Part III: A Rocky Start
Wednesday 05:49 GMT / 5:49 AM
Black haze cleared away to reveal a sterile-white ceiling. Cole's eyes struggled open for the first time in the past eight hours, divulging little but a swarm of confused inquiries in his head. An expression of blatant stupor settled into his face as he sat up, feeling a distinct stiffness in most of his muscles. His glazed eyes wandered lazily about the room; he found himself sitting on a gently orange sofa, rather pleased that he wasn't lying on the hard, whitewashed table under numerous lamps in the center of the room. Well, I guess this isn't really a human hospital, so I won't get dissected here… Large file cabinets made sure that no corner went unused, and bleached countertops retained an assortment of needles, tissues, tools, and various other discomforting objects. There was a certain breeziness about the air; it felt continuously fresh with each breath he took. He blinked with a shake of his head, still trying to alleviate the lingering daze behind his vision, when footsteps entered through the open doorway at the end of the wall on his right.
"Ah, you're awake," a feminine voice said.
It was Nurse Joy, Cole realized upon looking up. Garbed in her traditional apron and dress, her friendly eyes smiled at him, pulling a smile out of his own face. I heard about this… but do they all really look the same? Kinda eerie…
"It looks like you and your Scyther will be just fine," she explained cheerily, "All you both needed was a good night's rest, though I ran Scyther through the restoration chamber for you, anyway."
"So it didn't have any serious injuries?" Cole inquired further.
"Not really; just very extensive exhaustion and a few bruises, but it's perfectly fine, now." She crossed her arms to look more intently at him. "But you two must've been through quite a lot to have lost so much energy. Don't push your Pokémon or yourself so hard, from now on. It would've been much more dangerous if you had collapsed just about anywhere else."
"Yeah…" he hesitated, wondering if he should tell her about the strange men he'd encountered for the second time. Would it really do any good? a thoughtful question asked him. But he didn't have an answer.
"Would you like to see your Scyther?"
"Ah," Cole blinked, realizing that she shouldn't have had to ask, "Yeah… please."
"Please follow me," she told him as she turned to leave the room.
Following her was trickier than he'd suspected; his legs still wobbled just enough to provide slight discomfort as he left the room, leaning against the wall for stabilizing support.
Confronted with the options of right or left, he followed Nurse Joy to the right. The hallway was predominately bleach white like most everything else, but a few bulletin boards tacked up against the walls provided a break for sterilized eyes. Pale light from the lamps embedded into the ceiling behind a rough fiber glass held a small tint of yellow to them, which gave something of a homely feeling to whatever it cast itself upon. Polished clean floors squeaked against his shoes' thick souls, and very nearly presented him with a distinguishable reflection. Red and white doors passed him by, some with Pokéball insignias carved into them, until Nurse Joy finally settled upon one in particular.
When Cole entered behind the nurse, he found a room similar to the one he'd previously been in, only this one was much deeper and kept a string of padded tabletops running down the center towards the back wall. Most of the tables remained empty, save one, which housed a lone Pokéball hooked against a carbon tube leading up to a microwave-sized machine labeled: "Intensive Care Unit."
"Your Scyther is still pretty wild," Nurse Joy began as she unhooked the ball from its makeshift pouch, "So we had to keep it in its Pokéball for safety reasons."
"Yeah, I just caught it last night," Cole explained with his hands clasped together behind his head.
"Be careful with it," she warned, "Wild Scyther can be highly aggressive." She handed the small red and white sphere to him, but not without a look of slight concern fixed onto her face.
"I'll be careful," he assured her as he received his troublesome Pokémon. And after a moment, he added, "I don't really have a choice, anyway…"
"What do you mean?" the cherry-haired nurse inquired
"Scyther's my only Pokémon," Cole said more to himself than to her as his eyes stared intently at the crimson-plastered molding built into the Pokéball, "That means, right now, it's my best chance at becoming a strong trainer… my best chance… maybe my only chance…" He let the ball contract into a miniaturized state to latch it into place against the back of his charcoal belt, and then turned to look at the Pokémon nurse again. "There's something important I have to do, and I need power to do it."
"Power?"
"Strength. Pokémon have strength, so I need to have Pokémon. I need their strength." A fierce intensity burned all other light out of his eyes as he looked intently at the nurse.
"But, Pokémon are more than just tools for power…" she said, her eyes saddening slightly as she spoke, "They're living creatures; they're our friends."
Cole blinked, Vulpix's fuzzy red image running through his head. "…I know," he told her, almost sighing, "Believe me, I know…" His eyes trailed off to the floor, just staring at that polished tile blankly.
"Well," Nurse Joy started again, her ringing voice breaking a momentary silence, "If you're looking for more Pokémon, you should try to find some grass-types."
"Grass-types?" he asked as his eyes looked vaguely up.
"Your Scyther is a bug-and-flying-type, so it should have a big advantage over grass types," she clarified for him with a growing smile, "You could probably find plenty of grass-type Pokémon in the forest beyond the park to the north of town."
Beyond the… "Ah, thank you. I'll give it a try." He nodded gratefully to her before turning away to leave the room. They wouldn't still be there, would they?
Wednesday 07:27 GMT / 7:27 AM
The morning sun cast an auburn light through a thick of trees lining the edge of Goldenrod City's largest park. A few people lingered about the area, despite the youthly time of day; some them were jogging or walking, some chatting amongst themselves, and even some that didn't appear to be doing anything worthy of note at all. Early clouds dotted the sky, as if setting up for a big event scheduled later in the day. All things considered, it seemed a pretty harmless atmosphere, leisurely even.
