thunderbolt charge swirling in the liquid bled through. One of them didn't belong to Zipper. Who else was out there? A sense of fatigue began to set in, but it wasn't from the effects of his current confinement. Zipper is taking damage. I have to get out of here! His hand moved to an inner pocket of his jacket that held one single, miniaturized ultra ball. The Pokemon within was his only hope to escape alive. He'd sworn to reserve calling upon it when all other options were exhausted –to be used in the most desperate of times, and this fit the overdue bill for a desperate measure. His fingers wrapped around it, ready to click the release when the Victreebell began swaying in a floppy circular pattern. The liquid around Spark sloshed from the movement. The motion increased. Yup, he was boned. Super, ultra, mega-boned.
He was a muscle twitch away from activating the pokeball when he suddenly jolted forward.
Spark slopped to the ground and rolled. He sat up, shaking the saliva gunk away and looked back. What he saw could easily rank up there with thankful confusion.
A single Oddish had used Chlorophyll to increase its speed, and was running a circle so fast around the full, slowed Victreebell, that the giant Pokemon had literally thrown him up. Why would a random Oddish try to save him?
Angry that its meal was taken from it, The dizzy Victreebell screeched in a final attack, slicing at the Oddish with its leaves.
It flew back, defeated by Razor Leaf, and hit hard close to his side. Spark reacted instantly. He picked it up, ran over, gathered up his tired Pikachu, and bolted away from the dazed enemy into the trees toward the lake. "Run away, run away, run away! Aaaaahhh!"
Spots on his skin started to burn from the liquid, but holding two Pokemon meant he couldn't wipe it away. Thankfully, the need to wash this crap off as quickly as possible overwrote any other aches and pains stabbing for attention. He ran hard for the silver glint of the lake shore.
"Water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water!" His long legs took him across the distance of the last few feet. This disgusting blech-worthy junk was going to leave a mark! He set his two passengers down, tore off his jacket, moved them onto it, and made the world's most perfect dive into the lake. "Cannonball!"
'Sploosh!'
The cooling, instant relief felt like bliss—pure, simple, heavenly bliss. He stayed under, scratching his scalp and rubbing at his arms, face, and neck to get all of the Victreebell's acid off before his need for air took him to the surface. He shuffled back to shore and flopped down next to his jacket and the two fainted Pokemon.
His panted breath quickly became the only sound beyond the brush of the evening wind in the trees.
Did that just really happen? Here he lay in the peaceful solitude of Yumi Lake, when moments ago, he'd been fighting for his life as an entree.
The phone had survived both ordeals. He sat up and turned it so his face filled the frame. He was sure he looked like a drowned Ratatta. "These little guys," he nodded toward the duo, "just saved my bacon. And then we ran. That's bravery," He pushed his hair back, though a few bangs slipped forward. "But I think that's enough bravery for one day." He shut off the phone and let it dangle in his hand with his arms draped across his raised knees. "Oh man. What a newbie mistake. If Professor M. ever finds out about this, … Worse, if Blanche and Candela ever find out about this, they'll heckle me for the rest of my life. Professor M. will just laugh and ask for battle details over pizza."
Why didn't he realize that Victreebell was in the meadow? He could normally tell when a situation was going to become too dangerous to continue. His instincts never pinged him. Something was definitely wrong, and it almost cost him his life. His radar was broken. No wonder he couldn't even make a simple, "Join my team, bro!" video. He was a team leader and a gym leader, for crying out loud! These beginner mistakes were left behind long ago. Apparently one made it through; the 'don't run off without taking your Pokemon with you' mistake.
Still dripping wet, he scooped up the little Oddish, and rummaged through a pocket in his jacket. He withdrew one small patch of herbal ointment and pealed it free from its protective plastic, then used it to dab the wounds of the little grass Pokemon clean. He'd have to thank Professor Tachikawa for her invention when he got home. These were small and much easier to pack.