Cole adjusted his navy blue vest against his shoulders as he strolled along the rim of the park's tallest grass, feeling the tap of his Pokédex against his chest as he fidgeted. You know, came a musing thought, There could be grass Pokémon right here in the park… That Sunkern I saw last night was a grass type… An eyebrow quirked as he tried to consider the possibilities. Sure a Sunkern's nothing to get worked up about, but there might be some stronger grass-type Pokémon hiding in there, too… His eyes snuck towards his bottom left to glance at the grass forest's base. After all… grass Pokémon living inside a bunch of grass? Does that just make too much sense? Then his eyes popped wide open at the sight of something a bit unexpected.
A massive snake slithered out of the dense greenery, leaving Cole to choke on his own breath in surprise. Spanning several feet in length from fang to tail, the reptilian creature coiled around to form a precarious, spiraling stance, flat against the ground. Its dominating jet-black scales stretched and condensed as it whipped around to stare at him with a fixated gaze.
Come on… how can there be giant, poisonous snakes in a public park like this? Cole though, trying to doubt the snake's very existence, Surely the park management wouldn't allow…
Then the reptile reared up to slit its tong out at him from eye-level, revealing that its scales also bore yellow, red, and violet colors in sparsely distributed areas.
Snake in the grass? Does that just make too much sense, too? he asked himself wryly, fingering the tiny Pokéball at the back of waist. It's a Pokémon, isn't it? Definitely a poison-type… not really any advantage or disadvantage for Scyther, but… Crap, that's a big ass snake… A violent rustling amongst the grass adjacent to him took Cole's eyes away from the serpentine creature.
"Haha! I finally gotcha!" a deep voice shouted just before a massive figure leapt out of the grass. The man flung a heavy net towards the snake Pokémon, landing right on top of the thing. "I've finally caught one of these dirty Sevipers!" the voice proclaimed again as the man darted forward to scoop up his prize before it could wiggle free. A hearty laugh belted out of the wieldy individual, sounding to originate from deep within a boisterous gut.
"Shap?!" Cole nearly shouted with shock.
The hefty man spun around with a broad grin plastered on his face, swinging the bagged Seviper like a sack of potatoes. "Ah, well if it isn't young Cole!" he said with considerably less surprise than the younger man, "How've you been, lad?"
"Uh," Cole fumbled, trying to put the 'Shap puzzle piece' into place, "Fine, I guess… What are you doing here, Shap?"
"Why, haven't you heard, m'boy?" the burly man asked, apparently taken aback by Cole's ignorance.
"Heard what?"
"The park's had a breakout of Seviper! It was all over the news this morning," he explained, motioning to the net with the swirly-eyed snake hanging from his shoulder. "Dangerous creatures to be loose in a public park, they are."
"Oh," Cole nodded with a hint of understanding, "So you've come to help rid the park of all these poisonous snakes, then?"
"Aye, you've got the idea of it," Shap confirmed, "But snakes aren't poisonous, lad, they're venomous. World o' difference betwixt the two."
"…Really?" Cole mumbled vaguely, beginning to lose interest.
"Of course! Poisonous is harmful only if you've got the misfortune of touchin' the beastie with the stuff, but venomous… now, venom's injected right into the blood, or even spit atcha," the restaurant owner smiled wide with open fascination, "That's what makes these buggers so dangerous, you see; they go right for their victims, as opposed to only being poisonous to keep others away from 'em. 'Course, bein' Pokémon and all… they could work a mite differently than a regular snake, and mebee a tad less aggressive… or mebee they're even more aggressive-" He continued on for a bit, rambling about all the known and unknown variables that could make a Seviper different from a standard snake, invoking references to the anatomy of actual vipers, as well as cobras… and mambas… and moccasins… and corals… and so on…
…I wonder if Shap was more of pirate than a fisherman… he kinda… Cole's mind had drifted elsewhere, but when the large man stopped talking to let an awkward silence roll in, Cole snapped back to the situation at hand by abruptly clearing his throat. "So, uh… you're saying there are a buncha snakes hiding in this park, right now?"
"That's exactly what I'm sayin', lad."
Cole shuddered at the potential problems he could run into trying to find a grass Pokémon to capture inside the park. "Well, uh… I guess I oughtta get-"
"Hey," Shap suddenly exclaimed, "Why don't you join me, lad?!" He thrust both arms in the air at the idea, sending the netted Seviper toppling over itself, still stuck within the man's grasp.
"Well… I'm kinda busy at-"
Shap's excitement broke him off before he could finish. "Why, that would be perfect, wouldn't it?! You're lookin' to be a Pokémon master and such, right? This is a great opportunity to catch yourself one of those gnarly Sevipers, eh?" He turned away to stare defiantly into the grass jungle, as if to counter a Glare attack from one of the snakes hiding within.
Ugh… a poison-type… Suddenly Cole didn't feel so much like a Pokémon trainer, but more like an ophidiophobic kid with problems taking vaccine shots, let alone a snakebite. Eh… heh, I don't think Scyther is ready for that kind of challenge… He coughed as he guiltily accepted the thought to be a legitimate excuse.
"Whaddya think, Cole?" Shap asked as he turned around, "You up for…"
The young man from Azalea Town was no longer there, leaving only a trail of dust in the direction he'd darted off to.
Wednesday 08:49 GMT / 8:49 AM
Well, it took him a while, but Cole finally did it. Have I been past this tree, already? He'd gotten himself lost.
The forest was denser than he had expected. Trees hugging other trees, underbrush growing between their heavy roots jutting out of the ground, indiscriminate sounds of wildlife resonating through the area; it made for a dizzying experience, especially for an amateur tracker and traveler like Cole. Fallen leaves were everywhere, crunching and crackling under his feet as he walked. Boulders overgrown with moss littered the ground, making it all the more difficult to find proper footing.
"…I don't think I've been here before," Cole mumbled through a raggedly confused expression. "Maybe I should mark this tree here…" Or, maybe you should've thought of that when you first entered the forest… a lazy thought scolded him, But no, you were far too busy running from a field full of venomous, nine-foot snakes with fangs the size of a saber tooth tiger… sheesh… He squinted at the thought; now he was just confusing himself. "Okay, no more thinking," he concluded decisively as he took a hold of Scyther's Pokéball.
The sphere popped open to let loose a red beam, soon retiring into the form of his green bug Pokémon. "Now," he began, "Scyther, carve a mark into this tree for me." Pointing a delegating finger towards the tree of interest, he awaited Scyther to fulfill his request.
But it didn't; the winged insect only stood there, eyeing him with uncertain intrigue, as if to say it didn't even know who he was.
"Aw…" Cole breathed as his eyes rolled back to look at Scyther, "Don't tell me you've got problems with authority…" Well, I suppose we were never really properly introduced, said another bothersome thought, It tackled me, ripped a hole in my pants, then I through a Pokéball at it. Not much eye contact, as I recall. Cole only sighed at the realization of how annoyingly long this could potentially take. "Come on…" he begged, "Please carve a mark into that tree over…?" He suddenly stopped, finding that his tree of choice was no longer there. What the…? He quirked an eyebrow towards Scyther, wondering if it knew something he didn't.
But it only blinked and tilted its head at him, wonderingly.
Cole's brow dipped down, a sign of growing suspicion. Nothing moved as he strained his ears to listen beyond the natural sounds of the forest. Birds chirping, a distant stream trickling over sharp rocks, trees stirring against the wind… Wait, Cole ruminated, There's no wind… at least, not this low in the forest… meaning that sound should only be coming from above! His head snapped around to look behind him, and he spotted a rigid brown branch twitching vehemently. Is that…? He still couldn't be sure; a thick of leaves adorning the tree's topside seemed to blend in perfectly with its environment.
"Ssscciiieee…" came a low-toned growl of his Pokémon's high-pitched voice, and as just as Cole was about to twist around to see what was wrong with Scyther, it bolted ahead of his vision, tearing across the forest floor towards the suspected plant.
A slew of leaves burst into the air as the 'tree' leapt out of its position to flee from its attacker. Weaving in between other trees to try and throw Scyther off its trail, the suspected Pokémon seemed to melt right into the forest.
"What the heck kind of Pokémon was that?!" Cole bellowed out as he propelled himself towards the fleeing Pokémon, Scyther speeding on ahead, apparently unshaken by the tree's moves. If it's fleeing, it must be weak enough for an easy capture! he deduced with an open mouthed grin, trying to avert plants from blocking his view.
A stray branch slapped him in the face, causing him to blink harshly for a few seconds, and when he opened them again, Cole found himself sprinting through a grassy clearing. The sight of his Scyther standing at the far end of the defoliated area, between the fake tree Pokémon and the sanctity of the forest made him grin with a small sense of pride, but a sudden knock against his foot in mid-step made him frown as his face planted itself into the ground.
Trying to shake sense back into his vision, Cole rolled over on his back and propped his elbows against the ground. The sound of Scyther's blades connecting against something hard, perhaps rock, rang emptily in his head as he tried to piece together the scenario before him.
Numerous silhouettes fled off towards the woods; they seemed to be small figures carrying something on their backs, but whatever they were, they vanished before Cole could get a better look.
"Iiiieee-vvveee… eeghh…" A groggy-eyed Ivysaur stared agitatedly at him, trying to replant its toppled self back on all four legs. Various green shades covered its body, darker toned spots placed atop an underlay of aqua-green. The partially opened flower on its back retained a distinguished red-orange countenance. Quaint, little ears poked out of the tops of its head above its deep olive eyes, and two small teeth glanced out from its extensive mouth.
"Oh, eeeeehh," Cole babbled as he looked at it with a stupefied smile, "I'm really sorry… I didn't mean to-"
"Ivy-zar!" it cried at him, shaking its body enough to roll back over. "Zaur! Zar!" It hopped angrily at him, probably trying to make a point about his clumsiness or some such thing.
"Hey, n-no need to get mad… It was an accident," he tried to explain, but the Ivysaur didn't seem in the mood for listening. Oops… I must've run right into the middle of a gathering of Bulbasaurs and Ivysaurs… and from the looks of this one, they were sleeping until I scared off the rest…
Its jaded-green body started trembling again, and a rather unsightly yellow-orange powder started gushing out the top of the baby plant on its back.
"Uh-oh…" was all Cole could manage as he scrambled back to his feet. Let's go check on Scyther, now… he thought hurriedly, bounding towards his bug Pokémon still several meters away.