The purple Oddish let out a weak sound. First this Human apologized, and now he was playing nurse? There was something different about him that it liked, and it was glad it was able to help.
Spark smiled at the small Pokemon. "Just rest, little guy. I don't have a spare pokeball, but I'll make sure you get help."
The similarities of this moment mimicked that of an instant a couple of years ago where he'd uttered those exact words to a Pichu. He glanced to Zipper, and set the Oddish back on his jacket. He then repeated the same treatment to his friend's wounds.
Zipper sat up as the potion worked to heal him. He blinked up at his Trainer.
"Feel better?"
"Pika."
"Good. Thanks, pal. I owe you. And this little Oddish, too. I wonder why it helped me? Wild Pokemon don't tend to do that."
Spark was his Trainer, friend, and family, and Zipper would have kept attacking to his last breath. He stood, shook away the weariness, and for the sake of victory, let it show in a classic pose.
Spark laughed. "Heck yeah, we won! Low five. If that thing tries to come after us again, we'll 'ring it's bell!' Haha!"
Zipper stared.
"No?"
"Pi." He shook his head.
They both knew that was one of Professor M.'s bad puns, but Spark chuckled. "Low five anyway? C'mon, don't leave me hangin', little dude.'"
Zipper slapped his palm with a triumphant 'pika!', though a few static charges escaped. He needed to rest, but he was too hyped up from the win.
This didn't get past Spark at all. Most of his clothing contained a thin layer of rubber-like material that was light and felt like cloth, insulating him from electric shocks –for the most part. His gloves were made of this, too, and his jacket and pants were lined with it. Occasionally, Zipper's condensed power would get through, like with the pizza earlier. He was stunned, but not hurt –plus the pizza being expertly toasted was the big win, here. Thankfully, it came in handy when working with his other electric Pokemon, and those belonging to unskilled Trainers. That Pikachu could take full responsibility for his wardrobe being the way it was. Those were days of lessons hard-learned.
Rested, he bundled up the injured Oddish in his jacket, let his Pikachu up onto his shoulder, and started walking along the shore of Yumi Lake back toward the Harmony Center. He had to get home before nightfall, or the other two would send a search party to comb the woods. The last thing he wanted was to let them lord a search and rescue over him. He was already at 'baby brother' status with them enough as it was. This would not help them or anyone else take him seriously.
He could sneak in through the back, and no one would be the wiser.
The calm of nature shattered by the haughty tone of a woman's voice. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here, guys. A water logged twerp alone in the woods?"
Spark stopped. Three people basking in their own glory stood on the rise leading up from the shore into the forest. The one man in her group chuckled, while the other younger girl sent him a cold sharp sneer of superiority. All three wore long buttoned up black and red jackets. Her intention came across clearly, even though all he had was the tone and body language.
"It's a free lake. Who are you?"
The younger girl swept her arm out. "We're the reason you're going to walk home in bruises," yet her sneer said otherwise. "Bonnie and Clyde never lose."
Spark's eyes narrowed. That brazen, third-person-referral, pompous attitude could only belong to one team.
All three thrust off their jackets at once, revealing the well known, boxy crimson "R" emblazoned on their black uniform tops.
"Team Rocket," Spark growled.
"Oh," the woman brushed her fingers through the low ponytail of her long, white hair. "It seems our reputation precedes us again."
"What are you doing out here? You don't belong in this forest."
"And who are you?" Bonnie planted her hands on her hips, "The Forest Police?"
Clyde rolled his eyes.
The woman folded her arms. "This land is beyond the reach of the Harmony Center, so anyone can be out here. Including little worms like you."
"Our skills were dulled by the inane tasks of catching weak Pokemon today," the man with short dark hair, Clyde, snuffed. He'd refused to make eye contact with Spark the entire time, thinking the other to be lower than himself. "Defeating you in battle will make our day at least a little meaningful."
"Yeah," the smarmy girl sneered. "We were just wandering around and then ran across you." She chuckled in her high, annoying voice. "Our lucky day."