Scyther had locked its blades against one of the strange Pokémon's heavy 'branches,' and they were both now struggling to push each other back, neither seeming to gain any kind of advantage. But when Scyther broke its away for a moment to look at Cole approaching, its opponent seized the opportunity and shoved it back towards a robust tree with surprising strength. The bug Pokémon flipped back to catch the tree's bark with its feet, effectively preventing any careless damage it might've taken. It kept a wary eyed stance with its two scythes embedded into the tree for support, letting it hold onto an almost perfectly horizontal position, chest faced towards the ground a few feet away. Scyther clung to its position for a few moments longer to glance between its most apparent enemy and the young man approaching from its far left.
The fake tree is stronger than it looks, Cole thought as he moved on a curved path towards Scyther, trying to keep his distance from the Pokémon he had yet to fully identify. There seemed to be a momentary break in the fighting, so he took this time to get his first good look at the Pokémon that Scyther had chased through the forest.
It still looked like a tree, in a strange, distorted-reality kind of way, with an earthly brown color covering the brunt of its body and forest-green coating three spherical bulbs stuck to the ends of each arm. Its white-grinning mouth beady-black eyes stood under a sort of 'wishbone' protrusion from the top of its bark-like head, and lighter brown spots ran down the length of its flexibly slender body to stop just above a couple of stumpy legs. The thing bobbed its head and shook its branches as if it was dancing, all the while singing an odd word or perhaps that vaguely rhymed in a high-pitched voice. And though it appeared as a tree, the Pokémon's body still twisted around, back and forth, in surprising fashion.
Cole wasn't quite sure what to make of the fiercely strange creature, but when his ears heard the approaching grumbles of the Ivysaur he'd left to stun the grass around it, part of his mouth hooked off into a frown. His neck craned around as he came to rest against the tree with his Scyther on it, trying to assess the situation at hand. Calm down. Scyther's still got the advantage. Ivysaur is a grass-type, and that other thing's a tree, so it gotta be a grass-type too…
"Sssuuuuudooo!" the wild tree Pokémon suddenly belted out, thrusting its two branch-arms into the earth below it. A light rumble shook the ground as it yanked several boulders out to send them soaring towards its apparent enemies.
Scyther tore itself away from the tree just before dense rock splintered and crushed its bark, leaving Cole to stumble away as wood chips tumbled off in all directions. And when he looked back, almost the entire tree was gone, demolished down to only a broken stump in the ground.
Holy crap! Cole's mind shouted, That was a rock-type attack! Grass-types aren't supposed to use rock attacks! His head swung back around to re-assess the wild tree he'd taken for granted, while his right hand dug into his inner vest pocket. The Pokédex flipped open to scan the Pokémon still prancing in place with a wide smile.
"Sudo-woodo," came the computerized Pokédex voice, "The Imi-tation Poké-mon: This Poké-mon is com-mon-ly mis-taken for a grass-Poké-mon, when in re-ali-ty it is actu-all-y a rock-type capa-ble of mim-ick-ing an oppo-nent'-s atta-cks."
He snapped the lid shut, sighing at the incredible mistake he'd made. A rock-type has a huge advantage over a flying-grass-type… This isn't good…
Then his green-cased bug Pokémon suddenly appeared next to him, pointing a thick scythe at something.
Cole looked up to see the Ivysaur, still wearing a frustrated expression, standing a few meters away from the Sudowoodo, probably halted due to the sudden explosion of force from the Sudowoodo. He blinked when an idea suddenly hit him. "Ah," he huffed, spinning back around to look straight into his Scyther's eyes, "You're best advantage is your speed, Scyther. Neither of them can match you there."
Scyther looked back at him intently, almost seeming to agree with Cole's logic.
Wetting his lips, Cole went on, "Scyther, get between the two of them and use Double-Team." He wet his lips in hope of his ideating working out properly.
And to Cole's surprise, Scyther nodded, then bolted away from him, the grass under its feet arching back under the wake of its speed. Just as it passed between the seed Pokémon and the dancing tree Pokémon, Scyther erupted into a streaming line of clones, all seeming to move up and down a straight path between the two opponents.
Sudowoodo only tilted its head, apparently not having a problem accepting the sudden appearance of so many copies, but Ivysaur jumped back, its eyes darting to and fro as it tried to pin down what was happening. A couple whip-like vines burst out of its sides, snaking around in confusing fashion before dropping down to sweep the entire line of Scythers from right to left. The Vine Whip attack cut through numerous afterimages, but didn't stop until it came halfway through, connecting with the side of Sudowoodo's forked head instead of the intended Scyther.
"Yes!" Cole exclaimed at the fruition of his plan.
Scyther's Double-Team subsided, letting the line of clones vanish to reveal its true position at the other end of the clearing.
"Now," Cole yelled out to Scyther, pointing towards the dazed seed Pokémon, "Slash Ivysaur before it recovers!"
The bug Pokémon immediately dashed towards toward the designated target, bringing its left sickle-arm up from its side to deliver a diagonal Slash attack against its body. The slice connected with enough force to knock Ivysaur back a few paces, trying to stabilize its shaken footing.
But Sudowoodo was far from out of the picture. While both Scyther and Cole had taken their eyes from it in favor of attacking a stunned Ivysaur, the imitation tree had closed the gap between it and Scyther. A high branch rose above its head as Sudowoodo appeared behind Cole's green bug, leaving only a moment's notice for the trainer to warn his Pokémon.
"Scyther, go left, now!" he shouted through held breath.
His Pokémon leapt as soon as it heard, but there still wasn't enough time to avoid the attack completely, even with its powerful speed. The olive branch thrust downward to mimic the Slash that Scyther had just used only seconds ago, nicking the tips of the double-paired insect wings lightly, but garnered more depth against the bug's right-side scything arm.
Zig-zagging away, Scyther fumbled for proper balance as it right arm fell limp. Its wings twitched after taking the graze, but still buzzed to life easily enough. Scyther spun around as it skidded to a halt several meters away from its enemies, kicking up low clusters of dirt and loose grass.
The battle had grown a bit farther away from Cole in all the commotion, forcing him to move closer to keep a better eye on its progress. As he approached his lightly wounded Scyther, the mantis Pokémon stared straight into his face, as if waiting for something.
"That was great," he praised it with a small grin, "You did it perfectly."
Seeming satisfied, Scyther turned its gaze back towards the now slowly approaching Ivysaur and Sudowoodo.
What's the plan now? an inquiring though asked, straining his brain for answer, …Let's see… their both wild Pokémon, but that doesn't mean that they'll help each other in battle… I can turn their attacks against each other with the right opportunity, but they probably are going to be more cautious this time…
A pair of green vines slipping out of the plant-dinosaur Pokémon made his mind break-off with another idea, and everything slowed as a memory triggered…
The Azalea Town Gym Leader had a Scyther, too… he thought, trying to considered the possibilities as quickly as he could, There was a move he'd use to defend, even when it wasn't meant for that kind of thing… What was it?
The vines lurched forward, closing the gap to Scyther as Cole struggled for his answer.
What was it?!
Slender, greens snakes whipped around to close in on the mantis from both sides.
What was the attack?! he yelled to himself, clenching his eyes shut as the attack grew nearer and nearer. I can't… remember…!!
Seeing Vine Whip wrap itself around its abdomen, Scyther suddenly writhed to get out of range when it found its trainer without a command for it, but there wasn't time. The pair of vines enveloped its body to take a tight grasp upon its mid-section, holding Scyther into place as Sudowoodo moved closer for a direct attack.
"Swords Dance!" the words exploded out of Cole's open-mouthed grin. He'd only said it in the light of remembering so abruptly, but his large mantis took it as a command.
Scyther's left arm hugged its chest and its right arm remained limp and unmoving as it fought against Ivysaur's grip to begin the spinning ability. Its legs moved together and gradually, Scyther took control away from Ivysaur, having a hefty weight advantage on its side. A shroud of dirt and fallen leaves whirled around Scyther as it gradually spun more rapidly, continuing to wrap more of the vine's leverage around its body, which inevitably pulled Ivysaur closer and closer. Sudowoodo stopped to gawk at the spectacle, until finally Scyther stopped spinning with Ivysaur right up against its enveloped body. But the grass-type was even less mobile than the mantis Pokémon due to its lost footing; Ivysaur was stuck there, its feet kicking at the air between it and the ground.
"Swords Dance again," Cole said with growing enthusiasm, "This time, spin in the other direction."
Nodding, Scyther followed its trainer's command, starting to spiral with Ivysaur's vines still tightly wound around it. Though its arms, legs, and abdomen were all immobile, it didn't matter; Scyther's captured posture was perfect for such a move. And as it gradually began to pick up speed again, Ivysaur's vines began to unravel, unable to keep pace with Scyther's body; however, this time, since the seed Pokémon was already so close, the vines dragged Ivysaurs's entire body with them, giving Scyther a sort of 'sling-like' power over its smaller opponent as it twirled out of the enemy's hold.
As slack picked up on the green ropes, Ivysaur swung wider and wider from Scyther, forcing Cole to the ground before it nearly hit him.
But Sudowoodo, apparently lost in its epic dancing adventures at the moment, took a full on hit from the flying grass Pokémon, finally giving Ivysaur enough of its vines back so that it could release its 'hold' on Scyther itself as the two collided and tumbled across the verdant earth. Both opponents were grounded, and Cole's Pokémon had severely increased attack strength: a favorable turn in the battle.
Cole smiled as he watched Scyther take a wide stance; its feet spread apart with one good arm raised up behind its head while the other remained limp. That last attack should've damaged both of them pretty heavily, he surmised to himself, Maybe I can actually manage a double-capture out of this after all…
Sudowoodo recovered to its stumpy feet first, which was to be expected, considering its rock-nature and naturally greater durability than its smaller associate. Ivysaur took a bit more time, seeming to have quite a bit of trouble catching its second wind. However, when the determined frustration boring into its face started to burn with a dangerous white glow, that second wind seemed more like a tremendous gale.
The budding flower growing out of its back bloomed in full, garnering specks of grass where it connected into the creature's body. Bulky legs sprouted where its old ones had been, and the eyes embedded into its flat face widened along with the rest of its visage. Gaining nearly eight times its previous weight, the Ivysaur melted into the enormous Venusaur, known to be the final evolution in the seed Pokémon chain. Sharp, little teeth revealed themselves as it bellowed a deep roar for the very first time.
"…Aw, now that's just plain unfair," Cole muttered as he watched the scenario unfold before him. Well, started a wandering thought, …crap. Not many options seemed very appealing, at the moment. The fresh strength inside of the lumbering Venusaur could easily prove too much for his wearying Scyther. I guess jumping in head on is out of the question… and the power behind that Vine Whip just got crushingly more dangerous…
Sudowoodo stared at the newly transformed grass-type Pokémon, apparently unsure of what had taken place. An olive branch wandered towards the tremendous flower sprawed out on Venusaur's back, poking at it with natural curiosity.