Spark didn't believe her. Team Rocket never just 'wandered.' They always had an ulterior motive. "As much as I'd love to take you up on the offer of kicking your butts all the way to Cerulean City, right now this Oddish is my priority." Spark began to walk away. "Maybe next time." A small voice in the back of his mind shouted, 'Bad move, you walnut!' But all he had to defend himself with was Zipper, and he was not strong enough in his current state to defeat three members of Team Rocket exuding that much confidence. Both Pokemon had to spend time in Harmony's Pokemon medical center. To save them, he had to escape from this.
The woman's eye twitched. "A-are you walking away from me?" He'd placed a low level Pokemon over her! How dare he! Rage snapped through her mind. "No one walks away from Me!" She removed a pokeball from her belt and held it out. "Prepare for trouble, twerp, and make it double! I, Aurora, will take you down!"
Zipper's cheeks sparked as his little fists clenched. He, Blanche, and Candela were the only ones allowed to call his Trainer a twerp.
Spark held his hand down. "Zipper, no."
"Zipper?" Clyde laughed. "What a dumb name. If I were that Pikachu, I'd leave you for that reason alone."
A quick round of callous laughter peppered Spark.
His pride took the hit. "Look, if you want a fight, you've got it. But not here. This Oddish needs help, and I'm getting it to the Center first. After that," he winked at Aurora. "I'm all yours, baby."
That disgusted her, but caught her attention, and she finally let herself examine his appearance closely instead of just with her usual, derisive passing glance. "Wait a minute... That messy hair, that pathetic ladies-man smolder... You're that other annoying gym leader from Harmony Center." Her evil smile widened slightly, betraying hidden motives. "It truly is our lucky day."
He faced her down, even in her cool anger. "Like you said, I'm a team leader. Do you really want to take me on?"
She snorted. "Your team and your cereal box title are nothing but a joke."
Fire burned in his chest. "Team Instinct is not a joke!"
"Still," she continued as though he hadn't spoken a word, "your position is worth something to me. I was just going to defeat you, but now that I know who you are, I will humiliate you and take your Pikachu instead."
He slid one foot back, ready to fight. "I dare you to try."
She stepped ahead of her team. That Pikachu of his wasn't powerful enough for her high standards, but it was the Pokemon of a gym leader, and that alone had value. "Judging from your hideous fashion faux pas, it looks like the only Pokemon you have to protect you are your Pikachu and that injured weed in your arms. What kind of team leader leaves his gym without his Pokemon? You must truly be a master of idiocy."
Again, his pride bled from her verbal lashes. He couldn't risk Zipper's life, and this Oddish was in no condition to fight. He hadn't caught it with a pokeball, so it technically didn't have to follow his commands. But he refused to abandon it, especially in the presence of Team Rocket—the team notorious for abusing innocent Pokemon.
"You're too far away from Harmony Center to call for help." She and her crew descended the hill to face him on the shore. "Which means you and your Pikachu," her green eyes shot emerald daggers through her target, "are fair game." She nodded to her teammates, and the other two responded by readying pokeballs to attack.
Crap. Spark had to think quickly, or this time, he would truly be borked.
TBC
Some noteworthy notes here...
1. It's been a while since I've been into Pokemon -like, original series and Pokemon Red -so I spent some time researching. One of my friends is my walking Pokedex, so in tribute to her, I included her OC, Professor Tachikawa. Please bear with me as I brush up on Pokemon knowledge.
2. Professor M. is in homage to the let's player, Markiplier. He's entertaining, and I am thrilled that he's on Instinct. I couldn't decide on the last name of Maple or Mahogany, so I stuck with M to make it easy.
3. There's no Bonnie and Clyde in the series yet, and it needs to be done.
4. The three Team Rocket members are from the short comic strip done by Surfacage via Tumblr. Source for his page here.
5. The Victreebell - In honor of poor James. It was the only time I felt bad for the guy.