That thing just became the biggest Pokémon in the area… and probably the most powerful, given the circumstances. His thoughts, though most likely accurate, didn't seem to be helping him in the least. What to do…?
Venusaur turned an irritated gaze upon the nosy Sudowoodo, and promptly slapped its branch away with a stray vine, garnering a surprised expression out of the wild tree's face.
I suppose I might be able to turn their attacks against each other again… but how? A worried hand wandered up to console his forehead as he tried to think of some idea that would save him, however a more pressing matter would cut his planning time short.
Venusaur's mouth opened wide to project a widely audible cry injected with a strange sensation akin to grinding rocks together, and then leapt ahead, galloping straight towards Scyther. A sudden blast of small seeds shot out from atop the plant on its back, making Cole cringe in recognition of the attack.
If that hits, we're sunk! "Agility!" his mouth shouted without consulting his brain.
Hearing the command, Scyther sprinted away, just barely missing the Leech Seed attack that might've crippled its energy and mobility.
"Vveeeeee," came a low growl as the gigantic grass Pokémon suddenly broke off its run to shake the ground with its abrupt stop, removing chunks of grass and dirt at a time. Several serpentine vines slipped out from under the red-orange flower sprouted from the beastly creatures back, coiling around precariously as Scyther circled around the seemingly shrunken clearing with heightened speed.
A few quick thoughts ran through Cole's mind as he waited to see what his wild opponents would do next. Scyther's moves tend to revolve around enhancing its own power, mainly strength and speed… How can we use that to our advantage? He squinted, still uncertain of any set plan other than simply avoiding the enemy's attacks.
Earthly green whips lashed out towards Scyther's path of travel, aiming to stop its movement altogether.
"Fury Cutter!" Cole blurted out, only wondering if it was the right decision after having already said it. His mouth twisted into an uncertain cringe as he watched his Pokémon in hopes of beneficial results.
Scyther skidded to a halt; part of the Vine Whip attack extended passed it to slam into a rigid tree lining the small clearing. More vines approached it from the side, and when it raised its left sickle-arm to perform the specified attack, a thick pair of the snaking plant lines wrapped around its right leg, yanking it to the ground as it swung one of its few bug-type moves to deflect another approaching mass.
Its vines fastened against Scyther's leg, Venusaur pulled harshly backwards to drag the flailing Pokémon across the meadowy grass with a limp scythe digging up rock and dirt.
"Just keep using Fury Cutter!" the lone Pokémon trainer shouted. It's in a horrible position, but at least its last attack hit… he tried to think optimistically, now if it can just keep getting hits with Fury Cutter on the vines wrapped around its legs… A vaguely thought-out plan seemed to be formulating, by some strange aspect.
Scyther's body doubled up to get closer to the green ropes around its leg, so that it might have a clearer shot with its bladed arm. Venusaur's puppeteer ropes hauled the mantis Pokémon all over the small field, sometimes straight into boulders or stumps dotting the ground as Scyther struggled to hack itself free with continuous hits from Fury Cutter. Sudowoodo, having been dancing in place to pass the time, suddenly decided to get back in the middle of the fray. Darker green vines launched out of its olive branches towards the already endangered bug to ensnare the Pokémon's right leg, mimicking Venusaur's attack.
…Crap, was the only word present in Cole's mind as he watched the trouble multiply itself. Two on one just isn't good odds… especially for my first battle using Scyther. Despairing thoughts clouded his reasoning, making even more difficult to focus. What was I thinking…? Going into the woods by myself with only one Pokémon? A slight contraction in his face lent itself towards the notion of hopelessness growing in his mind. I'm such an idiot…
"Sssccciiieeee…" arose a familiar growl from his bug Pokémon, still cleaving away with its seemingly ineffective Fury Cutters, "…Sscciieee… Sscciiieee…" Its high-pitched voice struggled against the strain on its body. Both enemies clutched a leg, pulling in opposite directions; Venusuar looked to be gaining ground on Sudowood, probably just from sheer strength in size, but that certainly didn't ease the burden on the bug Pokémon's legs. "Ssccieee-tthheerrrr…" The weakening power behind its voice made for a painful sight as Scyther continued in a relentless effort to gain its lower limbs back.
Cole's temples bulged with his clenched teeth, unable to tear his eyes away from the tenuous scene. …They wouldn't be able to rip its legs off… would they? Merely thinking of the potential troubles brought an uneasy compression to his stomach. But what can I do?! he thought urgently, Swords Dance, Double Team, and Agility are all ineffective when its caught in mid-air like that, and by now, Slash would be even less effective than Fury Cutter… Racking his brain for anymore of Scyther's attack or any kind of solution to a situation like this, Cole's eyes waned against the pain that his Pokémon must have been experiencing. Maybe I'd better just call it back and make a run for it… he thought fragilely, touching the mini Pokéball at his belt. Maybe I'm not as prepared for this as I thought I was…
"Sscciieee…" came that same voice again, "Scy…. Scy…" Its one good sickle-arm reared back again as it continued to fulfill the orders it was given.
"But…" mumbled Cole's voice, hardly even audible to his own ears, "Why should… Why should I give up?" He blinked at the sound of the words from his own mouth. "Scyther's not giving up… Why should I?" An eye-widening breath suddenly filled his lungs. "My Pokémon is still fighting, so why should I give up!?" he shouted, growing more consciously aware of his words. "Come on!" The words exploded out of his mouth with a raised fist as he tried to encourage his giant mantis. "Just keep it up!" Truth be told, Cole really had no idea if it would do any good, but he was at least determined to try as long his partner was.
It belted its high-pitched voice back at him, digging into the vines on its right leg with an enthused slice. Its body writhed against the tight grip on its legs, twisting back and forth to extend the motion of its slice as much as possible. Each consecutive hit pulled another short yell from its sharp mouth, as if trying to add further weight to each hit by any means possible.
Then, Venusaur flinched against the growing weight of Scyther's attack, loosening its strangle hold on the Pokémon's right leg, but not letting go completely. Another hit garnered a second cringe, and then another and another and another…
Each hit grows more powerful than the one before it, if it hits, Cole thought, going through the description of the Fury Cutter attack in his head, But since the targeted area for its hits is right next to it, Scyther won't miss… A flat grin split his face as he watched the battle unfold. Add on top of that its natural Swarm ability, which ups the power of bug-type moves when Scyther's in trouble… His breath stopped as he hoped for the effects behind his logic to show themselves before the two wild Pokémon broke one of its legs.
With its rigorous cries ringing throughout the area, echoing from tree to tree, Scyther's empowered Fury Cutter smashed into the vines still clutching its right leg within their grip. The threads loosened for an unsteady second and Scyther's body jerked towards the ground under gravity's influence before Venusaur's burdensome rope could recover. And with another resonating yell, Scyther reared way back with its left-armed blade grazing the ground below it, then thrust the attack down to deliver a blow right where it had been the hole time; the line snapped off, leaving Venusuar's vine to careen off back into its massive body as it stumbled back.
The right side of Scyther's body dropped to the ground as Sudowoodo pulled it closer from the left, dragging the emerald-green body towards it with an unsuspected strength from its hidden-rock branches.
"Stick with Fury Cutter!" Cole advised his Pokémon, before continuing more quietly to himself, "Its already tremendously powered up, so that attack is our best bet to ending this battle…"
Scyther's limp arm twitched with a hint of vivacity and placed the sharp end its blade under the towing green threads. Then, through all the loose leaf and dirt kicking up around it, Scyther thrust its left arm down on the vines, still invoking the threat of its Fury Cutter. Its blade cut straight through the green ropes, sending Sudowoodo fumbling backwards after its tight grip had been severed.
"Yes!" Cole exclaimed with a vertical leap, glad to finally see his Scyther with its mobility back. "Just keep using Fury Cutter!"
Its good sickle-arm dug into the ground as Scyther continued to slide, bringing it back to its feet so it could dart straight into Sudowoodo's unstable posture and slash diagonally across its earthen body with another Fury Cutter. Sudowoodo cried out against the force behind the hit; the attack, having been powered up with a double Swords Dance, repeated usage, and Scyther's swarm ability, dropped the imitation tree to the ground in what looked to be defeat.
Venusaur growled from its distant position several meters away, probably angered by its severed vines, then thrust its body forward with a slew of spinning leaves leaping out of the plant base on its back. Undoubtedly a Razor Leaf attack, bladed green discs spiraled towards Scyther's turning green figure, giving it only a moment's notice to leap out of the way. Numerous cuts sliced against its viridian exoskeleton before it could get away, but the ineffective-type of attack still only did minimal damage, freeing Scyther to tear across the ground towards Venusuar's slower form.
As it sped by, Scyther slashed horizontally across Venusaur's heavier body, connecting for still greater damage than the previous attack. The giant seed Pokémon roared out against the assault as its health fell away, leaving its body to upheave and fall to the ground under the strain.
Blinking with stark surprise, Cole scrambled for two empty Pokéballs out of his bag as Scyther broke away from its grounded opponents to gather composure against a far tree. Two red and white balls cascaded across the grassy area to strike at both Venusaur and Sudowoodo, enveloping them in a red aura amidst hopes of sealing them within their inner walls…
All at once, the shaking stopped, killing that faint crimson.
"Hugh…" came a low breath as Cole dropped to the ground, his fingers burrowing through stalks of leafy grass. A relieving sigh emerged from his lips as his eyes slowly took on a hint of glazed wonderment. I'm… kinda tired… he thought hollowly, his gaze drifting past the two red and white balls that had just recently stopped twitching with a crimson glow.
The heavy panting of Cole's mantis Pokémon pulled his eyes toward the wearied creature, revealing that its legs had buckled into a hunched posture.
Blinking, Cole realized how much more taxing the battle must have been for Scyther than for him, and an ardent expression of sympathy rose out of his face. "Take a rest," he muttered as a red beam enveloped the creature's emerald exoskeleton, pulling Scyther into its Pokéball.
For a time, Cole only sat there with his elbows propping up his upper body and both legs sprawled out ahead of him. A light breeze grazed over the small clearing, gently caressing all reaches of his face. He squinted towards the bright sky, a few puffy clouds greeting him with bloated grins, and figured it to be nearing the middle of the day. I guess… came a wandering thought, I guess I'm not such a failure at this as I thought I was… It was strangely encouraging, he realized, which was strange, given his current situation. A small grin poked out of the side of his lips as he heaved himself back to his feet. Halfway to standing, he stopped.
A low pulse vibrated through the ground, tickling the tip of his one knee still touching the ground. Like a series of tremors, the vibrations came in waves. He remained utterly motionless, save the curious eyes darting all over the grass in front of him as his mind tried to fit this development into some half-realized puzzle. His ears strained for answers, but could only vaguely catch hint of a distant hum behind the forest's music. The vibrations grew steadily larger as Cole tried to return motion to his body. Standing fully, he swallowed hard against the deserted taste in his mouth and began a slow walk towards his two, newly captured Pokémon.
Suddenly, the ground twitched all at once, making him stumble past the step he'd completely missed. Craning his neck backwards, Cole glared into the deepening forest, a heavy grinding sound garnering strength with each passing second. The pupils in his eyes contracted as a horrifying sense of familiarity struck him. It can't-! shouted a panicking thought, forcing his body to leap forward on all four before he could get to both legs. It can't…! Again?!
Behind him, the wall of trees at the edge of the clearing lurched upwards, sending hunks of greenery and foliage spiraling off in all directions as an enormous figure crashed through the earth. Amidst the chaotic combination of terror and curiosity and adrenaline surging through his head, Cole could hardly manage an instant's glance at the emerging object, but that single moment, that one piece of a second where his eyes frozen open as wide as humanly possible, seemed as if all the time in the world had suddenly stopped. A vibrant, unmovable image burned itself into his mind.
An enormous drill, caked with crumbling layers of mud and dirt, obliterated the forest's attempts to bar its path, sending earthen debris tumbling all around it. Spiked and barbed, the massive drill roared through the densely packed wood, echoing for what must have been miles. The small cockpit at the very rear of the tunneling vehicle retained an impenetrably black glass to shield its occupants, however, as Cole stared at it, he wasn't particularly concerned about seeing the faces of the individuals within. Perhaps it was due to the distraction provided by the machine's grinding bellow, or the pulverizing trail left in the wake of its conveyor-belt wheels, or the screaming razor blades extending out from its sides via flexible poles; but in the end, Cole didn't find himself dwelling on the why for much longer than an instant. And when the monstrosity's golden-brown frame finally broke all the way through the forest floor to settle into a brief moment of peaceful recon, Cole found his legs thinking much further ahead than his brain.
He ducked down in the midst of his dash towards safety, scooping up his prized captures. Fumbling to holster the pair of contracted Pokéballs into their positions at the back of his leather belt, his eyes veered from his path for a second. His eyes snapped back into place, only to see an untimely tree trunk suddenly right in front of him. His body reacted with a violent jerk to the left, leaving his right shoulder to crash into the side of the tree, propelling Cole from to the side and into a cluster of bushy foliage. "Agh…" came his harsh groan as he shook the haze out of his vision.
Trembling ground forced his mind to focus again, and the roar of the mechanical drill made Cole flail himself back to his feet. His eyes darted backwards, and to his dismay, it seemed as if he had indeed been spotted. The massive object tore across the earth towards him, apparently unhindered by nature's friction.
Fear stained the lining of his stomach, extending all the way up his throat as Cole broke away, deeper into the forest. His body moved seemingly without effort or thought, spurred on by its own instincts. His legs bounded over the uneven terrain; his eyes darted wildly in all directions, looking for terror in unlikely places. His arms seemed to flail more than pump, panic spilling through his face. Stray leaves and low branches obstructed his vision, however that didn't seem to worry his legs, as the muscles only strained for more strength.
He ran without even the faintest thought of stopping; he ran even when he couldn't catch sound of the malicious digger anymore. The mere thought of what could have happened terrified him. His own fear confused him, but that only seemed to make it worse.
His burning legs finally slowed, but he still didn't stop completely. And as his strained ears only caught sound of the blood pounding through his own head, Cole's mind gradually began to reform int a conscious awareness. Beads of sweat gathered along his forehead as his eyes drifted off into a distant gaze at nothing. Why… why am I so afraid? a thought asked him, his legs still carrying him onward. I suppose, now that I think about it, running was the best option, considering how weak all of my Pokémon must still be… but… He squinted through his empty gaze, searching for the right words. Just then… just now… was I even myself? It was a strange question, he realized; however, there seemed to be something behind it. I didn't even bother to consider what else I could have done… I was so afraid… He trailed off, not wanting to finish with what he was thinking to be true. But the thought still dangled in his mind, trying to finish itself, as if aware of its own importance. I… was so afraid… it was… The temples at the edges of his forehead tightened with his clenched teeth. It was like nothing else mattered. He blinked, his eyes returning to see the forest break away from his vision.
Light poured into his pupils as the darker forest fell away behind him, revealing the distinct charcoal-color of pavement.
"A road," came a pair of obvious words from his lips. "It's paved, too…" His eyes wandered over the chiseled path, making vague assessments. "It must be used pretty often, if it's paved…" Somehow, this discovery left Cole with little enthusiasm. Something felt a bit off, not entirely wrong, but just… off. And as he placed his hands on his hips, gazing up and down the elongating road, the indistinct feeling suddenly grew much larger.
"…Wait…" Cole mumbled as he moved his right hand back along his belt, letting his fingers gloss over the small spheres fastened there. "Hm." Still unsure about the problem, he unhooked the Pokéballs to stare at them. My three Pokém… The last word was left unfinished as his eyes widened.
There were only two.